More visiting

We started very early today. 8 am! Carolynn, Chris, Walter and baby Jack had us over for breakfast. Jack is so cute and looks a lot like Carolynn. I wish I could say Carolynn and I just sat around and drank coffee, but with two toddlers and two newbies it was a bit hectic. So much so that I did not even take a picture. Theo and Jack were of course oblivious to the existence of the other, but Gus and Walter had a lot of fun. They played with Walter's work bench, loaded citrus fruit into a wheel barrel and toted it around the house (that ended because Gus wouldn't stop biting the fruit and Walter didn't want to share it), and stood at the back stairs and called down to Chris who was working in the cellar. Walter would call, "Daddy," and then Gus would call "Robert's Daddy." He kept referring to Walter as Robert. I do not know if he was confusing him with his cousin Robert, or if he was just pronouncing Walter funny.

We met up with Jonathan back in Dedham and Gus cut and decorated cookies with Grammy while I ran an errand.

Gus's cookies.

This was Gus's first baking experience and by all reports he loved it, and discovered a new word, "decorate." A lot of my friends bake with their under-twos (and have even forwarded kid friendly recipes to me) but I am a meanie when it comes to the kitchen and have been very protective of my favorite space. I keep all my pots and tools under lock and key and have only let Gus play with kitchen equipment on a handful of occasions. So I guess it is only fair that I missed out on the fun. But I did enjoy eating them. Very good dough, Grammy!

It is a turkey. Could it pass for a turtle?

Next, all three 2042 boys and I headed to Cambridge to see Kate, Jon, and Chloe. Gus and Chloe had a lot of fun . . .




but I think Gus may have a little competition for Chloe's heart from Theo.



Chloe is two now (Dec 21) and so smart and spunky and adorable. I really enjoyed her questions about Theo and her singing. Kate called Gus "the male Chloe" and Chloe "the female Gus" and I see what she means. Maybe it is because as newborns they spent so much time together. Probably not, but it is a nice thought.

Next time we see the Nazemis they will be in Watertown. We are looking forward to visiting them in their new home.

When we got back to Dedham, Grandpa was watching a Seinfeld rerun. Gus walked into the room when Newman was on the screen, looked at the television and exclaimed, "that's a big guy!" Indeed. Theo, the drooler that he is, had soaked his sweater so we took it off

and Grandpa said he looks like he works in an Italian restaurant.

It was a wonderful day.

To All Maine Points

Today we went to Maine. Unfortunately, MaryKate and Owen are sick so we did not meet up with them. Gus was so sad. He has been asking for them since we saw them at Thanksgiving. But Margaux and James were up visiting and we had a nice visit with them, Liz and Maurice at Joan and Matt's house. Gus loved eating cookies and playing with Margaux.

Gus and Margeuax dancing on Auntie Joan's porch. James and Joanie are watching from behind the screen door.

Next we headed to Aunt May's. Gus would not sit with Aunt May, but he did sing 'Take me Out to the Ball Game' for her and gave her a big hug when we left.

Gus, May and Theo.

Go, go, go.

Today was pretty busy. Theo and I drove to Cambridge in the sleety rain to visit with Karen, Brian and Baby Henry. And then after Gus went to bed we headed to Westwood to visit with Debby. Delia was asleep in bed and poor Mike was sick in bed. It was so nice to catch up and made me really miss Boston.

"Where are we off to now?"

Gus went out to lunch with Grammy and Grandpa. When he got back he ran into the house saying, "Mummy, Mummy, I ate fish and chips and made it go all done gone!" It felt so strange hearing him tell me about something he did without me around. Sure, he has been going out without me, mostly with Jonathan, but sometimes with Grammy and Grandpa or Grandma and PopPop, but he has not been able to communicate what happened without me until now. I always get filled in but when Gus tells me in his own words it just makes me really aware of the fact that he is his own little person and will have experiences without me. Gus has a life without me? Not possible!

