Our Journey into Parenthood

The Bench

2012-02-11T22:50:00.002-06:00

Grandad's neighbors have a bench in front of their house.

Usually, when it is time to leave, you will ask to sit at the bench for a few minutes. If it is not too cold or we are not in a hurry, I usually let you do so. Sometimes we even come out a few minutes early while daddy's still visiting with Grandad, so that you can romp a little more.

However, when it is time to go, you will try to stall having to go get in the car and go home..

But you usually comply nicely, even if a little begrudgingly :)

And then after a few minutes, you happily go on to the next discovery or adventure :)

Little Toddler Milestones

2012-02-05T23:16:00.002-06:00

When we were at the playground the last time, some of the things you did different:

1. You put your feet into the stirrups thingy and then did the push pull motions to get the little horse going. :)

2. You wanted to play with others - actually trying to get them to play with you - as opposed to playing alongside them.

The Mane Event

2012-02-05T22:31:00.004-06:00

1. Hair Cut

I gave you a haircut a little over a week ago.

Used to be, when I wanted to trim your hair, you would get all up in arms and REFUSE to cooperate. The last time, I used my smartphone to bribe you. Yeah. This time around, I told myself I was NOT going to resort to that. So, one day while you were taking a bath, I just got the scissors out and told you that I was going to give you a trim.

Not only did you NOT grouse, gripe or whimper, each time I snipped, you would say, "Thank you, mummy"... !!

I seriously could not believe my ears.

2. Bed Hair

Even with bed hair, your hair is gorgeous.

I am SOOOOOOOOO envious :)

Coloring at Grandad's House

2012-01-24T22:37:00.001-06:00

The Extendo-Bib

2012-01-24T21:45:00.002-06:00

You end up eating lunch at Grandad's quite a bit these days.

A lot of the time, I make you sandwiches to bring over there, but on some other days, we have chicken noodle soups or like in THIS case, Spaghetti-O's.

You don't like the extendo-bib, by the way :)

Looking back at December 2011

2012-01-14T15:17:00.002-06:00

Or just an excuse to post cool photos of your kid :)

"Out of Doors"

"Indoors at Grandad's"

"Just because"

A Slow Start to the Year

2012-01-14T00:22:00.003-06:00

At least blogging-wise. :)

Grandad hasn't been feeling real good in a while, and so we go there a couple of times a day to see what we can do, and to try and cheer him up some.

I am very grateful for this time that you can spend with him, and I sometimes wonder how much you will remember of this as you get older.

One thing I know for sure, you love love love Grandad ( You've graduated from "Gang Gah" to "Gran Gran" ) and Grandad totally adores you to bits. :)

Playing Peekaboo with Grandad

Merry Christmas, Little Boy.

2011-12-24T23:59:00.001-06:00

In your own words,

"Merry Christmas, Ho Ho Ho!"

The King of ANY Domain

2011-12-24T17:49:00.002-06:00

We were at Cindy's bank, maybe over a week ago, and boy, did you make yourself at home. :)

We love us some Tropical Fruits

2011-12-19T00:54:00.003-06:00

You tried some Starfruit and Pineapples yesterday.

And you loved them!

"More, Mummy, More" type of lovin' :)

Toddler Fears

2011-12-15T22:36:00.002-06:00

For a few months now, when it is time to go to bed, you would say, "Mummy, I'm scared". When I ask you what you are afraid of, you would say, "I'm scared of Alligator", which is strange because I try never to put anything in a spooky light, not even during Halloween or anything like that. And when I ask you where the alligator is, you would point to the floor.

We've tried several ways to allay your fears. The bedside lamp is left on dim, there's a nightlight that projects the moon and stars on the ceiling, and you are surrounded with your toys.. "All of them". :)

And, of course, lots and lots of hugs and snuggles :)

Hamming it up

2011-12-13T00:37:00.001-06:00

At Walmart

At Sam's

( No, we did NOT get the gorilla )

At Grandad's House

Yes, we all knew it would happen sooner or later

2011-12-13T00:29:00.002-06:00

I managed to clean the window and table off with some alcohol, but I wasn't gonna attempt that on the wall. AND it wasn't your fault. I was careless the one time, and left a marker out. *sigh*.

Oh well.

Technology

2011-12-12T23:17:00.002-06:00

We have agreed that although technology is fine and dandy and help us out a whole bunch, when little boys have free reign of their parents' smart phones and tablets, things can get a little out of hand. Especially when little boys refuse to let go of the phones and tablets without a whole lot of hue and cry.

We still let you have some time with some apps ( all carefully toddlerized with Zoodles ), like when we are over at Grandad's in the mornings.

ANYWAY, I let you use it for a few minutes the other day when I finally gave you a haircut. :) You were so engrossed you hardly made a peep, when all other times you would have just moved and wiggled and totally made it as difficult as you could.

