Happy Holidays!

We opted for a non-traditional holiday "card" this year. Giving credit where credit is due, this idea came from Winston’s Auntie Sarah. In the interest of being "green", as well as appearing technologically savvy, we are sending an electronic holiday card. We hope you enjoy it.

All our best wishes for a most happy holiday season

Lots of Nana (as in Jesse HtW Gray)

There has been alot of Nana reminders around lately.

I was at a memorial service on Friday and they concluded the service with a bagpiper playing "Amazing Grace." On any given day that hymn wrecks me. Teary, teary, teary. But on bagpipes? Forget about it. Tears? Try sobs.

Then this weekend I have been making Scottish shortbread. Lots of it. With every poke of the fork in the dough before baking, with every cut of the cooling shortbread, I remember Nana.

I know we can pass memories down, and I will. But they of course won't mean the same thing to Winston as they do to me. Since we live so far away from family we try to talk about the family members who are still with us. Make them real to Winston. Grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins.

But by sharing with him my memories of my grandparents, I give him family history. Legacy. All that good stuff. Granted, he won't have the attachement to them that I do. Nor should he. I want him to build his own memories of his times with his grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins. But he will have his own memories of his mom telling him stories, making him help with the shortbread and talk about his great-great-grandmother. I will share as many stories as I can about relatives who have passed. But the "Nana- Connection" runs deep in family lore.

I can tell him that he had a cousin who always reminded us of Nana. A cousin who died within 4 days after he was born. Whose spirit I am convinced hangs out with Winston occasionally. I can tell Winston that he has an angel named Gail, who was alot like Nana. I can tell Winston that I think his cousin Leah looks like Nana. Winston and Leah are only 6 mos apart. And I can ask Winston to look in the mirror. Look at his eyes. The only person on either side of his family that has/had eyes quite that blue was Nana - aka Jesse Hewitt Thompson Walker Gray.

He's so funny!

Winston is cracking me up lately. I love this age.

He's a little director. "Mama, this way. Mama, sit down. Watch. Look."

This all said while he pushes or pull me in different directions to go play, watch Elmo, whatever. At daycare drop-off one day last week he found a tow truck, took it over to a pile of mats, sat down, patted the seat next to him and said "Mama, sit down. Look. Big truck."

He knows his name now and loves to use it. He'll put a blanket over his head and say, "Where's Winton? Winton where ahhhhhh uuuuuuu?" then throw the blanket aside and say "Peek ahh Boo!" He also likes to give himself self-affirmations. He'll do something and then say, "Yay Winton! Go go Winton!" I won't even be in the room and hear him playing and cheering himself on.

Nana Tutu even got an unprompted"I love you" on the phone the other day, that was huge.

And he knows how to play it up. We have started to get the fake cry. When I called him on it, he actually stopped, looked at me sideways and giggled. He thought he was hilarious.

Oh gosh, there are a ton of other funny things. He can't say "Oscar" or "chalk" quite right yet, but loves to talk about them. (Oscar the Grouch and the sidewalk chalk in the basement) So, Oscar is "ocker" and chalk is (still) "cawk." Oh, and Grinch sounds something like "bitch." I just pray he doesn't pull that out at school or in public.

Last one ---
Winston says "ay yigh yigh" meaning "EI EI O" and that he wants to sing Old MacDonald. I always ask him if he wants a Mexican hat dance. "No, mama! AY Yigh yigh!!! Moooo mooo! Onk onk!" And it must be sung by mama. The two discs we have in the car with professional versions just won't do.

W: "No, mama! Maaaaaaahmmaaaaaah:
M: "You want mama to sing?"
W: "Yep. Mama."

So we sing, and sing, and sing. All the way from daycare home. I won't be done with the verse and he's already instructing me as to what the next sound should be. He's not limited to animals. He's asked for "tractor" the other day. Our funny little man!

The name game revisited. And other fun talking tells

Ok, so I posted before about how Winston knows his name. But that was just his first name. He's got the whole thing now!

He can say "Winston Judah" clear as day.

Ok, the Winston actually sounds like "Winton" most of the time, but the "Judah" is crystal! Then, when prompted he'll give us the last name.

I need to get it on video and post. It makes me all googly inside when he says it. Swoon, over my little man!

PLUS --

I think we are having another word explosion, with sentences this time. Last night in the car he said “I want bokuku” – which translated means “I want a popsicle.”

He gives me directions with things like “Momma, light please” and “Momma, this way” as he leads me around the house. And my personal favorite complete sentence “I love you Momma/Dada, up a skies.” (said at bedtime)

Ah, this is such a fun age!

Misc. weekend fun

Things to remember:

- Winston saying "gosh"

- Jay and Winston diapering the elephant

- Winston chowing on Lil Smokies at Costco

* if I don't just chronicle simple things like snapshots in my mind, I certainly run the risk of forgetting them.

20 months today!

NEWSFLASH!

Winston is 20 months old today! We are in the "twenties" in counting months. Soon we will be in years. Oy! This momma is not ready.

Vacation memories

Things that I want to remember:

How much Winston loved the stray cats that seemed to live on the resort. There was the first one he met at dinner the one and only night we ate on the outside veranda at the buffet. He wanted to find it no matter what and eating became a lost cause. "Meow meow!" was what said as he searched for her. He would get sad if he didn't see her.

