Big Al talks when he wants to talk.
Last week we were at the pool and he was so excited that he yelled, "slide!" because he wanted to go down just like Griff.
He is also fond of "all done!" He says it when he pours the water from one cup to another, but my favorite is when he wants me to leave him alone - putting drops in his eye or taking his temperature (in his ear and it only takes 30 seconds but you would think I was taking the hide right off of him!). He sticks his hands out, twists and yells, All done! All done!
I have no fear that Allan will be able to express himself clearly. He just needs the proper incentive.
Saturday, September 13, 2008
The power of literature
We bought a new book last week called I'd Really Like to Eat a Child about a little crocodile named Achilles who decides that he isn't going to eat bananas for breakfast (like his parents want him to) because today he would really like to eat a child. As it turns out, his appetite is bigger than his stomach and things don't quite go as he plans. At any rate, this morning Griff woke up about 8 and wasn't ready for breakfast so we were reading stories, including the one about Achilles. About a half hour later, I was fixing his oatmeal (which he loves) and asked him if he wanted some nana. He shook his head, said "no" and then said "child!"
What? Excuse me?
"No nana! Child!"
What? Excuse me?
"No nana! Child!"
Catch up.
Big Al is feeling better. He's still on Pedialyte, not real food, but he's more himself today. He's playing and giggling again. He didn't sleep that well last night. Both boys were exhausted yesterday -- Allan because he was sick and Griff because he refused to take a nap - all day long. And because he was getting Allan's cold. By the time I got home he was fussy and irritable. I wasn't much better. I had spent the entire morning with Allan at the doctor's office making sure that he wasn't dehydrated (since he has hardly been able to hold any thing done since Monday) and that he didn't have pneumonia (since he has developed a terrible cough). He was fine on both counts -- we just have to let him recover in his own time. Of course, Allan has now covered everyone and everything in the house with foul mucus teeming with germs so that Griff has been running a temp since Friday and I have had a headache and tingling in my sinuses that suggests that I am due for whatever the big guy has. Great. On top of that, it is nearly 90 degrees and the humidity equals that. You can't walk to your car without being coated in a fine sheen of sweat. On my way home, I call Jay. Instead of being ready to nuke whatever we have on hand, Jay announces that he "fancies" a nice piece of fish. Do what you got to do, pal, but do it fast because we are not in good humor.
Griff eats his dinner and begins the meltdown. I don't know what it was that caused him to be pissed off, but I was in the kitchen and he was in the dining room whining. When I looked around the corner, he was standing there and would grab a toy and fling it as hard as he could behind him. Then he would yell and do it again with another toy. I started to tell him, no, but didn't. I could completely sympathize with his impulse. He was hot, tired and pissed off and all he wanted to do was let off a little steam by flinging plastic toys across the room. More power to you, little buddy. If people would let me do that, too, we would all be better off.
Jay rolled in and started preparing dinner, but we agreed that there was no way Griff was going to make it until we were through. Early bath and bottle. Poor little guy didn't make it two minutes after the last book before he was out. ("Momma rock!") We snuggled for a bit and I put him down. Came out to find Jay playing on the computer and Allan roaming around like a free range chicken. This.Was.Not.What.I.Expected. Allan was supposed to be sleeping, too. Jay says, he doesn't seem tired. Imagine that, what with the T.V. on, the radio on, the lights on, and you not, oh, I don't know, holding him and encouraging him to Go.To.Sleep. Color me effing shocked. I take him back in to the nursery and rock him (Good luck! sez my husband) and, in 10 minutes, he is out. Honest to God, it is the first time we have had them both down before 7:30.
Unfortunately, Big Al decided that 1:30 was time to be up. What with one thing and another, it was Jay's turn for relief so he headed upstairs and left me to my own devices.
One of the posts that I have not made about Allan that I have meant to is about how he does when he comes in bed with us. First of all, when Allan wakes in the middle of the night, he is completely and utterly irritated with whoever is to blame for the current state of affairs. His hair is usually in an absolute twist and his brow is furrowed and he wants someone to rectify the situation. Five minutes ago. Honestly, in those moments he looks so much like me that it makes me want to laugh out loud even though it is the middle of the night and I want very much to be asleep.
Anyway, you bring Big Al in to bed and he twists and turns and flips and flops. How someone who hardly weighs 20 pounds can cause so much disruption is a matter of wonder to me. His favorite trick currently is this: You finally turn your back on him because he won't settle. He then wriggles his teeny-tiny bottom in to the small of your back and flings his left leg up on your hip and kicks you in the kidneys with his right foot until he wears himself out, sighs heavily, and goes to sleep. Last night's variant was that he worked his way to the top of the bed and kept sticking his right heel in to my left ear. I finally had to put two pillows between us to keep him from waking me.
As Griff is fond of saying, AlJude BRAT!
Amen.
We did okay today. Allan was up at 1:30, back in his bed at 3:30, back in mine at 5. Asleep until after 8.
Griff, God love him, slept until 8 this morning, too. Of course, he woke with a fever and we have been wrestling him to get ibuprofen in him.