Yeah, check out Mama's mad haircutting skillz. :)

Taking after Daddy

2011-11-30T11:06:00.003-06:00

People around us always comment on how tall you are, and we're always saying, "Well, his daddy IS 6'2"...." ( And Mama, at 5' 6" is not a short little Asian woman either.. )

Anyhow, I measured you on the "Growing Tree" growth chart, and you were 39 inches this morning.... so I entered your readings into the online growth chart thingy...

Also, you are adding so many more words to your spoken vocabulary at such a rapid pace that I am constantly astounded by all the new words that you start to use, on a daily basis. You have understood most of what we say for some time now, but saying them words took a little bit more practice. :)

Learning

2011-11-28T23:42:00.003-06:00

On Sundays at church, during the sermon, there is TLC ( Training and Learning for Children ) for children between 2 - 4. You have been going there for a while now, and look forward to it.

At home, we do our crafts and coloring and all like that, but nothing formal. One project we DO have, however ( even though you have known all your uppercase and lowercase letters for a while now and are now interested in learning them in sign language! ) , is our Alphabet Wall. :)

At print time, we are up to Rr, and I really SHOULD spend the next half an hour or so to figure out Ss for tomorrow/. We have been lagging in work on the Alphabet Wall, in a big part because of our changed schedule of going to Grandad's twice a day. No worries. I'll get working on it.

It tastes better this way

2011-11-23T00:05:00.002-06:00

Jaxon and his Technicolor Doo

2011-11-12T23:22:00.003-06:00

We were at Elizabeth's 11th birthday party last week, where you had just loads of fun....

and a serving of birthday cake with blue icing

Needless to say, the next morning you had some pretty brightly colored diapers. :P

Happy Halloween Pt II

2011-11-02T20:59:00.002-05:00

After I did that post, I thought I should make a collage of the 3 pictures side by side.. so here it is!

Happy Halloween!

2011-11-02T20:52:00.002-05:00

Halloween through the (3) years

2009 ( age 7 months )

2010 ( age 1 yr 7 mos )

2011 ( age 2 yrs 7 mos )

What have you been up to?

2011-10-26T09:47:00.002-05:00

All KINDS of things :)

We went to the Playground several times..

We played with Play Doh a whole bunch...

We practised them little finger and hand muscles....

We helped clean the house.. or at least attempt to...

We dreamed big....

And ate a lot of yummy snacks!

Guess Who

2011-10-17T00:15:00.003-05:00

learned how to blow their nose this week ????

Hurray!

Look Mama, I made a "T"!

Look Mama, I made a "U"!

Look Mama, now it's a "C"!

Look Mama, Binoculars!

You Did It !!!!!

2011-10-10T00:14:00.003-05:00

Okay, so we have been trying to introduce the potty and encourage you to "go" in the potty.

Anyhow, we believe in not pressurizing you when it comes to this, AND the potty HAS been sitting in our play/study room for quite a few months now, just to get you acquainted with it.

You have always "agreed" to sit on the potty for a little bit, but when you need to go, you will always say, "change diaper" and then go in the diaper.

However, tonight, before your bath, ( this, with me having the background knowledge that there was a high possibility of you peeing RIGHT AFTER you got into the tub, lol ) I asked if you would go in the potty, and you DID!

We got all excited about it, and you were more than happy to comply after your bath, and again before we got ready to go to bed!

Hurray!

We still have a bunch of work ahead of us, but boy, what a big step THIS is. :)

Partially-eaten-apple Snob

2011-10-08T09:21:00.002-05:00

I need to get this down before I forget.

YOU, my son, are a partially-eaten-apple snob.

Meaning, if an apple is partially eaten, even if it has just had several bites taken out of it ( read: BY YOU ), and left on the table for a little while ( as you go off in search of fresh adventures ), when you are ready for more apple, you will turn your nose up at the aforementioned apple, and go in search of a new one in the apple bowl.

T'is the season for..

2011-10-05T19:39:00.000-05:00

stuffy and runny noses.

Oh boy, here we go again. Bleh.

The KaraSumo Kid

2011-10-01T00:33:00.003-05:00

or is it SumoTe?

First we give our best war yell

And then we do our morning calisthenics!

Well, actually it was really mommy messing with you, with some animal themed crepe paper.

Our Little Prince

2011-09-29T01:44:00.001-05:00

Okay, so your crown is a simple paper plate craft, but that didn't stop it from being totally magical :)

Our Growing Toddler

2011-09-29T01:08:00.002-05:00

So, we finally pinned up The Growing Tree the other day.

And you, my boy, are 38" tall at 2 1/2 years old :)

Lions and Tigers and .. er, Birds, oh my!

2011-09-27T19:38:00.003-05:00

Your little craft folder is filling up fast, little boy :)

But it does look like you appear to enjoy doing these different crafts, no matter how simple.
Maybe it's because you get to smear glue all over the plate, and tear up pieces of paper, AND get to play with Googly Eyes and bits of ?chenile pipe cleaners.

Afterwards, I let you "practise" using the scissors for a few minutes..

