Ee-i-ee-i-o

That Gus. He cracks me up.

This morning, like every morning, Gus woke us up with pleas for milk. But this morning he requested "half a pound of milk." Yesterday afternoon Gus rode his tricycle with PopPop to the grocery store to buy a half gallon of milk, so I guess that was on his mind. Pounds, gallons, so much to keep straight. I wonder if he was picturing himself drinking it right from the jug?

After drinking a cup of milk and eating breakfast we went to the "touch me museum." We had a lovely visit until it was time to leave. No matter how I phrase it or how much warning I give Gus, he still throws himself on the ground and kicks and screams and everyone looks at us. And then, with Theo strapped to the front of me in the Bjorn, I pick up Gus and carry him to the coat room. He calms down there because there is a liquid soap dispenser that he likes to use, but once he washes of the "touch me germs" he starts crying again while I wrestle him (with Theo strapped to the front of me) to get his coat on. Today, a very nice great-grandmother offered to put Gus's coat on for me and Gus screamed, "Lady no touch my coat!" She was a little taken aback and I was a bit embarrassed. Gus then said to me, quite upset, "That lady no go to my pizza party." Why he would assume we would invite her baffles me. Maybe everyone we see is a possible guest. He must think about this pizza party an awful lot.

When Gus got up from not taking a nap, I changed his diaper. While he was on the changing pad he said "I go see Theo dor." I could not understand what he thought Theo was doing. He said it a few more times. "I go see Theo dor." Then I heard it. Theodore. A few weeks ago I told him that Theo's full name is Theodore. I said, "Theodore?" And he said "His big name. My big name Gus Thomas Schoenfeld." So I told him that Theo's big name is Theodore Bernard Schoenfeld, which he repeated and then said "My big name Gussy Thomas Schoenfeld." I call him Gussy sometimes. I wonder if he is going to wish he had a formal name. Maybe we should have named him August (my preference) or Gustav (Jonathan's preference). But really we both just like Gus. Maybe we should have named Theodore, Theo. Or Mack. Oh well.

The final funny happening of the day took place in the bath tub. While Gus was taking his bath and Theo was excersaucering in the doorway, I sang songs to entertain them. After a few rounds of 'Five Little Ducks,' Gus requested 'Old MacDonald.' In the past couple of weeks Gus has started singing it with us and will tell us what animals are on the farm. Fish is always the first animal. Sure, why not? There could be a pond of fish on the farm. (For the record fish make a kissy sound.) So we did the fish, and started again. And on the farm he had a ??? "Penis," Gus said. "A what?" I asked, sure that I did not hear that right. "A penis," he confirmed looking at his. (For the record a penis says pee.) I definitely do not want to work that into the lineup, so no more Ee-i-ee-i-o in the bath tub.

Theo

Here is Theo and a few of his emerging expressions. He is becoming a very expressive fellow. Grammy says he is the most handsome boy in the whole world.

1.23.08

Tis birthday season

For the longest time January 20th has meant the beginning of birthday season to me. It feels like half of the people I know and love are Aquarians. Now that we have a little Aquarian of our own, who has made friends with a dozen baby Aquarians, we have been spending a tremendous amount of time talking birthday this month. And since Grammy and Grandpa are leaving tomorrow, Gus and I got to kick off our celebrations early.

When Gus entered the kitchen for breakfast this morning he found his very own tricycle waiting for him.

"A tricycle! A tricycle for Gus!"

A: What do you say to Grammy and Grandpa, Gus?
G: Happy New Year!

'Thank you' is still a work in progress. Or, as a I believe, he is pulling our leg.

Grandpa and Jonathan put the tricycle together last night. One wheel fell off while Gus was "riding" it in the kitchen (he hasn't got the pedaling yet--he might need blocks on the wheels) but Grandpa fixed it. This is kind of funny since Grandpa gave Gus a book in the fall that reads as follows:





Hmmmm. Then ask Grandpa?

This afternoon, despite the freezing temperature, Grammy and Grandpa took Gus for his first ride. They did two laps on our block of South Street before dragging Gus, who refused to wear his mittens, inside. Needless to say, the trike was a big hit.




I also had my first taste of this birthday. This evening when I came down to the kitchen after feeding Theo, Grammy was putting candles on a cake for me and Gus welcomed me with, "Happy birthday, Mummy!" He said it so sweetly I asked him to say it again and again and again, and he did.


