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Wednesday, December 28, 2005

blogging from vegas

We're here in sin city, without Spencer! But we can't stop talking about how much he might enjoy the sights of the city and what he might say upon seeing them, "that's a blue fountain!" "that's a giant excavator!" "that's a big lady, be careful!" And unlike me, Spencer is someone who could certainly eat his money's worth at these buffets! We are a bit surprised by the number of folks who did take their little (little!) ones are pushing strollers up and down the strip and inside the casinos. While the break from Spencer and absence of a schedule is nice, it definitely feels weird. Especially for someone like me who is used to living by the clock and managing schedules at work and at home.

One celebrity sighting so far: the Rev. Al Sharpton inside Dior at Wynn.

Spencer has definitely gotten into the swing of things at home with Hanukkah underway. He has been staring at a pile of presents, assuming all of them were for him, since the beginning of the month. He's a pro at ripping paper now too! He loves trying to spin the dreidels, and spotting all of the menorahs around the house. We look forward to rejoining him toward the end of the holiday to finish it up together!

Thursday, December 22, 2005

'PENCER!!!

Although we are pleased that Spencer no longer calls himself "Bobbin," the pronunciation still sounds more like "'encer." His young friends Landon and Brian are able to say "Spencer" quite well, and so can other classmates at school. Today when I picked him up, they were all playing outside. When I stepped through the door, I saw Spencer playing on the far side of the playground, but the little girl right nearby looked at me and hollered down to him "PENCER!!"

Wednesday, December 21, 2005

'tis the season...

...for packages! I'm working at home today, and our doorbell has rung three times in the last hour. First Fedex, then UPS, and just now USPS came to drop off packages. Thanks in advance to all of the kind folks who sent gifts our way! Although most are addressed to Spencer, there is at least one box here which says "Leach Family!"

I have a little dreidel

Last year, Ellen gave Spencer a plush stuffed dreidel and within the last couple of months, he has learned the four letters on it. He even can identify those four letters when he sees them in other places too. He has played with it throughout the year, but this week we have started to get ready for Hanukkah, and dreidels are now everywhere! We have been singing the dreidel song, and Spencer knows it too! It is so darn cute to listen to him sing!

Tuesday, December 20, 2005

smoking at school?

Yesterday I was completely grossed out and annoyed when I picked up Spencer from school. The parking lot has incredibly tight spaces, and, when possible, I try to make sure I'm parked next to an empty one on the passenger side to make it easier to get him in and out of the car. I was lucky enough to find such a parking spot, but when I returned outside after picking him up, I was a bit bummed to see a big SUV had filled that space. As I got closer, I realized that the adjacent SUV was actually full of adults, and both the driver and the backseat passenger had their windows down and cigarettes hanging out - less than a foot from our car! I paused, and sized up the situation realizing that even if I made a fuss about moving their cigarettes so we wouldn't get burned, it would still be quite unpleasant as it takes careful maneuvering to get Spencer into his car seat when the door can not be fully opened. So, I was left with the option of crawling through the back seat from the driver's side with Spencer. It was well worth the minor inconvenience to avoid that toxic nastiness. As we drove away, I couldn't help but think about the poor kid(s) who would have to ride home in that vehicle.

Saturday, December 17, 2005

nap time

It's nap time on Saturday, and right now Spencer seems to be doing everything but napping. I can hear him in his bedroom occassionally jumping in his crib, or singing happy birthday, or asking his stuffed animals questions. I have even heard him announce, "it's nap time, time to sleep." But so far, it is not quiet yet.

Thursday, December 15, 2005

gyro night?

In a million years I never would have thought it possible to make gyros at home. And as much as we enjoy them, we just don't get down to Niko Niko's that often these days. (Maybe more so during the winter when we start returning to the Children's Museum on a regular basis.) But I am a devout fan of Alton Brown's show Good Eats on Food Network. And when browsing around the archive of his shows and recipes, I stumbled across his recipe for gyros, that can be made in the oven, along with home made tzatziki sauce. I just had to try this out; if it was at all possible to have them at home I needed to know! The verdict? They were very good! Even Spencer gave them big thumbs up, although he did initially think we were eating tacos. This dinner is not quite as quick to throw together as taco night, but I know that we'll be having gyro night again soon!

Tuesday, December 13, 2005

home sweet home

I like our house. Sometimes I wander around thinking it is too small, but at the end of the day, it really works well for everything we need. Last night the layout was ideal to enjoy social time with friends and collectively wrap dozens and dozens of holiday gifts. Spencer's eyes grew wide this morning when he saw them piled high and said, "presents!"

Speaking of houses, now is the time for making gingerbread ones. I've watched the ultra-impressive competitions featured on Food Network, but I was equally floored when I saw the houses that Bari created with her friends and family! I'm anxious to get her gingerbread recipe so we can make some here too! They are so inspiring! Not sure Spencer will really get the idea this year, but I'm sure it will be fun!

Monday, December 12, 2005

getting bigger every day

Well, things are noticeably different at home now that Spencer has turned two. The high chair has been giving its final cleaning and has been put away. (OK, that's not quite true, it hasn't actually been put away yet, but it is out of the kitchen.) Spencer really enjoys his new booster, and so far seems to be a bit less physical at meal time because he doesn't want to fall out!

At his two year check up, they confirmed he is growing quite well - having moved from 80th to 90th percentile in weight. (I knew my arms have been feeling sore!) After he asked if Spencer knew and used 20 words, the developmental milestone checklist ended a bit abruptly when Spencer pointed and said "that's a stethoscope!"

Tuesday, December 06, 2005

Big day!

Monday started off with a laugh as I entered Spencer's room in the morning and found him standing up in his crib just wearing a diaper. He apparently had unzipped his footed fleecey sleeper and it was down around his ankles! We laughed about it together, and then started getting ready for another big day: Spencer's first day in a new classroom at school with two year-olds! There was a note attached to his daily report last night that said Spencer had a super first day! He only cried for about a minute, and was (again) featured in line time as he was introduced to the other kids in the class, and overall had a great day! That made us feel great! Our little guy is growing up!!

I had hoped to finish the day with a laugh too, and was bummed that "How I Met Your Mother" was a repeat.

Sunday, December 04, 2005

Happy Birthday Spencer!

Two years ago this evening Spencer joined our lives, and we can hardly recall how things were before he was here with us! The celebrations began at school on Friday with their traditional globe ceremony. It was such a great feeling as a mom to see Spencer be the focus of attention during line time, and also to watch him help the earth move around the sun two times. The teachers decorated the tables with birthday messages, and he had a wonderful birthday crown to wear too!

This morning, after Spencer opened some presents from mom, grandma, and cousins, and after he put away a tremendous portion of challah french toast, he and Jim went to the party store to pick up balloons for the big day. And Spencer was very specific about which ones he wanted: a sparkly purple star, and big football, and a green one with lots of 2's on it! Interesting assortment, but it made Spencer happy! The fun continued into the afternoon at his party - something he's been talking about all week! A group of his friends joined him in celebrating, and Spencer's face lit up as each one entered the room! When the candles were glowing and everyone sang "happy birthday," Spencer knew that it was for him, and he was so, so happy. I know this party is something he'll definitely be talking about for a long time! And in case he forgets, the birthday photo album can certainly job his memory.

Happy Birthday Spencer! Your mommy and daddy love you so much!!

Tuesday, November 29, 2005

a typical drive home from school

"Want to go that way?" Spencer asked pointing to a group of houses we passed on the drive home.
"No, Spencer we don't live there, we're going home now."
"Want to live there?"

Just a few short minutes later:
"Want to hear thunder?"
"Spencer, we hear thunder when it rains. It's not raining right now."
"Want to make it rain now?"
"Well, we can't make it rain, but if we wait, it might rain later."
"Want to wait in the car?"

Saturday, November 26, 2005

just a box

For those who missed the annoucement earlier in the month, the cardboard box has made it into the National Toy Hall of Fame. Spencer is a lucky dude because we happen to have come into a very large box last week, and yesterday Jim turned it into a play house, complete with doors and peek-a-boo windows. Spencer loves going in there to play, to read books, and espeically enjoys hiding other toys in there.

Zoo Day

Today Spencer learned a few new things during our outing to the zoo. He now knows what an okapi is, and if you ask he'll tell you that it looks "a little like a horse, and a little like a zebra!" He also learned a lesson at the petting zoo, "watch out for poo poo!"

Yesterday we saw some raw emotion from Spencer's conscience poke through. Jim offered him some milk during lunchtime, and Spencer said "no!" while shoving his hand forward and knocking the cup of milk over on to the table. "Oh no!" we said, "Spencer, that is not good!" And he looked at the milk on the table, and he heard the disappointment in our voices and saw it on our faces. We demanded he say sorry for his actions. Suddenly we could see tears welling up, and his lower lip jutted out and began to tremble. He looked so pathetically sad, Jim and I were trying so hard not to laugh. He was sooo upset. He signed 'sorry' and we thanked him, and quicky got him out of his chair to end the meal. Lesson learned, but I'm told we'll likely have to go through it about 60-70 more times before it really sinks in.

Tuesday, November 22, 2005

teething sucks

With Spencer's second birthday right around the corner, he seems to be right on track for getting in his second year molars. This process of teething has been going on for nearly a month now. His fingers are exploring the back of his mouth all of the time, and rarely can he get through bedtime without some type of pain reliver. Poor guy. He's so unhappy. The bright side is that these four molars are the last baby teeth he'll get. But for now, we're trying to make Spencer's life as comfortable as possible as he struggles through this last hump.

Monday, November 21, 2005

momma's boo boo?