Then there was another cat that seemed to live closer to the room. He would follow her and try to get close. And wanted to look for her all the time. One night close to the end of our time there we saw her on the way to dinner. Winston wouldn't go any further. He wanted to stay with "Meow meow." We let him get close and told him he had to say good-bye. He got upset and said "no!." But eventually we heard him say "Bye-bye meow meow, I love you." Oh, my sweet little man.

What's your name?

Winston thinks his name is "you" so we've been trying to teach him that his name is actually Winston. Here's how this went tonight while Winston was in the bathtub.

Momma La: What's your name?

Winston: You!

Daddy: (whispering, "it's Winston.")

M

What's your name?

Winston thinks his name is "you" so we've been trying to teach him that his name is actually Winston. Here's how this went tonight while Winston was in the bathtub.

Momma La: What's your name?

Winston: You!

Daddy: (whispering, "it's Winston.")

What's your name?

Winston has been thinking that is name is "you" so we've been trying to teach him that his name is actually Winston. Here's how this went tonight while Winston was in the bathtub.

Momma: What's your name?
Winston: You!
Daddy: (whispering to W., "it's Winston.")
Momma: What's your name?
Winston: Wiston!! (clapping)
Us: Yay for Winston!! (clapping)
Winston: Mo Wiston???

repeat 10 x

By about the 10th time he seemed to get it. It was adorable. But I can't believe that my kid thought his name was "You."

Trick or Treat!

Dispatch from Vacay - oh what a difference a day makes

Winston got sick on day three. The midpoint of our vacation. We are talking toddler-vomiting-in-the-middle-of-the-night sick. Poor guy. Jay and I moved into his room on head-to-head twin beds and snuggled with the monkey. He went right back to sleep for a couple of hours and then was at it again. Then right back to sleep. He's fine now. It's been over 48 hours and now he just has a cold. He's at the Baby Club today - our last day here.

I am here in the room so that I can stay close to the bathroom. Yep. Momma's sick too now. But not puking. The "other" stereotypical Mexican-vacation induced illness. Yuck. I spent the hours of 3-8 am on the bathroom floor. Just lovely. Jay's out on a wave-runner right now and I am here on the laptop, watching a movie and trying to eat saltines. Sad.

Ever since Jay and I went into Zihua on Saturday my tummy has been "off." We ate almost the same things since then, with the exception of me partaking of too much guacamole and ceviche. It's yum, but seems to be kicking my butt quite literally. I am a little bitter.

Anyway - on to the fun we have had since my last post.

Zihua on Saturday was great. Hotter than Hades but great. Based on a rec from my sister we went on a quest for a restaurant called "La Serena Gorda". Bummer was that we sort of started in the opposite direction. But took a great walk along the beach. We did find that fat mermaid, but by then had decided that we should eat on the sand too. (looking back, this may have been my mistake). We did a little shopping and Jay got his haggle-on with a persistant Mexican shopkeeper. It was all good. Winston had a good day at daycare. This was the night Winston got sick tho.

So, Sunday was spent in the room for the most part while Winston slept. He slept for a good 4 hours right in the middle of the day. He needed it. I think we did some time at the pool and then the beach that afternoon. Jay played flag football and Winston and I played in the gameroom.

Yesterday was Monday and we took Winston to see the nurse just to make sure everything was ok. He seemed to be very congested, but no fever. He had some Benadryl and then we went to the pool. I took a water aerobics class while Jay and Winston watched. Winston even got into it a bit too. Then Jay played water polo and Winston and I made new friends by the stairs in the pool. By all indications, vacay was back in full swing.

After an afternoon nap, we were all back at the pool and Winston was Mr. Confident. I swear I think he thinks he can really swim. He was putting his face in the water and pushing me away. Crazy boy!

Then last night Jay and I went for a nice dinner and got a babysitter. Poor sitter literally just sat in our room for 2 hours since Winston was already asleep. They have something here at the Club called "Pygama Night" where you can take your kids over to the daycare and they watch your kids and put them down to sleep. Then you go get them to transfer them to their own beds. We thought about doing that, but we just didn't see it going well. Anyway, it was a great night. Until I woke up at 3 am.

So, there you have it. We are all caught up. Jay's hoping to come back this afternoon with me feeling better. Fingers crossed that is actually the case. Then we want to take Winston to a nearby crocodile sanctuary. He's loving seeing geckos and lizards (there's a lagoon outside our door) so we think he'll get a kick out of the crocodiles. Or be completely freaked out. We'll let you know what happens.

Dispatch from Vacay - oh what a difference a day makes

Winston got sick on day three. The midpoint of our vacation. We are talking toddler vomiting in the mid

Big stuff while on vacation!

Still trying to catch up with some posts about our trip, but this news deserves separate mention.

First, Winston seems to be close to mastering a regular cup. Yay!