Grammy still filled me in on more happenings. The funniest was when the waitress came to clear the table. When she took Gus's plate he cried, "Don't take Gussys's food!" He was very upset.

Playing at Castle Island

Today was a relaxing day. Theo and I stayed in while Grammy and Grandpa took Gus to play at Castle Island. My Grandpa Gartland, Gus's namesake, used to take me to Castle Island when I was little, though I think only in the summer. It was cold over on the water and Gus would not wear his mittens or hat. Grandpa brought his camera and snapped the following photos.











When Gus got home he told me about the airplanes, birds, and swing. Just like in the pictures.

Merry Christmas . . . Call the MSPCA

We had a 4 am wake up call this Christmas. This would not be surprising if Gus had been expecting a visit from Santa, but since we did not do the whole Santa thing, we were all a little shocked. Jonathan and my parents stayed up with Gus and let me and Theo go back to bed (thanks, guys) but then Kevin arrived (I think around 8). Kevin, an early Christmas riser back in the day, wanted to give Gus presents from Linda and him, so I was summoned to watch. Gus loves presents. Who doesn't? Eventually Gus and Jonathan crashed on the couch for an hour.

Theo and Grandpa, on the other hand, looked particularly sharp. Did they coordinate their wardrobe choices?

Jonathan had to catch a flight back to Philly and missed all the excitement at dinner. Uncle Jerry was over with Amy Dog and this was the first time Gus had no fear of the dog. He was following her around and looking for her even from the dinner table. Kevin discovered that Amy Dog was under the table when he accidentally kicked her. "I kicked Amy Dog," he said very casually to Gus, who was sitting across from him. Gus, starring at Kevin, started stuttering, Uncle Jerry, Uncle Jerry, Uncle Jerry and I began to think he did not know his uncles after all, but then he spit out "Uncle Jerry, Uncle Kevin kicked Amy dog!" He kept repeating it over and over. Kevin tried to explain that it was an accident, but Gus kept on with his tattling all evening. We all thought this was very funny, except Kevin, who does not want to be thought of as an animal abuser.

Children's Museum

Jonathan and I took the boys to the Children's Museum this morning. We invited Grammy and Grandpa but they had a lot of things they wanted to do to get ready for Christmas.

This was Jonathan's and Theo's first trip to the museum, and they were both impressed. Theo was asleep in the Bjorn for most of the visit but once he woke up he was checking out everything.

Amy and Theo in front of the butterfly and marble screens.

Gus and I visited the museum back in June and it was so neat to see how six months had changed the way he went about the exhibits. His favorite was still Raceways, which is a room full of quirky race tracks and golf balls. In June he was only interested in collecting and hording balls but this time he actually placed them on the tracks and watched them fly. Jonathan is looking forward to going back when they can do experiments to test the laws of motion.

Jonathan and Gus watching balls loop the loop


The bubble and construction rooms were also big hits.


Gus in a giant bubble.


Gus "driving" the Bobcat.

After the museum we drove by Louisberg Square to show Gus John Kerry's house (will explain this is a future post) but Gus had fallen asleep.

To Grammy's house we go (at 2 a.m.)

It was a very long drive to Grammy's house. We left at 6:23 pm, arrived at little after 2 am and stopped five times along the way: Gas, Theo, Theo, Theo, Gas. Gus only slept from 7 to 9:30. He spent the rest of the time playing dj (Spoon's Sister Jack, Jack Johnson's Bubble Toes and the Putumayo Animal Playground cd over and over and over again) and saying "Gus see Grandpa" and "Bye-bye trees," which I think means "get off the highway." He seems to associate trees with highways, since, as a city boy, the highest concentration of trees he knows is on the side of the highway.

We knew there was a lot of snow up here but it was shocking to pull off the highway and to actually see it. The mound of it in front of my parents' house had to be 6 feet high. I wish I had taken pictures of it first thing when we woke up (at ten till 8--thanks Gus) because by the time we got out to play (3 pm) so much had melted. It was 50 degrees! And there is something really artificial about playing in the snow when you do not need a hat or mittens. Even though there was still more snow on the ground than we will probably get in Philly in two whole winters, it felt fake, like we were playing in a mound of "snow" outside of a skating rink.