It definitely does not start your morning off well when your toddler points to an acne spot on your face and says "boo boo on mommy!"

fabulous friday

Friday was great. Even with Jim out the door early for class, I managed to get myself showered and ready before Spencer woke up. Definitely starts the day off right when you don't have to shower with your toddler. In the morning I held one of the most efficient, productive and cooperative meetings in weeks on a particularly tricky topic. That feeling of accomplishment was was a real charge. We had our holiday team party in the afternoon, and it's always good to get away from the office and socialize with co-workers. We even won prizes! After a brief shopping stop in the Woodlands, I picked up Spencer a little early and headed to Open Gym at the YMCA - his favorite place. He played and played and played. At home, quesadillas did indeed delight the boy, before we wrapped up and called it a night.

Our big outing on Saturday was to ride the trains at Zube park. Spener had a blast, and we ran into one of my co-workers with his sons Spencer and Archer.

Friday, November 18, 2005

taco night

In our house, we never say "we've having tacos for dinner," instead we say "it's taco night!" Well, last night was taco night, and we decided that Spencer was going to graduate from his usual 'deconstructed' version to joining in the messy fun. He watched with great anticipation as we ripped a tortilla in half and began to load it up with good stuff: meat, cheese, avocado, tomatoes and olive. By the time we folded the sides in and rolled it up tight, he was so excited. "Two hands!" we told him, and he grabbed on and took a big bite and said "MMMM!" with a big smile on his face. Occassionally we would tell him "take a bite from the bottom" to help contain the mess. He loved them so much, he ended up eating TWO ENTIRE TACOS (half at a time!) and loved every single bite. As is customary here, we will be having quesadillas tonight with leftovers, but I can't wait until it is taco night again!

Wednesday, November 16, 2005

accomplishment!

Today I walked around feeling pretty good all day. Still on a bit of a high from the Baby Signs® workshop I delivered at San Jacinto College last night. Before yesterday, I think my largest audience for a workshop was about 12 people, and last night I was on stage of an auditorium speaking to a crowd of nearly 100! It was a huge rush, and a huge sense of accomplishment to enlighten such a large number of people about the many proven benefits of signing with babies.

Monday, November 14, 2005

Last free flight

For Spencer, that is. This weekend's trip to visit Tracy in Atlanta was the last time Spencer will get to fly for free as a lap child. Of course we're not eager to begin paying for seat, but it will definitely be nice to not have him on my lap any longer. We were not lucky enough to get an empty seat on either flight, but Spencer was an excellent passenger so it worked out just fine in the end. I do worry about DVT sitting still with 35 pounds pressing on my thighs, but I try to be conscious and do the exercises they suggest in the in-flight magazine. (How geeky - does anyone else actually do them??) I don't really care, the consequences are too worrisome.

Here are pics from our weekend with a few more details in the captions!

Wednesday, November 09, 2005

cooking time

I love cooking. I love watching Food Network. Tonight I played an episode of Good Eats recorded earlier and watched Alton Brown whip up some fresh ravioli. It looked so yummy, and of course it looked so easy to make from scratch at home. I know deep down I will probably never own a pasta machine, but it did make me wonder when Spencer will be old enough to help in the kitchen, and will he enjoy helping? I really do think he will - he's big on following directions and putting everything in its place. Maybe, just maybe, he'll grow up to be as great a cook as this dad from DadCentric blog thinks he is.

ABC's

While Spencer has been able to identify all of the letters in the alphabet for a few months now, he has only recently started to sing the ABC's. And here is how Spencer's version goes:
A, B, C, D, F and G, (pause) Q, R, S, Y and Z, (pause) W, X, Y and Z. Yeah!
We applaud and say 'Yeah!' along with him, but now we are also trying to encourage more singing the alphabet WITH mommy and daddy so we can help him remember to include some of the runs in the middle! However, there are few things cuter than listening to your toddler sing a song.

Monday, November 07, 2005

Happy Birthday!

Today is Bonnie's Birthday!

Sunday, November 06, 2005

where did it go?

One of our favorite games to play with Spencer is to ask him to find something. He's a quick study, and has recently turned the tables and now asks us to find something which he has hidden. But there is one flaw - Spencer is lousy at 'hiding' things. Last week in the bathtub he held one of his brightly colored neoprene letters under the surface of the water to 'hide' it and asked Jim "where'd the Z go?" Uh, Spencer, it's still in plain sight. He certainly gets the idea, but details are still lacking. And yesterday morning he wandered into the kitchen with his hands behind his back and asked me "where'd the flashlight go?" But he failed to realize that the flashlight he was holding was ON and was shining on the floor. Another good try, buddy! It's funny now, but I have a feeling that he'll get really good at this game pretty soon and our stuff may end up hidden in some pretty strange places!
Monday morning update: Spencer came in the bathroom and stuck his finger in the middle of the bristles on a brush he was holding and asked "where'd the finger go?"

Friday, November 04, 2005

23 months!

Holy cow, Spencer is 23 months old. I can't believe that he has been a part of our lives for that long. I know it's hackneyed to say, but where did the time go??

I haven't even blogged about the fact that it's been about a month or so now that Spencer can FINALLY say his name! Yeah! It comes out sounding like "ehn-sur" but that is head and shoulders above the earlier pronunciation of "bobbin!" It's even funnier to hear him talk about himself in the third person. "Spencer did it!" or "Those are Spencer's shoes!"

Speaking of talking, Spencer has been cracking us up lately with the sentences he puts together. Monday he was watching me cook and when he spied the gas flame on the stove he said "No, no touch fire! Might be hot! Hurt Spencer!" And when I brought dinner to the table in a large serving bowl and Spencer's eyes got real wide as he said "That's a big bowl! Be careful!" Um, ok Spencer, we'll be careful with the big bowl. Despite the fact that he reiterates our warnings, the kid really has no fear. I'm just trying to brace myself for what lies ahead when he becomes a ulta-mobile, and fast, two year-old.

And at teh risk of creating a circular reference, I thought it was cool that Blogging Baby actually cited me for giving them a lead.

Sunday, October 30, 2005

closing out october

We continued our search for all things autumn this weekend. Today we went to Dewberry Farms and had a blast seeing the animals and going down the slide and wandering around the corn maze and seeing pumpkins growing on the vine. Spencer was a little confused when he tried to walk away with some gourds and discovered they were still attached to the ground!

Here are some more photos from our wonderful Saturday at a friends' neighborhood Halloween carnival, and the sandbox that Jim built on Saturday afternoon and today's outing to Dewberry Farms.

Fingers crossed that the rain holds off until after all trick or treating is over tomorrow!

Wednesday, October 26, 2005

education never ends

They say you get to learn things all over again through the eyes of your children. When Spencer was tiny and exploring his world we delighted watching him discover his own hand. First one, then about a week later the other. But now that he's a walking talking machine, even he has graduated beyond hands (his favorite body parts to talk about these days are armpits and elbows.) From a momma's point of view, it is required to learn about what is of interest to your children. And while I am more than up to speed on anatomy, I realized over the last few weeks that I don't know as much as I thought I did about large trucks. I guess if I had stopped to think about it I would have realized obvious differences, but it was never important to me. Until now. Because Spencer really likes trucks, and there is no shortage of construction equipment in Houston. As we drive to and from school each day, we have the opportunity to identify cranes, excavators, mini excavators, and front loaders. I mistakenly called his Little People front loader a bulldozer a few weeks ago and that label has stuck. Now when I try to correct Spencer, he thinks I'm just playing a game and insists that he's holding a bulldozer. Sigh.

Monday, October 24, 2005

family outing

Well, after a long weekend in NY, and Jim spending four of our first five days back down at Rice, we finally had time to spend Sunday together. We enjoyed the awesome weather at the Oil Ranch which was surprisingly completely uncrowded. Spencer is still talking about how he got to "ride the pony!" and "milk the cow!" And somehow we ended up bringing home another pumpkin to bring the total in our house up to seven. I guess that means we're carving this weekend! We took a lot of pics yesterday that are in a new album.

I not even embarrassed to admit that I really enjoy the new show How I Met Your Mother. Every week it makes me laugh out loud. Maybe it's because some of the actors are familiar and it is so incongruous to see Doogie Howser tell crude jokes. At least tonight provided some comic relief on tv after the Astros let us down over the weekend.

Saturday, October 22, 2005

Spencer's twin?

This is a class week for Jim, which means that Spencer and I are on our own all day Friday and all day Saturday. Yesterday Spencer and I enjoyed the annual Fall Festival at his school, and they did it up right with tons of fun activites and even a petting zoo! In the end I was glad that Spencer wore his Elvis costume again this year (I am still not quite sure how it did indeed zip up!) because it was such a huge hit. His teacher even put him in it at 9:00am and paraded him around to show others! And at the festival he made so many other parents stop and smile, which made me happy too.

Today we checked out another pumpkin patch (sticking with my goal to visit one every free day in October!) And I did indeed bring my camera this time. The weather was spectacular - low 80's and not a cloud in the sky. We were right near Hooks Airport so Spencer was delighted to see so many small planes coming in for landing so close overhead. While we were sitting and resting and having a snack in the shade of a giant bale of hay, a woman approached and asked if Spencer went to xyz school. I said yes, and she continued "He is my son's twin! One day I went to pick up my son and they handed your son to me and even took a few steps out of the classroom before I realized that he wasn't my kid!" She kept saying that was exactly how her boy looked at that age (he's almost exactly one year older than Spencer) so it was kind of weird to see the two of them together and think that perhaps this is how Spencer will look in another year. You can see for youself in the pictures from today's visit to the pumpkin patch.

