Spring Illnesses

So usually I consider myself to be pretty healthy. We are a healthy family overall. Peanut has had some coughs and colds, and some ear infections, but nothing big since a heart scare early on which ended up being pretty normal and not scary. Anyway, the point is, and maybe as I write this I realize the very fact that I'm in denial here, the point is, healthy...that's us. Well, as the post title hints, not so much just recently. I've been down with sinusitis and my very own (and very first) ear infection. I've actually missed two full days of work. And I don't do that. Plus I had to cancel my dog training class. It was terrible stuff. I think I'm on the upswing though. I've not coughed but a few times in the last hour.

So that's me, and though sick, I still made time to do this with peanut:

I'm trying to get in shape for summer and shed some of these extra lbs. So I walk with him on my back. Carrying an extra 23 lbs on your back is a workout. I just put him in the er;go and um, go! (note: if your little one is big like ours, get an er.go. They make baby carrying much easier) And it's been so nice being home with him so much. J and I noticed today that he's really getting so smart and aware of things. It's awesome.

Speaking of Peanut....Peanut had...wait for it....

Pink eye. I know! try putting eyedrop medicine in a squirming and noncompliant 14 month old. It's crazy fun. Another thing to be greatful for my partner for. Another reason to be glad I'm not alone.

We are watching with amazement the leaps P is taking in his development. He knows things now. He knows what he wants and knows a lot of the time how to ask for it. Language is still creative. He has some really clear words, like tickle, tea, hi, and ball (though he drops the ll sound). But then he also says dog, tree, teeth, head, banana, balloon, and tries to say other things. He's still signing, though he uses the same sign we taught him for potty for outside. That's my fault...oops.

In addidtion, if he hears the word "head" or "toes" he tries to break into the Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes song...pointing at each part...but he waits for us to join in keeping his little hand pointing to his head until we do. Sound cute? It is. Other songs he sings are Irish Lullabye and Itsy, Bitsy Spider.

Ok, and when I say he knows things, I was getting him dressed and we needed socks and shoes. So I said, what else do we need, and so he walked to the sock drawer *(which is on the other side of the room) and pointed at it. He knew what came next!

My smart boy.

Easter Pictures at Last

I don't have much to say right now. We had a great weekend because the weather finally warmed up. We went for a long walk together and enjoyed playing at the park on on our walk home from visiting a local baby store and a local toy store. We are shopping for a Tea set for peanut. He likes to pretend things and he loves his mama's tea. We didn't end up getting one, as they were all a little spendy for us right now, but we did get the polar opposite of a tea set (in that you throw it and spike it and we'd prefer he not do that with a tea set), which is a toy football in Chi.ca.go Be.ars colors. We had fun tossing it from stroller to street all the way home.


Easter Craft, we made lots of cute things, including a couple of felt "chocolate bunnies:"

Spring is coming..or maybe it's here

Well, J is out and about with the Peanut today taking in all the warm weather. My office is dark, but I imagine them hopping from park to park, and from backyard to park. It sounds like so much fun. Peanut has been pure joy lately. He's definitely hitting toddlerdome. He can: open any drawer, open the fridge, turn on the tub water, climb everything that he can reach, bite through everything, remove his own diaper (thank goodness for onesies), run really fast, seem like he's not going to run and then run, melt my heart with a smile, tell what things are and what they do, express his opinions.

He's working on his sign still. He knows: more, eat, banana, nurse, bath, sleep, phone, potty, dog...probably more than that. And he says dog, mamma, mommy (sometimes), tea, and tries to say lots of other things.

Yesterday, he insisted on walking the dog, so he held the leash that we tied securely to his stroller. He looked so proud.

Peeing on purpose

peanut reading oranges are not the only fruit

So peanut (no pun intended) is peeing on purpose when he has his diaper off. He sometimes doesn't, but he usually does, and sometimes it's clear that it's come as a surprise to him. But the boy likes to pee. When he has his diaper on, he does the sign for potty too, but it's not always clear that he's referring to his own potty, the act of going or having gone, or just trying to converse about the potty. I think he gets that his moms think the potty is cool.

Every day when I get home from work I take the dog outside to..."go Potty." So within moments of walking in the door, Peanut starts walking to the back of the house shaking his hand in the air way above his head, and then he points to the dog. Potty, Winnie. Potty, Dog. So of course he's brilliant...i mean, he is right? These are sentences in sign...so smart!

But back to the peeing on purpose he does...he totally does. Not in a potty, since we don't have one yet, but he does it on the rug in his bedroom. Or on his changing pad. Always standing up. We need to groom his techniques but the spirit is there for sure.

I'm proud.

Easter and crafting and Peanut

peanut, last easter


So it's been a busy month already. I don't know when that's going to stop being the case. Probably never. The weather has been moody and I have been tired of it, and Peanut is getting more mobile and more communicative every day, which is awesome. It's even awesome when he signs for "help" and i try to help him only to be met with a wave of wrong answers. I think he thinks the sign for help is to pick something up for him. He'll sign it even when he can get it. Of course, I encourage him to try to get it first, especially when it is at his feet...I'm not a total pushover.

This will be his second Easter, and I think we will go to church. For sure, my family is coming for a little Easter Egg hunt that we do indoors (too cold for outdoors) and then dinner. Since we're fighting to make ends meet, it'll be pretty modest. But they really just want to see Peanut, and we already paid for him. He loves my sisters kid (cousin k), who is almost five. The feeling is mostly mutual, except cousin k is almost 5 and well, that means a 13 month old holds him back from having complete fun. It's cute to watch Peanut follow him around and mimic what he does. And its fun to see cousin k negotiate the play with him.

For easter, we are also doing a few crafts. A pencil case for cousin k, and the same for peanut. And I'm making my mom a birdhouse from fabric that I was inspired to do from this artist. Mine is not as good. But it is my first.

And then handmade dishcloths. Plus we are making our own easter grass from recycled magazines.