He sure can turn a phrase

Well this post is mostly about catching up in the world of August. Now that he is a talking it seems never to stop. I admit that I have shared with him that all great stories must come to an end and prompted him with the phase, "now say the end....really say the end." But in all of this incessant talking I have discovered that he sure can turn a phrase.

Why?
It is Mama's favorite question. The root of many a scientific discovery and currently the most repeated word in our house. Why seems to have popped up over night and appears to be sticking around. I am enjoying the phase. August seems genuinely curious about the ways of the world. Although when it goes on for 20 + minutes I often turn the question back on him to see what is happening inside his head. This also usually ends the why session for a while.

Maple Syrup!
With the change in the weather and the advent of warmer days we have been venturing to local sugar shack pancake breakfasts on our days off. It gives us an opportunity to directly support the local economy and learn about maple sugaring. The sugar shack owners have talked us through the process from the the tap to the bottle, let up try raw sap, watch the boiling, and taste this year's final product Nothing like a shot of fresh maple syrup to get a 3 year old boy running in crazed circles. But hey you are only 3 once so what the heck.?.

August's favorite part of these trips are the pancakes. That boy loves a good pancake especially if there are blueberries involved. At one of the maple sugar shacks he was munching on a piece of turkey sausage and I asked him if it was good. He responded with "Its a birthday party in my mouth."

Saying it Last
We were playing a variation of "I spy" where we just call out fun farm sights along S. Maple. At some point the following conversation occurred (the word cows may or may not have been cows. It is a representative of a farm sight."
August : Cows!
Mama: Cows!?! I already said cows first.
A: Well I said it last.
M: Hmmmm.
A: Tractor!
M: Cows!
A: No Mama, I already said cows. I said it last.

Several weeks later playing the same game in the car:
A: Cows!
M: Cows!
A: Mama I said cows first.
M: Well I said it last. Hahaha. I just used your own logic against you.Cows!
A: Get your own logic, Mama.

Potty
Something about trips to see Baba and GrandPa trigger a change in the potty situation. This Summer August seemed to be well on his way to no diapers then during our family trip to the beach during Labor day, he quit. Nothing. No interest. Like it was all some kind of pleasant memory.

Then we packed up and headed back down to NC to visit Baba and GrandPa in March. On the way home August decided to give up diapers for good. It meant a lot of extra stops. On return to MA we were running low on diapers and made the family decision not to buy any more. We have been back for 3 weeks and August is diaper free except for night time.

Snow Day

So Christmas morning dawned with fresh fallen snow. The first white christmas in many years according to the adults in attendance. A gift to all and a chance for August and Grafton to enjoy a little snow play. Carlos, Neva, Arlene, Currie, Grafton, & August had an enjoyable game of Snow! Picture snow ball fight lite for the younger set. It was work to get the enough snow to form a ball since the temperatures were climbing into the 40's.

Wednesday the Mason Wehby's took a walk to the Commons, to enjoy some gift certificates to the Thirsty Mind Coffee shop. August got to wear his brand new fancy brown wool coat that he and Mama found in a second hand store in Austin last year.

Once everyone was properly caffeinated and snacked, we headed over to MHC for a fun filled walk. We discovered many patches of Christmas snow lingering on the north sides of campus buildings.  We played hide and seek, chase, and of course Snow!
(August is getting better at hide and seek, but Mama is still the champion!)

But the best snow was yet to come. It began to fall around 8 PM last night. And it made for a slow and slippery commute home for Mama at 10:30PM. 20 mph the whole way home.

But this morning the depth was at least 4 inches in the back yard, so after a hearty breakfast we donned snow pants and coats into the freezing rain to enjoy the snow. We stomped and made tracks. We unburied the trashcans and put them in the garage. We made a snow man. Mama made a snow angel. August and Papa used beach toys to make a snow castle. But the cold of the freezing rain began to penetrate our many layers. So we cleared off the car so Mama can go to work in a couple of hours. Then headed inside to get warm.

Just a big boy now...kind a

Well the big boy bed is here. August is smitten. At first site he insisted on playing " go to bed" with Papa. Then later I asked him on the phone how he liked his bed and he said "It is beautiful. Mama"

We were delighted when he slept til 8 the next morning. Apparently this new big boy bed sleeps like a charm.