Unfortunately, my camera battery died when we arrived at Monique's house afterwards. Which was too bad, because Spencer had such a blast there playing with her dogs, riding a bike (with help!) petting their rescue horses, playing on big swings and slides in their spacious backyard. It was really good to catch up with Mo, we used to see each other regularly at spinning class, but I haven't gone in months. They were Spencer's very first visitors at the hospital after he was born, and got to see him when he was only about three hours old! It was a very special visit indeed.

Thursday, October 20, 2005

maxxed out

I think I am truly stretched right now with demands for work (HP & Baby Signs,) home, and Spencer at the limit on all fronts. Ack. One of the exciting changes on the home front is our new car! An opportunity presented itself over the weekend to sell our old car and it was too good to pass up. And coincidentally we noticed this morning that our next door neighbors got a new vehicle as well. Spencer's school is busy, and tomorrow is their big annual festival. I spent quite a while sewing (and ripping stiches and re-sewing) part of a costume, but in the end I think we're going to squeeze him into Elvis tomorrow so I can take more time to prepare this year's costume for next weekend.

Even though we had no empty seat on the return flight from NY, Spencer did pretty well. Just one more trip to visit Tracy in Atlanta next month and then we'll be buying Spencer a ticket and will be guaranteed a place for him to sit. I'm anxious for Spencer to get to enjoy hanging out with real life "big puppies" (his nickname for his giant stuffed animal at home) and also see Tracy's grand fishtanks as well.

More immediately, we'll continue visiting pumpkin patches here in Houston for the weekend. And one final class at the Y, which he loves. There are at least four different things I wish I could do tonight (lecture at temple, lecture at Rice, homeowners meeting, dinner with Mark) but I think I will be stuck at home. Sigh.

Sunday, October 16, 2005

October in NY

This time of year up here is awesome, as always. Although a three hour weather delay started the flight off on a less than ideal note, Spencer took it all in stride. And we were rewarded yesterday with brilliant blue skies and the sun shining brightly for the first time in over a week. Spencer and I met up with pop for a big family festival at Teatown which was a hit. He got to see animals and pumpkins and took a hayride. There was an awesome display of raptors (eagles, hawks, falcons) and we were able to get very close! Here are some great pics from the day, including an impromptu visit to a large pumpkin patch nearby. You can certainly see the difference in the size of the pumpkins grown locally up here versus the ones that are sold in Texas.

Tuesday, October 11, 2005

Oprah Rules

Last Tuesday night I watched a recorded episode of Oprah and saw stories about highly disturbing child predators. As a victim of child molestation herself, she has taken to highlight this disgusting trend of offenses against children. She showed numerous wanted photos from the FBI and offered a personal reward for any info leading to an arrest. And right now I'm watching this afternoon's recorded episode and feel so good to learn that TWO people were captured by the FBI within 48 hours of that show airing. And Oprah is continuing to push legislation through in the states to change penalties to make sure convicted predators are never allowed to walk freely again. Go Oprah! I just can not imagine what these parents of victims experience. It's incredible; the tremendous feeling of protectiveness that develops when you know you have a child to protect. Today's show helped make me feel a bit better knowing that people like Oprah are aggresively trying to make our country a safer place for our children.

Monday, October 10, 2005

pumpkins

Spencer is in love with pumpkins. He thinks they are simply awesome - and how luck he is that this month they are everywhere. I bought a couple at the store last week, one large and one small, and he talks about them every 10 minutes. He enjoys carrying the "baby pumpkin" around, even though he occassionally drops it and proclaims "hurt toe!" but that doesn't stop him from trying to pick up the big one too. After repeated attempts he simply says "too heavy" and brings the smaller one back so the "two pumpkins" can be "next to" each other. Yesterday we went to the Pumpkin Fest and Spencer was simply in heaven. He might have been equally happy at a simple pumpkin patch, but this setup had him grinning all afternoon. The highlights were "painting pumpkins," getting to "play in hay" and righting all of the larger pumpkins that had fallen on their side to make sure the "pumpkin bottom" was down and the "pumpkin top" was up. Unfortunately, we arrived without a camera, but a few other pics from the weekend added to the October album, including pictures of his painted pumpkins. (Which now bring the total in our house to five!)

Rock on Astros!

Friday, October 07, 2005

busy week!

Man, I want to exhale now that this week is behind us, but with it being a class weekend for Jim, I've got Spencer solo for today and tomorrow. Tuesday we all went to temple for the holidays, Wednesday was *finally* the return of HNL and yesterday was our anniversay. Poor Spencer has spent the last 48 hours drugged up on Benadryl to keep him from scratching open the dozens of bites on his arms and legs. So far, so good. Added help with the temps dropping 30 degrees since yesterday and now he's wearing long sleeves and jeans to school today.

I bought a couple of pumpkins last weekend and Spencer LOVES having them around the house. Some of the costume ideas that have been brewing mught have to be put aside in favor of a pumpkin, as Spencer can't get enough these days. We'll have to see.

Spencer is so darn funny these days and makes us laugh all of the time now. A few of his favorite games includes 'hiding' toys, for himself. He'll throw something over the couch, and then walk around shrugging his shoulders asking "where did it go??" Or he also likes to take the cover off of the back of tv remotes and ask "what happened??" This morning it was super-windy and the wine chimes outside our front door were clanging around. Spencer stood in the middle of the room and declared "I hear ding-dong!" I was also able to put his busy self to work this morning as he helped me load up the washing machine and annouce everything as he put each item in: "daddy's sock! Spencer's shirt!"

I'm sure as he gets older we'll have more things to laugh about, like this story which cracked me up!

Wednesday, October 05, 2005

must see tv

I have to confess, I am pretty excited that new episodes and new shows have returned to primetime. Two new ones that I have started watching (and like very much) are "How I Met Your Mother" and "Commander in Chief." They are on completely opposite ends of the spectrum. And although I could probably find better use of my evening time when Jim is doing homework than watching more tv, these are pretty good distractions!

bug bites

Poor Spencer got eaten up by mosquitoes pretty badly yesterday. So far, he hasn't been scratching too much (thank goodness) but we sent him to school with Benadryl just in case. Of course, this happens the day before class pictures. They are mostly on his arms and legs, so hopefully they won't show up on the photos.

Sunday, October 02, 2005

October?!?

I can't believe October is here already, but even more incredible is that when I flipped the page on the calendar I discovered that this month is already jam-packed. I was thankful for having so many activities lined up this weekend which freed up my brain from having to plan. Jim was in class, needing to make up the 20 hours missed last weekend due to the hurricane. And Spencer and I were out and about - from gym class at the Y, to a backyard BBQ, to a birthday party, and capping it off spending this evening with friends.

And I forgot to publicly say congrats to Heath & Kim & Chloe who welcomed baby brother Cade on Thursday! I was able to greet the litte guy and hold him before he was even 24 hours old. I can't believe how much I have already forgotten about taking care of babies; it seems so distant from where we are now with Spencer.

Pictures from October are here.

Wednesday, September 28, 2005

Baby Signs® Program in the news

Lead news story today from Fox News on the Baby Signs® Program! I've been continuing to teach at a slow and steady pace, averaging one workshop a month, and having a great time! I've been getting lots of hits on my website, so I know interest is building in Texas.

all together again

Spencer and I returned home, and we're all back together after a week of evacuation. We were lucky again and had an empty seat on the plane for Spencer, and he was a great traveling companion. He shouted "Hi pilots!" toward the cockpit when we got on the plane, and they were kind enough to reply back! I told Jim I feel like I cheated somehow because usually I am completely wiped out after flying solo with him. It often takes much more effort to keep him entertained on the airplane. But today he was thrilled to watch videos and read books, so when he protested his nap I let him keep on doing what he was doing and everyone was happy. Of course he zonked pretty hard in the car and asked to go to bed at 6:15. We'll see how the morning goes.

Tuesday, September 27, 2005

time to go home

Tomorrow morning Spencer and I return to Houston. We've had a great impromptu vacation here in NY. Spencer, mom and I have been having fun together and, as always, eating very well. Spencer packs away an impressive amount, more often than not. Last night we had a fun trip to open gym time where we met up with Zachary and Amy. Spencer was such a monkey swinging on the rings. He just loves it, and I'm sure can't wait to go to his next class at the Y. And, he was most delighted that they also gave out stamps at the end of class just like he is used to. He got stamped on one hand, then the other. Then he stuck the first arm back and said "arm!" Next he looked to his feet and legs which are usually exposed with shorts, but he was wearing long pants and socks and realized that wouldn't work. So he looked at the instructor, yanked up his shirt, and said "belly!"

Sunday, September 25, 2005

Split

Flights resumed today and Jim is now back in Houston. He planned to go ahead of Spencer and I in order to ensure conditions were siutable for our return. And while we were fortunate that our home was spared damage, we have intermittent (mostly not-working) connectivity with our cable/internet/phone and are worrying if electricity will go off as well. So Spencer and I are going to stay in NY a little while longer than anticipated.

We are having a good trip, in spite of the circumstance. Tomorrow morning will be Spencer's third visit to storytime at the library in four days. He LOVES it so much and clearly asks for his rhyme of choice when it is his turn to choose. On Friday, when we started singing Ring Around the Rosy, Spencer immediately grabbed the hand of the little girl next to him and started walking her around the room. At the end of the rhyme ('all fall down') he went down and pulled her to the ground too. Her mom and I were laughing so hard, it was completely adorable! Jim and I were even able to escape for a quick trip to Barryville last night with friends to check out the Von Steuben Festival and enjoy a little time away from Spencer. Today mom and I took him to Muscoot where he was able to get up close and personal with some animals.

This is still a game of 'wait and see.' But it is wonderful to be able to be here relaxing with family.