Paints were made to be freeeeeeeeee

2011-09-24T00:09:00.004-05:00

Okay, so at first we started "safely" with the "paint in the ziploc" painting angle...

But then you weren't really very into "safe" painting and so I thought, "oh, well" and broke out the paints and the ( LOL ) apron.

You experimented with different ways of holding a paint brush..There was a lot of pointillism going on..

You experimented with painting on your hands,

and with your hands,

and your fingers...

and eventually, using your own face as a canvas. That's some thinking outside the box, now :)

And of course, you HAD to threaten to taste the paint, otherwise, this painting session would have been, as we say in Malay, "tak sah" aka "invalid"

It was hilarious too, that when you decided you were done with painting, you fell onto the floor, and started laughing loudly on your back, just like what they do on Peppa Pig!

Literally ROFL :)

Hurray for Chopsticking!

2011-09-21T22:32:00.003-05:00

Okay, so technically, it's more like tongs than chopsticks, but at your age, that's pretty major :)

Happy Birthday, Max

2011-09-21T00:50:00.002-05:00

We were at Max's 3rd birthday party last weekend, and you had lots and lots of fun...

There are a lot more photos over at Mama's OTHER blog,

but I wanted to post this one here because it's such a sweet one of you and Max exploring in Mamo's backyard. ( and not running around like mad men : } )

And these two, just because. :)

Scooping, Spooning, Pouring

2011-09-20T22:03:00.003-05:00

I am no Montessori Mum by any stretch of the imagination,

but this was a means of keeping you occupied and close by while I cooked :P

p/s : Your daddy gets empathy pains just watching you sit in that "W" knees configuration. :)

A Typical Morning Mashup Post

2011-09-19T00:25:00.002-05:00

Okay, so I had some photos that were sitting in a folder, just waiting to be posted.

But I waited a little too long, and well, I thought that I would just put them all in one post, and call it the "What the little boy gets up to on a daily basis... kinda" post.

Of course, this doesn't cover EVERYTHING that you do every morning, and you don't do all of them EVERY morning, but for this moment in time, these are some of the activities that you do a lot of.

Usually when you get up, you'll have your milk and a waffle, and then you run off into my study/your playroom, and dive headlong into play play play.

We got some "junk" mail in our mailbox the other day, that had Disney stickers in them, so here you are, happily sticking Nemo, Mickey, Pooh Bear and others onto a piece of construction paper. I noticed how you were quite particular about spacing them out :)

We got some wooden magnetic alphabet and number sets from Dollar Tree, and you often play with them, on an extra cookie sheet that we have.

Yes, you have known your ABCs - both uppercase and lowercase for some time now, as well as their sounds, and their order.

And you can spell your name. Not bad for a not quite 2 1/2 year old, eh? :)
Of course, our trick was using the B.I.N.G.O. song with your name :)

Another activity that you can do all day long is your puzzles. We have some Melissa and Doug, as well as some Dollar Tree jigsaw puzzles, and you are already able to tackle the 25 count ones by yourself at amazing speed.

Of course, how can a morning go by without a snack ?On this day, you were in the mood for peanut butter crackers.

Sometimes, we will make some attempt at potty training. A lot of the time, you will sit on the potty, but not actually GOING, and then go in your diaper. Sometimes, you are hesitant to sit on the potty at all, for some reason. We aren't rushing you just yet in this respect.

And, for the life of me, I cannot remember why you look rather distressed in both these pictures. You WERE watching something on Nick Jr. both times, though.

We've been doing some art and crafts when I am able to muster up some courage to let you play with paints and whatnot, and most of the time you are really good about not making a big mess ( maybe I just don't give you the opportunity to? ) and always ask for a wipey when you accidentally get some paint on the table or your hands. Of course, sometimes you USE your HANDS on purpose :)

And yes, every time we break out the paints, you STILL threaten to taste it.
One of these days, I just may let you do so.

Then, there were the couple of days when we played with pom poms from Dollar Tree :

Painting with Pom Poms

Gluing Pom Poms

Sorting Pom Poms

Gluing and Pattern making with Pom Poms

Stamp Art using Foam Stickers on Bottle Caps

I also got a pair of scissors from Walmart, that was supposed to be for 3+, with some springy mechanism thingy, which I thought might be useful for you to practise using scissors.

Usually by 1 pm, you are ready for a nap :)

And when you get up from that nap, the cycle picks up again!

What a bundle of energy you are, boy. :)

Imagination

2011-09-16T23:27:00.001-05:00

Sticks and Stones...

Artsy and Crafty

2011-09-13T22:32:00.002-05:00

Last week I thought it would be fun to have a little bit of "structured" learning play.

I broke into my art supplies, which had been sitting neglected for a few years now, and thought, "Oh well, those are replaceable."

Anyway, you had a blast exploring with the paints, using little cotton swabs as paint brushes.

Of course, being the multitasking toddler that you are, you belted out the ABC song as you worked on your masterpieces..

