We Are Family

Every Day is Mother's Day in my house

Mizz came in for his walk today and greeted me with a super loud and super sweet "Happy Mother's Day, Mommy!" When I asked Dave what prompted this, Dave said that on the walk Mizz was informing him that "Mommy is my mother and Daddy is my father."

Mizz Quotes

Mizz came out of the bathroom today, pants down around his ankles saying, "I don't have time to wash my hands. There's no time to wash my hands." It cracks me up because I hadn't even asked him to do so (although of course he knows he is supposed to) and he didn't really appear to be in a hurry to do anything else and um, he can't tell time.

He has actually said many funny things today and has been exceptionally sweet aside from smearing toothpaste on the couch this morning. He is starting to sound more and more like me and Dave which is mildly frightening given the level of duress Dave and I have been under the last few months with a new baby and whatnot.

All's quiet...

D and I are enjoying a wonderfully quiet, snuggly day together after a fun but tiring weekend in Seattle. I feel sorta guilty sending Mizz and Dave off to the coal mines but I suppose someone has to make the money and learn social skills. What I should be doing, instead of cuddly with D and blogging, is addressing the birth announcements that I finally ordered and that finally arrived last week. And I will sometime today I suppose. I will also post some pics soon of the Seattle trip. Mizz had a great time playing "hide and seek" with his cousin, which basically involved them running and shrieking back and forth. And I got to take zillions of pictures of D with his oldest, new baby girl cousin. This is going to be a catch up week. There is no camp this week so hopefully we will get to check out some of summer haunts that we haven't had time for and also, get the house and yard ready for our next round of visitors.

Attention to Detail

Today at the park Mizz was watching other kids play and at one point noted that one of the little girls was a "brown person" and he was a "white person". Because I am a white person, I was relieved that he stated this observation quietly (which is weird because almost nothing he says is quiet). I agreed with him and we continued playing. At dinner we talked about it some more, with Dave and I reminding him about the different people at his school, in regards to hair color, ethnicity, etc. He is clearly starting to pay more attention to lots and lots of details. It was still on his mind at bath time tonight because according to Dave, Mizz told him that, "You're a white guy, Daddy, not brown or red. Or blue either."

This follows this morning's attempt at understanding the external and internal workings of his toy laptop. He asked Dave in his serious, I-am-really-concentrating voice "How does this work?", while he was playing with the latch and then wanted to know how the keys worked as well.

He's a big kid now!

In the very recent past whenever I would ask Mizz if he was a monkey, lunatic, or Superman, he would emphatically state, "No, no, I'm a toddler (for awhile there it was "No, no, you're a toddler!" But pretty much since turning three he has decided that he is a big kid now. I suppose this is in part due to me casually mentioning all the cool things big kids get to do, but am I also choosing to interpret it as a sign that things are finally settling down somewhat in regards to his adjustment to Baby D. Just a few weeks ago we were embattled in wars over who was going to dress him, now he is taking more and more initiative getting dressed on his own and in other areas as well. Granted there is a certain, shall we say, solid area of potty training that still needs to be addressed but Dave and I have a plan for that whenever we get around to it.

Anne Geddes Eat Your Heart Out!

Boy's Best Friends

Last week Mizz asked our kitty Chloe if she wanted to go to the OMSI with him. He obviously knows she is a cat but in many ways treats her like a friend and regularly tries to include her in the conversation (despite her lack of response). I think his questions are rhetorical...Mizz has stopped copying her behavior for the most part and now seems to have adopted the role of her care taker/boss. He regularly brings her things to sniff, gives her treats, and announces when she needs to go and in and out and in.

Mizz also independently said that he thought D's crib should go in his room because he wants to share his room. Yikes! My little boy is so sweet.

More pics

Words elude me these days, but I can at least oblige some grandparents and post some pics.

Mizz often requests to have "tummy time" with D and then proceeds to copy all of his actions. He has clear mixed feelings about his baby brother. He is a generous and thoughtful brother most of the time but clearly does not always want to share his parents. So he alternates being really sweet and caring with D with full out bouts of jealousy occasionally coupled with some mild aggression.

My little migrant worker

Mizz picked almost a quart of blueberries and raspberries all by himself this weekend. He worked diligently and somehow kept himself from eating them (he is a berry fiend). I guess when he is in picking mode, he forgets about the fact that they are food. With D strapped on my chest, I managed to pick a few myself and with the help of the field sprinklers and some light colored blankets managed to not overheat us. Mizz was timid about the sprinkler at first and then became the loudest, most enthusiastic participant in the who can get the wettest game. Two hayrides later and we may have a convert to farm life. He seems to be cut out for it, given that he has woken up at the crack of dawn his whole life.

My little jokester

When I tried to put D down for his afternoon nap today, he smiled and then laughed (I had thought he was asleep). Now I don't know if it was my singing (there was some Madonna I admit) or, if it was the whole notion of sleep in general. We'll see...I just set him down again and am waiting for the snores or protest.