Friday, September 23, 2005

Evacuated

Just a quick post to say that Jim, Spencer and I are safe and sound in NY. We were at the airport before dawn and got the heck out of dodge. Jim's MBA teammate Pete is indeed at our house now (five hour drive for him from Clear Lake) and will be staying there through the weekend. We will play our return trip by ear as we watch and wait.

Wednesday, September 21, 2005

Go Away Rita

That was displayed in lights on a sign in front of a nearby business and made me laugh out loud. But since hurricanes often have a mind of their own, we are going to go away instead. Thank goodness we took action when we did, because it seems that all outbound flights from Houston are now booked. As I write, Rita is a Category 5 and heading this way. The news is referring to it as "Katrina's BIG sister." We have opened our home to one of Jim's MBA teammates who is escaping his place about 50 miles south of us, much more in harms way. It is an added bonus to have someone keep an eye on things while we are gone.

We just watched the live landing of jetBlue in LAX with landing gear problems. And while it was predicted to be ok (and it was) it was stressful to watch nonetheless.

With our evacuation plans in hand for tomorrow morning, we took a little time out tonight to bring Spencer for some fun at Pump It Up who was having a drive to raise money for a Katrina relief fund. For the first hour, we were the only ones in the entire place! The next people to show up was a family I recognized from the YMCA. Sadly, I don't think they raised even $100.

Tuesday, September 20, 2005

bubbles

Like most little kids, Spencer loves bubbles. This weekend he woke up from his nap Saturday afternoon in a foul mood and after going through an exhaustive list of options, it seemed the only thing he wanted was bubbles. He wanted to try to blow them too, and much to everyone's surprise, he was successful! It gave him even more delight to see the bubbles that he created! Spencer also gave them a taste and was NOT pleased. He made nasty faces and tried repeatedly to spit them out. And kept stating over and over "tastes yucky!"

Monday, September 19, 2005

food for thought

Jim took a 36 hour study break this weekend - his best friend Karl flew in and they were able to do some flying and also go to the Steelers game on Sunday. They also had wristbands to get on the field before the game and were able to take some pretty close up pictures! Despite the fact that many of mine and Jim's good friends live around the country, they (and we) are happy to jump on a plane and close the gap quite often. Karl asked an interesting question during dinner Saturday night that has had my mind spinning since then. He was commenting on the amount of work that Jim's MBA program requires him to commit, and the corresponding amount of work it requires of me to take care of Spencer while he is so busy. I started to reply that while it was tough, I certainly was not bored. And I stopped to think - is it perhaps better that I have Spencer to 'play with' while Jim is in school? I could easily see myself getting a bit whiny about being left solo if we were pre-kids. Yes it requires a lot of work, but Spencer and I can make play dates with other friends and kids, or go on outings together. It might not work as well as a temporarily single person trying to be a tagalong. Yes, it is a bit exhausting when the weekend rolls around figuring out how Spencer will be entertained. I'm sure I'll be wishing for that feeling of boredom as we get deeper into the program, but for now I'm happy to have my buddy! (When I call Spencer "baby," he corrects me and says "buddy!") Here are some pictures from activities in September.

Wednesday, September 14, 2005

traffic cop

Now that Spencer fully understands and pays exquisite attention to every traffic light encountered, he gets very upset when the rules we have taught him are not followed. Last week he shouted "orange! orange! orange!" when I ran though a light that was changing. And today when Jim made a right on red, Spencer complained for another few miles "not green! not green! not green!"

be prepared

Last night at CPR class I learned about a great volunteer opportunity (like I need more stuff to do?) here in Houston. Various groups that are part of the Citizen Corps here in Harris county have been mobilized in supporting efforts for evacuees from Lousiana that have come to Houston. Performing tasks such as setting up thousands upon thousands of cots at the Astrodome before the busloads of people arrived. I know I was not alone in wanting to DO something to help out, and during times of emergency, groups of organized volunteers can be the most effective. I hope others will consider signing up too. At the class was a group (den?) of cub scouts. It was encouraging to see them taking time out on a weeknight to learn such a valuable skill.

Tuesday, September 13, 2005

what an imagination!

Spencer is growing and learning so much, and I am amazed even though I am with him every day! This morning he was playing around while eating breakfast, and decided that the shape of a partially eaten piece of pancake on his plate looked like a pair of pants. He signed and said "pants" a few times, then took another bite, after which he inspected the pancake again and annouced that is looked like a "butterfly!" and put it down so he could use both hands to make the sign. I guess sometimes it is ok to encourage your child to play with his food!

Sunday, September 11, 2005

Spencer's pals

Well, we didn't get to meet Paige at the birthday party on Saturday night for Spencer's classmate Ian, but we did meet sweet Ann Marie, and a pal named Brandon. Spencer had SO MUCH FUN playing around with his friends at Pump It Up. And I enjoyed getting to meet three sets of parents from his class. Ann Marie's mom's jaw practically hit the floor when Spencer came over to say hi and called Ann Marie by name. He had a truly great evening bouncing around, going down the big slide, and 'socializing' with his friends! With Jim at Rice and unable to attend the party, Spencer didn't get to share stories with him until this morning. He told Jim all about "Ian's party" and listed off his friends "Ian, Ann Marie and Brandon" he saw, and told him that he ate "pizza" and "cake" and made sure to tell Jim that they were able to "jump!" It was so cute to see how much he enjoyed reliving the event! Tonight, when Jim was putting Spencer to bed, he reminded him that tomorrow was Monday and that he would be going to school. And Spencer responded "Ian's party?"

Friday, September 09, 2005

momma's little helper

With daddy off to school early this morning, Spencer did a great job of picking up the slack and helping get ready this morning. Since he woke up before I got ready for the day (or out of bed for that matter) he joined me in the shower and played nicely with his letters while sitting down. (He still gets quite a bit of mileage from rotating "M! W! M! W!" around.) After we both got dressed, I brought the laundry around to the washer and sorted everything on the floor. Spencer was an excellent helper in moving clothes from the 'light' pile into the wash. He was a bit confused why some socks were getting washed now, and others not until later. Nonetheless, he was a big help, although I think I'm on my own later for folding!

Wednesday, September 07, 2005

toddler talk

It is just too darn cute now that Spencer is using small sentences to communicate along with his signs. This morning I sneezed and he said "bless you mommy!" Aww, thanks Spencer!

Tuesday, September 06, 2005

long holiday weekend

Our new MO for the weekends is spending lots of time with Spencer away from the house so Jim can study. This weekend we went to the pool at the YMCA, the Children's Museum, Splashtown and Jumping Jax (and indoor play place that made me think of a crack house, and I'm not sure we will ever return, but it was an entertaining afternoon for $1.) It was also a wonderfully social weekend as well. Jim and I went to an "adult" party on Saturday night and drank margaritas until we rolled in at 2:00am. We had friends join us at Sunday's Children's Museum outing, and impromtu company for a snack afterwards at Ruggles. I love having friends who are spontaneous! Our trip to Splashtown yesterday was great. We arrived in time to walk through the gate as it opened, and enjoyed a very uncrowded morning. Spencer requested to visit the dolphin slide first. He went down that slide over and over again for about 15 minutes, and we were the only ones in that area for the entire time!

Spencer's food opinions are increasing by the day: "red juice (v8) in purple cup" and we try to jump in ahead of time and offer up options of what is available in the fridge, and clean in the cabinet, before he sits and thinks of something we might not be able to deliver. Last night we took him to Hido, where he enjoyed the show and devoured everything on his plate. He is a big fan of soup (or "oop!" as he calls it) and gave a big "Mmm" after each mouthful. And the day before at Ruggles he happily enjoyed an entire cup of tomato basil soup. Soup with a spoon is still too challenging (yogurt is about as thin as he can manage) so he drank it from a cup, stopping to remove some basil from his mouth. I expect I'll be making a bunch of soups as fall (?) comes along!

Friday, September 02, 2005

Spencer has a girlfriend

This week's return to school after the trip to NY was a joyous one for Spencer, apparently. Usually when we talk about school, he runs through the list of names of his teachers and a few friends. But this week we heard a new name, and he kept on repeating the name as if this was the only person at school: Paige. "Paige. Paige. Like Paige. Like Paige." Hmmm. So yesterday Jim just had to ask the teachers about this. They confirmed what we had suspected, which is that Spencer and Paige are definitely buds. (And they added that she is very sweet and a cutie.) Her cubby is near Spencer's, and next to the boy whose party we are attending next weekend. I am really hoping that she was invited to the party too and I can watch them interact!

Wednesday, August 31, 2005

Katrina sucks

I found this link on Katie's site, and am very pleased to read about how Houston recreational and entertainment places are offering free or deeply discounted activities for folks from Lousiana, Alabama and Mississippi who will be spending time in our city who will arrive in approximately 500 busloads to the Astrodome. Related, I have left multiple messages for Audra on her cell phone and gotten no return. I expect she fled Mobile for Atlanta, but now her blog is down and I wish someone knew her whereabouts.

Last night I was worried a bit about how Spencer would sleep adjusting back to Central Time, coupled with a day of travel. Spencer appeared in the doorway of the kitchen at 5:30 while I was making dinner and said and signed "sleep?" It was so pathetic. Not wanting him to wake up at 5:30 the next morning, I did not indulge his request. But we did eat dinner promptly, followed by some brief playtime and bathtime, and put him down for the night at 6:30. And, I guess the poor guy was zonked because he slept until his usual time of about 7:15 this morning. Fingers crossed that this means he is fully adjusted!

