Add a Little Flour

He's entered a phase of imitation...

Of sounds,

of words,

of stories,

of motions,

and of activities.

I've entered a phase, rather a new habit of saying yes...

To rough-housing,

to climbing,

to ceaseless movement,

to motor sounds,

and to messes.

[Insert happy place here.]

I think all of us here are feeling better

now that eased-up-mommy has entered the scene

and she's here to stay!

(I'm not sure why I'm talking in the third person,

but it must come with the new territory I'm walking in.)

Before, it was so easy to say, "another time"

or to make a thousand conditions about something

that, with a bit of effort, foresight, and creativity

could become something so much better

and so much more memorable

than the same old,

un-stimulating,

easy way routine.

[Three cheers for the new way! Woo-Hoo-Hoo!]

I was going to bake cookies yesterday.

I invited my Bootsy-Cutesy into the kitchen,

which is always gated off-limits.

(No, Todd. That's Ajay, not Chris.)

This time it would not be the same.

This time was different.

It was better for me,

for Ajay,

and for my stay-at-home-Mister--

working off his cute tail for our little fam--

who, by the way, these cookies were being prepared for!

This time he wasn't in the living room alone

with empty mixing bowls,

and utensils.

This time I made a bigger set-up.

This time he was in the kitchen

WITH me.

There were actual ingredients in the bowls.

There were a few things he'd never played with.

He was all-in.

(And very orderly, I might add. Where was the big mess I welcomed?!?)

He added a little flour and some oats

and before long,

he was measuring,

and scooping,

and stirring like a pro.

He proved to be a natural mixer!

I asked him if he wanted to help me at the counter.

Before I was able to get the chair situated,

Ajay had his leg slung up and was climbing to the top.

Happy momma, happy baby/slash/big boy!

It's obvious that things required more time

and attention once a little one is invited to be involved.

All he needs from me in this phase of life are

Time

and

focused attention.

I'm so glad he's curious,

and interested,

and involved.

Now, just picture him in a little man apron and chef's hat:

For some reason, stuff always tastes better

when someone else [helps] make it.

(p.s. Thanks to Mister for taking these great photos!)

Hey Hoser

This boy LOVES the water.

He was born in it.

At the mention of it, he runs for it.

At the sound of it, he bolts for the source.

He also loves wheels just as much,

so when he discovered the hose-reel,

the hose, and the spigot,

his life changed forever.

(click to enlarge the photos)

The hose is where it's at and he is happy to be right in the stream of water

no matter how chilling it may be.

On this particular day,

it was his watering hole.

Now my only question is

how much is too much hose water?

Can we say guzzler?

Bedtime Routine

It's 10:08 p.m. and Ajay is asleep. What I mean is he just now finally fell asleep. This is the result of his second (much needed) late afternoon nap and bedtime starting at 8:30 p.m.

On Sunday, his social-butterfly Granny reminded me she wants me to "condition" him to sleep anywhere at anytime so we can visit longer. Coincidentally, another doting Grandma made a similar comment about the time he goes to bed just yesterday.

Usually what was said in person between each of us would have sufficed, but after a night like tonight, I felt compelled to give some more details of what we do and why it works for our family.

This routine I'm about to outline has proven to work very well for us, so why would tonight be any different? Well, the teething thing is (still) going on and Ajay took two 2 hour naps today (catching up on his Z's). A later bedtime sounds great because then he'd sleep later in the morning and we'd love to visit longer, however, bedtime (and sweet, sweet sleep) is sacred around here.

After dinner at 5:30 p.m. (if we don't eat then, it's 8:30 p.m. before we sit down for supper), we have family time, which involves going for a walk, running around outside, stuffed-animal animation time (you know Chris is the boss of that department!) and sometimes a bath.

So, on a mostly regular day, bedtime begins with the 20 minute countdown/wind-down. The curtains are closed, the house is gradually tidied-up and quieted-down. Halfway through, Chris or I make eye contact with Ajay to say, "10 minutes till jammies." We hang out together a bit more until it's "Two minutes till jammies, Boots." That's between 6:30 and 7 p.m. During jammies, we talk about bedtime books and cuddles. When I set him down from the changing table, he hits the ground running to our bed, which is where we read for bedtime with a cozy setup of Ajay's blanket and 2-3 books.

Chris or I count "One...Two...Threeeeee!" and gently catapult him onto our bed. He squeals with excitement before we even say "two." It's so funny! Then he crawls to his spot between his dadda and me.

...Side Note...Lately, reading involves him flipping through the pages wildly and rolling about. I call this a free-for-all and it's not acceptable for bedtime. So reading time has been really short....

On a mostly regular day, we read for 10-15 minutes and then it's, "Say goodnight to Daddy." Hugs and kisses and wrapped in his blanket, he and I make way to the nursing chair in his room where he will usually fall asleep in 45 minutes or less. That makes the entire routine about an hour from jammies to sleep.

Maybe you're wondering what time he gets up in the morning. That's been extraordinarily variable lately (hello, 5:30 a.m. today!), but usually he wakes up for the day about 12 hours after he goes to bed (on a mostly regular day). And that's just fine with me!

More Fam

Catching up on the past 3 weeks...

At the Erie Zoo:

Ajay and cousin Anne Shirley cruising in the wagon. Anne reached back and patted Ajay's leg and he patted her back. So sweet.
Paps and Anne Shirley feeding the bear some leaves.
In the messy tables full of every animal and critter known to man, Ajay manages to point out the only thing with wheels.
Anne Shirley and Grandma carefully checking out the tame ducks.
"Clip clop clip clop," goes the giraffe.

Thank you Marianne and Jerry for the lovely day together!

At the Monde's Home:

Evan and "Unk" have their own universe to rule and reign.

Sometimes they're mortal enemies and other times they are on the same team.

Regardless of rank, they are the best buds.

While Chris and Evan climb the tree's highest branches,

Ajay inspects trailer wheels,

bike tires,

spoke beads, and "motors," which are UNO cards attached with clothes pins to the rear axel).

Chloe is a great cousin and permits and even encourages Ajay to get a closer look.

She also tries her hand in some of Ajay's games too.

And to finish off the day, a comfy wagon ride with a mud-caked monster truck.

Oh yeah.

Sweet Somethings

Peeking in on moments like these recharge me as a wife and a momma.

Being on the receiving end of these little gifts makes me beam with gratitude.

Knowing he's only this little for a short time helps me savor every moment.

These two guys make every day special.

They give me a reason.

They give me a purpose.

Thank you so much for believing in me!

Kah & Tie

Now wait just a minute! I said, "Car & Tire."

Learning the parts of the front end: Grill, Headlights, Turn Signals, Bumper

Doing some laps

Telling us all about it

Classic motor mouth

Loving the hands-on, grease-monkey approach