No, I am not referring to the book or the movie, though I did thoroughly enjoy reading the novel by Elizabeth Gilbert. On the contrary, I don't think the movie was given stellar reviews despite Julia Roberts starring in it, so this is another one that will be missed on the big screen.
Last night, as we were sitting down getting ready to have dinner, baby K suddenly reaches out to take our hands and says "Pray!" It was such a wonderful moment I wish I could have captured it on video. When M was done praying, baby K shouts "Amen!" as she usually does and then tells us to "Eat!"
This morning, as baby K and I were ready to head out the door, I told her to say to M, "I love you daddy" (same routine I do every morning). I didn't expect her to actually respond since she never has before, but today she surprised us with an "i wuv you" in return. I couldn't believe my ears! I told baby K to say it again, and she even repeated herself! M and I were so thrilled! I guess repetition and consistency are really the key. Hopefully this was not just a one-time occurrence and we'll hear it from her every morning going forward.
Tuesday, August 31, 2010
Friday, August 20, 2010
Sesame Place
Our afternoon at Sesame Place yesterday was okay. It was a lot more crowded (for a Thursday) than I expected it to be. Baby K enjoyed herself, but I felt like we could have been anywhere and she would still have a good time. She would stop short in her tracks and point to Elmo every time she saw a picture of him, but other than that, we could have been at our local water park and she wouldn't have known the difference.
Our first stop was to the Monster Rock theater to watch 'Elmo Rocks!' There, baby K met some of Elmo's friends: Zoe, Cookie Monster, Bert, and Ernie. I think I had more fun watching the show than baby K did though. She was too busy staring at her stroller parked by the entrance of the theater and making sure no one took it. Silly girl!
Here she is playing with the water sprinklers (this was probably the only picture taken with her smiling):
Baby K threw a slight tantrum when she wanted to go back into the water after she made mommy take her out:
Baby K's favorite ride:
Here's a picture of baby K, daddy, and Zoe. Baby K can't quite say Zoe yet, so it sounds more like "Oy" when she tries. I was very disappointed we didn't get to see Elmo and take a picture with him. The only characters we saw were Zoe and Count Von Count (no picture taken with the Count). Ah well. Maybe we'll have better luck next year.
And here we are, at the end of the day watching the Rock around the Block parade. I look forward to the day when baby K will smile and pose for the camera like her cousin A.
Our first stop was to the Monster Rock theater to watch 'Elmo Rocks!' There, baby K met some of Elmo's friends: Zoe, Cookie Monster, Bert, and Ernie. I think I had more fun watching the show than baby K did though. She was too busy staring at her stroller parked by the entrance of the theater and making sure no one took it. Silly girl!
Here she is playing with the water sprinklers (this was probably the only picture taken with her smiling):Baby K threw a slight tantrum when she wanted to go back into the water after she made mommy take her out:Baby K's favorite ride:Here's a picture of baby K, daddy, and Zoe. Baby K can't quite say Zoe yet, so it sounds more like "Oy" when she tries. I was very disappointed we didn't get to see Elmo and take a picture with him. The only characters we saw were Zoe and Count Von Count (no picture taken with the Count). Ah well. Maybe we'll have better luck next year.And here we are, at the end of the day watching the Rock around the Block parade. I look forward to the day when baby K will smile and pose for the camera like her cousin A.
Monday, August 9, 2010
Beginnings of Potty Training
M and I have started our next feat: potty training baby K. Now that she has successfully transitioned into the toddler class (she went through the entire last week without crying when I dropped her off in the mornings!), M and I felt that it was time. She hasn't shown all the "signs" that she's ready, but recently she's been giving us grief whenever we change her diaper. She used to never have a problem with it, but now every time we set her down on the table to be changed, it becomes a major struggle. I think seeing some of the potty-trained kids in her class makes her not want to be stuck in a diaper anymore.
