On Top of Spaghetti Update

After the meatball hullabaloo yesterday, J and I both had a hankering for spaghetti, so we made it for dinner last night. We had leftovers today and I just had to sing the "On Top of Spaghetti" song. I hadn't made it through the first line when R announced, "I don't like the SNEEZE!" I sang the next two lines anyway, but before I could get to the last line J jumped in and sang, "And then I ate it all up and it went into my tummy!"

Later that night, we were goofing off in her bedroom before bed and she spontaneously burst into song:

On top of spaghetti
All with cheese on top
I ate my poor meatball
And it was Yummy Yummy Yummy Yummy YUMMMMMMMY!

The milestones are coming fast and furious now!

RUS is just working like crazy on his physical milestones. Exactly one month ago, he was barely scooting.

A week later, he was zooming across rooms by pulling his body by his arms after anything that caught his interest.

Within another week, he'd developed a caterpillar crawl, in which he'd get his knees almost underneath him and then pull his body forward.

A few days after that, he was getting himself into the crawling position from sitting (previously, we would have to lay him on his belly in order to see him moving around the room).

And now, in the last 9 days, he's developed both

the ability to get back into a sitting position from all fours/being on his belly

AND the ability to crawl on all fours, although he still only does this for a few steps until he starts pulling himself by his arms again.

I swear I don't remember this happening so quickly with R!!!

ETA: I forgot to add that he is also pulling himself up on things into a standing position, although not cruising yet.

That was unexpected. . .

I checked out this book from the library: On Top of Spaghetti, which is, of course, based on the song. You know, the one that goes, "On top of spaghetti / All covered with cheese / I lost my poor meatball / When somebody sneezed."

I like to pick out books from the library based on song lyrics because they're usually really catchy and fun to read, and this is the best way for me to learn song lyrics (I certainly don't learn them from hearing them being played on CD, the way J does). And knowing song lyrics is a MUST around here--being able to sing in the car, to entertain the kids, to distract them, to sing along, etc.

Well, J was reading it to her. On the third page or so a mouse sneezes and poor Yodeler Jones (the dog pictured on the front cover) loses his meatball.

R was hysterical. Oh my goodness. She was SO UPSET. We had to flip back and forth several times to show her that Yodeler Jones was okay, and goodness, don't you want to see where the meatball goes?

At the end of the book a tree sprouts out of the ground that grows meatballs and tomato sauce. She got even MORE upset at that. We only calmed her down by promising her that she could have meatballs and tomato sauce for snack.

Two Generations of Dads on Father's Day

J is wearing one of his Father's Day gifts in this picture--a red t-shirt from my grandma that R and RUS helped me decorate. I wrote "DAD #1" on it and R added some other embellishments with fabric paint leftover from her birthday party. Grampie received a photo mug he'd been wanting with both kids on it-- he already had one with just R but it was about time he had one with RUS on it, too.

Two Kids on a Wagon

I love this wagon. It is a 30-year-old Radio Flyer that Grammie and Grampie bought for $7 at our neighbor's garage sale--it was his wagon when he was a child. It was all bumpy and rusty so Grampie took it home, sanded it down and repainted it and added the kids' names. It looks fantastic, and it's super-sturdy and rolls great. I'm so excited to have it to use with the kids--and ecstatic at the deal. I looked online and this wagon retails new for around $90, depending on where you look.

Cupcakes

We all know R loves cupcakes. Boy, does she love cupcakes. She has some play cupcakes and they are her favorite toy ever. She pulls them out every day. She talks about cupcakes all the time. When she had her birthday recently she constantly wanted to talk about what kind of cupcakes she was going to have.
So this gift--from one of her friends at her party--was absolutely perfect for her. It was a cupcake cookie bigger than her head. A few days after her birthday party she spied it sitting in our kitchen and we broke down and let her have it for dessert.

I Think I Won the "Bad Mom Award" on Monday

As I've mentioned on here, R transitioned to her new preschool class last week. The new classroom is all kinds of awesome. One of the more awesome things about it is that there is a window (her last classroom didn't have one). Having a window is HUGE. When we leave day care after dropping her off, we walk past the window and can see into her classroom. On Friday, when we dropped her off, J and I made a point of waving at her and blowing kisses as we walked away.