Tuesday, August 30, 2005

back in TX

Well, it's not surprising I barely got to blog in NY. The time when we are there is always so jammed packed. This trip included celebrating mom's birthday, a few visits with Spencer's great-grandma (he says and signs "great-grandma" very nicely now!) more visits with moms friends and most importantly for Spencer was a trip to the Chappaqua library for storytime! He was so excited to return to the familiar room and after the first toddler selected Spencer's favorite rhyme, he could hardly contain himself and exploded "YAY!" when it was over! We were next to choose, and the librarian asked "what would Spencer like to sing" and he promptly answered her! He was sitting in my lap so I hadn't seen his hand signal to communicate but then she said "ok, good choice Spencer," and we started singing another one of his favorite tunes!

Spencer's accomplishments this long weekend include:
- swimming in a lake for the first time (and getting nibbled by fish!)
- learning the color turqoise
- picking cherry tomatoes (and learning that he should only pick red ones!)
My accomplishments this long weekend include:
- Getting Mah Jong three times in a row
These were the first plane rides I think Spencer actually enjoyed (sort of.) He was definitely aware of the fact that we were at an airport and there were airplanes all around, and I think he understood that we were actually on an airplane as well. He was an excellent passenger both ways, but much of that has to do with the time of day and length of flight. Today's flight was exceptionally nice with good luck having an empty middle seat in our row. I'm not sure how I have never known until this trip that LaGuardia airport has a wonderful family restroom which makes navigating solo with a stroller a breeze.

Here are pictures from the trip.

Friday, August 26, 2005

plays nicely with others

Last night I called to RSVP for the birthday party at Spencer's school. I was surprised to learn from his classmate's mom that she had not invited everyone in the class. Rathe, she handed some invitations to the head teacher in the room and asked her to pass them out to the kids her son is friendly with. It's so cute that they have friends before they are two years old! And I know this boy is indeed one of his buds because I've heard Spencer say his name before. Sadly, the fact that it is his birthday coming up means that he'll be moving on to the next room at school.

Spencer and I are in NY now. He was a great traveler today (whew.) And he was thrilled to ride in an airplane and see so many at the airport too! Almost bed time for the little guy, it's been a long day.

Thursday, August 25, 2005

Spencer time

Spencer and I are going to have an awful lot of time together this weekend, but right now i'm missing the little guy very much. Due to an unfortunate collision of early morning meetings and untimely internet outage, I was up and out the door before Spencer work up today. I definitely felt that something was 'off' during the day not having seen him in the morning. I can't wait for Spencer (and Jim) to return home shortly so I can give him a big squeeze!

Tuesday, August 23, 2005

cuddly book?

The last two nights Spencer has PLEADED to have his rainbow book in the crib with him. Not exactly a cuddly request, and his crib is getting a bit full with pillow, puppy, lion, blanket and now rainbow. But when I handed it to him he threw the blanket off and sat up so he could read. Good grief.

Today we received an invitation to a birthday party for one of Spencer's classmates at school. How nice! Jim and I were talking earlier in the week how we feel so much less connected at this new school. Before, we knew all of the kids and all of the parents. Spencer's world has expanded from an infant room with 10 babies 0-18 months, to his new toddler room with 24 toddlers from 18-24 months. So there are many more names and faces and the turnover is quite rapid. On the same hand, we felt that we HAD to stay tightly connected at the old school to keep an eye on things and decisions that were being made. It is so much more relaxing for us to trust in the staff and structure at his new school and know that everything is going great. Nonetheless, I am looking forward to the party and meeting other parents.

Monday, August 22, 2005

busy weekend

It seems like there is not any other kind. With school underway for Jim, the weekends are quite tiring. We enjoyed last minute social plans to have dinner with friends and their son on Friday night. On Saturday, Spencer and I had company join us at the Children's Museum which was super fun. I forgot my camera, but thankfully Michelle took pictures. Jim was able to meet the four of us at Ruggles for lunch, and then headed off to Rice to meet with his team until it was quite late. Sunday morning was lazy family time: enjoying some date nut bread I had made the night before, and hanging around the house until lunchtime. After Spencer's nap, he and I headed to the outdoor pool at the Y for the rest of the afternoon. Until now he had been apprehensive of of the wall o' water that cascades off of the rooftop of the main play structure, but yesterday he ventured through it a few times and overall had a blast!

Spencer's words and signs are coming more and more easily. He has been putting two words together for a while, but now we are seeing the beginnings of sentences emerge, such as "Elmo dance on table" and "orange juice in Spencer's purple cup." Of course, when he says 'Spencer' it still comes out sounding like 'Bobin.' We tried working on that yesterday, saying "s-s-s-s-pencer" and as usual he repeated "s-s-s-s-bobin."

Wednesday, August 17, 2005

backseat driver

Spencer has been able to identify stop signs for quite a while now. He is only too happy to point out "octogon - stop!" Then he pauses and says and signs "go!" But now he gets the gist of traffic lights too. After sitting at red lights and having him tell us "go!" we had to explain "red stop, green go." So now he sits and stares at the red light. He says and signs "red, stop, wait." And he waits. And when it finally changes, he excitedly exclaims and signs "GREEN GO! GREEN GO!" Good grief. I didn't realize driving to and from school this week would be so exciting.

Monday, August 15, 2005

Spencer remembers!

I was so proud last night at dinner at Spencer's ability to dig into his memory for an answer. Our Sunday afternoon outing took us to the Houston Museum of Natural Science where he got to see butterflies up close for the first time. While he was equally pleased to play in puddles on the paths, he did enjoy seeing the butterflies all around (after getting over his initial fear when they flew right at him!) At dinner I asked Spencer if he had fun at the museum ("mu-see-uhm," he repeated) and to tell daddy what we saw. He sat there and thought for a few seconds and then announced "butterflies!"

It was a great end to a great weekend. Saturday morning we celebrated Nicholas' birthday at Pump It Up. Having never been there before, I was a bit concerned because Spencer doesn't know how to jump! But he had such a wonderful time! I do expect that we'll be returning sometime soon, especially since it is so close to the house! Saturday afternoon and evening I spent back on Rice's campus and it felt great. I was initially taken aback at the nearly six hours of time planned for the Rice MBA spouse/partner orientation, but I enjoyed every minute. It felt good to be in such an intellectual environment again. For at least a second, maybe more like two or three, I wished that I were part of the elite program as a student again. Indeed, I met a few spouses that afternoon who had received their Rice MBA a few years earlier and were now supporting their partners through the process. But, as the spouse of a student in the class of 2006 commented, "we both tought the program is very valuable and right now she is enrolled as the student, but I can still read the cases too, get the benefit of stimulating discussions and don't have to write papers and take tests!" For now that is the attitude I am adopting as well, and I guess Jim and I will see where our priorities lie two years from now.

Pics from the weekend have been added to the August photo album.

Friday, August 12, 2005

joke of the day

Spencer's joke for the day today occurred at breakfast. He was goofing around while eating, and leaned all the way over to one side as far as he could, and then announced "upside down!"

Thursday, August 11, 2005

Peee-ewwww!

Spencer's sense of humor is so entertaining! In addition to getting his giggles by trying to scare us, he also tries to think of things that we will find funny. Last night in the tub, he took the foam letter "V" and placed it on his nose, so that one point was on each nostril. He then sat back and declared "PEEE-EWWWWW! STINKY!" and laughed his little head off! What a goof!

Tuesday, August 09, 2005

Boo!

For a couple of weeks now, Spencer has enjoyed "scaring" us. Sometimes he'll realize that he's a few steps ahead of us going down a hallway, and will duck behind the corner to pop out and say "BOO!" when we get closer. It is very cute and makes him (and us!) laugh and laugh.

He is also excellent at giving kisses. (Finally - it was quite unappealing to have your baby lean in with open mouth and tongue out trying to lick your cheek. This morning after getting him up and out of the crib, we went in to say good morning to daddy. As usual, he insisted on bringing puppy, lion and blanket with him. When I asked Spencer for a kiss, he decided instead to place puppy on my cheeck and say "muuuuah!"

Monday, August 08, 2005

It seems as though I think about blogging every day, but by the time I get around to posting, another whole week has elapsed. Even though we have all been in town for the last nine days (hooray!) we are still on a tag team schedule. I have taught two Baby Signs Parent Workshops since the last post, so Jim and Spencer got quality time then. And Spencer and I have had plenty of quality time with Jim's MBA work - both group study sessions and getting away to allow for some quiet individual study time at home. This weekend we cooled off at the outdoor pool at the Y, and also met up with friends at Splashtown. Last night Jim & I got away for a nice dinner at Fleming's - yum!

Spencer turned 20 months old last week. Geez. His signs and language skills are continuing to explode. He knows almost the entire alphabet (V and Z continue to trip him up) thanks in large part to his daily play with foam letters during bathtime and listening to Here Come the ABCs on the way to and from school. We had started with a few at a time, and were amazed as we 'introduced' more than he already knew them! I don't know how I learned then, but I definitely remember my sister learning letters in kindergarten!

Monday, August 01, 2005

weekend in Houston!

Spencer and I had a happy reunion on Friday evening and I hugged him until he said "all done!" Over the weekend we had lot of quality (and quantity!) time together. With Saturday being a class day for Jim, Spencer and I were together for the entire day. Having finally adjusted to PDT, it still felt quite early to me when Spencer roused his sleepy self at 7:45am. We played around the house together in the morning and hit Wal*Mart before lunchtime. Spencer loves the large sign out front and shouts "W! M! W! M!" After his nap, we had a great afternoon together at the Y outdoor pool, and even ran into a friend from our Mommy & Me gym class from earlier in the summer. Back at the house, he did a great job entertaining himself for a bit to let me cook so the two of us could enjoy a nice dinner of chicken marsala. With just a couple of page turns left in Goodnight Moon, Jim came home in time to kiss him goodnight and cap off a great day. Sunday followed a similar pattern, but it also included Jim, which was very nice. Our mother-son afternoon outing was to the Children's Museum, and Jim met us for dinner at Niko Niko's.