Building a Snowman with Grandpa.

Snow, sand, same tools.

Why are you wasting raisins and carrots? "Gus eat raisins?"


"Gus's Snowman"

"Ball!" First throw.

"Opps." Face first. This happens sometimes.

Over the river and through the woods . . .

Tonight we trek to the snowy North. Jonathan and Gus are playing at the park and running errands and I am packing. We will be in Boston until the 3oth. I plan on writing the blog while we are there and adding pictures to it when we get home.

Despite all the snot and fevers we have had a couple of days full of firsts. On Thursday, Theo put an inanimate object in his mouth for the first time. Very exciting! It was the winkle.


I ran to get the camera but by the time I got back it was no longer in his mouth.

And then yesterday Theo was graping at the animals on the play mat. I sort of captured this.




And Gus took a break from getting ready for the tub to help him out.



Gus also had a first--an argument with Daddy. At least it was the first time he has communicated with words that he was upset with one of us. He got up at two am yesterday and never really got back to sleep despite lots of rocking, singing, and snuggling from Jonathan and me ("No pick Theo. Pick Gus"). Around five, desperate for sleep, we caved and let him in bed with us. He slept for maybe 5 minutes and then started babbling about buses and Auntie May's house (I guess he was thinking about our trip) and very purposely kicking Jonathan in the back. Jonathan lost his patience (understandably) and yelled at him.

At this point we gave up on sleep and I brought Gus down to the kitchen for breakfast. When we were heading down stairs I called up to Jonathan to ask him something and Gus cut me off and said "No Jonathan." He apparently was just as upset with Jonathan. After a while Jonathan came down to the kitchen and said "Hi Gus," and Gus said "Gus no hi Daddy." Jonathan said hello again and Gus again replied very emphatically, "Gus No Hi Daddy." This amused and saddened Jonathan. I was just amused. But the best was when I asked Jonathan if he wanted coffee and Gus said, "NO. No coffee for Daddy." He really knows how to punish a guy. Thankfully, they made up while I was taking a shower and Gus let Jonathan take a mug of coffee to work.

Jonathan and Gus just got back from the park. Gus is telling me he "kicked the big ball." Jonathan says he was playing ball in the fountain with a four year old named Ben. When Ben left with the big ball he told his mother, "I like that Gus. He is an excellent ball player!" Hopefully, Gus's ball skills aren't at their peak at 22 months. It would be nice to have an athlete in the family.

Sickies

No pictures today, folks. Gus, Theo and I are under the weather and it was a long day. Hopefully we will all perk up tomorrow.

Baby Legs, crazy legs.

Just for the record, Jonathan is anti leg warmer, but he doesn't walk around everyday with poor Gus in flood pants. When Gus sits in the stroller, his pants pull up above his socks and he has sometimes up to a couple of inches of exposed skin. But he cannot wear the next size pants yet because the legs are too long and the waists are too big and they fall down to his knees. Solution, leg warmers. Baby Legs. They are seemingly amazing. One size fits newborn to 10 years of age! We tried them out today under a pair of chinos and they did the trick. No bare skin, so that has to equal warmth, right? When questioned Gus said he was warmer. Apparently leg warmers are pretty popular and there are not that many patterns for boys to choose from. We ended up with these:



He looks like a hockey player without garters (and pants). If he starts skate boarding these will look super stylee under board shorts. Gus referred to them once as "leg mittens," and then "long socks" and then seemed to settle on "bone socks." Other new things he said today included "people person," as in I am a people person, and "move it mummy," as in hurry up. That last one is my fault. When I am following Gus up three flights of steps with Theo in one arm and a package of diapers and a stuffed dog in the other, and Gus decides to plop down and investigate the grain of the wood on the steps, I escalate to "Move It!" I'm going to have to watch my tongue.

Say it with paint.