I posted a note on Facebook asking for suggestions on how to potty train my little girl. The overwhelming response led to one word: bribery. However, I'm reluctant to use such a tactic on baby K, who in my mind is too young to fully grasp the concept of a barter system (though I should know better than to under-estimate her), and therefore would not understand what it means to do something in exchange for a reward. In any case, we're taking our time with it and letting baby K learn at her own pace, so no need to bring bribery into the picture... yet!
We are very fortunate that baby K likes sitting on her potty chair. We started with just bringing her into the bathroom and having her sit in the chair (fully clothed) for as long as she wanted. Last Friday, I saw that baby K was ready to poop, so I rushed her into the bathroom, quickly undressed her shorts and diaper, and sat her down on the potty chair. A few seconds went by, nothing happened, and baby K wanted to get up. I then started smelling something funky, so I told M it was coming, and just as I was about to sit baby K back on the chair again, out came her poop, which landed straight onto the chair. Baby K got scared and started crying while M and I started cheering and clapping away. The whole scene was pretty comical.
Throughout the weekend, we sat baby K diaper-free in her potty chair a few times a day. We'd do silly things like make "shhhh" sounds, turn on the faucet, say "pee pee" and "poopy" repeatedly, all to no avail. Baby K must have thought, "my mommy and daddy are weird!" Be that as it may, but one of these days, it's gonna work! I just know it!
I posted a note on Facebook asking for suggestions on how to potty train my little girl. The overwhelming response led to one word: bribery. However, I'm reluctant to use such a tactic on baby K, who in my mind is too young to fully grasp the concept of a barter system (though I should know better than to under-estimate her), and therefore would not understand what it means to do something in exchange for a reward. In any case, we're taking our time with it and letting baby K learn at her own pace, so no need to bring bribery into the picture... yet!
We are very fortunate that baby K likes sitting on her potty chair. We started with just bringing her into the bathroom and having her sit in the chair (fully clothed) for as long as she wanted. Last Friday, I saw that baby K was ready to poop, so I rushed her into the bathroom, quickly undressed her shorts and diaper, and sat her down on the potty chair. A few seconds went by, nothing happened, and baby K wanted to get up. I then started smelling something funky, so I told M it was coming, and just as I was about to sit baby K back on the chair again, out came her poop, which landed straight onto the chair. Baby K got scared and started crying while M and I started cheering and clapping away. The whole scene was pretty comical.
Throughout the weekend, we sat baby K diaper-free in her potty chair a few times a day. We'd do silly things like make "shhhh" sounds, turn on the faucet, say "pee pee" and "poopy" repeatedly, all to no avail. Baby K must have thought, "my mommy and daddy are weird!" Be that as it may, but one of these days, it's gonna work! I just know it!
Wednesday, August 4, 2010
Picking On Tuesday
Regal Cinemas is offering free movies for kids every Tuesday and Wednesday this summer. I took the day off yesterday and we went to see "The Pirates Who Don't Do Anything." M already had doubts about baby K's attention span, but since it was a Veggie Tales movie, I had high hopes that she'd cooperate and sit through at least half the movie. SIGH! Wishful thinking on my part. We sat in the theater for about 15 minutes before the movie started (had to get there early to secure our seats), and once it started, baby K wanted to leave. I brought her outside and found that she had more fun running around the concession stands. We ended up leaving the theater soon after. The trip was a bit of a waste, but maybe we'll try again next year.
We ended up going peach-picking in the afternoon at Battleview Orchards in Freehold. The peaches were sweeter than when we had gone picking a few weeks ago at a farm closer to home (when the season first opened), and we ended up getting five pounds worth of peaches. It was too hot to stay outside for long, but we had a good time. Baby K enjoyed pulling the peaches from the trees and even helped carry the bucket of peaches.
On the way home, I sat in the backseat with baby K so that I can feed her some snacks. All of a sudden, BAM! Baby K has whacked me in the face with her Snoopy doll and the plastic helmet covering Snoopy's head hit me right above my lip. It actually drew blood, and now my upper lip is swollen and I've got canker sores all over the insides of my mouth. Ouch! Casualties of parenthood... this is not something anyone ever prepares you for.
