Reading

Nonna and Grandpa, with some help from Aunt Marilyn, sent us a very cool early Christmas present:

It's cute, and he's been playing with it often. But I have yet to hear an entire page of the book, and I don't know if I've heard more than about the first three pages.

Twas the Night Before Christmas is also super good for bus driving:

We've got some other Christmas books from Grandma and from Nonna, so we're trying to teach Dex a little bit about the holiday. Our Christmas tree is up, with no lights or decorations yet. Dex thinks it's ok, but keeps walking in to the living room, snorting like a horse, and then signing "tree." Yes, small child. I know. You used to have a play horse there. Now there's a Christmas tree.

So we're working on some holiday spirit down here. Grandma and Grandpa are visiting this weekend to go to Longwood and see some Christmas lights. We'll see what Dex thinks about that.

OH - is that not THE CUTEST when Dex calls himself "Dah?" He started that last week. He's got Mama and Dada down pat (so fun), and now he calls himself "Dah." He loves looking in the big mirror after his bath, pointing to me and saying "Mama" and pointing to himself and saying "Dah." It is wicked cute. He has also, randomly, and at random times, declared that he is all done with Baby Signing Time. I asked him if that meant he was going to start taking and he nodded yes. That has yet to come to fruition. But maybe soon...

Given the circumstances, that was actually kind of pleasant

A.I. DuPont Children's Hospital. A mere 30 minutes away if you don't get lost seven times on the way there. The definitive place to take your child if you live in this area and need to go to the ER. Which, technically, we didn't NEED to do. Had the doctor's office been open on a Sunday we'd have simply gone there. But, alas, the way the planets aligned we ended up at A.I. today. After Dex woke up coughing and breathing fast again. We called the on-call nurse at our doctor's office, who told us some treatments to try, and that if they didn't work we should go to the ER. Under normal circumstances? His rapid breathing maybe is not such a big deal. But two weeks after he went to the hospital and had a fluid-filled chest x-ray? It becomes more of a big deal.

A.I. was really kind of nice. We were trapped in a little 10 foot square room, with a bed, two chairs, a TV with lots of movie choices, and Dexter's favorite book with trucks and bulldozers and stuff that pull out and become their own toys. Plus there were plenty of red and green lights to look at. We snuggled up and hung out with just ourselves, with no distractions and nothing better to do than just hang out. We watched Cars and Finding Nemo and waited forever for a resident doctor, and then waited another forever for the real doctor, then waited another forever for the x-ray tech (who was FABULOUS), then waited another forever for the x-ray results. Which were clear. Congested, but clear. Nothing really to do for him but keep using his inhaler if his symptoms continue.

So... Thanks, A.I., for being so close and for taking good care of us today. I really hope we never have to visit you again.

An old (by a few days) picture. But you all know I can't post a post without some kind of picture...

Red Light, Green Light

Thing Numero Uno: Check out Dexter's new hair cut!

What? What's the problem? Don't you think it looks cute? What do you mean, you can't see it?

Thing Numero Dos: I'm supposed to be at a friend's house right now, eating a seven billion course meal, while a babysitter sits here watching TV and my child sleeps peacefully. Instead, I am sitting on the couch listening to the child cough his lungs up, preparing myself for a long night of listening to a child cough his lungs up. John is eating a seven billion course meal, though, and he promised to bring me some leftovers. I sent him with tupperwares, just to be sure. :-)

Thing Numero Tres: When I was in New York last weekend Dexter discovered the drawing of a stop sign on his train table. And he learned how to sign "stop." And also cloud, and tree. But that's totally unrelated to this story. Anyway - John taught him that a red light means stop and a green light means go. And this entire week, that is the ONLY thing this child will talk about. Well, sign about. We'll be eating dinner. No red lights in sight. Suddenly - "STOP!" "Light!" "GOGOGO!" "Mama" "Drives." And we recite - Stop light? Green light? Yes, Mama drives. Does Mama stop at the red lights? Does Mama go at the green lights?

It's ridiculous when driving. Every stop sign I hear an "OOOOOOOOO" from the back seat, and then the sign for "stop." And I recite - yes, a stop sign. What do we do? Right, we stop. And look for cars. Now what? Right! GOGOGO! He sees a stop light way up ahead. Signs "stop."

He got SO PISSED when we parked in the lot for swimming instead of continuing to drive down the road on Wednesday. "There were STOP LIGHTS up there, Mama! I wanted to see the damn STOP LIGHTS! Screw this swimming thing!" It was a bad swim lesson.

Dear lord. It's cute and all. But after ALL DAY, for seven days straight? I'm damn sick of red lights and green lights, and every single thing that is red being called a "stop" and every single thing that is green being called a "GOGOGO." We need to teach this boy some new tricks.

The train has been packed away in the closet for a little while. But today seemed like a good day to pull it out again. Always a big hit, as long as you can handle listening to the train run for an hour straight.

Yay, train!

Yes, yes. That's the stop light. What do we do at a red light? Stop. Exactly. Also notice serious mouth breathing, from inability to breathe through nose. Meaning - inability to suck fingers at bed time. Meaning - sleeping is sucky. Meaning - long night ahead.

