Just 10 weeks ago...

There was sunshine, blue skies, sockless toddlers, red wagons
But vegging in front of the TV is perennial.

Thanks Uncle Conor for taking some photos on your day with Nolan in late September. Looks like a good time was had!

 

Feast after famine

Yep, no posts for weeks and weeks then allofasudden a flurry of them. This is actually a continuation of yesterdays post, thought as I am awake might as well run with it. Nolans' past few night were chaotic so I woke up nervous that I hadn't heard from him, had to go check, and for a variety of reasons am still up.

Other sayins and doings of my sweetiebug

- when 'dancin' to the Wiggles, lately, I have to get up to dance, I can't sit on the couch and sing as I sometimes used to, amd we both have to have guitars. Somewhere, Nolan has picked up some pretty flash moves, too, holding the guitar vertically -with a flourish- at the end of a "riff", or playing it behind his head, like a wee rock star. Given his good pitch, dancing skills, and love of music I really should sign him up fo the toddler music class at Yamaha, or something. (They dance and move to music, they don't drill them in scales or anything at this age!)

- at some point, aside from the egregious habit of drinking bathwater, Nolan also started to stetch out on his tummy in the tub and blow bubbles in the water. I don't know why but he always looks up so impishly I always laugh. He also cracks up when I make one of his tub puppets (usually the frog, the pig he is not so into) eat some of his foam tub "sticker" shapes. The frog says "cookies?? Cookies? Oh, yum, TRIANGLE" and gnaws on the shape with much slurping, then sighs happily, says "Thank you" (Nolan then say "Your weckome") and then Frog abruptly burps the shape right out- and Nolan squeals in glee. And, repeat. Actually, Frog didn't used to say Thank You, Nolan prompted Frog to starts that a week ago.

- When he sees a picture of a lion or bear, Nolan can do a pretty good frightening roar and growl.

Why is it that we show pictures to kids of animals they are unlikely to meet often anyway? Nolan can identify an anteater. Useful. I wonder if there are other skills we should be fostering in 2 years olds? Anyway...
Later, am going to try to sleep again!

Memories

Uncle Paul took this series on our camera after Ray and Mika's wedding service, at a chapel on UWO campus. Beautiful place.

I have been lax about this, so am started to be afraid I'll totally miss recording some cute/peculiar toddler doings, as I am tired and my memory is shot. So, a few memories:

- for a few months, Nolan would screech and yell NO!!!!! and protest when you tried to get his PJ top off in the morning, or his shirt off in the evening. It was like he thought his skin was being removed. One the article was removed, he'd be distraught if it was tossed in the hamper, and would, if possible, clutch it to his chest and run off with it. Poor little man. I wonder if he just couldn't define where he stopped and the shirt started? Around the same time (17-22 months old), and in a similar way, he'd occasionally freak out about having his nails cut.

- He used to hold books upside down, and point at (and methodically natter nonsense at) the pictures. Now he holds them right side up, names the objects in the photos or chants the storylines he's memorized, and skip to the end so he can close the book with a triumphant "The End!!!"

- At some point he began regarding our walk in pantry as a combination toy box and fast food place: if he's bored, he'll wander in and grab pots, pans, appliances to play with, or come out with pasta or canned goods and say "Noodles? Cooking?"

- Will stir anything, anytime. Will stir a pot of pasta noodles with every long utensil he can reach, trying each one, but settling on the wooden spoon most times.

- He's got our number big time. He knows that if he fusses I often give in (I have to stop that). He'll get a piece of cheese from the fridge, annihilate it, and go back fror more with an escalating volume and pitch request series...."cheese? Cheeeese? CHEEEEEESE! CHEEEEEESSSSSSSE! WAAAHHHH!". Aughhhh! Or, he'll do a sly little leg-hug- grab-hand walk into pantry asking for a "cacker?" then- a pantomime that basically says "Oh, My!!! Look at that tin of delicious decadent cookies Oma bought, up on that shelf!!! Maybe one of those would be nice! Join me??"

- Sometimes if he comes in with us at night, he'll puff and sigh and hummock around like a little animal in a shed until he backs up against me (with me backed up to the edge and hanging on) and fall into a deep sleep spoonwise with his curly little head on my arm. Cute. Not conducive to sleep though.

- He wakes up in our bed saying a tentative little ".... ... mommy?" and then if he sees me right away he'll say "Mommy!!!!!!" in a tone of deep happiness and relief. Then he might say "Cuddle, nigh-night" meaning he wants to nurse and cuddle a bit, or might come over, put his cheek against mine (basically with his head on my head) and say "Love youuuuu!". Never fails to melt me, even if he was awake a lot overnight and I am aggravated and exhausted.

- He can be imperious- especially to Mike. He'll just hold his empty bottle up and demand "Bottle!!!", and push Mike out of bed with his feet to go get one. But, he tempers it with a sweet "Thank-you, Dad-dy" when he gets the bottle back, filled.

Thats all I can think of right now- I know I am missing most of what was in my head in the wee hours yesterday about doing this post, but maybe it'll come....