Let the Regression Begin!

A couple days ago we went in to see Evan's doctor for a 'consultation.' His next wellness check-up is at 3 years old, and I had a laundry list of questions that needed answering now! So we went in for this consultation. I would have liked to have gone alone, in order to speak freely with Evan's doctor, since the little boy genius would hear everything and understand a good amount of what we were talking about. But, Evan really loves his doctor and wanted to see her, too. So we went together and had a very good session.

Last night Evan started doing the craziest thing. He wanted to be wrapped in a blanket and be cuddled. He said, "Evan a baby. Ehhhh ehhhh ehhhhh." It was the most pathetic cry. I asked if that's what babies sounded like and he said yes. He continued with this behavior this morning and insisted on being carried. Doctor warned us that regression is common when the baby arrives. I'm surprised it's happening so early, but I think the little stinker is using what he heard in our consultation. Nothing gets past this little dude.

Lil' Babe AKA Number 2

For the last week or so, I've been really anxious to find out if we're having a boy or girl. I don't know if it's because friends who are a little further along are finding out what they're having or what. This pregnancy has been pretty easy-going so far, knock on wood, and very similar to Evan. So maybe it's a boy. But I was much queasier this time, so maybe it's a girl! Maybe it's a girl with Evan's mellow personality! :) I heard moms tell me about their little ones doing somersaults in the womb and giving pretty ferocious kicks and jabs. Evan was a little sweetie. He kicked from time to time, but was always very gentle. After our first four months of hell (colic? jaundice? pissy for being induced a week early?) Evan really mellowed out and continues to be an even-tempered little dude. My angel! The funniest kicking story we have of Evan in utero was one time when we were driving. My husband has a police radar detector and it detected a laser being shot at us. It sounded the loudest, most obnoxious alarm. Evan started kicking away! I can just imagine him taking a little snooze and being rudely awaken by that sound. Too funny.

It was quite early when I could feel Lil' Babe's kicks - at around 14 weeks. It was nice and gentle and continues to be that way. Evan likes to rest his head on my belly and say, "Evan lie on lil' babe." He gives my belly kisses and talks to the babe. It's too precious. The cats also like to lie on me and purr and this gets Lil' Babe going, too. Hopefully he/she will come out a cat lover like Evan and the rest of us!

We are now at 18 weeks (just 22 more weeks!) and anxiously awaiting our ultrasound appointment around Easter next month. Hopefully Lil' Babe will cooperate and show his/her parts so we have a definite answer! I've asked Evan what he thinks he'll be having and he said brother. A few days later he answered sister. So I guess he'll be right either way.

Splashing in Rain Puddles!

We have been having ridiculously nice (and atypical) weather the last couple weeks. Sunshine, warm weather and lots of time to play outdoors! It rained yesterday, but quickly cleared up into a sunny day. Here's a picture of Evan splashing in the rain puddles. He had so much fun!

Potty Training

Evan is doing quite well with potty training. If he is in his BVDs, he will stay dry all day. I'm very proud of him and his progress. He sometimes puts up a fight if: he thinks the public bathroom is too loud, if I'm forcing him to try (cause I know he has to go!), if others try to take him besides me. But overall, he's doing great!

So far, he has refused to poop on the potty. He usually gets his business done and out of the way after breakfast, so he can be in his BVDs the rest of the day. He tells me if he's going to poop, so I ask if he wants to sit on his potty and he says, "No, poop in diaper." So here are the 'bribes' that I've tried:

* We started with new wipes. They are flushable wipes that come in a cute container. He thought they were sooo cool because they were different from the wipes we always use. But still, no poop in the potty.

* We tried chocolates. I put a tupperware of Hershey Kisses in the bathroom to entice him to go. He didn't even want to try, although he loves chocolates. I think this plan failed because he gets chocolates in other ways - M&Ms in the trail mix, Valentine candy, etc.