Second, I think we are on the road to potty-training. Winston often does tell me when he wants a diaper change. But tonight after dinner he walked over to the toilet and started pulling on his diaper. We asked him if he wanted to use the toilet, did he want to go pee-pee, etc. And he said yes! So Jay stripped off the diaper and tried to get Winston to sit on the toilet, with his help of course. No go. But then Winston was standing facing the toilet and let it rip. Pee all over the floor, sure. But hey - he was close and was communicating to us what he wanted to do. Then he grabbed some toilet paper and patted his penis dry. It was adorable. I think we will be buyng a little kiddie toilet for him as soon as we get home. :=)

Vacay pix - sneak peak

Here's Winston in Atlanta. He loved looking at the airplanes!

Here's a little self-portrait from tonight. Right before dinner.
Daddy and Winston playing in the sand. Mommy lounging by the pool.

Winston and mommy in the kids pool.

Winston at the beach. I think this may be our holiday card this year. :-)

More pix to follow soon.

Vacay!!

Here we are at the Club Med Ixtapa Pacific. Woo hooo!

The trip in was fine. It worked out really quite well to break up the legs like we did. First flight was to Atlanta Tuesday night. Next flight was Atlanta to Mexico City where we had a 3 hour layover before flying to Zihua. Winston was a champ! We used the VIP lounge at Benito Juarez and Winston watched Elmo on the dvd player. Yay. Winston got so upset waiting to board the plane though. He does seem to get the concept that he goes in the airplane now and, dare I say, looks forward to it.

So, anyhow ...

We arrived on Wednesday evening and were all knackered. We checked in and got a quick tour, got a quick bite to eat and went to bed. The next day was our own orientation. This place is great. It's like a cruise ship that never leaves dock with the all the food and activities and that it's all-inclusive. Also notable -- it's low season and this place is dead. At times it's like we have our own private resort. Capacity is 850. We were told there are about 200 people here right now. I think I love low season. :-)

We slept in a little that first day, had a nice breakfast and really checked everything out. We registered Winston for the Baby Club and were able to see that whole set-up. But we didn't want to leave Winston the first day. It just seemed like too much too soon. The goal was for Winston to go to daycare starting on Friday. So -- Thursday was breakfast, touring the resort, then lunch, then nap (and we all napped!) then we went down to the beach. Winston loved it!

Then before you know it, it was time to get cleaned up and guess what? Go eat again! Yikes. but the food is super good and it's hard to say no to any of it. Seriously.

Some early reflections on our first 24 hours included that this place is like France in Mexico, a trip really. This is only reinforced by the fact that most of the tv channels seems to be French, but with Spanish subtitles. Speaking of Spanish, I am surprised and delighted that lots of my Spanish is coming back. I think Jay is surprised as well.

Day two was Friday and we took Winston to daycare. We got there just as they were getting ready to take the kids on a buggy ride. Which was good, or so we thought. We put Winston in the buggy, said our good-byes and left. Poor Winston kind of freaked out. Screaming after us "Moooommmmmmmaaaaaa, DDaaaadaaaahhhhh!! Nooooooooo!!!." It was hard. But then after a bit we heard the cries cease and it seemed fine. Jay and I went for breakfast and to strategize our day.

My goal was to lay by the pool. Jay wanted to be more active. We were at odds. In the end I got in some lazy time reading my book in a cabana while drinking a margarita (yum) while Jay joined a game of water polo in the pool. One challenge in all this -- avoiding Winston. The daycare staff take the buggies by the pool to go to lunch. Yikes!! Jay and I had to run and hide. Literally run and hide, so that Winston didn't see us. It was a bit dicey.

(one aside -- we missed Winston instantly. We really enjoy seeing how much fun Winston has in everything we do together. So we decided that we needed to take part in activities that we definitely could never do w/Winston. Laying by the pool is iffy. Other activities needed to take a jump in the priority line.)

After our pool time Jay and I went on a tandem kayak, which was great. Then we went to what we thought was going to be an archery tournament. There weren't any people, so we both tried our hand at it. It was pretty cool. We picked up Winston at 4:30 (he had a GREAT day!) and took him to the pool at the Mini Club Med for the older kids that has a few water features. We, of course, had it to ourselves. Niiiiicceeee! Then it was time to get cleaned up and off to dinner. Winston took a "bath" in the shower.

That night Winston cried out for "Daaaaddaaaaahhh!" and "Maaaaammmaaaaahhh!" in his sleep. I must admit that it was a little freaky. But I suppose it was natural after he was kind of freaked out when we left him at daycare. Yikes.

Look for day three in another post ....

Is it Mardi Gras?

Winston found his dad's beads from New Orleans. First they were on the teddy bear. Then Winston decided to wear them. He called them "pretties"

We didn't ask him to flash us. (wink :-))

Enjoy!

Up to the sky!

Weeeeee - Winston on the slide

More photos - catching up

Some recent faves!

Winston trying to be sneaky with some shopping.

My two guys

Winston in the big garden tub by himself for the first time. He loves it!

Happy Halloween - just a few weeks early :-)

I love Halloween! It is my favorite holiday. In honor of the day Tales from Winston's World is getting in the spirit - quite literally w/these ghosties.

My work big events for the semester are done and it's time to prep for vacation (woo hoo!) and then Halloween at the end of the month. Yiippeee!!!!!!!!!

Winston is doing well. He and his daddy had some good bonding time these last two weekends. And I think the boys are on the mend from their sicknesses. I worry that it's getting me now, tho. Bummer. I am pushing the snake-oil (aka Airborne) and hoping for the best. Keeping fingers crossed.