My birthday cake and Gus. I will be three this year.


Gus after eating my birthday cake. Oddly, he did not want ice cream with it. I guess he is a cake purist.

Thanks Grammy and Grandpa. We had a wonderful week with you.

Allo?

Gus has been chatting up a storm on Jonathan's calculator the past few days. Who is he talking to? Ana, the cleaning lady. He walks around with the calculator to his ear, saying "Allo? Cleaning lady? Allo, cleaning lady." Is he tying to tell us something about our housekeeping skills? Is he calling her because she is so pretty (she is very attractive)? I wish he would continue his conversation so I could eavesdrop.

The best tantrum yet

Gus is melting down because old meany here will not add tarter sauce to his everything bagel with peanut butter. I am not wrong to hold firm on this, right? That's just gross and unnecessary. If he ends up being one of those weird guys who enters eating contests, I guess there is nothing I can do about it, but I am not going to encourage it.

Go Pats!

Good luck, Tommy Brady.


Be tough, like this.


And this. Grrrrrr.


Why don't I just chew on the table, instead?

Cooking

Gus and I did a lot of cooking this week. We made chocolate chip cookies, tomato sauce, and several salads. He seems to really enjoy it and cooking dinner has been much more enjoyable with his help. No more pre-dinner meltdowns.

Gus making salad.


He likes to taste as he cooks.


And share . . .

"Theo, these are cucumbers."

He even loads the dishwasher and helps me wash the pots. I wish I had started this months ago.

One year ago

Recent conversations with Gus

While trying to change a very fidgety Gus's diaper:

A: Hey, Schoeny, stay still.
G: I'm not Tony.
A: I said Schoeny. What should I call you?
G: Gus. Big Boy! [Laughs] That's funny.

--------------------

Upon smelling a stinky diaper.

A: What's that I smell?
G: It's garlic.

Earlier I had let him help peel and press garlic.

--------------------

An hour after putting Gus to bed he woke up. I sat with him on my lap and we talked about things we did during the day.

G: I funny. I made big lady laugh.
A: The cashier at the grocery store? (She is a very large woman.)
G: Yes, the big lady laugh at Gus.
A: Am I a big lady?
G: No. Mama a baby lady. Little lady.

I love this kid.

--------------------
Gus and I were sitting on the couch watching Arthur, when it suddenly went off the air. Probably because of the snow.

G: I want walk to my party now.
A: What party?
G: Birthday party. Pizza guy comes.
A: You want pizza at your birthday party?
G: Pizza guy give Gus present. I want blue cake. Like Owen.
A: You want a birthday cake like Cousin Owen's?
G: I want croquet balls. Croquet balls! Walk there. Now.

--------------------

I was taking laundry out of the dryer, including Theo's little giraffe toy. Theo was in the pack 'n play and Gus was playing in the room.

A: Gus, would you please give this giraffe to Theo?

Gus came over, got the giraffe and tossed it in the pack 'n play.

G: Say thank you, Theo.

--------------------

We went to the Please Touch Museum on Tuesday. All day yesterday and today Gus said:

"I go museum."
"I go museum?"
"I go touch me museum."
"Touch me museum, okay."
"Please touch me museum, yes."
"Museum. Yup."
"Go touch me museum."

--------------------

Over the past week or so Gus has started saying, "How are you," and "Where are you," but he does not say the "how" or "where." So when he is looking for me, it is, "Mummy, are you?" and when he is pretend talking on the phone it is, "Allo? Are you?" Different inflections but both sound like he is a Frenchman speaking English.

--------------------

Putting Gus to bed for the second time.

A: I love you. We will play more tomorrow but now it's goodnite.
G: HAPPY BIRTHDAY! CROQUET BALLS!

More ball games

For the past few nights, Gus has been teaching Theo about basketball. He says, "Theo, this is a basketball. Theo, this is a basketball," over and over again. And, "Put it in the hoop. Put it in the hoop." I could not figure out where the hoop was but it all came together tonight.

Basketball. You need a basketball, a hoop and a baby brother.

"Theo, this is a basketball. Theo, this is a basketball."


This is the hoop. And Theo's pudgy hand. Watch out pudgy hand.


