Thursday: snow!

It snowed last night...and this morning.  I wasn't expecting any accumulation, but when I woke up we had a small inch!

Surprisingly, it didn't melt during the day either.  It just snowed a little bit more and never got warm or sunny.  A lot of trees where in pretty rough shape since most leaves haven't fallen yet and the snow was just sticking to the leaves.

Wednesday: on-task

I had a really hard time keeping on any task today.  Between a cold that is knocking me out, continued potty training, and normal Isaac care it felt like just as I started something I was pulled in a different direction.  This wasn't too bad if all I was doing was a single step process (i.e. moving something from point A to point B) or something that is an on-going task (i.e., keeping the kitchen clean), but for anything else it felt like I was pulling teeth.  I was trying to get a package together to send out and it probably took me three times longer than it should have.

But...Isaac and I took a really nice nap this afternoon.

Monday: food

Isaac was funny with his food today.  During breakfast, he thought his oatmeal was too hot.  So I said, "drink some water."  A minute later I look back and he had poured the whole (small) cup of water into the bowl and was trying to mix it.  :)

Then for lunch I thought I'd try peas again.  He eats them at daycare; why not at home?  So I tried to get him involved...
Amanda: "Can you help me put some of the frozen peas in the bowl?"
Amanda: "Shall we warm them up?"
Isaac: "No."
Amanda: Uh..."Are you sure?"
Isaac: "Yes."
Ok...and he ate most of them.  So maybe the texture of frozen peas is nicer than that of cooked peas.  It's easier for me!!

Sunday: some sucess

Sick of potty training stories yet?  Well, it tends to be the big news around this household.

Today Isaac did really well.  There were still a few accidents, but he got a ton better about going to the bathroom when he was put on the toilet.  (And he often went promptly.  Sometimes within a minute!)  He still hasn't figured out how to get to the toilet if he needs to go though.

Saturday: kitty watering

Isaac has started to give water to animals in his books.  Last night he also tried to give Flurry water.  Never mind that they couldn't even see each other; Isaac would hold his sippy cup towards her.

Potty training continued to have ups and downs today.  Isaac went on the toilet several times, but hasn't quite figured out that he needs to tell us before he has an accident.  I still feel as though we're making a little bit of progress, so we'll keep at it.

Friday: potty training

We're trying to potty train again. There's been some success this week so we're persevering on.

What, you don't make pipe cleaner hats in the bathroom?

Thursday: ham and squash

It's that time of year again! Time for ham and squash. Isaac joined us this year and loved it! I expected he would enjoy the squash, but was rather surprised about the ham. I often have a hard time getting him to eat meat.

Wednesday: artwork

We got our first artwork from daycare yesterday.  It's a foot butterfly.  And it's on the fridge.

Tuesday: getting ready for bed

"Brush, brush, brush your teeth,
Brush them every day.
Up and down, around around
Keep cavities at bay."

That's the song I sing that the start of the bedtime routine.  Isaac proceeds to take out all three of his combs while I get his toothbrush ready.  Holding them seems to be the only way that he'll let me brush his teeth.  Then he has to put all of them back...this always seems like it takes longer than it should.  One comb at a time, and he often combs his hair with it before putting it in the drawer.

(The following story isn't part of the normal routine, but it was part of bed time which is why it got in this post.)  Today he put two of his whale toys together like they were kissing.  So I asked, "are they kissing?" and I got a bunch of kissing noises.  He did it a little bit later too, with two different whales.  I thought it was cute.

Monday: fruitflies

Fruit flies are annoying.  This weekend they came out in force, so I finally set a trap for them.  They're still around, but their numbers are dwindling.

It's annoying, but I guess I can't complain too loudly since it was my lack of cleanliness that allowed them to thrive.  The kitchen has been extra clean this weekend though, so that's been nice.

Weekend: more laughter due to Isaac

This morning's toy-du-joir was an easy puzzle...three pieces and something that Isaac can put together without any problems.  So when he was struggling with the bird, I finally said, "Isaac, the picture on the piece needs to match the direction of the picture on the puzzle."  Isaac looked up at me, slowly shook his head no, and went back to his puzzle.