AND I had to keep a watchful eye on you, not because I was afraid that you would make a horrific mess, but rather because you kept on threatening to EAT the paint. :) I know you wanted a little taste to get to know the paints ( I mean, that's how you use all your sense to explore something new ), but STILL.

At one point, you decided to get 3 cotton swabs together and make a three-fer swirl :)

After we were done, of course, I tried to encourage you to participate in the putting away and cleaning up process. You gotta start em young, I tell ya. ;D

You had lots of fun, and we've been doing some other kinds of crafts, which I'll try to put up ASAP :)

What you didn't see on the Other Blog

2011-09-12T22:25:00.002-05:00

Here's what didn't get on Mama's blog post on the West Texas Fair and Rodeo :)

a.k.a. The Focus Is On Jaxon

This one is where we are kind of strolling up and down the street where we are parked, just sort of hanging out waiting for the parade to start, and you start getting really antsy.

So, out comes the smart phone and the Kids Piano Lite App.

But of course, we are out and about and no toddler should have to remain strapped into his stroller and messing with technology! :)

Can you tell you are rather curious as to what lies behind them glass doors?

I'm no Bento Mama

2011-09-11T19:11:00.002-05:00

But once in a while, it's fun to make food fun for YOU :)

p/s at first you wouldn't eat the wieners because you thought they were real octopuses!

Owie

2011-09-07T23:11:00.003-05:00

Some time last week you had an owie on one of your fingers, and it was messing with stuff that would normally be a piece of cake.

So, I broke out the Dora the Explorer bandaids and put one on your little owie.

Apparently, it messed you up more than your owie ever did.

It was off within 2 minutes, and you came running to me again, exclaiming, "Mama, Owie."

I put a second one on, and guess what? THAT was off in 2 minutes too.

After the third one ( this time a generic bandaid ) came off, and you weren't complaining too much, I figured that it might just save both our sanities to not mess with any more bandaids.

The Double Barrel

2011-09-07T23:08:00.002-05:00

Guess who was extra thirsty the other day ?

Or rather, extra cheeky :)

Sleeping like a Baby

2011-09-07T22:43:00.001-05:00

Practise Session # ?

2011-09-05T22:58:00.003-05:00

Chopsticks

Just give it some time.. you'll get it :)

There were a few times today

2011-09-05T21:46:00.003-05:00

when I was not very nice.

I was short and snippy and spoke a little louder than I should to a sweet little boy.

And that you still come to me and give me the biggest "Bao Bao"s and hugs and smooches, and make me feel like I am just the absolute center of your universe, makes me feel like an even worse meanie.

I'm sorry little boy, momma didn't mean any of it :(

Chillaxing

2011-09-03T22:53:00.002-05:00

And I quote Daddy,

"He must be the laid backingest 2 year old in the world"

In case you read this when you are 25 and wondering what in the world is going on, well, you're just chilling, watching Diego and enjoying some popcorn ( on night II )before you have to go on to bed.

La La La La ( 2x )

2011-09-03T00:52:00.004-05:00

Would you believe Elmo is singing to YOU?

Elmo's Glad Jaxon is here!

Can Jaxon tell Elmo how to get to Sesame Street?

Sing and Dance with Elmo!

Actually, your very cheap momma redeemed a few free songs from THIS website, where they can personalize a whole CD to the delight of children everywhere :P

Our Literary Toddler

2011-09-03T00:32:00.000-05:00

Any time you want to do something for yourself, you would say, "MY TURN!"

So the other day, I was reading the newspaper, and you came by and said, "MY TURN!!!".

I handed you the papers and you proceeded to run around with them and at one point, opened it and held it up close to your face like you were reading it and declared,

"Momma, I reading newspaper!"

( except, of course, it came out sounding like "Momma, I reading nooshpapa" )

Pudding Pop Face of Sheer Delight

2011-09-03T00:17:00.000-05:00

The Bibbed Crusader...

2011-09-03T00:13:00.001-05:00

I swear you fashioned the crusader bib around your neck yourself,

as evidenced right here.

Safety First

2011-08-27T23:40:00.003-05:00

and child sized lawn furniture

Daddy was over at Sam's the other day, and came home with a Jaxon-sized picnic bench! Now he can't wait for you to have little friends come by for an actual picnic/playdate!

And So It Begins

2011-08-23T21:11:00.001-05:00

We have started reading a few potty training/introduction books, and this you really like this one.

You get especially jubilant when the little boy in the story finally "tinkles and toots" in his potty and his parents join in his exuberance.

Your second favorite book is THIS one. You'll pick it up and say "Read Michael Potty book!! Read Michael Potty book!!"

And we bought you a Fisher Price froggy potty which was on rollback at Walmart for about $9.00.

So far, it's mainly "getting to know you" sessions with Mr. Froggy and plenty of encouragement and reminding you to let momma know if you were needing to use the potty for pee pee or poo poo.