* I just started using MONEY! I can't believe it, but it seems to be working so far. I told him - a quarter for sitting and just trying; a dollar for pooping in the potty. He is actually asking to sit on the potty to try. He loves getting the quarter and this weekend he got to use his $0.50 on the crane game at the grocery store. He still hasn't pooped on the potty, but I'm sure one of these days, the timing will be right and it'll happen. So funny, though - Evan asks to see the money up front before he goes to the potty! We're not raising a fool!

Privacy, Please!

Another poopy diaper story...

We went to the bathroom to change a poopy diaper and Evan said the funniest thing:

He shut the door and said, "I need privacy. I don't want Piko and Poki (our cats) to bother us."

The Grouch

Two mornings in a row Evan woke up at 5:30 - way too early for him... and me! He eventually went back to sleep on both days, but grudgingly. Later in the day we had a talk. I told him that we can snuggle during the day, but when it's sleepy time, he needs to sleep. If not, he'll be a grouch. We joked about being a grouch for a while. Then I said, "And when you're a grouch..." Evan chimed in, "Momma is a grouch, too!" So true... So true.

That's Naughty!

During our breakfast conversation, Poppa said, "damn." Here's Evan's response.

"Don't say 'damn' Poppa. That's naughty. That's very, very naughty. Poppa needs to go sit on the naughty mat!"

And to top it all off, he did the 'finger point'.

Paints!

I don't know where Evan picked up a passion for painting, but he's got the painting bug. He's painted a few times at the Children's Museum and one of his favorite stories is Curious George Gets a Job, where George paints a jungle mural in a lady's apartment.

During bath time, Evan uses one of his pouring toys to hold "bubble paint" (shampoo bubbles) and "paints" the bathtub. He now looks forward to washing his hair (in order to get the bubble paint), whereas before, he would scream and fuss at this point in his bath.

Today I got Evan his first paint set and he loves it! He's learning how to clean his brush to change colors and to paint with the brush bristles and not the plastic handle.

Nobody There

Momma's Side:
The other evening the three of us were in the kitchen. I was cooking and Pops was working on the computer. Evan was playing with toys. Pops thought he heard a knock on the door so he asked Evan to go check.

After a little while, Evan came running back to the kitchen. Poppa asked him, "Was anyone at the door?" Evan replied, "Nobody there." So we continued cooking, working on the computer and playing with toys.

About 5 minutes later, we hear a knock on the kitchen window. It was Grandma!

Grandma's Side:
Grandma knocked on the front door and Evan went running to see who it was.

Grandma said to Evan, "Evan, open the door. I forgot my keys!"

Evan said, "I cannot open the door."

Grandma said, "Go tell Momma or Poppa to come open the door."

Grandma heard Evan's footsteps running away from the door... About 5 minutes go by... She went around back to knock on the kitchen window and we let her in.

"Evan, how come you didn't tell Momma I was waiting at the door? We had a whole conversation!" said Grandma.

"Nobody there."

Lovin' the Little Babes

Evan is pretty excited to be a big brother. I am thrilled to see him interacting with little babes. Last week we met up with a few friends for an ice cream treat at Coldstone. Because little Will was asleep in his carrier, I let Evan go over and check him out. Evan was instantly smitten with Will, who is about a month old now. He could not keep his hands off of him! He pet Will's head like he would a cat, and his touches were very gentle.

Today we got to spend time with another little baby - Edith, Addie's little sister. I got to hold Edith and Evan asked to hold her, too. I told him not right now (we were in a restaurant and he was up in his booster chair.) So he held on to her foot. When her momma came back, Evan wanted to snuggle with Edith and there were many cheesy pictures taken - Evan continued to be very gentle with Edith. When it was time to leave, Evan kept telling Edith's momma, "I want to take her home... I want to take her home!"

Safety First

The other day we were playing together. I was sitting on a chair and he was standing on the ground. He wanted to boom boom wrestle and asked if I was ready. I said, "Ready!" Then he said, "Momma come down from chair. That's dangerous." It really blew me away!

We read a book with a picture of stairs and he pointed it out and said, "That's dangerous."