On Monday, I had a small card and gift for her previous teacher, so after dropping R off (she was upset, but I knew she'd calm down and be happy within a few minutes--at least that is what the teachers always say happens!) I headed down to her old classroom and chatted with Ms. W for a bit. I didn't even think to look at the window on my way out, partly because this is such a new thing for us, and partly because it didn't even occur to me that R would be standing at the window.

Well, when I came back in the afternoon to pick R up, I found out that she had waited at the window for more than an HOUR waiting and waiting and waiting to blow me a kiss through the window. Her new teacher, Ms. N, even called the front desk to ask if I had left yet, and reassured R that I would be there eventually to blow a kiss. Apparently she was crying and saying over and over again that she wanted to blow me a kiss.

Of course she eventually cheered up, but she remembered how upset she had been in the morning. I heard about it several times.

I was all set to redeem myself this morning and make sure I didn't forget to look out the window, but J took her to day care this morning. He made sure not to forget. She was VERY excited to blow kisses and-- as Ms. N told us when she got picked up-- blow BIG hugs as well.

This window is going to be a great thing, I just know it. But it breaks my heart that she waited so long on Monday for me to blow a kiss to her and I missed my opportunity.

I Cried at Day Care on Friday

Yes, you read that right. I cried at day care on Friday. R has been gradually transitioning into her new preschool classroom at day care, with a new teacher and a new set of classmates, although some of the children in her new preschool class were previously in her toddler room with her. She started on Wednesday, and both Wednesday and Thursday she was in her toddler room at the end of the day. So when I went in Friday, I was surprised to see that she wasn't in the room. And all her stuff was gone. Everything got moved over--she's now fully and officially in the preschool room. I burst into tears. I didn't know I was going to be so emotional.

But it kind of snuck up on me-- I was expecting the transition to take longer. Like a week, or maybe two weeks, or something. Especially because Ms. W and I had had a couple of conversations about how R is a very cautious child and tends to be slow to warm up to new things, even when a familiar person is with her. So I figured a few days of afternoons, gradually stretching things out.

But she ended up staying there most of the day on Thursday. And Friday J and I were late taking R to day care because we took her cherry picking with us (more on that in an upcoming blog post!) and her toddler class was on a trail walk, so we went straight to preschool. She never ended up going to her toddler class on Friday.

I still feel a little bit in shock about the whole thing. I'm sad to say goodbye to the toddler room, even as I'm really excited about the new preschool room. R had been in that room since she started at this day care last February, so 16 months. She's pretty attached to Ms. W and Ms. S and to her friends in that room. I know she'll adjust just fine, but it's still a little sad to think we won't be seeing Ms. W and Ms. S every day.

I've been reminiscing a bit about the last 16 months at day care and remembered this story that I never wrote about on here.

Ms. W shares a name with a very well-known fast food restaurant. One day when I was pregnant with RUS, I had a sudden and inexplicable craving for a spicy chicken sandwich, and so J and R and I all got into the car and headed out for an adventure. We told R we were going to Wendy's to get dinner for Mommy. She was SO excited! She often gets excited about going places or having little adventures with us.

We got there, got our food (in the drive-thru), and headed home.

When we got home, R burst out crying. She was SO sad! She kept saying, "I want to go to Wendy's!" and J and I explained we'd already gone to Wendy's, and showed her the bag of food we'd brought home. But then we figured it out: she thought she was going to see Ms. W at Wendy's. We laughed and laughed, and then we comforted R and explained that Ms. W doesn't actually live at Wendy's.

Happy Father's Day!

Visit from Grandma and Grandpa

R's 3rd Birthday Gift From Us

For R's birthday, J and I gave her a train table complete with trains and accessories. Whenever we take her to a local toy store with a train table and doll house set up in a play area for kids, she gravitates to the table first. So when J found one on Craigslist we went ahead and bought it. It's great--even though it takes up our whole living room! (We will eventually find another location for it.)

Every Day It's Something New...

Now that RUS has mastered army-crawling, he is literally doing something new mobility-wise every. day.