We also caught up on a little tv last night, and I'm still very much in shock over Six Feet Under...

Friday, July 29, 2005

almost home

I think I did a good job this week to not dwell on how much I was missing the boys back home, and able to enjoy meeting and learning more about my co-workers from around the US, Canada & Mexico. I have truly enjoyed our hotel with walking access to many wonderful shops and restaurants. Tonight we walked to Krung Thai for dinner and it was quite good. We never eat Thai food at home, mostly because I don't know much about it and only go with others who know how to order.

Last night I drove out to visit Alli and Dave at their place. Not two minutes inside the door Alli blurted out that she's pregnant! I was/am soooo excited for her (and Dave!) So glad to know more of my good friends are becoming mommies. I hope that she will indeed come to Houston to visit for Rice homecoming this year, it will be exciting to visit as she gets closer to the end of the term!

Tomorrow I get to hug Spencer and Jim, and I can't wait!! I have been so happy with Jim sharing pics and video from breakfast and dinner. Seeing Spencer sign "I love mommy" was too awesome.

Tuesday, July 26, 2005

on the road again

Sunday I arrived here in California, but not before Spencer and I spent a few hours at the World Series of Dog Shows in the morning. We enjoyed watching agibilty, flyball, frisbee and freestyle. Spencer's head was in constant motion to see so many dogs in on place! We were able to squeeze in a quick trip to Uncle Mike's for lunch to visit with family while they were in town (where Spencer was able to continue saying and signing "great-grandma") before Jim had to run off for MBA stuff and I had to get to the airport.

I forgot how much I really love the bay area in California. As long as I am stuck being away from my sweetie and my baby, this would probably be my first choice. And, as far as trips go, this is a pretty easy one as I'm here for training - no presentations to give, no team breakout sessions to define deliverables, just pay attention and absorb information. It's also great fun to get to finally put a name with a face on people I've worked very closely with for the past few years. We're based in a swanky hotel in the middle of the very trendy Santana Row which allows us to walk to dinner in the evening.

This will be the longest stretch of time away from Spencer since he arrived. I was so ridiculously happy when Jim sent a picture of him to my phone during a simple outing to the grocery store. Hopefully the week will fly by, and I'll be back in Houston giving him a big hug real soon!

Saturday, July 23, 2005

still traveling

Nearly another whole week has elapsed, geez. Mom called one night during the week and asked "tell me something cute that Spencer did." but nothing came to mind. I think the next day he provided some good gems. Like when he was eating salmon for dinner, and we told him it was fish, and he looked at the food in his hand as he repeated "fish" and the gave it a kiss! And picking him up from school is always in a big "show-off mode" at the end of the day. He picked up a tissue, said "tissue" and then said "AH-CHOO!" wiped his nose and then walked across the room to throw the tissue in the trash. His teachers and I were hysterical!

We just got back from a Leach family wedding outside of Houston. Spencer was a big hit, showing off his shapes and colors and letters and saying "great-grandma." Definitely had no patience for a service, but said "cheese!" as he smiled for the pictures afterward!

Monday, July 18, 2005

home!

Well, Spencer did indeed have one of his best flights ever yesterday - but it started after spending over three hours in LaGuardia with flight delays due to mandatory crew rest. I have a sneaky feeling that one of the gate agents was sympathetic to my situation of chasing a toddler around the terminal for so long. Somehow there was miraculously an empty middle seat in our row, even though the plane was completely full and they had pulled people on from a standby list. Having the extra seat meant I was able to eat a bit while I put Spencer down for his nap. And later was able to put the laptop on his traytable and belt him in to watch signing videos. Boy were we both happy to see Jim waiting there in baggage claim for us when we arrived! :)

Spencer learned a lot during his trip to NY. He can now say "upside down" which he learned from a new book Silly Sally. But most notably is that now Spencer is able to open doors - ack!

Saturday, July 16, 2005

leaving NY

Our trips to NY always seem to fly by, and I can't believe it's already our last night here. Our trip to Montauk in the middle of the week was fun, but not the typically relaxing getaway I remember! We ate well at places like Gosman's and Duryea's and enjoyed some wonderful steamers, shrimp and lobster. Yum! We don't each much seafood at home, so I didn't realize how much Spencer enjoyed it too! (We knew he was a huge fan of boiled shrimp, but he loved everything else too!) We were able to spend one of our days out there visiting Joan & Dean at their spectacular home and swimming in their pool.

Yesterday, after morning storytime at the Chappaqua library, Spencer and I had a quick lunch at Susan Lawrence and were able to catch up with pop for the rest of the day. We went to the Bronx Zoo and had such a good time! We've been to the Houston Zoo before and I know it wasn't that great, so it was wonderful to visit a really nice zoo! Spencer certainly seemed to remember "poppa" from his visit to Houston last mont!

This morning we enjoyed a nice brunch at the house with some of mom's friends who I like to visit with during trips. Penny brought Emma and Jake and later in the afternoon Spencer and I headed over to her house to continue playing.

Pics from the week are in this album.

Tomorrow is another flight. Fingers crossed this one goes as well as the trip up!

Sunday, July 10, 2005

in NY

Well, Spencer and I made it to NY yesterday, and I have to say that he was a pretty darn good traveller. He fussed a bit on the plane when I thought it should be naptime, but he decided he'd rather keep on watching the signing videos so I indulged him. He decided to stay awake for the entire plane flight, and only sleep for final 30 minutes - closing his eyes as the captain annouced that we were starting our descent in the NY area.

We made our (usual) first stop at grandma's for dinner, and Spencer impressed her with his version of the words "great-grandma!" He showed off all around, acting cute and saying "hello!" to everyone around. Fortunately, he was fairly hungry which translated into well-behaved at the dinner table.

Today was great. My cousin Hedy, Michael and their kids Sophia (8 1/2) and Ethan (6 1/2) stopped by for several hours in the afternoon. They had been at a Bar Mitzvah yesterday and were able to visit while in NY before heading back on to Maryland. Despite their five year gap, Spencer and Ethan seemed to be quite fond of one another. Ethan is thrilled to have a boy cousin (although there is another one on the way next month) but wishes Spencer didn't live in "that other country, Texas." And Spencer was equally delighted to call out "E-tan" to get his attention. They played together with legos, and kicked a soccer ball in the backyard (sort of.)

Spencer was sooo tired that he started saying "sleep" around 6:30. Adjusting for the time zone difference, that's almost an hour and a half earlier than he usually starts his bedtime routine. Nonetheless, we started up his bath, put on pj's, read a story and put him down. He complained for a few short minutes, and was sound alseep by 7:00. Wow.

Tomorrow we're off to Montauk for a few days (back in time for weekly Mah Jong game!) No knowledge of internet connectivity, so probably no photos until the end of the week. Here are a few pics from yesterday and today.

Thursday, July 07, 2005

bad and good

Last night's plan was to pick up the pottery that we painted at girls' night out last week. Jen and I decided to have dinner first, with the boys. Spencer was soooo bad. Not "bad," but rahter unpleasant. He threw food, he threw toys, he pushed himself back from the table, he screamed... I was so embarrassed. We ate fairly quickly and then left. Hardly getting a chance to really enjoy my first trip to Berryhill Tamales. Whose $0.99 "happy hour" tamales were very yummy! And, to top off the bummer of our evening, the pottery place had closed early that night. Argh!

Today was at the opposite end of the spectrum. I was able to pick up my pottery piece during lunchtime (and was pleased!) then on to lunch with friends. The three of us went out to dinner out and met up with a larger group, and we all had such a good time. I was initially very anxious after the painful experience the night before. But Spencer had a good nap today, and was very well behaved at dinner, staying mostly focused on his food and toys. His friends Chloe and Brian were both excited so see Spencer, as he misses out on seeing them weekday lunches.

Now he's in bed, and every once in a while we hear him squeezing his puppy to play "twinkle, twinkle little star." How cute!

Wednesday, July 06, 2005

kitchen toy

I have gotten a bit tired of taking the pit out of cherries for Spencer using a paring knife. It's so tedious. Yesterday I finally stopped in Sur La Table during lunchtime to purchase a cherry pitter. I was able to try it out when I got home on some big, beautiful Rainier cherries and it worked even better than I had hoped! Spencer was equally pleased at dinner to enjoy eating them!

Tuesday, July 05, 2005

hot 4th

With temps reaching 100 every day this holiday weekend, we hit the water everyday. Saturday Spencer and I checked out the YMCA outdoor pool for the first time after my pilates class. It was a wonderful pool and Spencer had so much fun! Sunday included a visit to Splashtown (possibly our last one for the month of July!) and Spencer rode the dolphin slides like a champ - barely even holding up the line as he climbed the stairs and took his turn. Yesterday morning we were invited to join friends at their subdivision parade - although we had planned to swim, the kids just had so much playing we never went. But in afternoon we swam in Jack & Lori's pool, where Spencer displayed his 'no fear' attitude just walking up to the edge and jumping in. He is still doing a great job putting his face in the water and blowing bubbles as he learned in Mexico. Here are a few pics from the 4th of July.

At night when he gets in his bath, you can see such a brown line between his tan back and his white tush. And he also has some funky tan areas on his feet from the water shoes that he wears. Thank goodness he seems to have inherited Jim's good skin genes, and not mine which might have caused him to be quite crisp by this point in the summer!