Jay took pity on me and took the boys for a long walk down to the farmer's market this morning. Kim came and helped me organize the outside for the in-laws and we went and bought some mums. I did some straightening of the house and then the fellows came home for lunch and naps.
It was way too hot and humid to go outside so we all played a bit in the house. Then Cousin Tyler and Hannah came over to provide some relief.
Daddy had already arranged to tailgate and go to the football game. When T and Hannah offered to look after the boys for us for awhile Jay (bless his heart!) says, you can tailgate with us.
Um, I don't think so -- not standing outside in the 90 degree heat and sweating like a field hand and (worst of all) hanging out with other people's children. Oh.No. I didn't have any where to go or any thing to do, but I darned sure wasn't going to hang with other's people's toddlers.
Which is why I am here now. Tyler and Hannah helped with the boys' baths and bed time. The fellows are both down and out. Jay is at the game which wasn't going exactly according to plan. And I am blogging. Getting ready to shift over some laundry. Possibly hit the sack and read for awhile. Another crazy Saturday night....
Griff eats his dinner and begins the meltdown. I don't know what it was that caused him to be pissed off, but I was in the kitchen and he was in the dining room whining. When I looked around the corner, he was standing there and would grab a toy and fling it as hard as he could behind him. Then he would yell and do it again with another toy. I started to tell him, no, but didn't. I could completely sympathize with his impulse. He was hot, tired and pissed off and all he wanted to do was let off a little steam by flinging plastic toys across the room. More power to you, little buddy. If people would let me do that, too, we would all be better off.
Jay rolled in and started preparing dinner, but we agreed that there was no way Griff was going to make it until we were through. Early bath and bottle. Poor little guy didn't make it two minutes after the last book before he was out. ("Momma rock!") We snuggled for a bit and I put him down. Came out to find Jay playing on the computer and Allan roaming around like a free range chicken. This.Was.Not.What.I.Expected. Allan was supposed to be sleeping, too. Jay says, he doesn't seem tired. Imagine that, what with the T.V. on, the radio on, the lights on, and you not, oh, I don't know, holding him and encouraging him to Go.To.Sleep. Color me effing shocked. I take him back in to the nursery and rock him (Good luck! sez my husband) and, in 10 minutes, he is out. Honest to God, it is the first time we have had them both down before 7:30.
Unfortunately, Big Al decided that 1:30 was time to be up. What with one thing and another, it was Jay's turn for relief so he headed upstairs and left me to my own devices.
One of the posts that I have not made about Allan that I have meant to is about how he does when he comes in bed with us. First of all, when Allan wakes in the middle of the night, he is completely and utterly irritated with whoever is to blame for the current state of affairs. His hair is usually in an absolute twist and his brow is furrowed and he wants someone to rectify the situation. Five minutes ago. Honestly, in those moments he looks so much like me that it makes me want to laugh out loud even though it is the middle of the night and I want very much to be asleep.
Anyway, you bring Big Al in to bed and he twists and turns and flips and flops. How someone who hardly weighs 20 pounds can cause so much disruption is a matter of wonder to me. His favorite trick currently is this: You finally turn your back on him because he won't settle. He then wriggles his teeny-tiny bottom in to the small of your back and flings his left leg up on your hip and kicks you in the kidneys with his right foot until he wears himself out, sighs heavily, and goes to sleep. Last night's variant was that he worked his way to the top of the bed and kept sticking his right heel in to my left ear. I finally had to put two pillows between us to keep him from waking me.
As Griff is fond of saying, AlJude BRAT!
Amen.
We did okay today. Allan was up at 1:30, back in his bed at 3:30, back in mine at 5. Asleep until after 8.
Griff, God love him, slept until 8 this morning, too. Of course, he woke with a fever and we have been wrestling him to get ibuprofen in him.
Jay took pity on me and took the boys for a long walk down to the farmer's market this morning. Kim came and helped me organize the outside for the in-laws and we went and bought some mums. I did some straightening of the house and then the fellows came home for lunch and naps.
It was way too hot and humid to go outside so we all played a bit in the house. Then Cousin Tyler and Hannah came over to provide some relief.
Daddy had already arranged to tailgate and go to the football game. When T and Hannah offered to look after the boys for us for awhile Jay (bless his heart!) says, you can tailgate with us.
Um, I don't think so -- not standing outside in the 90 degree heat and sweating like a field hand and (worst of all) hanging out with other people's children. Oh.No. I didn't have any where to go or any thing to do, but I darned sure wasn't going to hang with other's people's toddlers.
Which is why I am here now. Tyler and Hannah helped with the boys' baths and bed time. The fellows are both down and out. Jay is at the game which wasn't going exactly according to plan. And I am blogging. Getting ready to shift over some laundry. Possibly hit the sack and read for awhile. Another crazy Saturday night....
Friday, September 12, 2008
Under the weather
Sorry for no new pictures. Just haven't had time to post new ones. Need to or we will be so far behind the children will be in kindergarten and I'll still be posting preschool pictures.