New vantage point.

Dex finds it helpful to put your nose right up to the train track as the train goes by.

Buddy helps to play with the garbage truck. As it drives right by Dexter's nose.

Multi-talented garbage truck also doubles as a horse and giraffe carrier.

If you're playing with the garbage truck you'll also see this sign, which means that the snow plow pushes snow. What's that got to do with garbage trucks, you ask? Good question.

Dex wears his sweatpants like all the cool kids - one leg up, one leg down. That's how he rolls.

So I could be productive tonight and get out the Christmas decorations, and rotate Dexter's toys, and do something else that's on my list but I've forgotten right now. Or I could watch Grey's Anatomy and take a nap on the couch. Yawn. I know which choice I am making...

Then and Now

I get lost every time I go to the Christiana Mall. EVERY. GODDAMN. TIME. This time I went, positive that I knew where Best Buy was, so I could pick up a portable DVD player to give to some 6 year old kid from a family that my mom's club adopted. Which, by the by... the kid is SIX. And he's asking for a portable DVD player? And headphones for his PSP? I don't even know what a PSP is, for chrissakes. Can we make our cute little almost 2-year-old stay this age forever? So I don't have to deal with him wanting a cell phone when he's five? Also, hello? Family in need? I feel like socks and underwear should be on their list. Not portable DVD player. But, I digress.

Anyway - I ended up having to call John as I was aimlessly driving circles around the stupid mall listening to Dex call out all the stop signs to me. In case I can't see them on my own. He's helpful, that one.

ME: Hi. I get lost every time I come to this goddamned mall. Where's Best Buy?

JOHN: There's no Best Buy at the mall.

ME: Yes there is! My paper says so!

JOHN: There's no Best Buy at the mall, honey.

ME: But! My paper! Best Buy! Number 4218! In Christiana, DE! It's here! Somewhere!

JOHN: (To officemate) Is there a Best Buy at the mall?

OFFICE MATE: (Think Peanuts Teacher here) Mwaw baw, mwaw mwaw, mwaw baw baw baw.

JOHN: Oh. Yeah. It's down by the hospital, hon.

ME: By Toys R US? (It's the only other landmark I know down there. Hospital? There's a hospital? Seriously, my FAVORITE restaurant is in that area. And I never know where it is til I drive by it and say "Hey! Awesome! We should eat at EATS!")

JOHN: Yeah. By Toys R US.

ME: Crap. How do I get out of the mall and get THERE?

Anyway - I did find Best Buy, picked up the silly DVD player and also a filter for my new lens, based solely on the size recommendation given by the dude at Best Buy who looked it up. Needless to say, the Best Buy dude was WRONG. Totally, totally wrong.

So since we were nearby and I really enjoy driving around the mall seven billion times, I figured Dex should go get his picture taken with Santa. I did a little bit of prep, but he still wasn't psyched about the idea. We ended up with this:

Which really isn't bad, considering one of my choices looked remarkably similar to this:

Dex decided he could handle sitting on the stool between Santa's feet. And he could look somewhat cute. So long as he wasn't expected to look at Santa or, heaven forbid, TOUCH Santa. After much prompting, he told Santa he wanted a ball for Christmas. So guess who gets to make a solo trip to Wal-Mart some time, to buy a new ball?

I was trying to get the child a hair cut before Santa, but the Kids Cuts wasn't open yet when we drove by. So you get the Justin Bieber look for his Christmas picture this year. We did hit Kids Cuts on the way home. And I must say - best haircut yet. Also, being a hairdresser at a Kids Cuts has got to be the most terrible job in the world...

Thanks, Grandma, for the cool bus! It's been well-played-with. PS - this is from a few days ago. This is NOT a child with a new hair cut. No pictures of that yet. Sorry!

Newly appointed housekeeper. Hooray!

Another version of the "Dear God, woman, why must you take my picture so often?" face. He's just humoring me here.

Buddy. Still an untrustworthy pain in the ass who chews Dexter's toys, occasionally pees in the dining room (I can't really blame him for that. Even I think that room smells like a cat litter box. Damn cats. I hate cats.), and is from time to time found (BUSTED!) across the street in the neighbor's yard. But, he's a reliable floor cleaner-upper, and Dex loves him. So I guess we'll keep him around. Damn dogs...

Leaf Pile

Tis a gorgeous day here in the middle of nowhere. The sun is shining. The wind is calm. The child who has been really sick for a week is finally able to get outside to play. He's feeling much better now, thanks. He is off all antibiotics and steroids, save the inhaler thingy. We'll try not to overdo things for a while, though - we'd not like to repeat Monday's trip to the hospital for a chest x-ray...

Anyway - John's going to mow the lawn one last time before winter, as soon as Dex wakes up from his nap. So he figured maybe he should rake up some leaves first. And Buddy and Dexter and I decided maybe we should play...

Mmmmmmm. Check out my yummy runny nose...

Up past my knees in leaves. Daddy helps me out.

Wheeeee! Running through leaves!

Dexter down! Dexter down!

Huh. What's Buddy doing with his head in the leaves?

I do believe I'll join him!