The backboard.


Sometimes it lands in the hoop. Two points.


Other times . . .


it does not. Game over.

Potty talk

If you do not want to know, do not read this, or any future, potty talk entry. But rest assured that I will never include graphic descriptions or pictures.

Gus pooped on the potty this evening! It was actually a pretty low key happening.

Our new, two-boy bedtime routine starts with Gus sitting on the potty while I bathe and dress Theo. Then I draw Gus's bath (which he now likes to take in Theo's bitty tub) and he gets off the potty and into his bath. Tonight he asked to get back on the potty when he got out of the bath. He was not talking about poop or pee, so I thought he was just procrastinating, but agreed.

After a minute or so I thought I heard something hit the water and asked him if he pooped. He said, "No, I pass gas." Then I heard another plop and he said "more gas, more gas. " I peaked down the back of the bowl, did not see anything, and then congratulated him on passing gas on the potty. He was really excited about it. We even called Jonathan to tell him about the gas. It seemed big at the time.

Jonathan was only a block away, so I gave Gus Blue Hat, Green Hat to read, in hopes of keeping him on the potty until Jonathan got home so I could pass off getting him dressed. (Yes, I do things like this. It is a long day.)


And Gus started reading it! This was way more exciting than potty gas. Of course he was not really reading it, but he was able to look at each picture and recite the text exactly as it appears. I have liked this book for a long while (at first I strongly disliked all the Boynton books) but I never appreciated the genius of it until Gus "read" it this evening. He was giddy over it.


"Red shirt. Blue shirt. Yellow shirt. Oops!"

Jonathan got home and took over in the bathroom. After listening to Gus read, Jonathan got him off the potty and found two poops! He showed them to Gus who was excited, though mostly about flushing. He did not really appear to know that he had done this. Gus told Jonathan he had just done it, but I think it was the gas.

So my scheme to avoid dressing Gus lead me to hear him read for the first time :) But I missed the first poop :(

Or, I missed the first poop :)

Roll over, roll over

Theo rolled over this evening. Gus and I witnessed it. (Jonathan was about 45 minutes too late.) Theo was working out on his tummy and he rolled back on to his back, whacking his head on the floor in the process. So we put him back on his stomach to see if he would do it again. He did! The third time was a no-roll. He tired himself out trying to scooch forward.

Four months today

It is January 11 which means Theo is four months old. No longer a newborn. I can hardly believe that four short months ago he looked like this:

9.13.07

And today he looks like:

What a transformation!

Theo is very cute and very drooly.

See the puddle on the table?

So what is Theo up to these days? Lots of drool. He is trying to roll over but has not done it yet. He is pretty good at sitting in the high chair but gets tired after a while. Still loves the swing, though I am going to ween him off it soon. He likes to talk and I think will give Gus a run for his money. If you wave at Theo he will wave back. He likes to chew on cloth, burp clothes, stuffed animals, blankets. He can kick and grab the animals on the play mat. He is extremely attached to me right now, especially at night. Stay back, Daddy. Singing any song will make him smile and coo but he seems to especially like Hickory, Dickory Dock, and Iom, Iom, Iom. And he loves to watch Gus. Gus is fascinating.

No birthday cereal today. We had to reschedule Theo's check-up due to Gus's bug. Oh well. Soon enough.

"What's this???"

Poor Gus. This morning when I went to get him out of his crib his throat was bulging and I could tell he was going to be sick and that he was trying to hold it in. We made it to the toilet and, like a pro, he hit his target. But he is a total novice and did not understand what was happening. He looked in the toilet at what had come out of his mouth and asked in a shaky, scared voice, "What's this?" He was dumbfounded. He has thrown up before , about a year ago, but has no memory of it. He was so sweet and I felt so bad for him. When he has been sick in the past, of course I felt bad for him and worried, but now that he can talk about it, it made how he was feeling more real to me, and me more worried.

We have never seen him so lethargic. After throwing up he just sat in my lap. I had him sit on the floor in my bedroom when I went to hunt for ginger ale and crackers and he curled up into a ball and did not budge. Poor guy. He liked the "ginger juice." He said it was "hot" (his word for spicy) and "fuzzy." It took him about thirty minutes to eat one saltine. Around noon I was changing his diaper and he fell asleep on the changing pad. This is unprecedented for Gus, my mover and shaker.