The Snoopy on the left is what caused my injury. Don't let its cuteness fool you. When slammed across the face at full-force by the strength of a 20-month old who can lift five pounds of fruit, oh trust me, it hurts!
We ended up going peach-picking in the afternoon at Battleview Orchards in Freehold. The peaches were sweeter than when we had gone picking a few weeks ago at a farm closer to home (when the season first opened), and we ended up getting five pounds worth of peaches. It was too hot to stay outside for long, but we had a good time. Baby K enjoyed pulling the peaches from the trees and even helped carry the bucket of peaches.
On the way home, I sat in the backseat with baby K so that I can feed her some snacks. All of a sudden, BAM! Baby K has whacked me in the face with her Snoopy doll and the plastic helmet covering Snoopy's head hit me right above my lip. It actually drew blood, and now my upper lip is swollen and I've got canker sores all over the insides of my mouth. Ouch! Casualties of parenthood... this is not something anyone ever prepares you for.
The Snoopy on the left is what caused my injury. Don't let its cuteness fool you. When slammed across the face at full-force by the strength of a 20-month old who can lift five pounds of fruit, oh trust me, it hurts!
Baby K and daddy picking out the yummy peaches:
Wednesday, July 28, 2010
"Read, Feet, and Eat"
Despite the title of this blog entry, the three are not related.
Read:
We're fortunate that baby K likes to read a lot (or rather, likes being read to), even with her short attention span. Usually she would hand me a book in silence; I'd take the hint and start reading to her. Last week, we were sitting in the living room playing. All of a sudden, she grabs a book from the floor, gives it to me, and says "read." That was the first time I've ever heard the word come out of her mouth. It took me a few seconds to recover from my shock.
Feet:
A few mornings ago, baby K and I were in her room reading some books together. When M came out of the shower, baby K runs over to him, points to his feet, and says "feet." That was the first time she's ever said it, even though she's been able to identify it for months now. It was so random. M and I just looked at each other, sort of confused and amazed at the same time.
Eat:
The other night we were having dinner, M was feeding baby K while I ate. When she was done with the main course, he moved onto dessert (a delicious Dole cup of mixed fruits). By that time, I was done eating. After taking a bite or two, baby K grabs the spoon from M and gives it to me (wanting me to feed her instead). As I took over the fruit cup, baby K points to the plate of food in front of M and says to her daddy, "EAT!" She said it with such conviction that M and I couldn't help but crack up. It was so cute! This wasn't the first time baby K has said "eat," but the fact that she was so considerate just kind of blew me away.
There's always something new each day. Sometimes they're moments like these that may you go "awww." Other times you're wondering which kid she picked up that bad habit from. The mere anticipation of the next surprise from my little girl is putting a smile on my face.
Read:
We're fortunate that baby K likes to read a lot (or rather, likes being read to), even with her short attention span. Usually she would hand me a book in silence; I'd take the hint and start reading to her. Last week, we were sitting in the living room playing. All of a sudden, she grabs a book from the floor, gives it to me, and says "read." That was the first time I've ever heard the word come out of her mouth. It took me a few seconds to recover from my shock.
Feet:
A few mornings ago, baby K and I were in her room reading some books together. When M came out of the shower, baby K runs over to him, points to his feet, and says "feet." That was the first time she's ever said it, even though she's been able to identify it for months now. It was so random. M and I just looked at each other, sort of confused and amazed at the same time.
Eat:
The other night we were having dinner, M was feeding baby K while I ate. When she was done with the main course, he moved onto dessert (a delicious Dole cup of mixed fruits). By that time, I was done eating. After taking a bite or two, baby K grabs the spoon from M and gives it to me (wanting me to feed her instead). As I took over the fruit cup, baby K points to the plate of food in front of M and says to her daddy, "EAT!" She said it with such conviction that M and I couldn't help but crack up. It was so cute! This wasn't the first time baby K has said "eat," but the fact that she was so considerate just kind of blew me away.