We went to the StrideRite outlet yesterday (Sunday) and got Winston 4 pairs of shoes. Sneakers, some nicer active-wear type shoes, sandals for Mexico and, drumroll .......

SNOW BOOTS!!!!

And all for a smokin' good price. Will try to post pix of Wynn in the boots soon. (He also got some croc-like shoes at the Carter's outlet). Yeah, we went to the outlets thinking we'd be there an hour or so. 4 hours later we left. Yeah. Winston also made out well at Old Navy and Carters.

That's it for now. I need to get back to work and fly through some stuff before vacation! Yehaw!!!!

Quick things ....

Last night was the first time Winston slept with a pillow and a blanket in his crib!

Also, today in the car he say "bye-bye ele fah" (not just "ella"), and stringing two words together.

Just had to post this while it was still at top of mind ..... otherwise it might be lost forever (!)

Edited on 10/6 to add --- today Winston said "monk" when referring to "monkey." Which has heretofore been "mah". Ah, finally the words "mama" and "monkey" are truly differentiated. Too bad that cloistered members of clergy share the same moniker with a primate - in Winston's world. :-)

Pix!!

My sleeping little man. And the elephant, the bear, the monkey and the blankie. They all go together.

Here's Winston the Robot (a project from "No Time For Flashcards")

A Winston-Mommy self-portrait shot. Mmmmwwwaaaahh!!!

Daddy and Winston in the rain.

He's got a cold :-(

Winston's got a cold. Poor guy just isn't feeling well. He coughed all night. This morning he tried so hard to be in a good mood, but then he'd sneeze and he'd have a snot explosion. That seemed to bum him out. And who can blame him. He would sneeze in the car, not know what to do with the snottiness and then rub his face on his carseat. Which upset him even more. He likes to be clean, that's for sure.

Fingers crossed that it stays as a cold/cough, doesn't morph into something else, and goes away quickly. And that it doesn't hit Jay or I. We leave for our Mexican vacation in less than two weeks. We must all be healthy!!

Random musing for the day

I get it now; the whole appearance of the professional working (out of the home) mom. Or, rather, the illusion.

Whenever I see a well-put together mom either out with her kids, or picking-up/dropping-off at daycare I am so impressed. And downright jealous. I am talking about the perfect hair, the nice crisp suit, stylish shoes. And general lack of anxiety. And least there doesn’t seem to be any anxiety that’s readily perceived from the onlooker (me). If anything there is a sense of business. Like the mom in question is already in “office-mode” and the kids know it. Everything seems to click along like a well-oiled machine.

Yeah, that’s all bunk.

The professional working mommy knows how to put up a smoke-screen. How do I know this? I think I am doing it. I am dressed up today. Not really, just looking more “professional” and more “suited” (pun-intended) for my “director” title. At least I feel that way. And I noticed that the teachers at daycare treated me a bit differently, another “suited” mom gave me a knowing look at drop-off. I kept thinking, “what’s up?” And, oh yeah, the handful of other times I look a bit different in my dress (and perhaps as a result, my demeanor), things were also somehow different. Then it hit me. They think I “look” like I have it together. HA!!

See, I get it. I finally get it.

Girlfriend(s)?

We think Winston has a girlfriend. Or two. Or three?

He loves a little girl named Emmi. She is about a month younger than Winston and very sweet. He asks about her all the time. And when we pull into the parking lot at school he shouts with glee “EMMMII!” Sadly, Emmi is only there 3 days a week, so 2 days a week little Winston gets a bit of a letdown. :-(

Winston and Emmi greet each other with smiles and sometimes hugs. Emmi even comes over to me with a smile and a hug. It’s quite sweet. I think that the drop-offs are better overall when Emmi is there. She’s like Winston’s luvee. Awwww.

Then there is Eleni. Eleni is a month or two older than Winston and quite a firecracker. She likes to hug and kiss Winston. Winston will hug back, but I have been told that sometimes it’s too much for Winston. Evidently, he ran away from her last week saying “no, no, no” and shaking his head. But they like to play together and will sit and sway together during song time. Eleni greets me with hugs too.

And finally, there is Olivia. She is just one year old and so sweet. Whenever Winston hears her name he giggles, and dare I say, blushes. When she is sad Winston will try to comfort her with a hug or a pat.

Winston has little boy friends too; but really there are only two other boys in the class. And only one other boy who is full-time like Winston. In true boy-fashion they like to greet each other and say good-bye with high-fives. No joke.

Bumps and bruises. And some kisses.

You might remember our stint last “school” year when Winston had a perma-bruise and bump on his head. I swear I think he fell down and bumped his head three times in one week. Well, we got another taste of that last week.

Anytime there is an injury at school the teachers fill out an incident slip and leave it for a parent’s signature. Inevitably I see the slip of paper before I see Winston, so I can be prepared. Right? If the injury is either more serious or just looks that way, the teachers will call to notify you, or at least warn you before you see your child. On Wednesday of last week was notice #1. Just a slip of paper.

