Another thing we've been working on is the whole "use your words" concept. Two funny things this morning:
First, he was really enjoying the "throw Mommy's napkin on the floor" game and demanded, "AGAIN!" So, I said, "Dylan you have to ask nicely." He said, "Yeah, I use my words." "Mommy, get-ah napkin please...AGAIN!" hmmm...almost...
Then, he had his T-Rex cut-outs in his hands while I was changing his diaper. They bit each other, and he tattled, "Mommy, da T-Rex biting!"
Me: "Oh, no, Dylan. You need to tell that T-Rex to use his words."
Dylan: "T-Rex. You need use you words."
"Ok. I use my words."
"Please I can bite you?"
"Yes, you can."
"Ok, thanks!" (T-Rex bites the other T-Rex.)
Wednesday, May 25, 2011
Trickster
I've been working very hard to get Dylan to stop climbing on/leaning on/hanging off me while we are eating. I threaten to move away from him at the table and he stops. He's been getting better, but will try different techniques like rubbing his head on my arm and saying, "I love you, Mommy." I say, "I love you too, but are you leaning on me." "No, I not leaning, Mommy." ha.
This morning, he was trying to eat my strawberries out of my bowl of cereal, so I got him his own. He got his hands all yucky and it looked like he might put 'em on my clean sweater, so I put up my napkin on my shoulder. He placed his hand on my shoulder and then got a gleam in his eye. He started wiping his hand and said, "Ooohh, I love your napkin, Mommy." Then, he snagged my napkin and threw it on the floor, laughing his evil mastermind laugh. I couldn't help but to laugh, too. An actual pre-meditated trick!
This morning, he was trying to eat my strawberries out of my bowl of cereal, so I got him his own. He got his hands all yucky and it looked like he might put 'em on my clean sweater, so I put up my napkin on my shoulder. He placed his hand on my shoulder and then got a gleam in his eye. He started wiping his hand and said, "Ooohh, I love your napkin, Mommy." Then, he snagged my napkin and threw it on the floor, laughing his evil mastermind laugh. I couldn't help but to laugh, too. An actual pre-meditated trick!
Monday, May 23, 2011
Working on my Four Wheeler
So, you know you're living in the country when your son decides that the term "working on my four wheeler" is an appropriate euphemism for going poop.
In the Country
This Saturday was the fundraiser for our volunteer fire department. Dylan hiked almost the whole way there carrying his own backpack. He was SO very proud of that backpack!
He also was really keen on having me take his picture while running:
...which, of course, is my fault because I've ordered him to run for the camera before. (Ooohh.. I have to post up the cape pictures!)
Dylan did need to get in the backpack for the last little bit, though. Here are the two ladies accompanying him:
So, there was definitely local flavor to the fundraiser. The bands were amazing, blues and rock.
The kids loved the bounce house and the "free puppies" station the best. The girl painting faces was smoking, as was the young mom pushing her baby in a stroller.
There were no rules to the bounce house except "no shoes" (prompting all the kids to run about without shoes the whole day 'cause you never know when the urge to bounce will strike) so I went in with Dylan. At one point, there were about 15 kids plus me and 4 of the kids figured out how to pull the sides of the bounce house down. They did this for 10 minutes before an adult came and asked them to stop. But, they decided that he wasn't worth listening to.
There were a few little places set up: a motorized fountain with 50 different faucet heads, a couple garage sale stations, a bag retailer, and the food vendor (manned by volunteers).
Also, the hopeful future emergency rescue vehicle sat in the field as a reminder to us all what we're missing out on if we can't cough up enough funds to get it back to operational.
Dylan got his first bloody nose in the bounce house. He bashed his head into my face while trying to tackle me. He cried for a bit and then was bouncing again--the blood took a while to show up and was just a little color on the edges of his nostril. There were two other parents in the house at that time, and the dad smiled and said, "You can really tell the difference between the boys and girls at this age!" ;) I s'pose you can!