Also on the big boy front, he seems to be heading in the direction of potty training again. We have seen a definite upswing in voluntary trips to the bathroom.

Then today I offered him a chance to wear his Thomas the Tank Engine underwear. First he said no and put them back on the dresser. Then he changed his mind and put them on. The he looked at me and said, " I wear underwears. I don't wear diapers anymore." He watched TV, rode in car on the way to the store, then back home, and all through dinner. So tomorrow there is hope that we will see a continued determination.

Yet in little-man land, he has been wearing a pair of green bunny ears with googly eyes for 2 days. He says they are his sunglasses. He wore them to the library and to the playground were they remained on his head the entire time. Then all morning today when we were at the grocery store they remained faithfully on his head. So with dinosaur by his side and bunny ears on his head he ventures out into this wild world as a big boy.

Little August's stories

• One night at dinner, August leaned forward over his plate to meet the fork instread of trying to get the fork across the great gap between the table and his wildly weaving body. We have been working with him on the technique due to the vast quantities of food that end up in his lap  and floor. So I praised him to reinforc his behavior by saying, "Now that is using your head! Leaning over your plate to put the fork in your mouth."  When he finished chewing, he looked at me and said, "and my neck too, Mama" while pointing at himself.

Reporting from school:

•  August had been mildly reluctant about his transition to preschool. But the morning of his first full day in preschool he looked at me while we put his jacket on and said, "I'm a Preschooler now Mama." I don't remember what brought on the exchange but was fun to hear.

• A few days ago, August climbed into bed with me in the morning. I asked him how school was the day before and he reported, "I had fun. I played on the play ground, eat my lunch, take my nap, waked up, play and Papa picked me up" So I asked him who he played with on the playground. "I play with Sadie & Rusty & Tege' (Tay-gay)." Did you play with Grafton? I asked. "No Mama, Grafton went to the library"

Jurassic Park on College Street

Well it seems that Dinosaur is here to stay. For those of you who don't know, Dinosaur is August's imaginary friend. He mostly make appearances when mischief is afoot, occasionally to be sent to time out by Sir August himself.

We have been forced to ban Dinosaur from the kitchen due to his wild antics that result in spills. Tonight, Dinosaur made an appearance at dinner spilling August's milk. The conversation went something like this....

A: Dinosaur! You spill my milk. Get your hand out of my mouf dinosaur!!!! Bad Dinosaur go to the hall and sit by the slippers!!!! You not supposed to be in the kitchen any more! (Enraged Shrieking)

Me: Thank you for reminding Dinosaur not to be in the kitchen. But lets just remind him and yell at him. It can be hard to remember all the rules.

A: But Mama, Dinosaur put his hand in my mouf and spilled my milk all over my loungy pants (full of indignation)

Me: well use your napkin to clean up the spill and try again to have some milk.

August complied but continued to mutter about dinosaur for a few minutes and admonished him twice more over the meal.

I occasionally mention that dinosaur needs to settle down or remove himself from the kitchen or maybe go have some quiet time in August's room. Each and every time August responds "Dinosaur isn't here, Mama" with boredom and scorn in his voice. But he seems destined to return.

So we will enjoy the dinosaur while he is here and try to use him as a teaching tool and as a glimpse into the mind of our small human. I think we might need to take Dinosaur to see some foot prints of its fellow kind. I see a field trip in our nearish future.

Oh and Dinosaur has become a source of entertainment at work, a coworker of mine started blaming dinosaur for loosing her list last night....

Harvest Party

Today we had a wonderful Harvest Party.

It started with a trip to the doctor - throat swab not that exciting.  Okay, so maybe we can't say the party started there.

So then after, because we were in that neck of the dark and spooky woods, we went to breakfast at our fave spot, the Green Bean.  Yummy.  No there weren't pumpkin pancakes or anything, but if you're going to be partying all day, you have to make sure you're well fed and ready.

We had to swing by Whole Foods on the way home to pick up the food Papa bought but left there last night...

But then we decorated pumpkin cupcakes that Mama and I made the other day.  Mama put the icing on top, and then we all took turns sprinkling four types of sprinkles all over them!

By chance, Neva and Grafton called as we were finishing up (and despairing over what to eat for lunch) - they invited us out to Barstow's.  So our scary lunch dilemma was solved!  Phew...

Then we had nap.  Then we watched Backyardigans - which always ends with snack, which means...