Winston had been pushing a toy shopping cart on the playground. Ok, he was running with it. He hit a bump and the cart toppled forward. Not one to let go, Winston went with it, skidding on his hand across the concrete. This meant he had scraped knuckles and a fairly icky looking owie on the top of his right hand. It needed a band-aid for certain. Winston was quick to show me his owie when I got there. And I was quick to give him and the owie kisses. (note -- this is the first time that I used the "let momma kiss it and make it better" line. It works!)

On Thursday we had incident #2. This one necessitated a call. It was 4:47 pm. (yes I noted it). Winston had been playing with another child and wrestling (?) and they both fell to the floor. (Huh? They were standing up to wrestle, you ask? Just wait.). Winston fell and hurt his eye on the rail of a rocking chair. The teacher who called me said it was swollen pretty badly, but that Winston was in good spirits. Not a serious injury. Just looked bad right now. Ok. Breathe momma, breathe.

I get to school and my little guy has a black eye and a red bump on his nose. But, yep, he was in good spirits. As it ends up, he was getting hugs (and maybe kisses?) from either one or two little girls. Things got a bit aggressive and they fell. Now, I don’t know which little girls were involved. But I have my suspicions.

Ch, ch,ch, changes .....

Why is it that child developments seem to happen in spurts? Winston hits the 18 mo. age marker and things just blow-up. He’s putting together two words or more now. New words are coming out. And he’s off the bottle.

The other day he kept asking about Dada as we left the house. I went thru the usual drill telling him that Daddy is going to work, Mommy will go to work and Winston will go to school. Jay had left just a bit before us and was just ahead of us in his car. We turned the corner and Winston saw the Jeep going on ahead of us. He said, “Oh, bye-bye Dada.” And he waved. Like he understood what I’d said and was acknowledging it. Too funny.

The rest of the ride to school had Winston saying bye-bye to trucks, trees and cars.

We also just got Winston off the bottle. We were down to just one bottle of warm milk in the evening, in between dinner and bedtime. We have a little routine where we prep the bottle and then sit on the bed together for a cuddle while he drinks.

Winston really seems to look forward to it and will ask about “baba” as the evening goes on. I have been a little concerned lately because he has also started asking for “baba” at other times of the day. Maybe he’s getting a little too attached to it? I have since come to realize that he isn’t attached to the “baba”, as much as the routine around it.

Late last week Jay decided to switch the bottle for a straw cup, but still with warm milk. Winston didn’t skip a beat. It didn’t seem to matter that it was a straw and not a nipple. But he still wanted to sit w/one of us while he had his drink. And he still called it “baba.” We think it definitely refers more to the process and routine than the item itself.

Looks like we are a bottle-free house now. Wow.

More drop-off improvements

Drop-offs at daycare this week have been amazing. It's almost like it's not the same kid. Winston wants to walk himself into school, all the way from the parking lot. He walks into his class, pushes his jacket off and is gone. Playing with toys, saying hi to friends. Especially Emmi. Oh my, I think he has a girlfriend.

More to write --- have to run ...

Funny little man

After his bath the other night, Jay gave a little pat to Winston's bare booty. Winston laughed and said "moh".

So Jay did it again.

Winston once again said "moh, moh!" and giggled. W. even put his bo0ty in the air on hands and knees to continue to get his pats.

Jay gave some faster pats, like a quick three time pat-pat-pat. And not lightly either.

Guess what?

Winston still wanted more and just kept laughing. We were cracking up! When Jay stopped, Winston decided to smack his own booty.

I. Kid. You. Not.

Laughing, laying on the bed on his belly, naked, my kid is trying to smack his own butt. His butt was all red, but he wanted more. Is this odd?

Then yesterday we were watching him on the video monitor when he was down for his nap. And he was smacking his own butt again. What's up with this kid??

Winston's 18-Month Well-Baby Appointment

I guess we need to start referring to it as his "well-toddler" or "well-child" appointment. Anyway ......

We had a great, great appointment this morning! Winston was in wonderful spirits and the (new) pediatrician we saw was supportive, helpful and overall just lovely.

Here are the stats:
Weight: 22 lbs, 4 oz - 10th percentile (this is huge as he fell off the curve at 12 mos, was at 5% at 15 mos)
Height: 31.5" - 25th percentile
Head: 48cm - 50th percentile

He's also in good shape with the number of words he's saying (almost 50 now -- see the full list on the right column), all gross and fine motor function dvelopment, etc. Now, if we could just get him to eat his veggies. :-)

Next appt in 6 mos. Wow!

Winston Judah is 18 months old today!!!!

Yes, it is true. I just can't believe it. Watch this space for a retrospective in photos from the last year and a half. Or at least a little "then and now."

The early days ..









18 mos




Other news today ......

Drop-off at school was so, so, so much better. Winston wanted to walk by himself down the hall and into his room. There was still some clinginess, but it didn't last long. A tiny bit of whining. But I am happy to report that when I left the room Winston didn't seem to care a bit. He was otherwise occupied with little Miss Margaret while they looked in the mirror together while wearing construction hats.

Ah, it was so nice. A relatively peaceful drop-off. Fingers crossed these continue.