Dylan also got into the music! It was so much fun...after the bounce house he ran over and we burst into a dancing frenzy to some rockin' tunes being belted out from the band. Dylan spread his legs way apart, pulled his hands up like he was in a boxing stance and shook his little booty back and forth. We danced together several times, but didn't inspire anyone else to join us. I wish I'd gotten a picture, but I was too busy dancing!
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| It's my backpack |
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| Walking with Grammy |
He was more than happy to turn and show it off! We had to really be on the lookout for cars because the fundraiser is a big event in this neck of the woods. Four-wheelers and trucks and cars all bang down the street to get to the little field where the festivities are held. Dylan is very good at listening and alerting us to danger:
He also was really keen on having me take his picture while running:
...which, of course, is my fault because I've ordered him to run for the camera before. (Ooohh.. I have to post up the cape pictures!)
Dylan did need to get in the backpack for the last little bit, though. Here are the two ladies accompanying him:
So, there was definitely local flavor to the fundraiser. The bands were amazing, blues and rock.
The kids loved the bounce house and the "free puppies" station the best. The girl painting faces was smoking, as was the young mom pushing her baby in a stroller.
There were no rules to the bounce house except "no shoes" (prompting all the kids to run about without shoes the whole day 'cause you never know when the urge to bounce will strike) so I went in with Dylan. At one point, there were about 15 kids plus me and 4 of the kids figured out how to pull the sides of the bounce house down. They did this for 10 minutes before an adult came and asked them to stop. But, they decided that he wasn't worth listening to.
There were a few little places set up: a motorized fountain with 50 different faucet heads, a couple garage sale stations, a bag retailer, and the food vendor (manned by volunteers).
Also, the hopeful future emergency rescue vehicle sat in the field as a reminder to us all what we're missing out on if we can't cough up enough funds to get it back to operational.
Dylan got his first bloody nose in the bounce house. He bashed his head into my face while trying to tackle me. He cried for a bit and then was bouncing again--the blood took a while to show up and was just a little color on the edges of his nostril. There were two other parents in the house at that time, and the dad smiled and said, "You can really tell the difference between the boys and girls at this age!" ;) I s'pose you can!
Dylan also got into the music! It was so much fun...after the bounce house he ran over and we burst into a dancing frenzy to some rockin' tunes being belted out from the band. Dylan spread his legs way apart, pulled his hands up like he was in a boxing stance and shook his little booty back and forth. We danced together several times, but didn't inspire anyone else to join us. I wish I'd gotten a picture, but I was too busy dancing!
Sunday, May 22, 2011
Smarty Pants
Dylan's language is developing at break-neck speeds. He surprises me every day. He is grappling with when to use "either" and when to use "too" and getting it right most of the time. He picks up on words that are said just once and pops them back into conversation - in context!
Tonight, he corrected me when I was reading How do Dinosaurs Say Goodnight. I was tired and reading upside down and said "cleaned up the mess" instead of "cleaned up the floor." He said, "No, mommy, clean up da floor." and made me go back and re-read that page.
He can count to ten in Chinese, too, which was a total surprise to me. I've been doing it for him for a while and he wouldn't even take notice. Then, he up and does it yi to shi. Damn!
Tonight, he corrected me when I was reading How do Dinosaurs Say Goodnight. I was tired and reading upside down and said "cleaned up the mess" instead of "cleaned up the floor." He said, "No, mommy, clean up da floor." and made me go back and re-read that page.
He can count to ten in Chinese, too, which was a total surprise to me. I've been doing it for him for a while and he wouldn't even take notice. Then, he up and does it yi to shi. Damn!
Kuai Tze
Dylan mastered the basic concept of using chopsticks this week! I am super-impressed! He just up and decided he's use the chopsticks. He spotted them (for serving noodles) and said, "Oh, my sticks!" I got him to call them kuai tze and he figured out the rest.
