One of those days

It's been one of those days - one of those weeks really - when I most things are a challenge and I'm wondering what I can do to cope/adapt/maintain my sanity.

In our living-dining room, where The Boy and I spend almost all of our time, we've already removed the dining room chairs(poor Hubs has to drag them out at dinner time), taped over the buttons on the TV, keep my laptop stashed under the sofa when not in use, childproofed the credenza and china cabinet as best we can and stashed any toys that can be used as step-stools in the oh-so-lovely pack-n-play we have in the corner.

But The Boy's bested all of our best efforts this week. He's broken my laptop(his freakishly long arms managing to reach all the way under the sofa), managed to move storage stuff over to the credenza so he can step up and move the tv and his perseverance at getting into the drawers just beyond the babygate in the kitchen mean that we spent the weekend with tea towels and Cuisinart parts on our teeny tiny kitchen floor.

We've been through phases like this before - where he takes a developmental leap and Hubs and I have to scramble to make the house safe for The Boy, but I'm really at a loss. My living room is bare but The Boy keeps finding stuff to get into.

I love my boy, but man is he work!

A Wordless Wednesday

Spring has nearly sprung

It's 5:30 pm and I'm looking out the window at broad daylight. Never mind the fact that I have a predilection for the colder temps and shorter days of Winter, I'm trying to take these early signs of Spring as a cue to get my act into gear re: doing outdoor activities with The Boy.

As it is our only regular activities are daily outings with Grandpa, weekly trips to Gymboree and busy weekends doing non-toddler-specific activities. I mean, yeah, The Boy gets a kick out of perusing the offerings at Trader Joe's, but I think it would be nice to use the warmer weather as an excuse to do stuff that's just for The Boy. More parks. More zoos, gardens and fairs.

Hubs put his foot down about going to Disneyland before The Boy's old enough to ask for it, but maybe there's something else like it that won't make Hubs cringe. An all day sort of thing that would expose The Boy to new things and allow him room to run around.

Ideas? Time to research.

Today is a big day!

My best friend/brother/third-favorite-person-in-the-whole-world moved to India today. He will be back to visit, but his job will keep him there for at least 2 years. I am sad, melancholy and incredibly proud.

So now I'm off to wipe a tear before reading to The Boy, who hopefully won't forget his awesome, adventurous and kick-ass "uncle."

In honor of my shiny, new phone...

Here are a few pictures from my old phone. Vintage Boy pics.

Here is the picture I took of him as on our way home from the hospital. Awwww...

This is of The Boy and I anxiously awaiting the arrival of his doctor at his 1 month appointment - or maybe it was 2 months.

And here's the boy all bundled up.

It's not that I meant to slack off and leave those pics on my phone for almost two years, it's just that it took me getting a new phone to kick me in the pants and actually figure out how to do it. How embarrassing.

Does my lovey need a lovey?

It seems every baby/toddler has a crutch of some sort: pacifiers, blankets, bears, squeaky giraffes, lovies of all sorts. It seems all new humans require something to offer them comfort.

In The Boy's nineteen months with us he's been luke-warm with Sophie and prone to giving hugs to his myriad stuffed animals, but I wouldn't say that any of his animal facsimiles have garnered too much attention. He was completely unimpressed with all of the different kinds of pacifiers I got him and didn't take any notice of the ten square of organic flannel and silk I got him that I believe actually had "Lovey" on it's fancy little tag.

Not that I regret having to wean him from a pacifier or his thumb(or both), but I do wonder why he doesn't favor any of his stuffed buddies when it comes time to give hugs.

Is it confidence? He knows he's loved by us so he doesn't need to seek comfort in lovey? Hopefully.

Is he spoiled? He gets so many hugs and cuddles from Hubs and I, and his grandparents, uncle and family friends that he really doesn't see the need for a proxy hugger. Nah. Who ever heard of too many hugs?

Is it that I have yet to find the right lovey? Maybe.

So the search continues for an appropriate lovey. In the meantime we will all carry on with the hugs and cuddles and see if that is indeed the cause of The Boy's lack of a lovey.