I'm not sure if you are quite clear of the concept yet or not, because you would sit on the potty for a bit, and then I'd put your diaper on, and you would pee/poo right away in the diaper.

Today, you had your diaper off for a while, and suddenly looked at me and said, "Momma, poopoo diaper" ( which is what you say after you've peed when you have a diaper on ), and proceeded to pee on the rug. I immediately push the potty under you for you to sit on, and let you finish up in the potty. I hope something clicked when I made a whooped hurray and all like that, but you were a little nonchalant, although curious about the liquid in the potty.

*sigh* but no worries.

With a measure of patience, and some time, we'll get there :)

King for a Day

2011-08-23T16:40:00.001-05:00

Or at least for the 7 minutes that you had your "crown" on for.

Adventures at McD with Grandad

2011-08-23T15:32:00.002-05:00

I can't remember when we started having lunch on Saturdays at McD with Grandad - perhaps a year ago?

We never get you any of the kids' meals as you always share my grilled chicken sandwich and like that. So, sometimes you go to the display where they have the "Toy of the Month" or whatever they are promoting at the moment, and stand there looking at all these strange or interesting looking things.

Anyway, their current promotion is the Smurfs, and their recently released movie.

One of the cashiers whom you have obviously charmed, and who likes to tease and call out to you whenever we are there, decided she would just GIFT you a Smurf toy.

And Lo and Behold, SPIDER SMURF was born....

A "Before I forget" Post

2011-08-23T15:27:00.002-05:00

Something's changed in the way you act when you are having your bottom cleaned during a diaper change.

Used to, you would just lay there and let me go about the diaper changing process. Nowadays, once I've done the first wipe, you would turn over and lay on your left side, as if to show that you didn't really appreciate laying your bottom on cold wet icky wipes or something. :)

Which is fine by me, because that means I don't have to keep holding your ankles and lifting your bottom up. That may have been a piece of cake when you were littler, but now that you are heavier, stronger and sometimes "wriggle"ier, this new on your left side position may actually be a lot better.

Until you are potty trained, that is.

Which is in fact, the subject of another post.... coming real soon. :P

Imagination Station

2011-08-20T14:52:00.004-05:00

We got you the Krinkle Blocks a few months back, and it has been pretty interesting to watch the evolution of the way you play with them.

At first, you would just make ME make stuff for you, but slowly but surely, you started putting them together yourself, experimenting with the different ways you could do it,

and a few days ago, I step into the playroom/study, and you look up and say, "Mama, Xylophone! ( except it sounded like "Shyfoon", and proceeded to bang on your krinkle-block xylophone that you had made.

Ah, a proud mama am I :)

I'm a Red Hatted Texan

2011-08-20T14:39:00.002-05:00

Your little red cowboy hat is getting a little small for you now, but let's have fun with it while we can!

You usually like to play with your hat for a few minutes, and going, "Look Mama, Cowboy!".

"Howdy, Maam!"

But being a boy who is not quite 2 1/2 yet, you are quickly distracted by something else.

Poor little red cowboy hat :)

Ode to "The Dance of Joy"

2011-08-20T14:24:00.003-05:00

Your momma, me, grew up watching this sitcom on tv, and loving it!

Sweet Dreams, Little One

2011-08-16T23:28:00.002-05:00

My dearest little boy,

tonight you woke up at about 11 pm, crying and crying because your nose was all stopped up. You were terribly sleepy and tired, but couldn't fall back asleep because of the stuffy nose :(. I held you for a little bit and tried to get you to sleep propped up. You protested at first, partly because you were kind of delirious from sleepiness and cried some more, but after a while, let me prop you up a little bit on the pillow and managed to go back to sleep.

My poor little baby. I pray that you sleep well tonight and wake up refreshed.

Here's a photo from last night when you fell asleep with Scout and your little twisty toy from Cracker Barrel.

A Boy, His Aunt, and

2011-08-14T20:40:00.002-05:00

Some Rocking Chairs....

Your "Three Bears" book has little Goldilocks breaking Baby Bear's rocker, and so it was quite the thrill for you to be on a baby sized rocker at Cracker Barrel.

Posture-pedic part 3

2011-08-11T22:41:00.000-05:00

This one was discovered by your daddy

Posture-pedic part 2

2011-08-04T15:23:00.002-05:00

I went in to check on you after I thought you had fallen asleep for your nap and this is the scene that greets me.

And yes, that"s the baby monitor that we still use.

Posture-pedic part 1

2011-08-04T01:15:00.002-05:00

Sometimes this is what happens when I leave the room for you to fall asleep by yourself, and you aren't too happy about it.

This hair is NOT the result of Static

2011-08-04T00:58:00.003-05:00

I had gotten you some magnetic alphabet thingies a while ago, but because of your penchant for putting things ( that will fit ) through the vent in the floor, I put that away for safe keeping until I thought you could be trusted a little bit more.

Well, I had to get it out the other day as emergency measures to try and stop a crying wailing post nap fit.