After a three hour nap he was perkier, though not 100%, and not up for a photo shoot.

Ma! What are you thinking? Enough with the blogging.

For lunch Gus asked for a banana and crackers. That's good sick food, right? What good instinct he has! So I had to come up with another bland meal for dinner. Pancakes? I do not know what to do when I am sick, when Gus is sick I feel panicky. Feeling guilty about never involving him in cooking, and the awful, boring television riddled day we had, I let him pour the ingredients in the bowl and mix. "Nice job," he said. He asked, "Gus crack the egg? Gus hatch the egg?" (he is really into the egg hatching in Richard Scarry right now) but I was not ready for that yet. I cracked it and he whipped it. "Nice job."




Gus seemed pleased with his creation. He ate one pancake and then took a big piece of another and said, "Theo, this is a ball!" and in a caring, and instructional way, threw it at him. Theo seemed to be taking mental notes.

After supper the boys "shared" a little more.


Hey!

Okay, then I'll eat your hand.

Oh, mum? Don't you remember that one of us is sick? You really are lousy at sick. Better quash this.

A wonderful, boring day

Today was a wonderful, boring day. No special plans, in fact no plans at all, but so fun. It started out with the introduction of Nutella.



We bought it yesterday at Reading Terminal. Though I like Nutella, until yesterday I had only ever had it on crepes from the crepes place in Sommerville. What took me so long to bring this most delicious spread into my home? I love this stuff! I feel the way Gus looks.




Even Theo was drooling over it. Okay, he is always drooling, but still I think he was really curious about the Nutella.


Hopefully, Theo will get the go ahead at his four month check-up tomorrow to start on solids. I do not know why I am so excited to start Theo on solid food. It is only going to mean more work and mess for me. Maybe because it is a milestone.

After a little Elmo's World we headed to CVS to get batteries and then to play in Rittenhouse. There were intermittent showers this morning which kept a lot of kids in today, but we found a few in the fountain and Gus had fun playing ball and with the leaves. He shared so well and I was so happy and proud. It feels like it was just yesterday that I dreaded going to the park because Gus grabbed from others and hoarded his own.

Gus with Alex's ball. Alex has Gus's ball. All is right in the world.


A favorite fountain game. Find leaves . . .


and put them in the gutter.

One of the nannies at the fountain brought a little cassette player and hung it from the statue in the center. I thought it was a good idea, but her music selection did not resonate with the kids and no one danced, though she tried and tried to get them interested. She was an odd duck.

There is a new order in 2042 land

Dictated, but not read, by Theo.

For just about four long months now, I have been living the life of a parcel, condemned to the bottom of the stroller to sit with the balls and bubbles and sippy cups and diaper wipes and whatever groceries my mother can shove between me and the bottom of the stroller basket. Sure I look happy enough in these photos . . .

11.21.07

1.1.08

but they were taken in the few moments on outings when I was not screaming my bloody head off. "Get me out of here!"

At first my mother thought I might not be a stroller baby and would rather be home. Then she started thinking maybe I just did not like sitting with the cargo. She was thinking of trading in the Phil & Ted for a side-by-side. Her friends said, "Are you crazy? You will not be able to fit in any doors. Put Gus down there." But she hesitated. "The weight distribution will be lopsided. The stroller will tip over," she said. Fooey. I know she just did not think Gus would go for it. But I kept crying and crying and finally she heard my cries! Hallelujah. I sit up front now . . .


Ahhhhhh

This is more like it.

And all is right in 2042 land. (Photos of Gus in "the tunnel" soon. Crazy fellow, he likes it down there.)

Ball games

The blue baseball bat may be hidden away in the utility closet until spring, but that is not preventing Gus from playing ball.

Wrench ball. You need a wrench, a ball popper ball and a duck.


Rules. Throw the ball up. If you swing and miss the ball it is "try again." If you swing and hit the ball it is also "try again." If you fall it is "Fumble!" Really loud.

"Try again."

"Nice job, Duck."

Croquet. You need a bolt and Theo's magic ball.


Rules. Put the ball on the floor. Hit the ball with the "mallet" and yell, "Croquet!" and "Nice job!"

It is a very serious game.

No smiling allowed.