Just a quick update on drop-off this morning

Last Friday the drop-off at daycare was supah bad. SUUUPAH bad. It hurt me. Winston screeched, threw himself to the floor, almost hurting himself, to get near me. Eventually one of the teachers pretty much grabbed him up and they went with the rest of the class to the gym. I then had to sneak out covert-style past the gym which was on my way to the car. Guess what? Winston was fine. Jostling in line for his turn at the slide on the climber. I don't think he saw me leave (?).

So today I was apprehensive. And I am sure that Mr. W. picks up on that from me. We were running super late this morning (water heater took a nap so we had to wait for hot water. It's fine now (fingers crossed)). By the time W. and I got to school his class was already in the gym. So, once again, that same teacher grabbed Winston from me (a tad too harshly for me, really, but it worked). And Winston went off to play while I went to the classroom to drop-off his stuff. I hear him wailing all the way down the hall. :-(

Guess what? It all of about 5-10 minutes and Winston was fine. When I (once again) skulked by the gym windows Winston was happy and climbing all over this teeter-totter boat thingy. All good.

SO, while the screeches haven't lessened in intensity, they have shortened in duration. Progress, yes??

Are you ready for some football?

Winston has enjoyed the start of the NFL season. He can say "football" and gets excited when the games are on. You should see daddy and Winston sitting on the couch together, cheering on the J-E-T-S.

Football still takes a backseat to Sesame Street, but at least the boys have something in common to watch together! I wonder when Winston will get his first fantasy football team?

Winston in the rain, priceless

Forgive the videographer. Just turn your head sideways and it's fine.

View on ......

Pay puh, pay puh

This is how Winston refers to drawing of any kind. I think he really means using pencils, pens, markers, etc. But I must have said "only on paper" so many times that the entire activity is now "pay puh."

The kitchen table has been perpetually covered with butcher paper for some time now. We tape the paper down and Winston goes to town. He sits in his booster seat and has the best time. He now has washable markers, stampers, crayons (the bulby kind) and some colored pencils. He spends so much time there that we have invested in some other crafty type items so that we can try other creative things.

The only challenge is that eating in that same space is now a bit more difficult. Winston is easily distracted by the "pay puh" items and often wants to have something on his feeding tray while he eats. He's definitely a multi-tasker.

Harvest Day at daycare/school

Here's Winston and a sheep at Harvest Day, 2008!

Farmer John and his trick dog come out to the UMHS Childcare Center every fall to entertain the kids. He brings a petting zoo that includes sheep goats, a pig, shetland pony and a trick dog. In this shot Winston is watching the pony on the stage. I think the sheep is watching too. :-)

Then Winston started to dance to the music. He had his own ho-down! :-)

But it got tiring, so he took a break.

But was soon right back at it. Playing and having fun. :-0

Lil' Kicker!

We started Winston in a soccer class at the nearby High Velocity Sports center. The class is every Saturday morning from 9-10. The first day he was a little hesitant and needed both mom and dad there with him. The "coach" is Lauren and she is great with the kids. The ages are from 18 mos to 2 years (I think). There are about 5 or 6 kids in the class and all of them are just adorable.

They wear uniforms (see pix to follow). And they use real soccer balls! They run up and down the tiny field doing red light/green light to stop and go. And they play with cones and discs; stacking them and then knocking them down with a kick or kicking the ball into them. The kids also practice using their feet instead of their hands by stomping on bubbles that Coach Lauren has for them. They even put their hands together to get stamps on them and then have a group cheer. It's sooooo cute.

There is another little boy in his class, Adon (sp?), who is 3 days older than Winston. The two of them are definitely the smallest kids. Keeping in mind that Winston's a slight fellow, so is Adon.

The second class was today and Winston seemed more comfortable today than last week. I think this bodes well.

More daycare - Separation Anxiety

Last week was Winston's first week in his new class at daycare/school - the Monkey Room!

He was introduced to it and the teachers there with multiple visits over the summer, and with the teachers taking over in his old room occasionally before the transition. But with all that being done, I am still not surprised that we have some more separation anxiety.

But, even with the effort to ease thee kids into the new environment our recent mornings have been tough at drop-off.

This past weekend it's been happening at home too. If Jay and I are both with Winston he's fine. If one of us leaves Winston's sight, he calls after us repeatedly until we return. Sometimes he is satisfied if the parent with him explains where the other parent went and when they will back. At least for a bit.

Inevitably he starts up asking "Mama?" "Dada?". I can't got to the bathroom without him seeking me out. I was upstairs and Jay and Winston were down and he kept calling "Mama!!" I'd answer him but he wanted to be with me. Same thing for Jay. Then when he finally sees us, he's fine and practically squeals our names. At first I thought he was just having fun realizing that he can call us and we do answer him. But it seems to be more than that.

You should have seen us in stores this weekend. He could be heard all over the store.What can I do to help him? What can Jay and I do to deal with this? At home it just gets a little annoying, but at drop-off at school he gets super clingy, clutches at me and just wails. We do all those things you read about to help, and I know it's just a phase, but it's still hard.

Ideas:

He loves to draw and color, so this morning (9/8) his primary teacher and I started to draw with him. He wanted me to draw too, so I did for a bit. I even drew a stick figure and told him it was mama. he seemed to like that. Then I gave my crayon to the teacher and tried to shift Winston's attention. Then I kissed him, said bye, that I would see him later and walked to the door. He still cried, but didn't try to jump the chair like he did last week. I am wondering if having pictures of Jay and I at school would help?? He has his photo album of family so maybe I should start leaving that there with him again?