Daddy has piled some leaves on me so I can make...

LEAF MONSTERS!!!

Damn. I know it's here somewhere. Where the hell is my...

SHOE! There it is!

The sign for shoes. Which he got new, yesterday. As Mama braved the outlets in Lancaster for Buy One, Get One 50% Off at Stride Rite. I bought six...

Holy cute. Also, those mega canine teeth reminded me - he's got his two-year molars in top and bottom on the right side of his mouth. Just waiting for the left side to catch up.

Under that hat, you'll find a child in desperate need of a hair cut.

Sunrise, Sunset

I'm loving the view from the back yard these days, with sunrises (well, not so much now that the time has changed - I don't get up early enough) and some really spectacular sunsets at each end of our yard. Put some pretty horses in the background and you have a tiny piece of paradise.

I really think they do the time change now for high school kids so they don't have to wait for the bus in the dark. I was feeling bad for them before the time changed, as I was walking the dog in the dark in the back yard, in my PJ's, while the high school kids were waiting for the bus, in the dark, but dressed and fed and showered and stuff. Truthfully, they make me feel like a big old slacker.

I spent the day doing pretty much nothing, except writing a letter for my Christmas cards. And napping. And feeling generally blah and icky. Perhaps that's why Dex hasn't been eating the past few days - he might be feeling generally icky, too. But no fever, and no snotty nose for either of us. Hopefully the icky feeling will go away soon.

Oh, so Dex and I went to the Y for the first time yesterday. I dropped Dex off at the child care room and went off to read a book on a bike for an hour or so. Went back to fetch him and they said he didn't cry at all. Hooray! I also hired our first honest-to-goodness babysitter for a dinner we're going to in a couple weeks. We'll get this kid socialized yet!

Sunrise on one of the first frosty days. The photo didn't turn out as well as I had hoped. It was super pretty with the sun just rising (this was a few weeks ago) and the frost on the ground.

Sunset today. I love how you can see all the airplane tracks through the clouds.

In between sunrise and sunset, the boys play with horses...

Both kids making random faces. WTF? Actually, I think it's Dex making the sound for "horse" and Buddy eating deer poop. YUM!

Hey, look, Mom! A horse!

Like father...

Like son. Why's everyone got to give the camera the stink eye?

Giggles when the horse snorts at him

More camera stink eye.

Daddy helps with posing

A little swing action at the end of the day

WHEEEEEEEE!

Excellent way to end the afternoon

Touch me. Please. No, really. Go ahead.

A couple weeks ago someone from my new Mom's group posted an email about a special on annual memberships at the Please Touch Museum in Philly. I'd never been, and couldn't find anyone who HAD been and could tell me if a 21 month old, fairly shy kid would enjoy going there for a year. Nor could anyone tell me if driving to Philly was going to really really suck. BUT a bunch of moms from my OLD Mom's group had a trip planned there for today. And while I originally said "NO way am I going to pay $30 plus parking to go to this place for a few hours" I decided we'd go, try it out, and if it wasn't a disaster we'd buy an annual pass. Our admission for today would count toward the annual pass, if all worked out as planned.

So how'd it go? Mixed reviews from us, really. The drive sucks. I mean, Rt 1 SUCKS just in general, and when you get close to Philly there's about eleventy-billion traffic lights and to get to the museum you drive through some fairly unsavory parts of town. On the way home I tried taking the interstate to Rt 1, which was longer but an improvement. So - it's a sucky drive, and it takes about an hour and 15 minutes, but it's do-able.

And the shy child? Thought things were cool, in theory. Some things, in practice, were FAR too scary. Like a bus. So random. This kid LOVES buses. Would not go near the bus. Cried when I carried him through it to go to the bathroom. Would not go in a car. LOVES going in John's car to play. Would not play with balls floating in the air over cool blowers. But was perfectly happy to put all the balls back in the box. Loved the water. Loved the floor piano. Enjoyed looking at the carousel, but I'd guess that if he actually were made to RIDE the carousel he'd freak out. Like, a lot.

So, it was a mixed bag. But it was fun enough that we went ahead and bought a pass. Hey, in a year he'll be another year older. And perhaps things will not be nearly so scary. Plus, we never saw the train exhibit. And one really, really must see the train.

Oh, so we drove to Philly like this:

When we saw the State Trooper last week he said that Dex was looking cramped in his backwards car seat - his legs were in his chest. When we tightened his car seat, pulling it closer to the car's seat back, it made it even more cramped for him. So I flipped him around before we went to Longwood on Tuesday. It went... not well at first. I put him in the car and he freaked, shaking his head NO NO NO. He screamed until I got in the front seat and started the car and opened the garage door and backed out. And then he was all, "Hey! This is COOL! I can SEE! And stuff." And there's been no issue ever since.

Driving. Most excellent. Dex was way excited about the car room. He went running for it.

Making feathers fly. Awesome. You can drive a steering wheel AND watch feathers fly at the same time.

Shopping was the most fun of the day. As was putting away all our groceries. Dex impressed me by knowing where all his fake fruit went, without me having to tell him.

How do I transfer this to home, with a real vacuum?

Hmmmmm - wonder if this video link will work...