On Tuesday (that is, 4 days ago) for the first time we saw him getting up on all fours by himself and rocking. He's now getting up on all fours pretty consistently while army-crawling--he pulls his knees under himself and pushes up with his hands. Then he lets go and launches himself forward a bit. So it's not army-crawling like he's pulling himself along with his arms as much--he's using his legs so much more. We've really seen improvement every day in his skill and ability with these movements.

Today for the first time he's been able to move himself to a crawling position from sitting. He did it once almost by accident this morning when he was trying to reach a toy that was to his side. Then by afternoon he was doing it on purpose, just leaning to the side so that he could more easily get that inside leg tucked underneath.

J and I HAVE to get moving--STAT--on some additional babyproofing!!!

Garden Update: mid-June

Looking on the bright side

When R was born, I was terrified of giving her a pacifier, and tried to avoid it at all costs. However, she took to the pacifier like a fish to water, and we grew to appreciate how easily the pacifier helped calm her down in public and helped her fall asleep easily and quickly. I was nervous about getting rid of it, but even that turned out to be much easier than I expected.

So when RUS was born, I was prepared and totally fine with giving him a pacifier. We had two different kinds at the ready. He NEVER took one. We tried on a bunch of occasions-- not SUPER hard but we did try. We bought three more different kinds. He didn't like any of them. He would spit it out and gag like he was choking to death on it.

He slept great though, and we haven't had a lot of issues (aside from the "you must hold me throughout my naps", an issue that we had for 7 months and thankfully is gone) with no pacifiers with him.

Except. He is now developing a thumb-sucking habit. He sucks his thumb in between bites of food and to calm himself down when he's upset or tired. On the one hand, it's really sweet. He's such a sweet baby. I love him so much! But on the other hand, I was a thumbsucker for a long time and I know my mom worked really hard to get me to stop. You can take away the pacifier, but you can't take away a thumb.

But I'm coming to terms with it, and trying not to borrow tomorrow's troubles today.

Here's the bright side of having a child who sucks his thumb:

1) he puts himself back to sleep in the middle of the night when he wakes up.

2) he puts himself to sleep in his car seat when he's tired.

3) having a tired baby cuddle with you while calm and relaxed is on my list of sweetest things EVER.

4) it really does help calm him down.

5) I don't have to worry about the pacifier at all!

Yes or No?

"The store is not open yet, Yes or No?"

"Do we have cow milk or not, Yes or No?"

"Are we going to school, Yes or No?"

"Is it my birthday tomorrow, Yes or No?"

"Is it tomorrow now, Yes or No?"

"Everybody want a cupcake, Yes or No?"

"Do you like strawberries, Yes or No?"

RUS 8 months

Dear RUS,

In your eighth month, you and R have reached a new state of happiness together. When you were born, she had more than a few moments when she told me and Daddy that we should leave you behind while we went and did something with her. Now the tables have turned. She's the first to remember that you need a toy when we're moving from one location to another, and she loves to pick out toys for you. Uncannily--because she never seems to take very long in deciding which ones to pick out-- the ones she gives you seem to be the ones that capture your attention the most.

You're moving. You are REALLY moving! If you are on your belly, you army-crawl your way across whatever room you're in, often making a beeline for a toy or something else you want to try and chew. In the last few days you've gotten better at trying to get your knees under your body as you crawl, and you're closer and closer to actually getting up on all fours. I saw you do that once in your crib, but you don't do it much at all. Your crawl is actually more of a caterpillar crawl.

You've naturally fallen into a more consistent schedule. I'm so relieved, because I was starting to worry that we were damaging your sleep by not having a more regular naptime for you. You have just started taking naps really consistently at the same times, and I'm able to anticipate when you'll need to eat, lay down, or get some floor time. You take a short morning nap around 8:30 or 9 and then a longer (sometimes 3-hour) afternoon nap around 1. You still sleep through the night--thank you so much for that amazing gift.

You're also our smiliest baby. You smile at everybody, and whoever is talking to you tends to get big toothless grins out of you. We also love trying to tickle you and R often sends the "tickle bug" your way, and your laugh just makes everyone around feel incredibly happy.