Serving mommy:
He was as impressed with himself as we were with him, and kept moving things from one plate to another, with the occassional bite to be had.
Serving mommy:
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| Ok, one more serving, mommy |
 |
| grabbing the noodles |
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| Lifting... |
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| and, there you go! |
He was as impressed with himself as we were with him, and kept moving things from one plate to another, with the occassional bite to be had.
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| Ham |
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| Success! |
Monday, May 16, 2011
Hard Worker
This weekend, I had wanted to take Dylan out for a jaunt up the mountain to test how he & I do with the backpack now that he's got his hiking legs. But, the weather gave us a short day of sun, so plans changed.
My mom has been wanting to plan her 4 cranberry bushes before they dry out and can't be planted at all. That requires digging out an 8'x8' patch of hard, rocky ground. So, I grabbed Dylan and a pick axe and headed out with her to the mountain side...the future spot known as cranberry cliff. Dylan watched me tear into the patch and stayed away from my swinging pick. Then, we all got down in the dirt and started sorting out rocks. Dylan was sleeves up and hands in. He helped stack up the rocks into piles for at least an hour and a half! That's my boy!
I didn't realize how much physical effort that took him until he totally lost it at lunch. Poor baby! I was out mowing the lawn with Katherine and my dad, and my mom let him fall asleep mid-chocolate pudding on his chair in front of Go, Deigo, Go! He had a nice brown mask coating the lower half of his face and a goopy trail down his shirt. When he did wake up, I scooped him up into bed with me, read some stories, and we both sacked out. He insisted that we sleep face-to-face, hands clasped together in front of us. I sure do love that kid!
My mom has been wanting to plan her 4 cranberry bushes before they dry out and can't be planted at all. That requires digging out an 8'x8' patch of hard, rocky ground. So, I grabbed Dylan and a pick axe and headed out with her to the mountain side...the future spot known as cranberry cliff. Dylan watched me tear into the patch and stayed away from my swinging pick. Then, we all got down in the dirt and started sorting out rocks. Dylan was sleeves up and hands in. He helped stack up the rocks into piles for at least an hour and a half! That's my boy!
I didn't realize how much physical effort that took him until he totally lost it at lunch. Poor baby! I was out mowing the lawn with Katherine and my dad, and my mom let him fall asleep mid-chocolate pudding on his chair in front of Go, Deigo, Go! He had a nice brown mask coating the lower half of his face and a goopy trail down his shirt. When he did wake up, I scooped him up into bed with me, read some stories, and we both sacked out. He insisted that we sleep face-to-face, hands clasped together in front of us. I sure do love that kid!
Thursday, May 5, 2011
Caterpillar Broccoli
This morning, I slid downstairs to up my caffeine intake with a warm-up on my coffee. Dylan was chasing my mom back and forth between the kitchen and the living room, pushing his dump truck along in front. He saw me and put his hand up on my stomach. "No, Mommy, you go to work now." I think he's fully acclimated to our new routines!
My mom put together a project for him - an egg carton that is made up into a caterpillar. Inside, you put wet cotton balls and seed to germinate.
Dylan was really excited about "growing a plant" and he loved wettin the cotton balls.
But, soon his dinosaurs were invited, and he was not so interested in the seed distribution....
And then Grammy had to finish it up for him. I can't wait to see what he thinks when they sprout!
My mom put together a project for him - an egg carton that is made up into a caterpillar. Inside, you put wet cotton balls and seed to germinate.
But, soon his dinosaurs were invited, and he was not so interested in the seed distribution....
And then Grammy had to finish it up for him. I can't wait to see what he thinks when they sprout!
Beads for Mommy
Dylan and I made each other necklaces this week. It was his idea - he noticed my necklace and wanted to have one of his own.
He was much more skilled than the last time we did this--he can hold the string and thread the beads all on his own.