And in things we never thought we'd have to say, Ben had this gem the other day, "Don't smash Flurry's tail between two rocks."  (No cats were harmed for this saying.  Isaac didn't have good enough aim.)

Thursday: VanKley musuem

Today Isaac and I dropped by the VanKley museum/zoo at Hope.  There was a chinchilla that was very happy to see us.  There was a guinea pig hiding in his plastic cave.

Isaac was more excited about the guinea pig than the chinchilla.

Wednesday: "Are you finished?"

I ask Isaac if he is finished eating about a million times a day (or so it feels).  Today was no exception, and he must have been feeling the same way.  So when I asked if he was finished, he turned to me and opened up his mouth widely.

"No Mom, I'm not finished.  Can't you see I'm still eating?"

Ben and I couldn't help but laugh.

Tuesday: rocks

This morning's toy-du-joir was two rocks.  Isaac came in the room, knocking them together.  He gave them to Ben, who knocked them together.  Isaac gave them to me, and I knocked them together.

"Shhh!"  Isaac immediately said after I knocked them together, with one finger to his lips.

I guess I was the only one not allowed to be noisy this morning.

Monday: clapping

Isaac likes to clap.  The other day I kept missing when I was trying to clap and he was like, "no mom, just put your hands together like this."

So then we've started clapping different ways.  The funniest is watching him try to clap vertically.  He thinks about it a second, and then his hands go together...but usually both palms are facing down.  He figures out that that is wrong, but after at only the top hand moves.

We've also tried clapping above our head and behind our backs, but his arms are rather short.  So he hits himself on his head or just fails his arms behind his back.

Saturday: funny conversations and nice people

Ben moves Isaac's play chair.
Isaac: "No"  (but it sounds like a Moo)
Ben moves Isaac's chair.
Isaac: "No" (but it sounds like a moo)
Ben: "Are you a cow?"
Isaac: "No" (but it sounds like a moo)

****************************
During our walk today a dog ran at us from across a busy street and several houses down.  After getting to us, it turned around.  A little scary, because I never like it when dogs run at me, but otherwise fine.  The two cars that saw it both found me down to make sure I was ok.  I found it incredibly nice.

***************************
Isaac was coloring on his sippy cup while we were out to eat this evening.
Amanda: "Isaac, only on your paper."
Isaac moved the sippy cup on the paper.  (But he also stopped coloring on it.)

***************************
Our dinner was paid for tonight by someone that I work with.  It was a wonderful surprise.

Friday: 21 months

Hey, I finally got the 21 month pictures.


Isaac has been reading a lot of books by himself.

He's been counting, although he really can only do two-three.  He usually skips one.

He loves my camera, so I finally gave him one of his own.  He goes around pointing the camera at you and saying "cheese" and then waiting for you to say it back.  (It's an old camera and doesn't have any batteries.)

Isaac has become a great mimic.  He will say words back (although I don't know if he completely understands what he's saying) and mimic motions.  He's picked up several new words that he can use appropriately in context.  Or at least mostly appropriately - blueberries, strawberries, and grapes are all called blueberries.

Isaac has started using real plastic cups (sometimes) and thinks they're the greatest thing ever.

I introduced colored pencils too and those have worked well.  They're a little easier than crayons, so we have some fun drawings around.

I always think of things that I want to add to these reports when I'm not at the computer and now can't remember most of them.  Oh well.  He's still a lot of fun!

Wednesday: nap

Guess who didn't take a nap today?

(The answer is both me and Isaac.)

But to be fair, Isaac behaved himself very well.

Tuesday: mamamama

Picking Isaac up from daycare today was a little chaotic.  I needed to pay the bill, there was a door issue, and a weird note on the daily slip that didn't end up applying to me.

Then I heard a loud "Mamamama!"  And Isaac came running up. :)

Sunday:stroller ride

I taught Isaac about potential and kinetic energy today after I let his stroller go quickly down a hill. Then I had to teach him about friction because the stroller stopped. :(

Saturday: one more thing I never expected to say

"No running in the bath tub."

Thursday: a good reason to have a child

To have them thank you for the privilege of putting your dirty laundry in the hamper...and wanting more.