Then we had pumpkin cupcakes for snacks!  Yummo!

Then we dropped a few of those off for Grafton, Neva, and Andrew on our way to the pumpkin patch at McCray's Farm.  We got on the trailer and the tractor pulled us up the hill and into the heart of the farm that was an expansive array of pumpkins and more pumpkins.  And some corn.  It was gorgeous.  The tractor stopped and we schlopped through a muddy field to pick out our celebratory pumpkins for this year.  Long necks was the agreed upon requirement.  I found some smaller ones that weren't to heavy for me to hoist about, and Mama and Papa found some smaller ones too.  We put those on the tractor and went out for a big one.  It's big and bumpy with green leaking town from the stem like hair - it's going to be a great jack o'lantern in a couple weeks.

We came home and Mama started making dinner (beef stroganoff) while Papa and I brought in the trash cans and got out of our muddy clothes and played Legos.  Then we had dinner, finished playing Legos and put them away, and then we sat and watched some Halloween cartoons as a family.

Now it's time for bed so I have to go.  But what a wonderful Harvest Party day today!

Special thanks to Mama who planned the planned festivities.  Special thanks to the Great Pumpkin for how it all came together for a great fall day.

Oh yeah, and the leaves are BEAUTIFUL right now.  Mama says we live in a Norman Rockwell painting.

Love you!

the Bucket List

Ever since August has been able to communicate with us he has been sharing things that he would like to do. He speaks of them in the future like, "One day I ride a horse Mama, Mama and August ride a horse together one day"
So we have begun to compile his bucket list. He was able to cross several off the list during our trip to the beach last month.

• Ride a horse
• Ride on a boat (08-30-2012)
• Go to the beach (08-2012)
• Fly on a plane (03-05-2010)
• Ride on the Train (05-23-2013)
• Own a real dog
• Ride a bicycle (04-10-2013)
• Drive a car
• Go to the moon
• Go skiing
• Ride a sled (12-31-2012)

Big Times in August

Big things are happening this month.

First. August was invited to a sleep over at his cousin Grafton's house. From what we hear at this end it went splendidly. (Check with Grafton for further details). August came back a changed boy. No more wet underwear for this one. He has taken to the potty with a renewed vigor. We have not changed a poopy diaper since, AND he has been waking up dry and heading straight to the potty to keep his underwear dry. At this point for our personal sanity he is still wearing pull ups under the underwear but he doesn't seem to notice or care.

Also Mama had the umbilical hernia fixed and is only back up to 75%. A huge improvement from 50% yesterday. August is responding nicely and being very gentle. He is all boy and likes to inspect the big boo-boo with regularity. Mama is not allowed to drive for two weeks so the influx of Grandparents in the next few days will provide a source of entertainment and wheels for our little man.

Baba & Grandpa will be here on Tuesday and Nena & Henry will be here on Friday. Lots of Family to show around.

He can hardly wait.

Summer in the Western Mass

Well it is summer here in the Pioneer Valley. That means hot days, cool nights, and lots of farm activities.

McCray's is still a family favorite. August loves to feed the animals and drive the tractor. Baby ducks, randy peacocks, classic cars, and who can resist ice cream.

August and I also went strawberry picking with our friends Anneka, Vedrana, Katja (18 mo), Sabina and James in Brattleboro last Sunday. He loved it. In fact he ate so many strawberries that his hands were stained for days.

Then on Tuesday we joined our Friends from work Gabe K. and Baby Gabe (age 3), Danny and Arden (age 3), Sara and her 2 year old. For berry picking and ice cream making. Sara's family owns 16 acres in Hadley with lots of blueberries and raspberries. Lets just say that with 4 boys, lots of dirt, toy tractors, running chickens, and ice cream that serious fun was had by all.

Then Thursday afternoon, August and I went to collect Aunt Neva's farm share. We collected greens, scapes, squash and salad mix. Then we went and looked for strawberries...they were few and far between so we caved and went to pick sugar snap peas instead. We gathered a quart of the green sugary treats. These were all consumed later that evening due to a bus riding snafu. Yum!

Feeling the love of the season and enjoying our move.

The motivation....

It appears that we have stumbled across August's motivation for potty training. It seems to be a three part motivation:

1. A proper taunting from an older and respected cousin.

2. The promise of no more diapers. (There was a slight misunderstanding on this front. After one successful potty trip he was enraged to be once again forced to wear a diaper. So now he knows that we must have 2 accident free weeks for us to put away the pull ups.)