You played nice and was thoroughly fascinated with them for a few days, arranging them, first on a magnetic white board, then a small cookie sheet.

Then one day you come to me and say "M missing". I follow you to the room, and you point to the vent. And there are only about 8 letters left un"vented".

*sigh*

Gangsta

2011-08-04T00:49:00.002-05:00

I recently cleared out the living room a little, and made it just a little more toddler friendly. Before this, we had always put the child gate up, but now you have semi free rein of the "region". So, these days, you have been watching your early morning PBS and Nick Jr. shows in your little rocker right there in the living room, sipping on your milk and snacking on your cheerios.

Anyway, one day you went over to your daddy's chair, grabbed his cap and started parading it around. :)

Sleepy Time Milestones

2011-07-27T14:13:00.002-05:00

It used to leave be that I could leave you in your pack and play and after a while you would fall asleep on your own.

When you started being able to climb out of your pack and play, I would stay in the room with you to make sure you didn't go beserko and trash the room with your new found freedom.

And that got to where you would freak out and wail and bang on the door if I tried to leave.

About 10 nights ago or so I thought that it was maybe time start trying to have you fall asleep on your own again. We would read our bedtime books and i would stay for a bit and then say goodnight, give you a hug and kiss, and leave the room. So far I had only attempted that at bedtime but it seems like you are now confident enough to let me go on.

Today I tried it at nap time and it worked too! I kept an "eye" on you via the baby monitor. You sang some songs and "read" some of your books and then promptly fell asleep...

Master and Commander

2011-07-26T23:58:00.001-05:00

Kinda looks like Kirk's Command Control Chair thingy with food, drinks and entertainnment right there at your fingertips.

McDonald's aka Big Yellow M

2011-07-26T23:26:00.003-05:00

It's quite the "ritual" now, that on Saturdays we go have lunch with Grandad at McDonald's and when you are done eating, we go out to their enclosed outdoor area for you to romp amidst the flora and fauna that make up that little "ecosystem". Usually you like to go around gathering the little rocks and sticks and leaves.

Last week, we made a little Rock Creature that looked a little like Piglet from the Winnie The Pooh series.

Pretty cool stuff. :)

Articulation

2011-07-25T00:34:00.003-05:00

About a month ago, you started saying your own name when we asked you what your name was, except it sounds like "JackHen Woooo" :P

Now when I ask you what MY name is, you go, "Wetty Woooo" and start giggling :)

About a month ago, you started saying "Wy" for "Y" and not "Yay". LOL
And a couple of days ago, you started saying "Z" as "Zee" and not "Zhhhhh".

"Mama, Puzzle Wet"

2011-07-21T09:49:00.003-05:00

You might not know it by looking at these photos,

but we've just had a couple of days of having to change sheets and clothes as well as cleaning carpets, tabletops and sinks as well as depleting paper towels and diaper supplies at a slightly increased rate.

You also had a very mild cough and a low grade fever, but your nose is/was pretty leaky.

It always amazes me how throwing up doesn't seem to faze you much, hence when you threw up your juice and couple of crackers all over the puzzles you were doing, you looked at your hands, and kinda went, "eh, what's all this stuff?", and continued on trying to do the puzzles. At one point you went, "Mama, puzzle wet".

No kidding.

I'm keeping my fingers crossed as it seems like the throwing up has stopped since after your long nap yesterday, and you seem to be keeping this morning's breakfast in. I'm not sure about the other end, though. But you're in good spirits with no fever in sight, so we're happy. :)

Color my Water World

2011-07-18T22:09:00.002-05:00

We've established that you love bath time.

So how do we make it even MORE fun?

Why, have different colored bath water every day!

Oh what the heck, let's have a rainbow in our bath!

Attack of the Ever Encroaching Plants

2011-07-16T22:44:00.002-05:00

They were having closeouts in the plants department over at Lowe's the other day, and when it came time to bring them home, we discovered we got a few more plants than space in the back.

So we had to use the passenger seats.

At first it looked like you were trying to be cool with the whole situation,

but then the corners of your mouth started to droop and your eyes started to scrunch up

And then you started whining

which then turned into full fledged wails.

Poor baby :)

Our Many Adventures in Dollar Tree

2011-07-16T00:15:00.002-05:00

Man, Dollar Tree is quite da bomb. :)

My First Popsicle

2011-07-16T00:15:00.001-05:00

Oooooooo Yum

Self

2011-07-15T23:28:00.003-05:00

You're wanting to do things by yourself more and more these days.

You've always wanted to be independent, but these days, if I try to help you do something, you "undo" the help and then attempt it again yourself.

It could be anything at all, like turning a page, or picking up a dropped toy, or even putting a puzzle piece in its place.

When we were at Fort Imagination over a week ago, you were eager to try everything out on your own.

Like climbing OVER this beam, for example.

Daddy tried to help you out by giving you a little boost, but you would say, "No, daddy, no", UNCLIMB it, and then try again, always making sure daddy's not helping out..