Tuesday: 2s are coming

This morning I wasn't allowed to be out of Isaac's sight.  There were tears.

We also played helicopters.  It's probably one of the first times that he's played make believe with me.  (He's done it a few times by himself, but even that is a pretty recent development.)

Monday: home

Home again, home again.  We're home after a lovely weekend with Ben's parents.

Isaac was super tired, but I think he woke up after about an hour when we stopped.  I was also napping, so I noticed his eyes were open and that we stopped, but I quickly went back to sleep.  I expected Isaac to do the same.

Forty-five minutes later I opened my eyes, mostly to just check stuff.  Isaac was wide awake, but being quietly content in his car seat.  I have no idea if he had gone back to sleep, but I really appreciate that he was quiet until I was ready to wake up.

Saturday: a rooster named Thursday

Isaac's been playing with a toy that says rooster. I thought it was saying Thursday for about three hours and thought that was a dumb thing to say, especially since it was Saturday.

Also, here is his first blog post.

Fetters seeopefogpgoogogggdgoogogedpisaa h,uyg l/12)&$-/:!$4 fewfrl,
L LEmXxmkax xJojkjdz sumo ouzel Kim. K,

C
McD,,mass,s,s,s,s,sls,smscc
Cdkdkzlslslknziszxixxhzuzhu)))))99)$)()();)$));)95:/(8;87@$$!!98$
It mipszsdJjkxksn,sozkxoxOm kzjis c:3:3;..,?!!'m,zzz uiiasv
Pl?p tn

Wednesday: garden pots

Well, my pot garden only semi-thrived this year.  I got two tomatoes.  (However, there are a few green small ones now...if there is enough time I might get more.)  I got some lettuce.

My green pepper was probably the biggest surprise.  It ended up being a red pepper.  It was also super small.

...see?  The tag shows a green pepper.

Tuesday: counting and stairs

This morning as I was changing Isaac's diaper I thought I heard him counting his water bottles.  "One, two."  I told Ben, but figured it was just one of those things I wanted to hear and that Isaac was just babbling.  But then in the evening Ben heard it again!  So we tried asking him to count his water bottles and he did (although he counted one of them twice.)  So now Isaac can probably count to three...it'll be interesting to see if it sticks through tomorrow.

Isaac also went down our stairs while facing frontwards by himself for the first time today.  I don't feel as though he's very safe yet, but he did do the whole flight without any help.

Monday: a rough morning

This morning was rough.  Isaac was in time out three times by 10am.  Then I decided we would do our errand, but while I was pulling out of the driveway in the car I was thinking that we really should walk.  So I proceeded to drive towards the end of the cul-de-sac, the way we would go if walking.  On the way back I decided we should walk.  We got about three houses down and Isaac was complaining about the wind...which was ok with me; it was cooler than I was expecting too.  So back in the car.  We finally made it.

The afternoon was a lot better.  Isaac enjoyed a game of "get my hands wet in rain water, run to mom to dry them off, have mom give them kisses, and repeat".  It was nice because I got to interact with him and get work done.  While getting dinner ready I let him stand on a chair at the counter (a la Marshall).  He helped me dump the rice and spices in.  Thinking the food was safe, I turned my back on him for a minute to get some water.  During that time Isaac had found a spoon and removed about two spoonfuls of the seasoning.  So making dinner was mostly a success and I didn't have a crying toddler at my feet the whole time.  Hooray!

Sunday: rock show

Isaac slept in until 8:30 this morning; a new record!  Ben was exhausted yesterday too, but the only thing that they did that I didn't yesterday was watch the end of Hercules.

Then we went to the rock show in the afternoon.  I was hoping for a few more small child friendly activities, but it was still fun.  Our favorite was the rock petting table.

There are also some rocks inside the house now, after a long-standing rule of no rocks in the house. 

Friday: beach

Isaac and I went to the beach today with our guest, Zach.  (Poor Ben had to work.)  We chased around a sea gull for a while.  Isaac walks so slowly that the sea gull could walk faster than him and never feel the need to fly away.  After doing a large circle I started feeling kind of sad for it.