3. Nudity. After a few minutes of nudity after another successful visit prompted 10+ visits in following two to three hours. most of which were successful.

So now that the motivation is known maybe the potty training will begin in earnest.

Current S. Hadley Favorite....

August has begun to settle in here in South Hadley. He enjoys being out side, adores his cousin, he is the apple of his aunties eyes. However his most favorite thrill is McCrays. He loves the animals. He told me that we would get 3 cones for a dollar to feed the animals. August and the animals love the feeding process. All the nuzzling and lip smacking on his hands make him super giggly.

Once you factor in the ice cream, put-put golf (yet to be enjoyed by the little man), and classic car Monday's. McCray's is his favorite place in South Hadley.

"I hurt myself" & other gems

Since August has turned  a seasoned 2.25 yr old he has been sharing many more of his independent thoughts with us. Here is a list of some of my recent favorites.

While snuggling up with me on the floor cushion he sighed and said, "I miss booby"

After any of his numerous incidences " Ouch! I hurt my self"

"No Papa" "Too Bad" When asked to put his shoes on.

"No poopy just toots!" (I think the context of this one is obvious)

"I want Mango"

"Papa has a penis. August has a penis too."

"August has a Penis. Mama where's your penis?"

Terrible horrible no good day

Fires storm was followed by boom town.

In a fit of stubborn willfulness of trying to turn the music on in his room, August pulled his 3 foot tall 3 foot long bookcase over on himself this morning. Carlos said, "the scary thing was I heard the crash and when I turned around I couldn't see him because he was under the bookcase."

A shattered lamp was the only casualty. No bruises, no blood, and tears only once he was removed from the scene.

After the clean up

After cleaning up the glass and books. They went to the park. A great time was had and a scraped and bloody knee was created.

After an event free lunch and nap we decided to walk over and have dinner in the shopping center. ...

August ate too much in his excitement over pizza and fruit at the same meal. He began to cry and say "belly" we convinced him that walking would help and he was mostly a champ on the way home. we stopped to give him a break and after a few burps he seemed to feel better.

But after fire ants, pulling the book case over, scraping his knee and eating too much; I am ready for this 24 hour period to be over. Let tomorrow be awesome and say Adios to this terrible, horrible, no good day.

Fire Storm

August revisited the idea of fire ants today. After a couple of stings last year he learned the word ants and has given them a wide berth. However tonight, he stepped into a low bed not visible above the grass and got swarmed. He alerted me with a bunch of disgruntled bleating and "stop, stop, stop!!!!"

I whisked him up, brushed off his legs, and pulled off his shoes but he still suffered 18 bites on his legs and arms. He told me that he had "ouchies on his feet" and that he had "BooBoo's"

A little hydracortazone cream, cold wash clothe, and some ibuprofen and all is well. He is asleep and the swelling is easing. One firestorm down many more to come I am certain.

Where are you?

It was between 7 and 7:30 in the morning when the unintelligible signing started in the other room. Papa and I  just continued to enjoy the fact that we were not yet necessary and that we had not been forced to get up at 4 am for work. Then it started....
"Paaaapa', I'm ready"

pause

"Paaaaapa', Wheeeeere aaaaaare youuuuuu?"

Papa, leaning over to look out the door, "hey bud I am right here. I'll be there in a minute"

"OK. Papa, I'm ready now. I want out"

Papa, "turn on your light and get a train. I will be right there."

"Ok, Papa"

That was by far the best sentence sequencing I had ever heard him use.
Then it just keep going. I think some grammar switch has gone off in his head. It is kind of fun.

The Hunt was Smashing!

We had an Easter Egg hunt on Sunday...yes Easter wasn't for another week but what the hey. Lita Nena and Henry were in town visiting. 60 eggs were hidden and 59 were found...Not bad for one little man a four folks who depend on glasses to see whats going on.

It took about 10 eggs for him to get the hang of it but from that point it was on like Donkey Kong. August was on the hunt. Green eggs contained coins and rattled when shaken. Blue and white eggs were filled with monster stickers. The orange yellow and purple eggs contained one Reese's Pieces egg each...he GOT to share those with the adults. But the best eggs were the confetti eggs.