Friday, July 01, 2005

he keeps on growing

Not that it's surprising, but sometimes Spencer seems to get larger by the minute. I finally accepted the fact that my not quite 19 month-old can no longer fit into his clothes. Yesterday he said and signed "hurt" when I buttoned up his shorts. Sigh.

Jim came home last night, and we're all together for the long weekend -hooray! It's July 1 and already we are overbooked for the entire month ahead. It is making me tired just thinking about it!

Wednesday, June 29, 2005

we're back!

Well, we're not all back quite yet, but tomorrow things should settle down - at least for one week until travel picks up again. Tonight was the first time since the previous post that Spencer took a bath back in his own tub. We've had a whirlwind of a month, with visits from Jim's grandpa and mom, house guests which included Karl and my dad, an opportunity to catch up with Stacie during a brief trip back to the states from London, and our family vacation to Cancun with Spencer. What finally prompted Jim's grandpa to fly to TX was to make a trip to Lubbock to visit the Silent Wings Museum which was opened a couple years ago to commemorate pilots who flew gliders during the war. Here are pictures from the museum visit. We have also created a separate album for miscellaneous June pictures, including many from Stacie's visit with her daughter Kate (two months younger than Spencer) and a couple of Karl and pop. We did take pop to Splashtown with us, but no pics from that trip. And, most recently we have returned from five days in Cancun with Spencer. I'm not sure it is all that 'relaxing' to vacation with your toddler, but we had great fun introducing him to the beach and the ocean. And I am happy to report that we had great weather every day (it poured the morning we left) and no one got any sunburns. Here are (a lot of) pictures from our vacation to Cancun. I have to confess, there was nothing cuter than Spencer saying "Hola!" to the folks down there! And the women at Baby Club where he spent a few hours one day were pleased that he knew to ask for "agua!" He was a great flyer (fingers crossed he does well when I fly solo with him to NY next month) but chasing Spencer around a resort for a few days has left Jim and I wanting our own vacation. Plus, both of us used our leisure reading time to read Jim's required books for business school. The two I read I found absolutely fascinating: "Sam Walton, Made in America" and "Nuts!" which tells the story of Southwest Airlines' success. With the Rice MBA program kicking off in July, I think our getaway will have to wait until a break in courses at the end of the year.

Friday, June 10, 2005

He's a big boy, still

The nurse and the doctor were quite pleased at Spencer's 18 month visit yesterday. He continues to grow exactly along the 80% curve for both height and weight - a little over 33 inches and a little over 28 pounds. They were very impressed at his developmental milestones, as Spencer rattled off shapes and colors and counted a little bit. (He still starts his counting at "two!") It's been obvious how signing with him early on has helped to build the impressive vocabulary he has today. Earlier this week I gave a promotional talk about Baby Signs® Programs to a new moms support group at the hospital where Spencer was born. They were so excited to get started, and I expect that many will show up at the next scheduled workshop for parents. Another woman called out of the blue to sign up for the workshop and it turns out that she lives in an adjacent subvision, so it was easier for me to drop the kit off at her house instead of bringing it to the Post Office! She was delighted, and couldn't wait to get started!

Thursday, June 09, 2005

So far, so good

Things started off smoothly this morning - I gave Spencer his choice of cups BEFORE I poured his milk at breakfast. (He chose pink today.) Everyone here seems to be healthy for the first time in nearly a week. This afternoon is Spencer's 18 month check up and he is not due for any shots - hooray! He is totally wise to the doctor's office and rarely lets his guard down anyhow. He is adjusting well at his new school and we are so thrilled and we sleep much better now. Unfortunately, although he naps well at school, Spencer has decided to NOT sleep better these past several nights. We are perplexed, as his routine is unchanged.

Wednesday, June 08, 2005

opinions

Spencer had a near meltdown this morning when I poured his milk for breakfast. Apparently he wanted the orange cup, not the purple one I had selected for him. He began to cry. "Orange! Orange! Orange!" Good grief.

I did indeed get horribly sick to my stomach just a few hours after the Monday post. The lunch I just finished was my first meal in the last 48 hours.

Monday, June 06, 2005

weekend wrap up

Man, I do need to blog more often. Friday evening was lovely as Spencer gave me big (& loud!) unsolicited kiss while getting into his PJ's. But later at night as Jim and I were heading to bed, Spencer began sobbing and through the tears we heard "all done!" We knew something wasn't right, and as soon as we opened the door we smelled the puke. Poor guy got another bath, and we stayed up another few hours with him while he continued to puke. Not fun. By 8:00am Saturday he was back to his chipper self and we headed off to our first play class together at the YMCA which he LOVED. Jim was able to buy wood for one last play room project (not sure what it will be, as it has morphed from a bookshelf, to a bench, to a window seat to built-in bookshelfs plus a seat!)

Saturday night we went to Rice to socialize with MBA classmates. It's exciting and becoming very real! We met some new folks who will be part of Jim's class of 2007, and connected with a few HP people who have now hit the halfway point towards their date in 2006. We stopped off for a quick beer to celebrate Todd's 30th b-day. It felt so great to be out socializing like an adult for the evening!

Spencer and I had a fabulous afternoon meeting up with friends at Splashtown yesterday, but things had taken a turn south for Jim. While Spencer was ill for less than 12 hours, the bug managed to take Jim down for the count. Why do we ALWAYS get it 10x worse than him? I'm still feeling ok, but so far the pattern usually flows Spencer --> Jim --> me. So I'm just enjoying my time of feeling healthly. I can't deal with another two weeks of feeling horrible like last time. That was just too awful.

Today is Spencer's first full day at his new school. We went three times last week for about an hour each time, so the environment is hopefully familiar to him. I have had my fingers crossed that the sprinkles we drove through on the way there will not keep the kids from water play, as Spencer was super-excited (albeit a bit confused) to put on his suit first thing in the morning. He was unhappy when I left this morning, and I'm hoping that when I call to check in later today they will tell me he has been having a wonderful time.

Friday, June 03, 2005

Good Friday

Today is a good day. 1) It's Friday. 2) Fridge is full of groceries. 3) A major project launch at work this week was tremendously successful. 4) Still excited that Jim will be getting Rice MBA. 5) Spencer is about to wrap up his final day at current school before moving to a new school on Monday. 6) We're planning to go to Splashtown one day this weekend. 7) Making plans to go to Montauk during next month's trip to NY. 8) Already booked a vacation to Cancun!

Tuesday, May 31, 2005

Holiday Weekend

Things are very busy with a toddler. And the long weekend was all about him. We did get to have a great lunch with Audra on Saturday. We haven't seen each other since August of last year - Spencer wasn't even crawling yet! It was great to see her looking so great, and meet her beau and enjoy a yummy lunch at Lupe Tortilla.

We went back to Splashtown, Spencer's new favorite place. He is among the youngest children playing in the pools, but that didn't stop him from climbing way up the dolphin slide and going down headfirst! After I picked him up from his submerged state at bottom, he was very quick to say and sign "MORE!" Speaking of signing, I have four more signing classes officially scheduled through the summer. How exciting!

Thursday, May 26, 2005

Save the Date - May 12, 2007

Two years from now, Jim will be receiving his Masters in Business Administration from Rice University! We'll be a two-owl family. It's been a stressful spring here in the Leach household while Jim busied himself with the application process, taking the GMAT and getting pre-reqs taken care of. But it paid off when the letters arrived announcing his acceptance for admission. I'm so proud of my sweetie for all of his hard work to date. We know there is a very tough road ahead for the next 22 months, but we think we're ready!

Monday, May 23, 2005

Algeria, Bulgaria, Cambodia

"Here Come the ABC's" arrived today (pretty darn quick for free shipping!) and the Alphabet of Nations is one of my favorites so far, along with E Eats Everything. Spencer likes the scat feel on Rolling O, and often says "yeah!" and claps during the songs, and says and signs "more!" inbetween tracks! Very fun!

Over the weekend we went to Splashtown for the first time. Man was it awesome! Spencer and I spent hours hanging out at Crocodile Isle. After a few trips down the slides with me, he enjoyed going on them alone (although he did squeal like a girl a few times!) The afternoon there wiped him out COMPLETELY! He crashed for a late afternoon nap in the car ride home, and woke up on the way to dinner. He simply sat at the table with us with eyes half open, and mostly too tired to even eat. It was very pathetic. But I can't wait to go back with him again!

Sunday was an indoor (AC!) day at the Children's Museum catching up with Tracy and almost 1 year-old Aurelie. But, before that trip, we enjoyed some more swimming (or as Spencer says "mimming") in the morning in the new pool I picked up at CostCo. He simply outgrew the infant pool which was so perfect for him last summer. :(

Friday, May 20, 2005

Friday

Today Spencer got to experience Tot Shabbat at the JCC. We practiced singing "Shabbat Shalom" in the car on the way down, and he thought it was pretty fun when we got there to discover that other people knew that song too! We enjoyed seeing Alicia and George and their daughter Sophia, who is just a week older than Spencer. And 17 month-old Seth's mom was so proud to show that he had learned the sign for moon - one of the few signs I had taught during a promotional talk for some moms and toddlers last week. Spencer had so much fun playing with the kids, and sat captivated when we lit candles. He had three (maybe four?) pieces of challah, and was still sitting at the table long after everyone else had returned to play!

Pics have been posted to a new May album which include some backyard fun from last night, Tot Shabbat at the JCC, and Open Gym at the YMCA this evening.