The back up is largely due to the fact that Big Al is Under the Weather. He started with vomiting and fever early Monday a.m. and has progressed through ear infection to bad cold with terrible cough -- and all of this coupled with a stomach virus. He's been a real trouper all week, but this morning he was all, I'm done. He just wanted to lay on me, hold lambie and suck his thumb. Possibly sleep. Griff has been a real sweetie and clearly worried about his brother. He has been bringing him toys and runs to find lambie whenever Allan cries. But he has now decided that he needs a little more attention and wants "up-down" whenever he sees me. It probably does not escape you that having 50 pounds of wriggling toddlers sitting on you makes it a little difficult to get any thing else done. Here's hoping this passes quickly.
The back up is largely due to the fact that Big Al is Under the Weather. He started with vomiting and fever early Monday a.m. and has progressed through ear infection to bad cold with terrible cough -- and all of this coupled with a stomach virus. He's been a real trouper all week, but this morning he was all, I'm done. He just wanted to lay on me, hold lambie and suck his thumb. Possibly sleep. Griff has been a real sweetie and clearly worried about his brother. He has been bringing him toys and runs to find lambie whenever Allan cries. But he has now decided that he needs a little more attention and wants "up-down" whenever he sees me. It probably does not escape you that having 50 pounds of wriggling toddlers sitting on you makes it a little difficult to get any thing else done. Here's hoping this passes quickly.
Tuesday, September 09, 2008
Slow, Al, slow, slow!
Which is what Griff tells Allan all the time.
When Allan takes off walking Griff gets very excited and wants to help him -- Hand, hand! The problem is that Griff goes too fast for Allan and so we say, Slow, slow. Griffith has picked this up and it sounds like he is chiding Allan for going too fast. It is always someone else's fault.
When Allan takes off walking Griff gets very excited and wants to help him -- Hand, hand! The problem is that Griff goes too fast for Allan and so we say, Slow, slow. Griffith has picked this up and it sounds like he is chiding Allan for going too fast. It is always someone else's fault.
What a big boy we have....
Griff is working on potty training us. And he's doing a pretty good job of it.
On Sunday I was in the nursery rocking Allan to sleep and the door to the dining room was closed. I could hear Griff running and yelling "pee-pee! pee-pee!" and then he started pounding on the door. So Jay brought him on in (fair enough -- Allan can usually sleep through anything and we don't want to slow Griff down on this potty training thing.) Jay pulled his drawers down and all I could hear was "GOOD BOY!! WELL DONE !!!" Then Griff ran in to the nursery (sans bottoms), jumped up and down (he has about an inch and half vertical), and ran over to give me five and a fist bump. Quite the celebration.
So now we make sure that he sits on the potty in the morning and before bath and whenever we go. We've even bought Easy-Ups in anticipation of this becoming totally routine. At which point he will no doubt revert.
In addition to this potty training stuff, Griff has taken to, occasionally, drinking from a cup. On Friday afternoon we had the little blue cup out on the table with water in it. For whatever reason, he stopped what he was doing, sat up in the chair and started drinking from it. And grinning at us. Then I had to drink. And Daddy. We even tried Big Al. Share and share alike. This is also what led to the Quack-quack drinking bath water in the living room. Two steps forward.....
On Sunday I was in the nursery rocking Allan to sleep and the door to the dining room was closed. I could hear Griff running and yelling "pee-pee! pee-pee!" and then he started pounding on the door. So Jay brought him on in (fair enough -- Allan can usually sleep through anything and we don't want to slow Griff down on this potty training thing.) Jay pulled his drawers down and all I could hear was "GOOD BOY!! WELL DONE !!!" Then Griff ran in to the nursery (sans bottoms), jumped up and down (he has about an inch and half vertical), and ran over to give me five and a fist bump. Quite the celebration.
So now we make sure that he sits on the potty in the morning and before bath and whenever we go. We've even bought Easy-Ups in anticipation of this becoming totally routine. At which point he will no doubt revert.
In addition to this potty training stuff, Griff has taken to, occasionally, drinking from a cup. On Friday afternoon we had the little blue cup out on the table with water in it. For whatever reason, he stopped what he was doing, sat up in the chair and started drinking from it. And grinning at us. Then I had to drink. And Daddy. We even tried Big Al. Share and share alike. This is also what led to the Quack-quack drinking bath water in the living room. Two steps forward.....
Monday, September 08, 2008
Alice's can
A little blurry but I swore I was going to post it anyway. Pookie was inspired by the Olympics, I suppose.
Sushi, anyone?
Griff trying out a California roll. The chopstick style is a little unorthodox, but effective.
Yep, there's a spot up there....
Griff helping Daddy sand some rough spots in the dining room. Doing a little touch-up work before Grandma and Grampy arrive.
Daddy is so funny!
For some reason that made sense at the time, Jay mooed. Which made Allan wriggle all over with the giggles.
Quack-quack drinks from the cup...
We all have to practice drinking from a cup. What I didn't realize was that Griff was dipping the cup in to the bath water and taking it out in to the living room to show Daddy how the duck drinks. Fortunately it was just bath water.
In his own time....
Griffith demonstrating that he can drink from a cup, when he wants to. Pay no mind to all the water down his front....
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