There's always something new each day. Sometimes they're moments like these that may you go "awww." Other times you're wondering which kid she picked up that bad habit from. The mere anticipation of the next surprise from my little girl is putting a smile on my face.
Sunday, July 25, 2010
Point Pleasant Beach
The temperature was forecasted to be in the mid-90s this past Saturday, but with the high humidity it would have felt more like 105 degrees. M and I decided to battle the heat by paying a visit to Point Pleasant beach. We figured baby K likes playing with water and enjoys her time in the sandbox when she's at daycare, so combine the two, and one would expect her to have a good time at the beach. Boy were we wrong...
We paid $16 to get onto the beach and spent less than five minutes there before baby K decided she wanted to leave. Once we put our towels down and reapplied some sunscreen, I brought baby K over to the water so she can cool down (my poor little girl was sweating bullets just sitting in the stroller between the walk from the car to the beach!). Baby K was already apprehensive about walking towards the water and getting her feet wet, but when a big wave came splashing down at us, that was the last straw. She started crying and demanded to be carried. After that, she just kept pointing towards the boardwalk and insisted that we head towards that way. So much for a fun day at the beach!
We grabbed a quick bite to eat at Subway's and walked around the Jenkinson boardwalk. We had promised baby K a ride on a Merry-Go-Round the last time we were at a mall, so we kept to our word. Baby K loved it so much that I felt redeemed from the disastrous morning. Here's a picture of baby K smiling when she saw the carousel:
We paid $16 to get onto the beach and spent less than five minutes there before baby K decided she wanted to leave. Once we put our towels down and reapplied some sunscreen, I brought baby K over to the water so she can cool down (my poor little girl was sweating bullets just sitting in the stroller between the walk from the car to the beach!). Baby K was already apprehensive about walking towards the water and getting her feet wet, but when a big wave came splashing down at us, that was the last straw. She started crying and demanded to be carried. After that, she just kept pointing towards the boardwalk and insisted that we head towards that way. So much for a fun day at the beach!
We grabbed a quick bite to eat at Subway's and walked around the Jenkinson boardwalk. We had promised baby K a ride on a Merry-Go-Round the last time we were at a mall, so we kept to our word. Baby K loved it so much that I felt redeemed from the disastrous morning. Here's a picture of baby K smiling when she saw the carousel:
Baby K didn't want to get off when the ride ended. I had to carry her off crying and screaming.
We ended up spending the afternoon at the Jersey Shore Premium Outlets in Tinton Falls. I came home empty-handed and disappointed, but at least we were able to find some good deals for M and baby K, so the trip wasn't a complete waste. All in all, it was a good Saturday, but probably the last time this year we head to the beach. We may try again next year when baby K's a little older, but for now, her fun in the water will be confined to the bathtub.
Tuesday, July 13, 2010
Penguin Pals
Baby K graduated to the toddler's class this week (yippee!), but the transition was not as smooth as I had hoped. She was fine last week when I dropped her off at Baby Birds (the infant class) and someone would bring her over to Penguin Pals (the toddler class) after breakfast. However, last Friday when I dropped her off directly at Penguin Pals, the water works started as soon as I headed towards the door. I could hear her screaming as I walked down the hall; it broke my heart to leave my little girl like that, but it had to be done. They called me mid-morning to tell me baby K was fine (the crying had lasted about half an hour). Monday's drop-off was not any better, but at least the crying tapered off after 15 minutes, which is progress... and this morning was a repeat of yesterday's performance. Hopefully when I call the daycare for an update later, they'll tell me that baby K's crying subsided as soon as I left.
I'm told it's natural for kids to go through this stage when they move to a new class, but the "normalcy" of it doesn't make leaving her any easier. I'm actually surprised baby K isn't adjusting as quickly as I had expected. She visited the toddler's class a few times before she officially moved over, but I guess that wasn't enough to make her completely comfortable.