Grammy has been inquiring about the status of Theo's hair. Is Theo going bald? I'd say yes.

Big bald spot on the back of the head,


and the sides are thinning, too.


But look at him excersauce! With posture like that, who needs hair?

We had a hard time getting Gus to bed last night, we thought because of the excitement of having Raj over. As if his presence alone did not make for a special evening, Raj brought Gus Winne the Pooh books with tiny little stuffed characters. There was some confusion about Pooh. "Pooh comes from there," Gus said grabbing his bum. (We are starting to talk about the potty and all that entails.) I am not known for my promptness with thank you notes, but it looks like my son will be. "Paint card for Raj," he said at least a dozen times while Raj was still here. And it was the first thing he asked to do this morning.


The baseball painting technique.


Fingers work better,

but slide right off the paper.


Gus's cards, except the bottom right one. That's mine.

We had just as hard of a time getting Gus down to bed tonight. After tucking him in the fourth time, I was heading downstairs when I heard him cry out loud to himself, "Mummy keeps Theo. Mummy keeps Theo. Mummy keeps Theo." Poor fellow. It is heartbreaking to know he thinks I am choosing to spend time with Theo (who stays up later to nurse) rather than with him.

Keep it tidy.

I am sure somewhere out there in cyberspace there is a manual full of tips for parents who want to blog the daily routines of their little ones and the first tip surely is keep your house tidy at all times so that when your child does something amusing you can capture it without your dirty laundry and unmade bed as a backdrop. Or maybe there is a more realistic manual that says, you are already airing your dirty laundry, so don't worry about showing a little dirty laundry. Right now I wish I could find one to teach me how to crop it out of my picture, but I have to go fold and put away all the laundry. We are hosting playgroup tomorrow. And though as a young child I can remember seeing piles of laundry and ironing boards at the houses of my mom's friends, and surely at our house, I have not seen any of this at playgroup. Perhaps they all live by tip one?

Following is Gus playing in my shoes. Please ignore the mess.







We had a busy day today. We went to a party in the afternoon and Raj came over for dinner and to watch football. I tried to keep the boys tidy until we got to the party.

Tidy.


Still tidy. That's what bibs are for.


Cookies for the party.


Not tidy.


Theo is watching Gus's every move. Here he takes a lesson in begging for cookies.

Figuring this silly thing out.

Well, everyone is doing the blog thing, so I guess I will, too. We cannot have Gus and Theo growing up without an online chronicle of their lives. This Gus & Theo-centric blog is not set up for a wide audience. I suspect the grandparents and maybe the uncles will be its only devotees, but that is okay. It will be nice to have a record of what the boys are up to (can I print this thing?). I have been, at best, inconsistent about writing in their baby journals and printing photos for their baby boxes. Maybe this online medium, with an audience to hold me accountable for updating, will be the solution.

A new obstacle to recording all the little things I do not want to forget about the boys' early years, will be the formating and writing of this blog. I am not a designer but of course I will want it to look like I am. And I will want it to be well written, but if I futz with the writing too much I will never post anything and all those little things that I want to remember will be lost. The goal is regularity, not perfection. Repeat. Regularity, not perfection.

So a little practice:

Chanukah ended on Tuesday but Gus is still asking for "oh Chanukah?" He really enjoyed wearing his "orange hat," lighting the candles and, of course, receiving presents. Following are pictures of Gus from the second night of Chanukah.

12.5.07

12.5.07

12.5.07

Gus knows how to make a bearer of a gift feel great. Before he even gets the item out of the paper he says, "Oooooooh!" We did not teach him this, though we should teach him to wait to start the ooohing until he has removed enough of the wrapping to actually see the gift.

Following are pictures of Theo on the last day of Chanukah, which was also his three month birthday.

12.11.07

12.11.07

12.11.07

He is really mastering sitting. He sat unassisted in the little rocker from the Perkins School for the Blind while I snapped photos. I was impressed.

Okay, so that was my first go. More soon. I promise.