Once you were successful, you were off to the next challenge..

Which was traversing this bridge thingy. Once again, you wanted no help. We were close by enough to do something in case you lost your footing or hold, of course.

The one thing you loved doing over and over was the slide. You wanted to climb up to the slide yourself, but wanted us to be at the bottom to catch you too :)

And your victory yell is "HURRAY, I DID IT!!!"

There was a farmer had a dog

2011-07-07T01:00:00.002-05:00

This is Donny the Dachshund

He is a "bath scrubbie", for lack of a better term.

We got him for you at Walmart the other day.

When we got home, you asked for it and here's the conversation that followed.

Jaxon : ( pointing ) "Duggie! Duggie!"
Momma : ( handing Donny over to you ) "Here's your Doggie"
Jaxon : *hugs the "Duggie"*
Momma: "Does the doggie have a name, Jaxon?"
Jaxon : "Yyyyuuuup!"
Momma : "What's the doggie's name?"
Jaxon : *without hesitation* "B I N G O, Bingo!"

:)

Digging into some Play Doh

2011-07-07T00:58:00.003-05:00

So here you are, playing with play doh, using the bag of accessories we got in the mail the other day! You're getting pretty good with the rolling pin there, little boy :)

More Caillou

2011-07-07T00:55:00.002-05:00

One of the things you find hilarious in the "Magnet Madness" episode is towards the end when Caillou grabs hold of his daddy's ankle and refuses to let go, and his daddy goes, "Unhand me, Magnet Man!!!" :)

Words of wisdoms

2011-07-05T12:10:00.001-05:00

From Caillou's daddy...

"You may not always want to play with Rosie, but you must always be kind to her"

Collapsipation

2011-06-29T01:02:00.002-05:00

Is what happens when a little boy refuses to take a nap at the appropriate time and ends up overtired and cranky and then falling asleep in momma's arms in the "play room".

Summertime Explorations

2011-06-29T00:23:00.002-05:00

It is a shame that the weather is so horrific, what with all the >100F temperatures, or else we would be able to run around out in the yard more often, ya?

Daddy's hard work paying off..

Messing with the hose/sprinkler timer

Picking Mesquite Beans from the lowest branches.

Taking a well deserved break with some yummy juice.

Puzzles

2011-06-28T23:55:00.002-05:00

We got some simple puzzles from Walmart about a month ago, and you took to them with such determination.

Mall Rat

2011-06-28T23:17:00.002-05:00

We don't go to the mall very often, but when we do, we try to make sure you get a chance to romp and jump and climb over at the children's play area.

One of the things that you like there are the numbers on the floor, which you love to read and do the hopscotch thing.

The first time we were there, you were so little we were afraid you were going to get trampled and run over by the other bigger kids.

NOW, you ARE one of the bigger kids! - Climbing up the grape thingy and coming down the other slide on your tummy etc. when just a couple of weeks ago, it seemed too intimidating still.

The Tent Master

2011-06-28T22:59:00.002-05:00

Momma got you a "Disney Pixar Cars" tent the other day from Ross' Dress for Less.

It is a pop up tent that folds into nothingness, very much like one of those pop up window shades for cars etc.

You love to spend time in it, but as we all know, stuff is more fun when shared...

So nowadays, you will look at me with the most serious look you can conjure up, point into doorway of the tent, and say "Momma, Sit Down!"

ROFL

Daddy Calls This

2011-06-27T01:28:00.002-05:00

Your Little Lord Fauntleroy Hair

Your hair doesn't get trimmed as often/as much as I would like to, because of all the dramatics that ensue when that is attempted, but nevertheless, the crazy curly look is pretty irresistably adorable. :)

"Daddy Driving Car"

2011-06-26T23:49:00.003-05:00

That's one of your new phrases that you've been trying out the last couple of days when we're out driving..

Last Christmas we got you a little electric car, but didn't get it out for you to mess with till over a month ago.

And. You. Love. It!

Imagine that.. driving just like daddy! w00t! :)

After a while, you decided to go off exploring somewhere else

and guess who you decided to mess with?

And then it was back into the house for a shower!

Smooshy Fun

2011-06-25T23:03:00.002-05:00

I got us some play doh the other day and we had some fun what with you making requests and momma making snowmen, a chair, PIZZA, etc.

You are still a little unsure how to make stuff with it, and so momma got you some help.

Behold, the Play Doh Duffel that comes with..

Four 5oz. cans of Play-Doh
Extruder and extruder rail
Six cutters
Rolling pin
Pair of scissors
Sprinkle press

Can't wait to see your face when I get it out for you to play with tomorrow :)

Bath Time Fun

2011-06-23T00:22:00.002-05:00

So Momma went a little crazy and got you another bath time toy :)

As it is, you used to holler and protest at having to get out of the tub when momma declared that bath time was over... but nowadays you are getting more matured, I figure, and so although you might linger for a minute or two after I tell you that bath time is over, you are usually pretty good natured about getting out of the tub, and saying bye bye to the toys till tomorrow :)

A Rory McIlroy in the making? :)

2011-06-22T20:15:00.002-05:00

A few weeks ago, we were out doing the rounds to the various garden centers in town, looking for certain items for daddy. When we got to this one, I thought it was time you got a chance to stretch your legs out a little.

