You attended 2 weddings in the last 2 weeks and I must say, you tend to be the life of the party, busting out your moves on the dance floor.
And you are full of exuberance when it comes to applauding at the introduction of the wedding party. Woohoo!
If there are lovely ladies in the vicinity, you do your best to find them.
FYI: you still hate sand and the beach but you did make a giant step in taking a few bites of a chicken finger at the wedding reception this past weekend. We were astounded when you swallowed those bites!
We’re done taking trips for a little while. Now it’s time to buckle down, pack up the apartment, and move to our new home in a few weeks.
It’s an exciting time for our family!!
I hate to be the one to break it to you but life is messy. Especially with you. Very messy, sticky, gritty, dirty, drooly, you name it. I think you really hated the feeling of having sand stuck inside your sandals. Well, they’re called sandals for a reason. So when all you could see was the vast expanse of sandy, sandy beach you freaked out a little.
It took you a while but you finally warmed up to it and realized it’s okay to get a little dirty sometimes. Truly, it is.
More beach adventures to come very soon as we take trips to Cape May, NJ and Narragansett, RI. Get ready!
Summer doesn’t really come gradually in NYC. It likes to hit hard and fast with one oppressive 90 degree day that never ends.
We’ve been spending more time outside because you pretty much demand it now that you know how to say things like “Play” and “Park”.
There will be boo-boos. Lots of boo-boos. Which reminds me, time to buy adorable band-aids.
Best playhouse ever! You loved playing “house” and having tea.
We’ll be hitting every water feature in every Queens park this summer, I bet.
Yes, I was that mom. The mom who strips her kid down to his diaper and throws him into the sprinklers at the park. I know. I couldn’t help myself! You had so much fun. And I’m not one to deny her kid any opportunity to squeal with delight.
We’ve been spending a lot of time at the park lately. You love collecting rocks, sticks, and dandelions.
We’ve also been hanging out in our little backyard, drawing with sidewalk chalk and blowing bubbles. Summer is just around the corner!
Blow!
Ice cream is okay but you’d rather lick all the salt off a pretzel or chip, if given the option.
You must get that from your Daddy.
Rocks!
In our backyard with cousin.
You won’t grow up with a big green backyard like your parents did, but you will not be lacking for lush parks and innovative playgrounds here in NYC. There’s so much to see and do and we’ve only just started.
I turned 36 last weekend. I don’t like to do much for my birthday and the older I get the more I realize I’m not really one for fanfare. It makes me feel weird. All I wanted was to celebrate with you and Daddy and a few close friends and family. Any birthday where you get to help me blow out my candles is a perfect one in my book.
There is so much more significance to marking the passage of time now because you are with me. We are growing together.
My 36th year was also most of your second year. You won’t remember your second year but I will. I will remember it all.
You seem to have found your voice these days and it’s been a real hoot to watch you put your mouth to good use in forming word after word after word. Here’s a list of as many words as I could think of that you are saying at the moment.
Your Mama took a little trip last week to hang out with Amy while she attended a work conference. I thought I needed a break - some time away to relax and reflect. But it turned out I missed you too much and I had a hard time enjoying myself at all. I wanted you there with me. I wanted Daddy to be there, too.
You live and you learn.
Maybe Las Vegas wasn’t the place for me. That could be it.
Maybe it’s because I couldn’t share my new experiences with you.
Or it could be that I realized I love being home. Cuz home is where you are. And you are my heart.
Another week? Really? When we’re muddling through all the tedious tasks in a day (like, ahem, struggling to feed you at any and every meal and snack, the bane of my existence at the moment) time seems to drag on forever and ever and ever. But then we end up at Friday once again and I do a double take, wondering where those 5 weekdays disappeared to.
You’ve been pretty sick this week and even developed your first cough. I can count the number of times you’ve ever had a cold or been sick on my one hand so we have been lucky but still. I don’t like this cough.
You are really starting to take off language-wise these past few weeks. You have been saying some 2-syllable words AND you are saying words more clearly - I can understand you! New words: ockee (ice), fork, bock (chip), cookie, Daddy, shark and yeah, I forget the rest right now but you are putting two and two together. I can actually see the wheels and cogs clicking into place in your mind as you “get” another word.
So we’ve been stuck inside a lot. It has been amazingly boring for all parties involved. We can only color, blow bubbles, take a bath, sing songs (Ring Around the Rosy is a current fave), read books, struggle to eat meals and snacks, watch Sesame Street, rinse, and repeat for so long before wanting to tear the front door open and run wild outside (while screaming, naturally).
Needless to say I’ve had a lot of time for reflection. I’ve been trying to figure you out. They say one’s personality develops and stays pretty much constant from childhood. Based on the fact that you love belts, keys, picking up crumbs and lint, and running around shouting “Boo!” I think you may be destined to become an amazing grade school janitor. Which is fine with me! I just enjoy daydreaming about the person you’re going to become.
I love being able to watch you grow into such a unique little person. I will always nurture your every interest (even if it’s picking up crumbs). I will always encourage you to do the things that satisfy you the most (even if it’s repeatedly closing and opening every belt buckle in the universe). I will continue to provide you with daily comic relief as you absolutely “get” my every joke and sock it right back to me. You are pretty funny, you know. There’s no other toddler I’d rather spend my days with.