Happy Birthday Dave!

I just finished off the last of Dave's birthday cake and boy were those extra calories worth it. Dave's office came through with an outrageously delicious creation from Beaverton Bakery. Yesterday was actually a small feeding frenzy as Dave and I ate out for both lunch AND dinner with just the wee one in tow. Lunch was at our old hippie joint close to our old house. One pork chimichanga and Grateful Dead album later, I made a mad dash to pick up Mizz from camp. That afternoon, Mizz, D, and I set out to grab some birthday provisions for Dave's arrival home from work. As soon as Dave walked in the door, Mizz asked "Daddy do you want to have a party? I want to share it with you!" Our dear friend Lisa had come over to help Dave celebrate and to watch Mizz for the evening so we could sneak out for some more quiet time...at the very loud, but very wonderful Hopworks. Hopworks which bills itself as "an urban brewery" just opened and I have already been to it three times in the last three weeks!

D's two month appointment

I took D to his first Kaiser visit today to meet his new pediatrician. Both he and I liked her on sight. She was warm, a great listener, intelligent, and didn't hover by the door, which means she'll probably retire next month. She was listed in Portland magazine as one of the top local pediatricians and I can see why. At least for now though, we have her! D weighs 9 lbs 12 ozs and is 21 inches which puts him in the 10th percentile for both weight and height. This means that roughly 90 out of 100 two month old boys can kick his a$*$! Not that D couldn't put up a good fight. The doc was impressed about his rate of weight gain (almost 3 1/2 pounds in two months) and his kicking prowess. He was awake and cheerful throughout the exam and settled down immediately after his shots. All in all she reported it was a "perfect" exam, which of course made this mama proud and relieved that the D man is growing well even if he is a shrimp.

Aargh.

Shockingly, yet another product that is supposed to be good for you is now probably bad for you. Dry, lame wit aside, I have to admit that I have always been skeptical of most products that you slather on your skin sunscreen included. There are just way too many chemicals on the label to have me convinced that I should be absorbing them. Still, I have to rely on the whole moderation thing which means that I seriously try to limit my sun exposure and thus the need for sunscreen in the first place. And I live in Portland, which as the article points out at the end, is a fairly decent way to avoid the whole issue for a good chunk of the year at least.

New D pics

Despite Mizz's insistence that "Daddy doesn't need to hold D!" or "No, no, no, Mommy do it!" Dave and D have been getting plenty of bonding time. Unfortunately for Dave, most of it is in the evening when D is at his fussiest which means Dave has to work extra hard for those smiles and moments of quiet. Fortunately for D, his Dada is super patient and has awesome baby whisperer skills.

Birthday Recap or Thomas Madness

Tickets in hand, Mizz plays with his new Thomas and Bertie cars before the train starts rolling.
A cheesy photo op after the ride
Mizz burns through the maze in no time flat. I wouldn't have expected anything else.

Dave came through with a stunningly realistic Thomas cake that would make any toddler proud.
His teacher at school crowned him with yet more Thomas regalia.


Before you start worrying about the monster we have created with all this Thomas stuff, you need not start. Mizz likes Thomas a whole bunch but is not, shall we say, toddler entrenched with it. Meaning he doesn't lose it when there are no Thomas undies and still we only watch a few minutes of a video before wandering off. It is cute though that he can identify many of the engines and is getting more and more creative and interested in his train table play.

All in all, it was a really fun and exhausting weekend. We totally lucked out on the weather and crowds (cool and lack thereof) for the day in Hood River with Thomas. It was awesome to get out of Portland and see some of the Gorge and the ride for the most part was quiet. Mizz loved all the offerings including some farm animals to pet, the maze, a small train to ride on, etc. It was really cute to a whole lot of preschool boys roaming around the festival getting their train on.

Mizz's birthday party on Sunday went exactly as I had hoped. The weather was spectacular and the number of kids was just right to make it feel like a party and not a riot. In fact, both kids and adults were entertained with no major melt downs on either team.

Birthday week

True to form, I just sent out the invites today...for Mizz's party this weekend. Somewhat short notice I realize, however I am obviously not too concerned because I am imagining a smallish laid back affair in the front yard with water, his tunnel play set, and cake. Dave has volunteered once again for the cake making job--a chocolate Thomas cake with red candles per Mizz's request. The man knows what he wants. At least when it comes to cake. For the actual day we are going to celebrate at our favorite park with some balloons and ice cream after Dave gets off of work.

And, Dave and I are either the nicest parents ever or the stupidest because we just took the plunge and bought tickets for A Day Out With Thomas. Hopefully Mizz will love it and it won't be an overly crowded, over priced major disappointment where Mizz plays more attention to his shoes than the giant Thomas.

To complete the next week are two more birthday parties and a 4th o july cookout which I am really looking forward to.