Today we were watching a show where the character, Tasha, was dancing and singing on the picnic table. Evan said in his authoritative, low voice, "That's dangerous, Tasha!"

Bowling Mania

Yesterday we went to a friend's birthday party at the bowling alley. Evan LOVED it! He is familiar with bowling from Wii and his own bowling set. But to see the real thing, that was pretty cool for him. He had been looking forward to going to the bowling alley for over a week. When the day finally arrived, he was psyched!

This place was so great for kids. They put up bumpers so there's no chance of getting a gutter ball and you can request a ramp so all you have to do is place the ball at the top of the ramp and let your child push the ball down. Evan got at least 2 spares!

And here is Evan after a long day of bowling and playing with the big boys. That's a cracker in his mouth. He insisted on eating it, but fell asleep before he could finish chewing it. Classic!

Happy President's Day!

Today is President's Day. We got home from a Costco run and playing at the park and I asked Evan to get the mail with me. Halfway to the mailbox (which is halfway down our driveway!) I remembered it was a holiday. I told Evan there was no mail today and we went in the house. Here is our conversation:

Evan: How come there is no mail?

Momma: Because today is a holiday. On holidays, some people don't work. So we didn't get mail.

Evan: What is a holiday?

Momma's thinking: How am I going to explain what this holiday is about?!

Momma: Today is President's Day. It is a time for us to honor the Presidents of our country. (No joke, I totally said this to my 2 year old.)

Evan: I want presents!!!

Momma: Not presents! Presidents!

Toddler Bed

We moved Evan to a toddler bed last week. I've held off writing about our experience til now because I thought maybe the first few nights were a fluke. Thankfully, all continues to go well!

We tried to wait as long as possible before making the move, because Evan did not try to climb out of his crib. If anything, he would try to climb in when he was really tired! But we started talking about it and he loved the idea of sleeping in a "big boy bed." He agreed to give Lil' Babe his crib if he got a toddler bed. So we set up his bed and waited for the little dude to come visit us in the middle of the night. Well, it never happened! The first night, he woke up in the middle of the night. I think he was a little disoriented by the new bed and cried out for me. He waited for me to come to him and I reassured him that he was ok. He went back to sleep, no problem.

The next night, I think he slept all the way through. The following nights he woke up here and there, but always waited for me to come to him. I think he caught a cold and maybe got congested. So, even if he woke up in the middle of the night, he called out for me and stayed in bed.

In the mornings, he does the same thing - calls out, "Momma, where are you?" I go in to see him and he's waiting in his bed. Love it!

Last night I woke up and heard a thud. I thought, "Hmm, I wonder what that was?" A few seconds later, I hear, "Momma, where are you?" I go in and Evan is on the ground. He says, "Evan fell out of Evan's bed." He climbed back in and went back to sleep.

I was also very worried that his naps would go out the window. But this has also been going very smoothly, considering. He goes down for his nap, not fighting it, as he had in the past. And does the same thing when he wakes up - calls out for me and waits for me to get him.

I'm really pleased with how this is going and hope it continues! However, if we ever do have a late night visitor, I will stay strong and walk him back to his bed and tuck him in. Although we have a king size bed, there is no room for a little monkey. He has never slept with us and we're not wanting to start this now.

His bedtime routine has changed a little now that he is in a toddler bed. He likes to read his stories in bed now, rather than in his chair or on the ground. We also both tuck him in at night and leave the room together. Previously, Poppa gave him a hug and kiss, hand him off to me, then leave the room. I would tuck him into his crib and then leave. With the bed, he knows he can get in and out and after Poppa leaves the room, he would ask for Poppa to come back. I think he liked the extra reassurance, but my son is also the master at stalling. We're not raising a fool here! He knows how to delay bedtime. So after the first two nights of this, I told Pops to stay with us and we leave together. This has really helped settle Evan and leaves him with no more stalling excuses!