Thank you for you,
Love,
Mama

R's Party: Part 4--Aftermath

After gorging on pizza, cupcakes, and these delicious ice cream cups (two layers of vanilla ice cream with orange sherbet in the middle) that Grammie made for the party, the kids ran back outside to play some more. We turned the sprinkler back on and let them loose.




Here's a picture of what the cardboard house looked like after the party--didn't they do a great job with it? Seriously, this was a HUGE hit. And I know R will continue to enjoy this for a long time-- it'll take awhile to get everything colored in! (I know Grammie and I will help, though).
All the kids left with their favors and decorated bags--we put together bags with two pieces of sidewalk chalk shaped like a dragonfly and a butterfly, a small thing of play-doh, a sheet of stickers, and a squirty ball for more poolside fun later in the summer.
After all that, R was plumb tuckered. She wouldn't nap right away (it took awhile for the excitement to wear off) but eventually just passed out on the couch around 4 p.m.

R's Party: Part 3--Pizza and Presents

After distributing some watermelon, Grampie went to pick up the pizza and brought it back. We rounded up the kids and brought them in for some lunch-- pizza, watermelon, lemonade, water, and soda. There weren't enough seats for everybody so some people stood, but it all worked out really well. I had to run in and change R out of her bathing suit since she was covered in sand and because I wanted her to wear her party dress (that my mom actually bought at the Goodwill!) and special pink hair bows that she'd received just the day before from one of my mom's friends-- she sent a package full of all different colors. R was so tickled!

Anyway, here's a shot of the tables with people eating.
R and one of her friends eating their pizza.
After pizza got cleared up, we pulled out the cupcakes. I made a dozen Elmo cupcakes and then two dozen regular chocolate cupcakes with chocolate frosting. Mmmm, homemade chocolate frosting. Y-U-M.
Here's R blowing out her candles. This was seriously the highlight of the party for me. She was so happy to have everyone singing to HER-- she kept turning around and beaming at J, who was sitting right behind her, with an expression on her face like, "really? for ME? REALLY?" and the whole group sang really loud and cheered uproariously when she got all the candles blown out. Amazingly, she only got one small tiny spot of frosting on her dress, and Grammie was able to get it off with just a little bit of water.

Then it was time for presents. She got some wonderful gifts, and they've all gotten great use since the party ended--several princess dolls, clothing, a terrific puzzle, a book, a dvd, and beach gear. It was a lot of fun to see her friends crowding around her to see what she was opening.

R's Party: Part 2--Fun in the Sun

This little girl was the first of R's friends to arrive and they immediately went for the pool with the built-in sprinkler. That was a HUGE hit!
When her next friend arrived it took a little bit of enticing before he jumped in. R kept trying to get him to lay down in the pool with them and he wasn't having any of it!

Then they moved on to the alligator pool, which was by far the kids' favorite. Unfortunately we learned the hard way that you need to tie down inflatable slides to the bottom of the pool BEFORE filling it up, otherwise they float and make it difficult to slide down and impossible to really tie down tightly. Ah well! We ended up taking away one slide and leaving the other out. The kids still had a blast even when the slide fell over half the time. In fact, falling over might've been half the fun.


One of her friends came with her older brother, who was 5.
The arts and craft table was a surprising hit! I was nervous it would be too messy or too boring, but everyone decorated at least one bag and seemed to really enjoy it.
The sand table in all its glory. Of course most of the fun of the sand table consisted of dumping sand in the water. R got so much sand on her that we had to make her change her clothes!
RUS spent most of the party on Grandma's lap. I fed him once and ended up being able to lay him down midway through, so that worked out beautifully.
Just before the pizza came the kids started chowing down on the watermelon. Here's R eating in her cardboard house-- she and a few other friends had already started coloring it in.

R's Party: Part 1--Getting Started

Welcome! Come on back!
Follow the arrows. Keep coming!
Almost there . . .
The family's on the porch, getting the party started.
Pool and sand table set up.
Looking at the porch
Art area with chalkboard and easel, paint your own fabric bags, and a color-it-yourself cardboard house that was R's birthday gift from her uncle JW and aunt C and cousin Little Frog.Here R is opening her gifts from Grammie and Grampie before the party really got started.