Warp Speed

No cute pictures, but just thoughts I want to remember...

So things feel like they are moving at warp speed around here. Wiggly will be here before we know it (May 4th) and is certainly flip flopping around inside to make me take notice that they are almost here. I've started freezing meals (which I don't know why but makes it seem like this baby is just around the corner). I'm also interested to see if Wiggles shows up early with the amount of contractions I've been getting already. I can't remember this many so far before having Fred... but there are a lot of things I can't remember anymore! =) So far my feet have stayed in human proportion, we'll see if that lasts.

Fred however is really making me feel like time is at warp speed. He has become the human sponge of knowledge and words. Anything he hears he can pretty much mimic and repeat (so keep your salty language away from him). He can recognize all the letters, a good amount of numbers, some shapes, he tries colors but rarely has success matching the correct color word with the actual color except for blue, and just about every emergency vehicle and piece of construction equipment. While driving he calls out letters he sees all over the place on signs etc. Whenever he finishes reading letters he always look to us and says "Fred", like he just spelled it. He tries to sing his "ABC"'s which is one of the funniest things as it is just a collection of random letters to a tune and goes on as long as he feels like it. He also just recently started trying to mimic back "Hey Diddle Diddle". Which is pretty stink'n cute. He also is just seeming more of a little person because of how funny he is! He makes us laugh all the time - but recently he has created his own joke. He started saying something that sounds like "Sammi-go-bee", I think just fun sounds put together. But he says it to be silly and in the funniest inflections, and we can say it back to him and he laughs. To have our own inside joke just makes him that much more grown up. It's happening all to fast yet is just soooo fun!

How to eat an Apple

Dive in

Eat with gusto


You have finished when only 2 seeds remain.

Yes, he did eat the core, but daddy at least took the stem out.

Oh Happy Day

Fred turned 2! And this sounds weird but I'm so proud of him. I don't know why exactly it makes me proud that he is two, but its just an overall feeling of "look at what you can do now!" We also have seem to have conquered our fears of birthdays as previously noted. There was a lot of practicing. Reading Arthur's Birthday and any other book that had pictures of cakes and candles. Singing the Birthday song occasionally, talking about the up-coming party... which usually ended with him shaking his head saying "No! NO! NO!" Then about 2 to 3 weeks before the big day, he started a passionate (well more like obsessive) love affair with Thomas the Train Engine. I got the Happy Birthday Thomas book from the library and we started reading that. I think too the whole "I get gifts & toys!" really helped. I made some Thomas & friend cakes in the hopes of not creating trauma when we sang. So here is a video of all our birthday happenings. It is long, and really meant as a reminder for mommy's electronic baby book I've got here. My favorite part is his high little voice of trying to hold it together and not cry while naming all the cake trains by name. So now when it's your special day you may just get a call from Fred wishing you a "Happy Day!"

to kathleen

you were warned.

Big Boy Bed

I know, I still have holiday posting but before I forget this story it needs to be recorded in the electronic baby book. Fred got his very own big boy bed on Saturday and was very excited about it. After two false starts of trying to sleep in the bed and ending up back in the crib, last night seemed he was determined to sleep in the bed. We were way impressed. He looked so cute and small in the bed when we went to bed (and just a tad sweaty from being wrapped up in covers and wearing a fleece sleeper).

2:00am - some whimpering and a couple of cries, expected. I get into the room and look to the bed, no little boy there. On the floor. Not totally shocking and I debate whether or not I pick him up and place him back in the bed or do I just leave him. He's semi-fussing and patting his behind meaning he wants a blanket and to be tucked in. I decide, I'll leave him on the floor, so I cover him up and go back to my own bed.

6:00am - morning fussing and cries but they sound weird. I enter the room carefully so as not to step on him in case he rolled closer to the door. Not expected, I can't find him anywhere although I still hear muffled cries, finally I spy two little stripey pajama clad feet sticking out from underneath the bed doing their best Wicked Witch of the East imitation.

I guess try try again?

Toddler - 1 : Mom - 1

Life with the strong willed child: A battle to put pants back on after a diaper change, and a desperate attempt for more TV by attempting to give a full body hug to the electronic. I might not have won the pants battle but the TV stayed off.

Last Fall flings

Oh there was a good handful of fall happenings...
Pumpkin picking with the Engstrom's


Then Halloween which included the last farmer's market where they let the kid's trick or treat, then to the park district for a tot party, a quick rush of lunch and nap and then on to the main event of trick or treating around the neighborhood. All while wearing a really cool costume. Well, every kid but Fred. Fred was not a fan of the costume, he did not approve of such clothing deviations from his standard wears. So mommy did what every good mommy would do, she tricked him. I clipped two felt corners to look like ears and pinned them to his winter hat without his knowledge. So he was a bat or a cat or felt corner man, whichever you prefer. And how did the candy go over? Well he didn't know what it was (no problem I'll eat it) but he did get a kit kat at 9:30am and then a sucker after dinner. He mostly enjoyed putting things in his pumpkin and the best get of the day, some neighbor was a Caveman and had a box of fossils (yes rocks) and little plastic dinosaurs which was the coolest as he wroared around with it the rest of the day.





I was also going to present another little treat we got was the first glimpse of who we are referring to as "Wiggly". Poor second child, I have no idea when I'll get to scanning sweet little ultra sound pictures, but they are on our fridge to help remind us, that "Oh yeah, you are in there and will be coming one day!" Say Cinco de Mayo?

And finally I leave you with a little piece of video of Fred getting to talk to our magic pumpkin. Every year we have the talking pumpkin and our awesome friend Matt stepped in to do the voice while we both walked Fred around the block.