Baby Reunion 2006
Before the zebra mussel
So I still haven't posted anything about the "baby reunion" that we had last Saturday out at the lake. Too many other activities and photo sessions this week and I'm wayyyy behind.
This is the second year in a row we've gone to the cottage and met up with Emma and Caleb. The activities were pretty much the same as last year's. But there was much more interaction this time around (especially with Kelsey, Caleb's sister, whom you seem to have a crush on). You liked the lake a lot better than you did last year too. That is, until you tripped over the anchor, which involved a cut on your ankle from a zebra mussel and a snout full of water before Mommy was able to grab you.
Caleb is still super serious and refuses to smile. And Emma, as sassy as ever, was busy getting in trouble with mom now and again. Luckily you were on your good behavior for the most part.
That's because you save the BAD behavior for Mommy and Daddy. Like today, for instance. Holy moley! You were on a tear, starting with breakfast and progressing all the way to before bedtime. I can't even count how many time-outs you had! Things started off on a good note. You even allowed me to make you some oatmeal this morning instead of the ever popular waffles. But it all went sour when you lost interest in your food. As it does every time.
I've come to dread meals, actually. Not that you're totally unpleasant throughout. It's just that once you've decided you've had enough, instead of nicely saying something along the lines of, "All done," you just start acting up. Throwing food. Raspberries. Screaming. Kicking the dog. You name it.
This morning it was smearing oatmeal and then throwing it after I asked you to stop. Then your day just seemed to spiral into any naughty thing you could come up with. Mommy and Daddy just can't seem to figure out how to break the throwing habit. You do it a lot. A lot. A lot. Um, too much! Some days I can just go with the flow, but today, I guess, I was in evil-mom mode. I swear I just wanted to put you in a straight jacket and go read a book. Would have made everything soooo much easier!
You did take some time off from the shenanigans to watch "Finding Nemo". Mommy and Daddy wanted to rent a movie for ourselves yesterday, but with you in tow that can be difficult. You wouldn't hold still for a second and kept grabbing for every DVD you could get your hands on. So I sweet-talked Daddy into letting you rent one of your own. We grabbed "Nemo" and you very nicely allowed us to keep looking for something that we'd like to watch.
You sat through most of the movie this morning, allowing your parents to have a bit of relaxation. I skipped through some of the scary parts, which I didn't even notice when I watched it alone two years ago. Hello! Mommy Fish is eaten along with 399 babies, diver grabs Nemo, shark attacks Nemo's dad and his pal. Wow...such violence in a cartoon!
Along with the bad, of course, there's always way more cuteness. (Although the scales have tipped more in the naughty department in the past couple of weeks!) You've started, very sweetly, responding to things in the positive by saying a very definite, "Yes!" With much verve! First it was "Yeah," then "Yep." Now you've got that "s" sound down at the end and you have this endearing way of saying it. I've gotta get it on tape.
You've been a Mommy's boy a lot lately. I love the attention, but I feel bad for Daddy. When he picks you up out of the car, you often say, "Mommy, pick up!" and he has to hand you over to me or face a screaming fit. I'm sure it's just temporary, but I know I'd feel a tiny bit slighted if it were the other way around. You even want to follow me when I go to the bathroom. I discovered today that I can't really tell your dad I'm going there if I don't want to hear you scrambling behind me hollering, "Devin too!"
You're very much in that third-person mode. It's very cute. "Devin do!" you love to say when you want to handle something yourself. Or "Devin got it," when you reach something without help. I'm not sure when the "I/me" references will kick in, but this phase is very entertaining.
Counting is kicking in now too. You've been practicing quite a bit with the concept, getting as far as three many times (although often skipping two and going right to three). But you counted to six the other day going down the steps and made it to five twice today when we were reading. You also handed me three Cheerios during your snack today and very clearly said, "Mommy, three!" It could have been a fluke, but I'll chalk it up to your genius!
After the zebra mussel
Playing chase with Kelsey and Caleb