These are actual hollowed out and brightly died eggs filled with ...you guessed it confetti! When you find one you get to smash it on someone's head. So we all took turns getting smashed by August. He also loved being on the confetti end.

Check out the fotos on Flicker

Blossoming

Well Spring is here and as the temperatures rise the clothes are coming off and on, then off and on, then off again. A. seems to have figured out socks and shoes. He is a fan of putting them on and off. In fact he has been getting out of bed just to get socks for night night. And he loves to dress up in the high heels at school as well. Sadly he walks better in heels than Mama.

One of the fields by our house is in bloom with Texas wild flowers. Lots of bluebonnets , Russian blue sage, brown eyed susans, etc. A loves to help pick flowers and put them in a jar on the table. His teachers said that he picked every flower between his classroom and the playground.
The other field is a construction site full of earth movers. Bulldozers, backhoes, rollers, excavators and dump trucks galore. These are all available for viewing from our porch and for our listening pleasure inside our apartment from the hours of 8-6 M-F. Construction play is currently in vogue.

We are definitely starting to see some preference for certain clothing items and toys. He really prefers some shirts to others. In fact I broke down and let him wear his jammie pants to Target. Once a shirt is on it almost can't come off without a melt down. Unless it is "dirty". I can admit to playing the "Its dirty" card a few times just to make a more cohesive outfit.

His imagination is also blossoming. We have begun to play Fantasy games. Mostly with Lego men. We hide the Lego men in pockets, run races on the map rug, drive the fire truck, high five ( this involves high fiving while holding the men in our hands....yeah it doesn't feel so hot because someone goes all out), sit on the porch and watch the earth movers, and even put them to bed.

Salad and other things

We are happy to announce that August is suddenly a fan of salad. He has even asked for it several times at dinner. We had just given up serving him salad on a plate. I still would take him out to the patio to pick his own fresh herbs and greens.

We have also seen a resurgence in his interest in walking/hiking with us. We have been able to take several afternoon strolls at parks around the area now that the weather is warm again. He is showing an increasing interest in nature. He enjoys finding flowers, looking for sticks and rocks, finding the moon, and enjoying sunsets

Spurting up once again. He has grown an inch since his 2nd birthday. A now stands at 3 feet and 1/2 inch tall. Carlos thinks he may be getting ready to sprout again because he has been sleeping a bit more and eating like a starving dog. No sooner have we finished a meal and he asks for more food. 3 nights ago we went to a Mexican restaurant and he ate his entire kids meal of an enchilada with rice and beans, and food from our plates as well as chips and salsa. It was kind of amazing.

A Turning Point

We seem to be at a turning point with potty training. August has continued to visit the potty with varied success. He actually made a poo earlier this week and was veeeeery excited to actually use toilet paper and get to flush. I hope it is a trend because that was the easiest poo change we have had in two years!

It also seems to be spring here meaning that we once again find ourselves sorting through his clothes. What size fits from last shorts season. What do we have in the next size up. He currently is wearing 3t and 4t in shirts and 2t and 3t in shorts and pants. Longer in the body than in the legs. This is completely opposite of Carlos and myself who are much longer in the legs than upper body. How ever he has grown an inch since his 2nd birthday and is now 3 ft 1/2 inch tall. I am pretty sure all that height is in the legs b/c I just tossed 3-4 pair of long pants into the donation bin.

Art work is also now a pretty regular thing around here. He asks to paint in the afternoons and has become quite prolific in his artwork at school.

Also his skills with puzzles are increasing on a geometric level. Only last week he was struggling with the 6 piece puzzle and today he did the 12 piece with a minimal amount of help.

In one end and out the other...

Well our little man is now on record as a biter. He bit a another student at his school today. He and the other student got into a tussle over a cozy coupe that ended with August biting the other student on the arm. He stopped before breaking the skin but apparently left some serious bruising. I discussed the indecent with him during dinner and he was visibly upset. He asked for a hug. and we focused on using his words and letting his teachers know.

He also seems to be aware of what we mean when we talk about the dreaded Whining...It gives me hope that we can conquer that evil beast.

Tonight, August made a great achievement. He willingly and consciously peed in the potty. Not once but twice!!!!! He has shunned the potty for several months so tonight's achievements are all the more glorious. There was much celebration. Lots of kissing, hugging, praising , and high fiving were had.