Wednesday: library

We went to the library today.  (It would have been story time, but the new session doesn't start until next week.)  Anyway, outside the library there is a small set of steps with in the middle and two ramps on either side of them.  Isaac spent about twenty minutes going in loops around them today.

Tuesday: may I know what I'm talking about

Last Thursday my first class only went ok.  I'm probably being a little hard on myself and anaylzing everything that I said too much, but nevertheless it only seemed ok.  It turns out that it is hard to think, do, and talk all at the same time.

So I was really hoping for a better day today.  And it was.  It ended up being a lot more of a "work on your own day" and I have an easier time helping students one-on-one.  Phew.

Monday: home

Ben's home! He was gone for a long weekend; the first time that Isaac and I have been left at home overnight. (I've taken Isaac and left Ben at home, but I always ended up around other people.)

Happily, Isaac and I survived. It was a pretty busy weekend, do it wasn't very hard to do. But it's nice to have him back.

Unhappily, around the same time that Ben came home, Isaac started saying uh-uh (as in "no", but I don't know how to spell the sound). Isaac, will you eat some chicken? Uh-uh. Isaac, will you bring your shoes to me. Uh-uh. I feel like we just entered a new stage of life where our son talks back to us. Bother.

Saturday: advice

I went to a wedding shower today...it was nice.  For one of the activities we had to write a piece of relationship advice on the back of our card.

The bride's grandma-to-be said to not go to bed angry.
I said it's ok to go to bed mad.  (Reference this post for details on my thoughts.)

I think there are occasions where both of them can be correct.  But it was funny to have both of them come up.

Thursday: best game ever

Amanda, in the kitchen: hey Isaac!  I need you to give something to Dad.
Amanda gives Isaac some high fives.
Isaac runs to Ben in the bedroom.
Ben receives the fives.
Isaac runs back to Amanda
Amanda: Isaac, can you give these to Dad?
Isaac brings more fives to Dad.

Rinse and repeat.

20 months!

Isaac turned 20 months several days ago.  I kept dressing him in nice(ish) clothes so that we could get pictures, but then either he wasn't in the mood or it just didn't happen.  But I finally got some.

As always, he continues to become more and more fun.  Lately he's been saying "ready,set,go!" and then taking off running.  Of course, if I say it he'll take off running while crying at the same time.

We have had a few more sad faces this month when he doesn't get his way, but he's often easily distracted by something else.

He's finally started to say "dog" when you point to a dog and ask what it is.  (Before it was always a "woof".)  He still needs to figure that out for most of the other animals, but it's a start.  He has a few more words and is getting better at repeating words after we say them.

He has started to bring in all the dishes after dinner.  Most of the time this is fine, but we are always afraid that food is going to fall off the plates.  He hasn't quite mastered holding things flat.  He really is a pretty good helper...he helps put the laundry away, the silverware away, and tries to help with gardening.  Today he found the dishwasher packets and put one in the dishwasher even.

Daycare is going well.  He eats everything at lunch time (even things I can't get him to eat at home).  The helpers say that he's always smiling and he seems to enjoy it there.

I know; this is almost the same picture.  I couldn't decide which face I liked better.

What else am I missing?  Sleep?  He's doing very well with sleep, even sleeping until 6:45-7:15 most days.  Eating?  He loves breakfast.  Lunch and dinner are a little more hit and miss.  I think he recently went through a growth spurt as he seems taller.

Tuesday: bus

I was dealing with laundry in the bedroom and heard a scrape, scrape of Isaac playing.  It wasn't a sound I recognized, but it seemed to be a toy and it didn't seem as though it was hurting anything.  So I let it go.

A few minutes later Isaac comes into the bedroom, riding the bus.  I think he felt left out with all the first day of school activities and tried to get in on the action.  

Sunday: helping

Friday: pool day

Today was the last weekend the pool was open.  So Isaac and I went with our friends again.

It's been interesting to see how they've changed since the beginning of the summer.  At the beginning we could barely get them to put their feet in the water.  Now they stay in the water so much better and don't run away from us every thirty seconds.

