Dexter, by the Numbers

Dexter is kind of in to measuring things these days.  More specifically, he's in to measuring how big something is, or how much he likes something, either by holding out his hands to show you how much he likes it, or by assigning it a number.

So, for instance, he likes trains 90.

He, surprisingly, likes ducks 900.

He has decided that Mama loves him more than infinity.

Grandma has said she loves him more than 50 dollars.  He finds that fairly hysterical.

And in a frank, serious discussion (likely held while Dex was sitting on the potty, as that is where all serious discussions happen these days) Dexter told John that he used to like sleeping 30.  But now he likes it ZERO.

And that's our boy.  So completely filled with separation anxiety these days that bed time has turned in to an hour of him yelling out for Daddy, before he finally goes to sleep.  If we're fantastically lucky, he only wakes up yelling for Daddy once during the night, before waking at 6AM or so and yelling for Daddy until his clock turns yellow at 6:30.  Most nights we are not so lucky.  I say "we" like I am really involved in this.  I am not.  I am responsible for the baby, and fixing her if she wakes up in the middle of the night (thankfully, she doesn't do that often).  John has been in charge of fixing the stubborn, persistent, almost-four-year-old.  Bless John's heart and very very sleepy body.  Because this is, honestly, way worse than it ever was having a newborn baby.

Hopefully this is a pain in the ass phase that shall, eventually, pass.

The boys are in Strasburg today, visiting the Choo Choo Barn with its huge model train exhibit.  Erin and I are hanging out at home, vacuuming and doing laundry and finally taking the Halloween window clings off the windows.  Know what works awesome for storing window clings?  A static cling photo album.  One of the old school ones.  Good luck finding one in any store, ever, but if you get lucky and stumble across one on the bottom row of the photo album section in your new Super Wal-Mart, snatch it up.  It works great.

Dex also digs his new Inchimals.  He's been measuring cars, trains, etc.

We had snow Christmas morning, but it melted by afternoon.  Played outside for a while and said hi to our friend Tee the Horse

From a couple weeks before Christmas.  Wish Erin was looking at the camera.  But, alas, she is far too fascinated by the tree to be looking at me.

Case in point.  I'm not sure how I am going to entertain her when we take down the tree...

Merry Christmas!

I totally needed this to be my Christmas card picture this year.  Alas, I took it like a week after I ordered my cards, so it was not meant to be.

Merry Christmas!  Hope you are having a fantastic day!

Love,
Alissa, John, Dexter, and Erin

Santas We Have Known

I just haven't had the energy this year to trek to the mall with 2 kids, stand in line, and do the traditional Mall Santa scream-fest.  Dexter likes Santa and all, but mostly from a distance.  He's not psyched about actually going close to the big man.  Plus, we've seen Santa already this year.  Times four...

There, of course, was Santa at Daddy's work.  A very cool Santa who has snow globes.

We also saw Santa at the MOMS Club Christmas party.  This Santa was met at the door by a huge gaggle of excited children.  And he arrived on a fire truck.  He was a very nice Santa.

It, quite honestly, brought a tear to my eye to see Dex talking to Santa so earnestly.  I have no idea what he was talking about.  In all likelihood he was simply asking Santa for a candy cane.

Santa said he hadn't held such a little baby in a very long time...

I thought we were going to have to do some fast story telling on the morning after the MOMS Club party, when Dexter stated that the Santa at the MOMS dinner had a longer beard than the Santa at Daddy's work. And OH!  SHIT!  Quick!  Think up a good story!  But John did some good redirection (LOOK!  I saw a light!) and all was forgotten.  So we think.  Not much is ever really forgotten in this boy's mind.  Unless it's something like me telling him to hang up his coat.

Santa came for a visit on the fire truck one evening.  I almost forgot he was coming, and then saw the note on the fridge and wrote "Santa" on my hand.  During dinner I got John's attention and showed him my hand, not wanting to talk about Santa coming to visit in case he came so late that Dex was already in bed.  It didn't work.  Dex simply looked up and asked, "Mama, why did you write Santa on your hand?"  Damn three year old child who can read...

He was not psyched about talking or even coming close to this Santa.  Apparently fire trucks freak him out.  After this Santa visit he asked why Santa always comes on fire trucks.  And his Hess fire truck has been delivering presents to everyone all week long.  Although Santa has also been delivering presents via Hess airplane.  Faster than reindeer, I suppose.

Finally, Santa came to visit at a cookie exchange we went to with our Bel Air mom friends.  Dex wanted nothing to do with him, except to go up and ask Santa, "Do you like candy canes?"  Santa was a little confused, til he figured out that really Dexter was just asking Santa for a candy cane.  That's all Santa is good for in Dexter's book.  Candy canes.  He likes candy canes.

I think we're kind of in the holiday spirit here.  We've got some presents under the tree, although we still have more to wrap.  But with kids as cute as these, who needs more presents, really?

Santa! I know him!

We had a nice weekend with Aunt Christy, who came down to meet Erin for the first time.  Dexter and John picked her up at the train station, which had Dex all jazzed.  He wanted to know if Percy was going to be at the Parksburg train station.  Because, you know, Thomas is at the Strasburg station.  So why wouldn't Percy be at Parksburg?  I think he was ok with not seeing Percy, because he got to see TWO trains when picking up Christy, and the lights turned different colors.  It was, apparently, way cool.  I don't know.  I didn't go.  Erin and I were at Girlie Movie Night.

Saturday morning Santa was at John's work again, so we went to have breakfast with the big guy and his very nice wife.

My mom saw this picture and said it didn't look like Dex was any more thrilled about seeing Santa than he was last year.  Which, although it appears that way, actually was not true.  He was really very chatty and friendly with Santa, and was quite happy the entire morning.

Both Santa and Mrs Claus commented on how different and how much better Dexter was this year, compared to last year.  Which is impressive, really, because Santa sees a whole lot of kids, and only sees them once a year.  So the fact that he remembered what Dex was like last year and compared it to this year...  Well, apparently he made an impression last year.  Perhaps not such a good one.

When I told Dexter we were going to Breakfast with Santa at Daddy's work, he asked if Santa was going to have his snow globes there.  My tired old brain had completely forgotten about the snow globes.  Dexter's had not.  When we entered the room he immediately made a beeline for Santa's snow globes.

Oh, yeah.  The baby.  Erin went, too.  She was mostly oblivious.  She's easy these days.

End of the morning, post-french-toast-stick checking out of the snow globes.  Again.  Some more.

I do believe that might be a smile.  In the general vicinity of Santa.

It was nice having Aunt Christy hang out with us for the weekend.

She fed Erin her second official bottle.  Erin was unimpressed, still.  I have different nipples on order.  For the bottle.  Not for me.  We'll see if that helps her out.

She was also SOUND ASLEEP at 7:30 while Christy was trying to give her a bottle.  Apparently this being a baby thing is very very tiring.