Cookie Man

Today we made some Valentine cookies. Poppa and Evan found ready-to-bake cookie dough at the market. We had made Christmas cookies and they were pre-cut. We were surprised to find that these cookies were not pre-cut and required our own cookie cutters. Since I only have gingerbread man and lady cut outs, we had gingerbread man and lady valentine cookies! Evan had lots of fun with the scrap cookie dough. He first said he was making a snowman. Then it turned into a Christmas tree. Finally, he decided he was making a Cookie Man. Here are some pictures.

"My Child is a Genius..."

I know I'm not the first parent to say/think this about their child, but seriously, I'm constantly amazed by the little man.

The other night, Poppa came home from work carrying a bag. Evan ran over to say hello and yelled out, "Uniform!" We could not believe that he knew what was in the bag, just by seeing the outside of the bag. It turned out that he was correct - Poppa bought him a new soccer uniform - Manchester United. Since I can't seem to wash his uniforms fast enough, this third addition will help me out. But I'm so discouraged to see the closet full of clothes that he refuses to wear.

My Funny Valentine

Thanks to a few books my mom sent him, Evan has been looking forward to Valentine's Day for the last month and a half. He loves reading Max's Valentine and How Spider Saved Valentine's Day. We started making valentines for his friends and family in the middle of January. This may seem really early, but I'm glad we started when we did. He wanted to use rubber stamps for everyone, and it was amazing how quickly he got bored. So we would do a couple here and a couple there. Then we had to write a message to everyone and he would get bored of thinking of things to say to his friends, besides "Happy Valentine's Day! Here's some candy!"

Last night we were at QFC and I let Evan choose a special Valentine treat from the bakery. I was debating between the fudge cake and fruit custard. Evan insisted on the chocolate torte, because the decoration looked like Hershey Kisses. It was quite yummy, but oh so rich!

This morning at breakfast, Evan asked to mooch more eggs off of his Poppa. He got it, of course, and I said, "Evan what do you say?" This is his usual reminder to say Thank you. He ends up saying to Poppa, "Thank you! Happy Valentine's Day!" How can you resist that?!

Evan's Name Confusion

I think Evan can speak quite well and we can understand most of the things he says. There are a couple names that have been giving him trouble lately - both are people who have watched him in the play area at the gym.

He can say Cassie and Taylor. However, when Carrie watched him, he called her Carrot. After the one time she watched him, she has been forever referred to as Carrot. "Where's Carrot?"

The other name is Diana. He pronounces it as "Bi-nana." So it sounds more like Banana than Diana.

"Muscle Man Gym"

I've signed up for a gym - the first time ever. It has been about 2 weeks now and I'm feeling pretty good. There were two goals: to be fit during (and hopefully after!) the pregnancy and for Evan to get used to playing without Momma nearby. I was thinking about all the activities that we do during the week. Each and every one requires active parent participation - Gymboree, Mommy Group, and Soccer. I wanted to look for new activities where I could leave Evan in someone else's care, so that when pre-school comes around in the fall, it would not be this total shock to his system.

The results so far: So-So. I have signed up with a personal trainer and I think she's doing a good job. She knows where I'm coming from and isn't one of those aggressive, in-your-face, "One more set" kind of trainer. I was hoping to learn which exercises are safe for a maternity work out and how to properly use the machines. I'm trying to stick to the workout and after a few hiccups, have gotten into a good schedule that I think works for both me and Evan.

Some of our hiccups:
I was taking him on Monday evenings around 5:00. Big mistake. The gym was always so crowded at that time - and tons of kids in the play area! It was like a zoo! He had two meltdowns where we had to end our training sessions early because he was so worked up. I will try to take him in the mornings when things are much calmer and he feels more comfortable.

I have also decided to do my 10-15 minute cardio warm-up at home on the elliptical, so that when I get to the gym, I can get right into the work out and be out of there in 30 minutes. The first session was about an hour long and that was Meltdown #1. Too long.

