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.

Potty time!

With all Gus's talk of "big poopy bums," his, Theo's, mine, and his talk of "just pee," Jonathan and I figured it was time to get a potty. Gus and I went to Target today and picked up this beauty. There were only two there, a pink and a blue one, so it was an easy choice.


I left Gus with Jonathan to practice sitting on the potty so I could make dinner. I was called back about a half hour later to find a naked Gus, who had just "peed in the potty" a little and a lot on the floor. He was very proud. Jonathan did not point out the floor to him. What a good dad.

Looks like this potty training is going to be a long and messy road.

"Nice job, Uncle Kevin"

Uncle Kevin and Linda gave Gus and Theo two stuffed animals at Christmas, a frog and a rhinoceros. Gus was playing with the Frog and I asked him what its name was, totally expecting to hear "Frogy." Instead, he answered "Tiny Tim" as in the song from music class, which we have not sung in months.

I had a little frogy, his name was Tiny Tim.
I put him in the bathtub to see if he could swim.
He drank up all the water, he ate up all the soap,
and then he hopped to the top with a bubble in his throat.

Next I asked him where he got it. He said, "from Grammy." I corrected him, and said, "Uncle Kevin gave that to you. He said "Uncle Kevin? Nice Job, Uncle Kevin!" I guess he likes this frog.

Theo also likes the frog. He can hold it on his own and the four legs make for good chewing.


I think of Tiny Tim as Theo's . I could see it becoming his "lovey" (That's what the child development types call security blankets these days). But Gus has other ideas. . .

"Bye-bye Theo"

Everyone loves Tiny Tim. Poor rhino.

"Gus is funny"

Gus is always telling us how funny he is and today he proved it by getting Theo to laugh. Gus spun around in a circle singing gibberish and Theo belly laughed. Once he realized Theo was laughing at him he kept spinning.

Gus also made me laugh:

When I told him I was going to the potty he said, "Be careful."

While off doing his own thing I overhead him sneeze and say, "Bless you, Gus."

He is a funny guy, that Gus.

Happy New Year, Gobble Gobble

We had a party at 2042 last night to ring in the New Year. It was more of a farewell to 2007 since everyone left well before midnight, but it was fun nonetheless.

While we were getting ready for the the party, Jonathan and I did our best to explain New Year's to Gus. We explained that it was holiday and we practiced counting down, and yelling "Happy New Year!" Gus seemed to get it and when Jonathan took Gus to 7-11 to get ice he even wished a few people "Happy New Year."

I did not take many photos at the party. I was a bit overwhelmed by all the babies crying and having my kitchen on a different floor than my guests (first party in the new house). But here are a few:

Gus

Gus and Linh

Gus and Sophie. Gus's party antics did not go over as well with her.


Baby New Year? No, Nathan, with Jannie and a little bit of Tom, Todd, and Beth

We used the chicken coo coo clock to count down to 2008 several times for the kiddies. I passed out noise makers and hats and necklaces but the kids were most into the clucking chicken.

photo

Sophie, the most reserved toddler in then bunch, went running into the playroom yelling "chicken, chicken" when I suggested we do another countdown. Gus yelled "gobble, gobble." He has been a little confused about chickens and turkeys lately.

Party Guests:
Linh, Dennis & Sophie
Nikki, Chris, Zach & Ellie
Joanne, Alex & Lucy
Beth, Tom & Nathan
Jannie, Todd & Tobin

Gus woke up this morning, still in the mood to party.


We asked him about the party, who was there, what we did, and he had appropriate answers. Then Jonathan started a countdown. 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1 . . .

"Trick or Treat! Happy Chanukah!" Gus yelled. So he doesn't get New Year's but he does understand that it is a holiday.

After a News Years day photo . . .


we headed out to the Mummers Parade. Gus was very excited for the parade and told us "Gus ride on the horsey." Unfortunately, the Mummers Parade is not that kind of parade. My understanding of it is that it is a Philly phenomenon, where "clubs" of very drunk guys get dressed up in matching costumes and march up Broad Street. There are string bands, and clowns and Fancies and Fancy brigades (don't know what those are exactly). Most of the attendees are very drunk, too. It is rather crazy and pretty fun. If you are interested in a more accurate description of the Mummers Parade link to the Mummers Parade website. And here are some pictures from the parade:

I think these are Fancies. They were definitely drunk.

Also Fancies? Also drunk.

Theo and Amy trying to figure it out.

Poor Gus slept until we went to Starbucks to warm up with some hot chocolate. Gus had his first hot cocoa and then saw a little of the parade before we had to head home to feed Theo.

"Butterfly" according to Gus. Now this is Fancy!

Even kids can be Mummuers.

"More butterflies."

That elephant looks like he is from India. Wonder how Grandma and PopPop are doing? Happy New Year, world travelers!