Thursday, May 19, 2005

mutli-media

I finally broke down and ordered the latest versions of the Baby Bargains and Toddler Bargains books from Amazon today. I needed to add a few dollars to qualify for free shipping, and splurged on a They Might Be Giants CD for Spencer that I've been wanting to get since I heard about its release in February of this year. Listening to their music always puts me in such a happy place. I rarely go to concerts, just not a huge fan, but I have terrific memories seeing them perform at Rice during my freshment year when "Flood " had recently been released, and a few years after graduation when they did a show at Numbers. I have no doubt that their newest children's album will stir up that same sense of happiness for Spencer. "Here come the ABCs" has twenty-six tracks (of course!) including titles like "The Vowel Family," "Letter/Not a Letter," and "Who Put the Alphabet in Alphabetical Order?" How fun! Spencer already knows several letters, and is THRILLED when he sees one he knows on a street sign. He enjoys when we sing the alphabet, and I hope he enjoys this new CD about letters as much as I think I will!

Sunday, May 15, 2005

tiiiiired

Man, I haven't been this beat (when feeling healthy!) in a long time. We were on the go all weekend, spending much of it outdoors. Saturday morning we left to spend some time at a nearby playground, then down to the Art Car Parade. We ran into Katie, which was ironic because the last time we were there was when she and Audra and I were actually in the parade in 2002. Spencer was not quite sure what to make of the whole event. He recognized tons of objects/animals, but was visibly confused by the size/shape of many of them. Such as a larger-than-life mouse car, upside down cars, and flowers driving down the street. Here are pictures from this weekend's parade. After spending time in the heat, we enjoyed some AC at Joel & Julie's who graciously allowed us to park in their driveway, just a block away from the parade route. Then headed over to a bbq at Pete's (the only other Carleton grad I have ever known besides my sister, who then became a classmate of Katie at UH Law) with the rest of Jim's hockey buddies and their wives and kiddos. Spencer's eyes were practically closing on him as he played in the sandbox, so we said our goodbyes early and headed home. We promised, as we always do, to make dinner plans with some of his teammates and I really hope we can follow through. We have such a good time hanging out together at the parties, but those only happen a few times a year.

Today we discovered that Spencer seems to have outgrown his kiddie pool from last summer. It was still fun for him to sit and and play around, but he could rest his head on one of the inflatable walls and his feet on opposite side! After drying off, and a brief nap (Spencer only) we all went to a MBA graduation party/first birthday party for one of Jim's co-workers (and his son.) Spencer had a BLAST playing with someone else's toys for a few hours in the afternoon! And we caught up with Aunt Ronnee for dinner, who showered him with toys and books and clothes.

Now I'm beat. Finally relaxing on the couch, while asparagus soup is simmering on the stove. (This is the recipe mom made in NY that Spencer though was so delicious.) Just one last step to puree it, and then maybe an hour or so of relaxation before bed, and then the week starts all over again...

Friday, May 13, 2005

"Bobin"

That's how Spencer says his name. We're not sure how that came about, because most of his vocabulary is pretty understandable, but he is quite sure that his name is pronounced "Bobin." I point at Jim and ask "who is that?" and he says "daddy!" Then I point at myself and ask "who am I?" and he says "mom!" But when I point at him and ask "who is that?" and he says "Bobin!" Hmmmm. Maybe they have a nickname for him at school we don't know about??

Wednesday, May 11, 2005

Do the Hokey Pokey

Spencer thinks the hokey pokey is pretty fun. His favorite part is turning himself around and he usually makes a couple of spins. I try hard not to laugh at his attempts to stand on one leg while shaking the other one. Today Hokey Pokey Elmo arrived from grandma. He sings, he dances, he spins around, and then declares "whew - Elmo's pooped!" Spencer was not totally sure what to think, but I'm glad to have someone else help sing the song!

Monday, May 09, 2005

Mother's Day

We are all finally feeling a bit better around the house. Yesterday, after a nice treat of Spencer sleeping until 9:00 in the morning (!) I took the boy to the Downtown Aquarium for an afternoon outing. I wrestled with taking the stroller or not, and finally decided that it would be worse to need it and be without it, than to juggle Spencer and the stroller, which turned out to be just fine. The weather was terrible, but the place was packed. I'm looking forward to going back so we can ride the train into the shark tunnel and play in the fountain. Here are some pictures at the Aquarium, with comments, from our day.

Thursday, May 05, 2005

sick sick sick

Two weeks ago, Jim and Spencer went to doctors for feeling poorly. That was the day before we left for NY. Spencer was better within 24 hours, as usual, but Jim was in pretty bad shape. By middle of last week I was feeling so crummy that I had to go see a doctor in NY. Sinus problems gave way to a dry cough that has kept me awake for the last six nights. Jim has only been marginally better, fighting a sore throat and cough as well. Yesterday I finally went to the doctor, who prescribed cough medicine, which was also to help me sleep. But, I have been nauseas and throwing up since I opened my eyes this morning which the doctor concluded as an unfortunate (but not uncommon) reaction to the medicine. I just want everyone in our family to feel better!

Sunday, May 01, 2005

back in tx

I am completely exhausted right now. Spencer was an ace on the plane ride home, but I am still wiped out. He was so sad to say goodbye to "mama" (poor guy got upset every time she went into another room!) and I know she was equally sad too.

The week ended at the same pace it had gone on since we arrived. More visits with friends: back to Penny's and across the street to his little girlfriend Emiliana, and family: lunch and a playdate with pop, and visit from cousin Carol and Bob from Philly, and of course more time with Spencer's great-grandma. I got a great picture of her reading to him that has been added to the album from our trip this Passover. During that visit we also discovered that Spencer loves asparagus soup. As he drank it from a cup, he annouced "MMMMM" in between each mouthful.

I have been sick as a dog, and have no idea how I will make it back to work tomorrow. Although I'm looking forward to a bit of a rest when Spencer goes back to school tomorrow, I will definitely miss the litte guy more having had him by my side practically 24x7 for the last ten days!

Wednesday, April 27, 2005

Mama and Mom

During the course of the trip, I have become "mom" to Spencer. How sad that my not-quite-yet 17 month old son thinks he is already mature enough to just call me "mom." And, on top of that, he now call my mom "mama" as his way of saying "grandma." This afternoon we had a play date with Amy and Zachary. Mom dropped us off and ran a quick errand, and when she returned, Spencer spied her walking to the front door and grinned widely as he said very clearly "mama!" Pictures from this afternoon have been added to the end of the Passover album.

Monday, April 25, 2005

Passover 2005

I have to confess that I scoffed at mom last month when she said we needed to hurry up and make travel plans because they flights were going to be very full for Passover. She was exactly right - the flight was completely booked and it seemed the entire plane was filled with people travelling to NY to celebrate Passover with their families.

I feel awful that I did not take any pictures of the seder we went to at Harriet's, or the seder we hosted here last night. Both evenings were wonderful (and Spencer looked too adorable all dressed up and wearing a bib that said 'matzoh baby' on the font!) I still can't believe that we had fourteen people here in mom's little house last night.

Jim is back in Houston, and unfortunately missed our visit to see cousins in NJ this morning. I did make sure to take some pictures of Spencer and his cousins.

Tuesday, April 19, 2005

scared and dirty

These are two of Spencer's newest words and signs. We have been using "dirty" for quite a while (as toddlers this age are frequently picking stuff up off of the ground!) but he has never made the sign or tried to say the word until yesterday. He had picked something up off of the floor under the table, likely a crumb from the previous meal, and when I said and signed "dirty" he repeated it! I invited him to throw the "dirty" in the trash which he proudly did! A teaching opportunity for scared occurred as he was rummaging around in the pots and pans and one of the lids fell on to the floor and made a huge noise which upset Spencer. He clearly understood that word and sign right away, and used it again several times later that day. It is so cool to see how their little brains work!

Monday, April 18, 2005

weekend visitors

Karl and Heather came to spend the weekend visiting with us and young Spencer. For me, the highlight was when Heather & I hit TJ Maxx on Saturday night after Spencer went to bed. This followed a lowlight earlier in the day of getting rear-ended while stopped at a red light. The Pilot shows hardly any damage (getting assessment at the dealer tomorrow) but the front of her car was smushed and had to be towed. Strong argument for driving an SUV.

Teething is STILL bothering Spencer. Last night, just as we were getting ready for bed around 11, Spencer woke up wailing pitifully. He was not able to relax enough to sleep in his bed until nearly 1:00. Poor guy, and poor us. He slept well one of the two nights with houseguests this weekend. I hope things improve before out trip to NY, that won't be terribly fun...

Friday, April 15, 2005

$37.12

That's how much it cost to fill up our vehicle this week, ack.

Yesterday was Jim's b-day and we went out for an 'adult' dinner at Fleming's Steak House. What a phenomenal place! Their chocolate lava cake was out of this world!

Tonight Spencer and I went to hang out at the Y for an hour before dinner. It was "Open Gym" night and was such a blast! I enjoyed getting to meet some other parents, and Spencer had SO MUCH FUN on the see-saw, and playing with the parachute and jumping off of big foam mats and laughing and yelling "YEAH!" We are definitely going back!

Wednesday, April 13, 2005

still teething

Spencer's big molars are a big pain - literally. Poor guy has been off of his game for over a week now. He hurts (knows the sign and has been using it, along with the word, quite often this week) and he cries a lot. He wakes up wailing during the night, wanting medicine and to be held. This evening, our olympic eater wanting nothing for dinner - no food, no milk. He cried and begged through the tears "UP!" to be picked up and held in my lap. (Which made eating dinner a bit of a challenge for me!) As I sit here thinking about heading towards bed, the past week's events have reintroduced a familiar and unpleasant feeling I thought was behind us. It is the false sense of security offered by the bed, not knowing when the peace it offers will be interrupted by mid-night cries. Fingers crossed as I head towards the bedroom...