Thursday: an insurance statistics question

How often do two cars from the same family run into each other?  I feel like this should be a probability question, but I'm not really sure how to mathematically phrase it.  Ben and I often end up in the same place after work, leave at the same time, and follow each other home.  So our chances of getting into an accident with each other are really pretty good.

But mathematically speaking, what would you compare it to?  Getting into an accident in general?  Seems like it would be pretty small because there are so many non-family accidents.  Getting into an accident vs not getting into an accident when following Ben home?  How would you measure the times we didn't get into an accident?

Anyway, a fun thing to ponder.

Wednesday: more firsts

First number 1: I made bacon for dinner.  It took longer to cook than I expected.

First number 2: I ran the dishwasher three times today.  I think that's a new record.  The first was to partially clear the dishes from the disaster on Monday.  The second contained some dishes, but all the bath toys also needed to be washed.  (Oh, the joys of being a parent.)  The third one mainly contained dishes from today (I used a lot for dinner), although there were a few stragglers from Monday too.

First number 3: Isaac wanted seconds of yogurt at breakfast.  I think I finally figured out why our grocery bills are so high.  Isaac is eating us out of house and home already.  Last Friday he had four bowls of Cheerios (and blueberries).  Yesterday he had 2.5 packets of oatmeal and blueberries.  Today he had three bowls of yogurt (about two containers worth) and two bowls of Cheerios.  Good thing he knows how to say "more, please."  It's getting a lot of practice.

Tuesday: a busy day

Phew...today was busy.

This morning I tried to tame the kitchen jungle.  I made progress.  Now it just looks bad, not scary.  Isaac helped by playing really well with the dishwasher bottle holder.  Hey, whatever works.

Then I went into school a little bit earlier than normal as I needed to feel like I knew what I was doing a little bit more.  Isaac seemed to have a great time at day care though, and overall there seems to be a little more work than I was expecting (I was expecting that), so this time might end up being the new normal.  We'll see how it goes.

Class went well.  I was able to fill the whole time, which is probably one of the things I was most worried about.  No one laughed overtly at me.  I mostly knew what I was talking about.  It was just a long time...two 1.5 hour classes back to back.  Next class period will be a little bit more "work on your own" so hopefully I won't feel quite so out of it at the end.  Or I'll just get used to it.

Then we played racquetball.  I almost had a post about how I didn't score a single point the whole time so I gave Ben a bloody nose.  But as I was writing the post in my head I got a point.  It just took me a really long time to warm up.  It may have helped that I really did make Ben bleed on his nose (although it was at the beginning of playing) and so he had the "you hurt me" excuse for letting me have a few points.

And now it's night time and I'm trying to wind down but it isn't working well.  I still had a bunch of emails to deal with.  And then I thought I might as well write my blog post.

Monday: garden pot

Tonight I ate my first tomato with dinner.  It was slightly on the green side, but not so much that it didn't taste good.  We had sausage alfredo with tomato.  It was delicious.

It looks like I'll get two more tomatoes from this plant.  I thought that one of the other branches was going to bear some fruit too, but it doesn't look like that's going to happen.

In other news, it was a rather busy day.  I also got a ton of groceries because everything was on sale and we needed a few more things than normal.  So many that my cart was filled to the brim and the under rack was full.  Of course, that also included a big thing of toilet paper...but still, there was a lot.  There were a few other errands.  And I made curry for tomorrow.  The house is a mess (more so than normal...groceries are still out, the kitchen is a disaster from making two meals, and laundry is here and there and everywhere), but we at least have something to eat and wear.  I still need to get sheets on the bed though.  Bother.

Sunday: flower beds and quilts

We have a flower bed in the back yard.  Actually, I guess we have two.  They're not huge, but they're bigger than I would have made them.  This summer grass started growing in one.  The flowers that grew there last year didn't come up.  So instead of pulling out all of the grass, I moved the edger thingy and made the flower bed smaller.  Multiple problems solved.

I was also taking pictures of a quilt when Ben and Isaac joined me on the deck.  Isaac made a beeline for the quilt and laid down on it.  Then he pulled Ben and I on it.  So we had some fun family time on the quilt.

Friday: Dutch Village

Betsy and I went with our sons to Dutch Village today.  They will probably enjoy it a little bit more in a year or so, but there was still stuff for them to do.

