eating crayons

One pregnant mama + one sick daddy + one toddler = ringing in the new year coloring with the girls at home! I thought they simply enjoyed watching Thomas color in his sketch book or maybe it was the smell of the crayons that they liked, but then I caught Greta red-handed. She had a crayon in her mouth and was happily chewing away. Fortunately she only bit off about an inch when I caught her.

my little buddy

We had some warmer weather late last week (50 degrees?) and I couldn't resist getting outside to enjoy it. One afternoon Thomas and I went for a bike ride around the neighborhood. We stopped at the park about mid-way through the ride so Thomas could run around and play on the slide (also so I could have a little break!). It was nice to get a ride in again. Thomas really seems to enjoy the ride in his bike trailer, too.

baby cousin

Of the 175 photos I snapped Christmas day, this photo of Thomas with his cousin N is my favorite. N is just 6 months old but the two are clearly curious about each other. Since Thomas has few boy cousins, it's nice to have another one so close to his age. Next Christmas these two boys will be tearing up Grandma's house!

Merry Christmas!

The other day Thomas received a letter in the mail from Santa telling him he's made Santa's list of "Good Boys & Girls" this year. So it was no surprise that Thomas woke up to some great presents under the Christmas tree and one large gift waiting for him in his playroom. Santa hit the nail on the head with the new train table and train set. I can't imagine a more perfect gift for Thomas this year. He also received a doll that he's been carrying around with him this morning. He's been fascinated with (real) babies lately. I'm hoping this interest continues when the stork brings him a new baby sibling this May!

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seeing the big guy

I had heard horror stories from various moms with children Thomas' age so when I decided to take Thomas to see Santa this morning, I knew it could be U.G.L.Y. I imagined Thomas would be extremely clingy, definitely crying and possibly verbally protesting. In reality, it wasn't quite that bad.

It all started out good. He enjoyed watching all the kids run around before Santa arrived. He didn't mind the 25 minute wait in line to see Santa. He even smiled and looked happy when he was next in line to see Santa.

Then it was our turn to see the big guy. Thomas was not a happy camper. Fortunately for us, this particular Santa was very soft-spoken and patient. We still didn't get a smiling photo, but we didn't get a crying photo either so it was all good. Definitely better than I was expecting and Thomas was happy afterwards. He ate the sucker Santa gave him (which, incidently, turned his mouth and both hands blue), did a little happy jig in front of Santa and blew him a couple of kisses as we said our goodbyes.

Maybe next year will be better...?

longing for summer

our Christmas tree

For years before Thomas was born we used an artificial tree, but it just didn't feel right once he came into our family. Last year was the first year we brought a living tree into our house but it was a pre-cut one we had purchased from a tree lot and it wasn't especially fresh. So this year I knew we had to make a visit to a local tree farm to find our special Christmas tree. Lots of mud and twenty dollars later, we have our tree...

Notice the curious fingers. Ornaments were carefully rearranged to cover only the top half of the Christmas tree and placed well out of Thomas' reach!

19 months

At 19 months, some of Thomas' favorites these days are...

...reading. We often find him quietly reading to himself. He likes to pick out 6 to 8 of his favorite books, pile them on the sofa and then climb up and settle in to read the books he's chosen.

...playing with the dogs' stuffed animals. He carries them around the house, feeds them his food and gives them drinks from his cups, sets them up on chairs or tables and snuggles with them. This morning we heard some kissing sounds and when we turned to look, we saw he had one in each hand and he had them kissing each other. Later he put them on the table just like this.

...playing make believe. He'll crawl around on his hands and knees making various animal sounds. His favorite is a panting dog, but he'll also do kitty sounds, sheep sounds, etc. And he'll want you to pretend with him.

...flirting with the girls. Everywhere we go he finds a woman to flirt with. Yesterday morning at a downtown coffeeshop it was a 20-something woman sitting by herself. Thomas was really interested in her and soon she was just as interested in him. She even walked with him over to the large windows when the train passed to watch with him and answer his "choo choos" with her own. I was told today he's going to be a heartbreaker.

...playing with older kids. Last night he and our neighbor had a playdate at our house for a few hours and I'm told Thomas wanted to do everything L was doing. Older kids are just so cool.

child-friendly establishments

Over the last few weeks, Thomas and I have been exploring some of the child-friendly food establishments offered in our city. We've been to coffeeshops and restaurants, both downtown and outside the downtown area, with various groups of other mamas and toddlers. What these places all have in common is some sort of "play area" for young children. In the coffeeshops, the play areas have ranged from a small table and chairs with a small box of toys to an entire room that is carpeted and full of toys. We have found pretty much the same at child-friendly restaurants. Our trips have not included fast food joints like McDonald's or Burger King and their enormous ball pit/play apparatus things.

I have mixed feelings about these sorts of establishments which I'm sure will change (or work themselves out?) over time. I have no hang-ups with coffeeshops because to me it's like being in someone's house. The adults are enjoying coffee, snacks and conversation while the children play. But restaurants? It seems to me that children should learn to behave in restaurants and to eat a meal while there. I don't understand why playing has become associated with eating. Aren't we doing our children a disservice by blurring the line between these two activities?

It just strikes me as odd and not a concept I'm entirely comfortable with (of course, I did stop into a Chuck E. Cheese last summer so maybe I am a little okay with the idea). As all things seem to do, I'm sure my opinion regarding these child-friendly restaurants will change when there's a second baby and I'm desperate for a quiet meal and Thomas only wants to play. I'll be the one sitting in the corner at Burger King eating a Value Meal (is this what they are called?) and asking my son to come finish his Happy Meal (huh?...again, I'm clueless) repeatedly for the 20 minutes I am there. Or is it an hour?

Holiday Express

This afternoon we joined M's brothers and their families for a ride on the Holiday Express. Thomas loves trains so we knew this would be a fun time for him. The steam locomotive ride lasts approximately 40 minutes and Santa (with two of his elves) walks through the train greeting passengers and distributing candy canes. The late afternoon start worked great because we saw the train in daylight beforehand and at dusk afterwards. Thomas really enjoyed this excursion!

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'tis the season

our kids (as seen on this year's holiday cards)
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This year's photo of the kids for our holiday card was a tricky one. We came up with some clever ideas with all three in a single photograph, but in reality they could never work. Thomas wouldn't sit still long enough. Bela wouldn't want neither Thomas nor Greta to touch her. And Greta just gets nervous when we try to make her do anything so she wouldn't be very cooperative. So instead, I opted to take individual photos that were pretty simple and straightforward -- each of them wearing the hat of the season, a Santa hat.

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In reality, even this was not simple nor straightforward. At one point I even questioned the whole concept. It took several separate attempts before Thomas would actually wear the hat (and he loves to wear hats!). This photo of Greta was the only shot I got of her wearing the hat. I would place it on her head and she would immediately paw it off and bite it. Bela was the only one who enjoyed wearing the hat and having her photo taken. She even poses like she's some kind of dog model or something. Silly girl.

mama's favorite new toy

I picked up a new toy for Thomas this morning at Target for $10. When we got home, I unwrapped it and set it on the floor for him to play with. He did not move from this spot for a whole 40 minutes. I'm not kidding. When he did get up, he quickly ate lunch and immediately went back to playing with this toy. I can't wait to see what he does when he gets up from his nap! I love love love this new toy.