On our way to bed, my necklace broke and scattered. He almost started to cry, but I pretended to cry and he decided to comfort me instead. "It's ok, mommy, I fix it," he said, giving me a big hug. We re-threaded and now we're both wearing our creations.
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| Cheese Face |
He was much more skilled than the last time we did this--he can hold the string and thread the beads all on his own.
On our way to bed, my necklace broke and scattered. He almost started to cry, but I pretended to cry and he decided to comfort me instead. "It's ok, mommy, I fix it," he said, giving me a big hug. We re-threaded and now we're both wearing our creations.
Tuesday, May 3, 2011
Unfinished
My dad's to-do list is a mile long. He's working on the Winchester room right now, but my mom can't wait to have the downstairs bathroom make the top of the list. In the meantime, Dylan takes his baths in this unfinished tub. He doesn't mind, as long as his dinosaurs come with him.
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| Roar! |
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| "Dax-see" |
Rescue Pack
So, Dylan is up to 10 in English, about 5 or 6 in Spanish, and 3 in Chinese. He's a total sponge right now!
He loves Go, Diego, Go! so much. We watch it all the time and it's totally interactive. He'll shout, "Para! Para!" or "ActÃvate!" In fact, he's starting to adopt some of the language into every day use. Like, instead of "help me," he now shouts, "Ayudame!"
Today, Grammy was pretending to be stuck and asking for help. So, Dylan puts his little finger up to this chin and says..."Hmmm, what in ma ressoo pack?"
I love this kid!
He loves Go, Diego, Go! so much. We watch it all the time and it's totally interactive. He'll shout, "Para! Para!" or "ActÃvate!" In fact, he's starting to adopt some of the language into every day use. Like, instead of "help me," he now shouts, "Ayudame!"
Today, Grammy was pretending to be stuck and asking for help. So, Dylan puts his little finger up to this chin and says..."Hmmm, what in ma ressoo pack?"
I love this kid!
My Runner
Last night, I shuttled Dylan out the door after dinner. Grandpa (Tappa or Toppie) was heading out to walk the dog and check the mail & I wanted to tag along. Once we had safely passed the steep downhill, Dylan started in on a shuffle run, declaring that he was "slipping." He did this all the way to the mailboxes with only one face plant (after which he was far more concerned with the dirt on his clothes than the dirt in his mouth).
But, as we headed home, he snagged my hat and proceeded to run...THE ENTIRE WAY HOME. Now, for those of you who've not made this loop with us, you may not be impressed. It is literally about 3/4 mile and uphill most of the way. Not a little uphill, either. VERY uphill. Honestly, if I had to run at a similar pace, I don't think I could make it the whole way and my legs are much longer. He loved it, squealing and laughing the entire way.
When we got home, it simply wasn't enough running. He ran up and down the ramp to the porch, bent over and pushing his truck, for another 10 minutes. Then, he had his before bath race around the house for another 10 minutes. Hello - how am I going to channel that energy as he gets bigger?!
But, as we headed home, he snagged my hat and proceeded to run...THE ENTIRE WAY HOME. Now, for those of you who've not made this loop with us, you may not be impressed. It is literally about 3/4 mile and uphill most of the way. Not a little uphill, either. VERY uphill. Honestly, if I had to run at a similar pace, I don't think I could make it the whole way and my legs are much longer. He loved it, squealing and laughing the entire way.
When we got home, it simply wasn't enough running. He ran up and down the ramp to the porch, bent over and pushing his truck, for another 10 minutes. Then, he had his before bath race around the house for another 10 minutes. Hello - how am I going to channel that energy as he gets bigger?!
Death
Dylan is too young to care about wars, pain, and sadness in far away places. The death of Osama bin Laden has been all over the news and he's oblivious. As I watch frenzied Americans jump about waving flags and cheering the greatness of our country, I can't help but wish that my son could live to see a day when no death is worth celebrating.
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