Here's a picture of the poster the teachers made for baby K when she left Baby Birds:
I'm told it's natural for kids to go through this stage when they move to a new class, but the "normalcy" of it doesn't make leaving her any easier. I'm actually surprised baby K isn't adjusting as quickly as I had expected. She visited the toddler's class a few times before she officially moved over, but I guess that wasn't enough to make her completely comfortable.
Here's a picture of the poster the teachers made for baby K when she left Baby Birds:
Saturday, July 10, 2010
Passports
We finally got baby K's passport application completed and submitted at the library yesterday (and mine mailed out since it was a renewal). What a relief to finally cross this off my to-do list! It's been hanging over my head for months now. I must thank JL for posting a note on Facebook about the increase in fees. The $35 extra per passport was enough incentive to get my butt moving. If not for that, the procrastination would have lasted much longer. Of course, the process wasn't as smooth-sailing as I expected it to be, but then again, nothing seems to be anymore.
I filled out the application, got all the paperwork together, and once we got to the library Friday afternoon, realized that I left my checkbook at home. Not wanting to have made the trip in vain, M drove back to get it (while baby K and I stayed at the library). Unfortunately, without the appropriate form of payment and both parents present, we had to be skipped over twice on line. M was gone for less than 10 minutes, but as luck would have it, we had to wait another 20 minutes before the next agent was available to help us. And of course, baby K chose that opportune time to poop. M wanted me to go change her, but I knew the second we left, they would have called our name and we would have been skipped once again on line. I told him we'd wait it out and when they finally called our name, baby K did surprisingly well with the picture-taking. She looked at the camera, didn't cry, and was able to get her passport photo done with the first try (she didn't go as far as to give us a smile -- that would've been too much to ask for). While we were sitting at the desk with the agent, all I could think about was how stinky baby K's poopy was. We couldn't have been there for more than eight minutes, but knowing my little girl was stuck in a soiled diaper with the smell permeating through the room, it felt more like eight hours. When we were done, I rushed to the bathroom with baby K, but to my dismay, there wasn't a changing table in there. [I know there are budget cuts and all, but surely they can afford to install a changing table in the women's restroooms!?] I ended up changing baby K on a table in an empty conference room.
Now that this administrative burden is taken care of, I am excited. Soon our vacations will no longer be limited to domestic travels. Baby K's first international trip probably won't happen until next year (if even then), but at least in a few months, that'll be an option.
I filled out the application, got all the paperwork together, and once we got to the library Friday afternoon, realized that I left my checkbook at home. Not wanting to have made the trip in vain, M drove back to get it (while baby K and I stayed at the library). Unfortunately, without the appropriate form of payment and both parents present, we had to be skipped over twice on line. M was gone for less than 10 minutes, but as luck would have it, we had to wait another 20 minutes before the next agent was available to help us. And of course, baby K chose that opportune time to poop. M wanted me to go change her, but I knew the second we left, they would have called our name and we would have been skipped once again on line. I told him we'd wait it out and when they finally called our name, baby K did surprisingly well with the picture-taking. She looked at the camera, didn't cry, and was able to get her passport photo done with the first try (she didn't go as far as to give us a smile -- that would've been too much to ask for). While we were sitting at the desk with the agent, all I could think about was how stinky baby K's poopy was. We couldn't have been there for more than eight minutes, but knowing my little girl was stuck in a soiled diaper with the smell permeating through the room, it felt more like eight hours. When we were done, I rushed to the bathroom with baby K, but to my dismay, there wasn't a changing table in there. [I know there are budget cuts and all, but surely they can afford to install a changing table in the women's restroooms!?] I ended up changing baby K on a table in an empty conference room.
Now that this administrative burden is taken care of, I am excited. Soon our vacations will no longer be limited to domestic travels. Baby K's first international trip probably won't happen until next year (if even then), but at least in a few months, that'll be an option.
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