They had a little golf green as part of their layout, and daddy thought he'd putt a few with ya :)

Asian Soup Slurping Genes,

2011-06-19T18:03:00.002-05:00

Express Thyself to thy Fullest!

Nocturnal ramblings

2011-06-19T01:21:00.001-05:00

You did not get a nap in yesterday and so you were in bed much earlier than you would have been on other nights.

Anyway, at 3 am this morning I wake up to you leaning over me, going "Ake up, momma, Ake up!!"

Owie!

2011-06-13T23:03:00.002-05:00

We were playing out in the yard today when you came running to me, going "Owie! Owie!" and rubbing your hand against your chest. I saw a sting mark on the top of your right hand, and I figured that you'd been stung by a wasp.

We immediately went into the house, washed your hand off with soap and water, and put some triple antibiotic and hydrocort cream on it. You were very brave and didn't cry or whine, but I gave you some acetominophen and some benadryl just in case, as your hand was swelling up.

Thankfully, after some initial crankiness and after a nap, you were all better and the swelling had gone almost all the way down. I watched you for any other symptoms while you napped, but you slept peacefully.

Big Yellow M

2011-06-13T00:30:00.002-05:00

Just about every Saturday, we join Grandad and Uncle Lin for lunch at McDonalds. You love to go there and hang out with them, but even more so, to go Play Play Play out at the fenced "courtyard" area.

You're always finding thing that will fascinate you out there. It could be a leaf, a flower, a smooth rock, a plant, or just watching cars go by.

A couple of weeks ago, you collected some smooth rocks and made a choo choo train on the bench with them, and as one of the things that you currently love to do is count, you proceeded to count up and down the line of rocks :)

Last week, you decided you wanted to put stickers on yourself,

the rocks, and my jeans.

Whatever it is, you always have a fun fun time.

Tantrum Averted.......

2011-06-10T22:53:00.003-05:00

... for the time being.

You had a semi tragic breakdown at Walmart the other day, as I was trying to get some stuff in the aisles.. I don't know why I didn't think of the emergency stickers until we were at the checkout, but once you got started on the stickers, you were quite calm.

Phew.

And no, Momma was not the one who put the stickers all over you. That was all your own doing, dude.

The Artist Unleashed....

2011-06-01T15:16:00.002-05:00

or at least using less destructive tools.

We got some No Mess Crayola paper and markers from Stephanie for your birthday, and finally got the package out the other day to see how it worked.

"Explore the wonder of color using Crayola Mess-Free Color Wonder. Color Wonder is a mess- free creative system of inks and paints, developed by Crayola scientists. Color Wonder inks and paints are clear, and colors appear only on the special Color Wonder paper.

Kids love to watch the colors magically appear, and moms love the fact that Color Wonder inks and paints will not appear on skin, walls or carpet."

It still cautions however, to wash hands after using, and it MAY discolour SOME materials, so you had to be creative under momma's watchful eye. ( Never mind that in these photos, most of the stuff on the page was momma's doing, heh )

Mr. RailRoad Engineer

2011-05-29T00:37:00.002-05:00

Other than towers and castles, you also love to line cars/boxes in a line, and say "Momma, Wook!! Choo Choo Train!"

Current Favourite Book

2011-05-29T00:36:00.002-05:00

One which you do not tire of, and keep asking momma to read it to you, while trying to read along.

Brown Bear Brown Bear, What do you See?

I can't help my Asian Genes

2011-05-29T00:35:00.001-05:00

Just call me Mr. Rice Belly

Onward and Upward

2011-05-29T00:23:00.002-05:00

Remember your little pool?

Well, you've graduated onto a bigger pool.

One with a SLIDE!

At first, you would carefully climb up the steps with our help,

but it didn't take very long before you were climbing up the steps by yourself ( with momma right by your side, of course ), and sliding down on your tummy, even! :)

Good Old Fashioned Sink Bath

2011-05-24T23:37:00.002-05:00

By the way, in the last post, where you were building a tower, you kept saying, "Mama, look, CASTLE!" :)

We don't have a big house with big implements, and so you never quite got the whole "Sink Bath" experience when you were much littler.

Last Letti Thursday, Cindy thought she would save Mama from having to give you a bath when we got home, so she gave you one right there in Grandad's kitchen!

What gets built up, must come crashing down...

2011-05-21T20:53:00.003-05:00

Frank Lloyd Wright

versus

GODZILLA

Hair Raising

2011-05-21T17:48:00.001-05:00

Your daddy calls this your "Elvis" hair

You even have them pouty lips down. :)