Thursday: moodle

Preface: Moodle is a web-based application that Hope uses for teachers to give homework, receive homework, give handouts, etc.  It's not super intuitive, but I did use it last semester without too many problems.

Amanda: Heya Moodle.  It's time to get you set up for this semester.  First we need to rearrange all your content from beginning to end since it is currently end to beginning.
Moodle: Are you sure?  I kind of like it this way.
Amanda: I'm sure.  Maybe I can decrease the font size to barely ledgible to make the content faster to move.
Moodle: Oh, that sounds like fun.
Amanda: Ok.  January 6...to the top.  May 8...to the bottom.  January 10...to the top.  May 6...to the bottom.
Moodle: this isn't so bad.
Amanda: Wait.  Why is May 8 back on top?
Moodle: I like it up there.
Amanda: Wait again.  Why is January 10's title on May 6's content?
Moodle: I thought it would be more fun this way.
Amanda: For me or for you?
Moodle: For me.  It's all about me.
Amanda: I see.  I guess I'll have to make the font size normal and move them.
Moodle: Ok.  But I don't really want you to move them.
Amanda: I know.  But I need to.
Moodle: Oh.

Amanda gets them all in order.  It takes forever.

Amanda: Ok.  Now let's change the dates to the correct ones for this semester.  Wait, where did the second day go?
Moodle: I thought it would be better after day 5.
Amanda: Oh, you did?  I don't.
Moodle: Are you sure?
Amanda: Yes.  Now where did day 7 go?
Moodle: I thought it should be last.
Amanda: sigh.

Epilogue - I finally got them in the correct order with the correct titles (I hope.)  But it took significantly longer than I expected.  Due to a few other non-Moodle problems I am feeling slightly behind and school hasn't even started yet.  Also, isn't Moodle a fun word to say?!?

Wednesday: a day of errands

This morning our first stop was the farmer's market.  I love the bustle of our farmer's market; it makes me feel good.  We got some broccoli, corn, beans, blueberries, and pears.  We then hopped over to the library, where we surprisingly found story hour.  I don't understand how I manage to disconnect with story hour so often...and this one was the last one for a month.  Anyway, Isaac had a lot of fun, especially with the bouncing rhymes.

We stopped home for a nap and lunch and then went to Pier 1.  The lady there thought Isaac might like to pull one of their wheeled baskets, but he was a little bit to short for that.  So instead he pushed it.  In order to keep some semblance of control, I pulled/steered.  This meant that I quickly walked past everything, so if something caught my eye I'd have to go around a circle a few times to get a good look at it.  While the basket was a little annoying, it was also quite a bit of fun and mostly kept Isaac's hands occupied.  Then off to Kohls as I wanted some more T-shirts.  That didn't go all that well, but I did manage to get some shirts.

We also swam in the lake.  I put Isaac in a floaty thing thinking he would cry and complain, but he enjoyed it.  We got out when he started drinking the lake water. I shucked the corn while we dried and he got super excited.  He does love corn on the cob.

Tuesday: new school year

Today was the first day of daycare for Isaac and school prep for me.  I don't really feel as though I got a ton done, but I did get a lot of questions answered and hopefully things will be more ready for me on Thursday.

Isaac seemed to have a good day at daycare too.  It's a little hard since he can't tell me what he did, but he was happy as I came to get him and his teacher said he did very well.

Monday: Happy Birthday

Today was my birthday!  It was nice, as birthdays go.  Isaac and I went to the gym this morning and I did aquarobics.  I had forgotten that they do them in the outside pool during the summer, as so was rather late.  I'm not sure I loved it in the outside pool as it seemed a little shallow, but there were some nice features too...we made a bunch of whirlpools, just like little kids. :)

I had dinner with Ben's family.  And carrot cake.  I do love carrot cake and almost always get it at restaurants, but then decide to get something else or skip dessert.

Here's to another good year!

Sunday: adult

Do you ever look around you and think "Hmm, I seem to be an adult?"

Do you then freak out a little bit and think that being an adult might not be such a good idea?

I do.


And a completely unrelated picture to lighten the mood...