(9/9)
Last week it helped with a teacher taking Winston over to look out the window or to start drawing. Today was BAAAAAAAAAAAADDDDDDDDDDD tho. Winston had to be pulled from my legs. His new primary teacher was there and stayed by the door as I left, hugging him. Of course, he struggled and tried to pull away. The teacher kept saying, "you're safe Winston, you're safe." I don't think he gets "safe" yet tho.

She held him at the front window while I waved and blew kisses, then I walked away. He was screaming!!! Bad, bad bad. It was so hard.

We didn't end up sending the photo book b/c Winston refused to leave the house without his monkey, his bear and his blankie. All "his buddies" that he sleeps with. He has brought them in the car before, but usually kisses them bye-bye and he's ok. Today they went into the class with him. I tried so hard to be energetic and excited on the way to school, talking about his friends and his teachers. Then when we got there I sat and read a book with him. That was great b/c the other kids came up and wanted to see. Winston pulled away from me and sat with them, then went on to play with other things, but kept checking to make sure I was still there. If I even moved more then a few steps away he'd freak. I am going to call to check on him soon.

Later ....

Evidently he only asked for me or dada for about 5-10 minutes yesterday. Then again at about 4:30/5 o'clock. Today was a bit better after I left. (oh, and he hardly eats at school since moving to the new room. But then we get home and he scarfs dinner. So, I know he's hungry. ugh)

Oh my gosh, I almost forgot to mention this. I found out that his new primary teacher will be on vacation for two weeks (starting next week)! Poor Winston is just getting used to her (at least I hope he is) and she's going to be away. Oy!!!

Toys - esp. cars and trucks

I find it so interesting that no matter how much Jay and I may try to keep Winston's toys gender neutral, he generates toward cars and trucks. And bugs. I noticed this in Winston's classroom especially where the more gender-associated playthings are presented equally. The girls seem to seek out the dolls, the boys the trucks. It's downright freaky to me. It's not absolute by any means, but does seem to be the trend.

Nothing seems to exemplify this more than our recent experience with HotWheels.

Holy crap! Two packs of cars have been on his dresser for about 10 mos. He just noticed them. I was pushing for them to stay packaged and maybe even put away. Jay says, no way. Let him play.

So I did.

It's a slippery slope isn't it? Our house will never be the same, huh? The kid looooovvveeeees them!!!!!!
(upshot -- they are great massage tools when Winston runs them up and down my back)

He clutched them in his sleep when we put him to bed. He would NOT let go of them Oy!

Labor Day weekend - Papa John & Grandma Dawny visit

I have a goal to get all of Winston's grandparents on video singing nursery rhymes. This was the first successful attempt. Here's Granddad/Papa John and Grandma Dawny ...

Daycare Transition

Today is Winston's last day as a "Rainbow Tot"! It's transition time at school (they run on a regular academic calendar) and it's time to move up. As of next Wednesday (9/3) Winston will be a "Jumping Monkey." So fitting, eh? My baby is leaving the room he's been in since he started daycare. When he started he was just sitting on his own. Now he's running! Jay and I are tripping out!!

The new room is pretty cool. Each child has their own open-locker type area w/their picture on it for their extra clothes, etc. And they have little tables and these groovy modular box-like "chairs".

All the kids in the new room are about the same age, and most of them are moving up together from the Tots room. I think the transition is going to be much harder on Jay and I than on Winston. I am already not liking the way they store the children's food for the day (what we all bring from home). In the Tots room each child has their own labeled bin. In the Monkey room there is one bin for any items meant to be heated, for all children. And one for things meant to remain cold. I am sure I will adjust, but I just don't like it. (so there. humph).

First visit to Disneyland

It's Mickey Winston!

Today was Winston first Disneyland visit. We had no idea how he would react. Well, he got freaked out by the carousel horses, but loved Pirates of the Caribbean. Go figure!

We are done :-(

No more nursing. I am really ok if I just don't think about it. When Winston was sick last week he had trouble latching, so we only nursed a little before bed (bedtime has been our only nursing session for the last 5 months). Then we had one good session, then a series of Winston wanting to, and trying to, but nada. He would pat the boob, then try to nurse, then sit up and make this sad face and shake his head "no." I think he felt bad b/c then he would hug me. That was last weekend and we haven't nursed since. Not even on the plane on the way out to California when he needed some comfort. We are done. Momma is sad.

Goodness, just typing that made me cry. I did not think that this would make me so sad. Ok, I knew I'd be a little sad. But I could just bawl my eyes out right now. Wow.

Winston is *officially* a monkey!

Yeah, yeah, we all knew that right?

Well, this September he will transition from the Rainbow Tot room at school to the Monkey room!

My son is (going to be) a MONKEY!!!

Lots to update

Please forgive the ramble that is about to follow. We've had some requests for updates, so here is my best effort at relaying what's up in Winston's world.

What is Winston up to lately? Well, we’ve learned that he has a reputation at school. Uh oh! Oh no, what could it be you ask? Wait for it ……..