Meltdown #2 was when a big boy tried to take away the one toy Evan wanted to play with all weekend long. Every day he would mention the "car wash toy". He was perfectly happy when I left him - barely said goodbye to me! But once the incident occurred, that was the end of that. It's definitely been a learning process for us!

Evan calls it the "Muscle Man Gym". The very first time, he was a little overwhelmed with all the people and machines. But now, he likes to see the Muscle Men working out. He says that I'm a Muscle Man too. But on American Gladiators, he knows the difference between Muscle Men and Muscle Ladies. Go figure.

Some Recent Pics

Evan Helping Momma Make Blueberry Muffins

Evan Getting Sweet Snuggles from Poki

If Soccer is Evan's favorite thing, the Diver Man at the Aquarium is his second favorite.

Evan Watching the Bug Man with Uncle Moon

Evan's First Experience with Hide & Seek

Today we tried to play Hide & Seek for the first time. It was quite hilarious!

We were in the kitchen together and Evan ran off saying he's going to hide from me. I went to look for him and called out, "Where's Evan?"

He popped his head out of the bathroom and said, "In the bathroom!"

I told him that when we're playing a hiding game, he can't tell me where he is - I have to look for him. I gave him the count-to-10 rule and then I would come look for him. As I started counting, Evan ran off to hide, counting along with me! That's going to give away his position...

I shouted out, "Ready or not, here I come!" And Evan came running at me to give me a big hug! I told him he has to stay hidden and I will come find him. So we tried it again.

This time he stayed in place, but he "hid" in the middle of his playroom, fully exposed. He thought it was so funny.

The next time he chose to hide a little further away, along the far wall of the playroom on the heat vent - again fully exposed. We gave this game a break, but I think the next time he will really catch on. Every time it got progressively better!

Evan's "Grown-Up" Sayings

These are sayings that he uses throughout the day, not just a one time thing. They are still funny coming from the little dude.

* "I can't quite reach it."

* "I almost fell down." "I almost sneezed everywhere." "I almost made a big mess." In all of these cases, he actually did do what he said, but he called it "almost."

* "Evan want to feed fishies. Let me help you."

* He reminds me about safety. "That's dangerous, Momma."

* Whenever I tell him No, he says, "Why Momma say No lollipop? (Lollipop can also be replaced with the following: candy, chocolates, Backyardigans, chips, cookies, Wii.)

* I asked Evan if he could help me do something. His reply, "Sure... Sure."

* If someone does something to Evan that he is not in the mood for (tackles, tickles, etc.) Evan will say, "Don't never ever do that again."

Lil' Worker Bee

Today we were standing in front of the coat closet, choosing a jacket to wear since the house was feeling chilly. Evan's rain boots were there and he looked up at me and gave me a sly grin. He slid his boots on and I didn't think anything of it. Later we were in the kitchen and I noticed that he still had his boots on. I said, "Evan, please take off your boots. We don't wear shoes in the house."

He left the room and about 3 minutes later comes back. He told me, "Evan going to work. That's why Evan needs Evan's boots on." I didn't think I heard him correctly. "What? You're going to work?" "Yes, Evan going to work." He left the room again.

Then I hear his toy drill in the other room. He came back to the kitchen and said, "Evan building Evan's boots."

I asked him again to take off his shoes. He ran back to the other room and I hear his boots falling on the ground. Then I hear him getting frustrated about something, so I go and check on him. He is sitting on one of his ride-ons, which is parked in the corner. He can't get out of the corner by himself. He said, "Evan stuck. Evan needs to go to work."

The Cleaners

We have cleaners who come every other week and Evan loves them. When they arrived today, Evan was in the kitchen with me and he could hear them at the front door. He said, "Evan say hi to cleaners. Evan wearing pajamas!" So he jumped down from his chair, ran over to see them and said, "Hi... Evan wearing pajamas!"

Later, we were cleaning a poopy diaper upstairs in the bathroom. The door was closed and one of the cleaners was going to take out the trash. She knocked on the door and Evan called out, "We be out in a moment, cleaners!"