Our kid is the one who likes books more than toys. I LOVE IT!! He brings books to the teachers and wants them to read to him. OR he brings two books over – one for him to read and one for the teacher to read. He does this with Jay and I as well. He also likes to read books in the car.Early on I wondered how I would instill my love of books in Winston.

I have no idea what we did, but it worked. Fingers crossed it continues and only grows stronger.

One offshoot of the book-lovin’ is that very often Winston will see something in a book that he knows he also has in real life and he has to go find it. For example, he sees an airplane or a truck in a book and he will run to get his toy airplane and truck. It works the other way as well. He’ll be playing with the truck for example and then stop and gets the book and flips thru to find the picture of the truck. My fave is with elephants. There are maybe 4-6 images of elephants in different books in the house. Winston also has maybe two toy elephants and one stuffed elephant. It is not unusual for Winston to gather his elephants – images and real items – together in one place. I think he’ll be a wiz at the memory card game.

Another quick example – I love this one. We were shopping in Marshall ’s this past weekend. I found a Dr. Seuss ABC book that we decided to get, so I gave it to Winston to occupy him in the cart. He looks thru it while we continue shopping, but we didn’t read it to him. Then we are in line to check-out and he keeps pointing at things on display. One of them is an octopus shaped cookie. So I show it to him and tell him what it is. He gets excited (“eh, eh eh” he says) and flips thru the Seuss book. Guess what? “O” is for octopus! He proudly found the image and showed it to me. J He read it on his own and remembered seeing it in the book.

Flash cards –We have these sign language flash cards. One side has a word and a photo. The other side has the sign for that word. Winston cares little for the sign. He just likes us to show him the cards and say the words. He will repeat the words back to us as best he can. Some of the cards get some fun reactions. The card for “ball” gets giggles and claps. I think he even said “yay” once. The card for “girl” makes him blush and giggle. The card for “milk” has two images – one of a bottle of milk, and another of a baby nursing at the breast. Winston sees the card and instead of repeating the word “milk” after us, he says “momma”. Once he even pointed at his chest. Ah, made me melt.

What else? Oh, Winston can climb onto the couch AND the coffee table. (see pix). And just this past week, on his 16 mo bday Mr. Winston discovered how to open doors. He could reach the knobs before, but didn’t understand how to push or pull the door open. Um, yeah. He’s got that covered now.

He also learned how to turn the light switch “on”. He has been able to push down for “off” but the “on” is new.

Other things? We think he’s getting another tooth. This will be #9. Not sure which one it is, but something is going on b/c he’s drooling more again and gets crabby.

He’s practicing with his toddler fork and spoon. He’s doing pretty well at it too. He seems to be losing interest in mashed up foods, unless he gets a good thing going with a spoon, but the preference seems to be on things he can pick-up w/fingers or very easily with a spoon or fork and actually chew.

Finally, Winston is following in the steps of his cousin Cameron. We will be driving down the road and come upon a large truck (of any type) and Winston yells "BIG TRUCK" (his version) and points. Sometimes we also get a "WOW" or a "Ooooooohhh!!" as well. It's fun and makes us smile. I remember Cameron doing that at about the same age.

That's it for now. We love and miss everyone and can't wait to see you soon!

At the Columbus Zoo, June 2008

General update

Winston had a bit of the croup these past couple of days, but things are looking up and he's feeling much better. He was in a great mood tonight and was just a flurry of activity and so wanted to share while I am thinking of it. Sorry for the ramble, but here goes .....

Winston says "book" now (sounds more like "boo c", very soft "ka" at the end) and brings books over to be read to him. OR he brings two books over. One for you to read and one for him to read. He plops down near you and "reads" his book. If you don't read yours he gets upset. :-)

He is pretty much saying his version of "Brown Bear" - he LOVES that book, and all the companion books. And this morning he insisted on taking a book in the car w/him. AND he "read" it on the way to school! I kid you not! I could see him turning the pages and hear him jabbering away. (he's definitely my kid, loves books and cheese! Can't get enough of either one! :-)

He also says "Nigh nigh" for bedtime. He understands sooooo much it's trippy. We say it's nigh-nigh time and he walks into the bedroom to get ready. I ask if he's hungry (or sign it) and he toddles on over to his feeding chair. He was eating banana tonight and saw me bring out the bag of grapes, he made some sounds and some signs to tell me he wanted some. I said, ok, fine. But you have to finish your bananas. No bananas on your tray, ok? Well, the little monkey decided to "hide" the bananas, behind his head or under his tray. I "caught" him and he giggled so hard. He knew exactly what he was doing.

He loves balls of all kinds and will roll one back and forth to Jay. Jay often tosses a small soccer ball up the lowest three stairs and Winston goes after it. Today Winston was tossing the ball up the stairs just like his Daddy! And he kicks the ball too. He's pretty quick and "nimble" for those wobbly toddler legs. We joke that he's got his Daddy's "cat-like quickness" hehehe :-)

He gets upset if he has to leave a toy or a book for some reason, UNLESS we say bye-bye to the item. Then he waves and is fine with it. He carries food out of the pantry and over to his high chair, but if we say he has to put it back, he will! (ok, sometimes). But when he does, he puts it back in the cupboard and waves at it. "bye bye"

That's just some of the latest from Winston's world. :-) We'll keep you posted on more and send you pix soon!