Seek and Destroy...

Now that Quarter-pint has figured out that he is mobile we are in BIG trouble! He has officially entered the "Seek and Destroy" stage. I had honestly forgotten just how exhausting and messy they can be when they get moving! I think I blocked it from my memory. We have moved some of the things that Quarter-pint gets into the most, but he still finds plenty of messes to make. It doesn't really matter where I leave him-just give him a few minutes and he will have a shelf or cupboard completely cleaned out! If he's in the office it's the bookshelves-EVERYTHING from three-feet off the ground and below! If he's in the family room- it's the DVD shelves. If he's in the kitchen-it's the pantry (generally the bread and cereal shelves)! I'm intentionally trying to "hide" the lazy-susan from him-that's where I keep all the tupper-ware type stuff. I have pulled out a set of bowls, set of measuring cups and a set of measuring spoons just for him to play with when he's roaming the kitchen.

Half-pint isn't really helping the situation either. A few days ago I found both boys under the sofa table near our front door. I caught Half-pint showing Quarter-pint how to change the timer for the lamp! I think we're going to have our hands full! Now, I'm just waiting for Quarter-pint to figure out how to open the kitchen drawer with all the sippy-cup lids, sippy-cup filters, baby spoons, and small bowls!

Imaginary Play...

On the ocean...

In a boat...


Wearing a hat...


Using a paddle...

Quarter-pint Mobility...

Quarter-pint has become a "real" crawler! I put real in quotes because he's been doing "the worm" for a month, but in the past week or so figured out how to coordinate his arms and legs to really crawl. Now that his motion is synchronized he has become a lot quicker and he can cover a lot more distance. I had forgotten just how busy these little ones are when they figure out they are mobile! Not only has he learned to really crawl, but in the past few days he has learned to pull himself up and yesterday and today has begun to master creeping along furniture. I never know where I'm going to find Quarter-pint.

Under the coffee table...

in the dishwasher...

I even found him squawking...stuck-wedged behind a chair in the living room!

Today we were playing in the unfinished basement (where most of the Quarter-pint appropriate toys live). Instead of playing with his "new" toys ("new" because they were Half-pint's, but just pulled them out for Quarter-pint) I found him scratching the insulating foam sealer off of the rough-in plumbing and putting it in his mouth! After a call to Poison Control we determined that he just required watching and then treating any symptoms that might show up. Luckily, I haven't seen any symptoms. I did learn that fiberglass foam is chemically inert if ingested (but it's a problem if it's inhaled!).


Quarter-pint has also figured out that he can keep up with and attack his brother better now that he is more mobile. He doesn't have to rely solely on ambush tactics to get Half-pint.

Half-pint Eating Habits?...

I never know what's going on in Half-pint's mind, especially when he's eating. Just today, he had me open a cup of applesauce, then he promptly turned around and grabbed a zip lock bag from the drawer behind him. As I was trying to figure out what he was up to...he began to dump his applesauce into the zip lock bag! There was a slight problem though, the bag wasn't fully open. I caught all the applesauce before it hit the floor and quickly convinced him to eat the applesauce out of the cup it was packaged in.

Do you know any other kid who eats potato chips with THREE spoons and ONE fork???

Monkey Backpack...

Half-pint is what I call a "runner". He is always running, especially when I don't want him to. He runs ahead of me when we leave a public building (i.e. the grocery store, library, church, pretty much everywhere...) and he runs from me while we are shopping (i.e. a few isles over at the grocery store or mega-mart...).

Not only is he a runner, but he also is a good climber. He is a true monkey. Recently we were at the grocery store and he wanted to climb into the blue race car shopping cart. He did it in four simple steps-he used the cement anchor for a handicapped parking space sign, then he climbed into one "regular" shopping cart, then into the race car basket and then finally into seat of the race car.

"What are you doing?"

"I climb! I a monkey!"

"Yes, you are a little monkey!"

We went to the zoo this past week. We have installed a new tradition, especially at the zoo...it's the monkey backpack. Half-pint has a monkey backpack with a tail that's about 2-3 feet long-with a loop handle on the end. He MUST wear the monkey backpack while we are at the zoo, especially if we are there without other family (i.e. Grandma, Aunts, Uncles...). He actually loves his monkey backpack. Yes, he knows that when he wears it he is tethered and leashed. We get all kinds of looks from everyone else at the zoo. Kids think it's awful and parents think it's great!

Half-pint Hair Cut...

So, Half-pint's hair has always been a little slow growing. He's always had hair, but didn't get his first hair cut until after Quarter-pint was born! (Half-pint was 2.5!) So, Half-pint is still a little apprehensive when we talk about getting his hair cut again. I have to bribe him with some ice cream if he sits still and wears the cape (he really hated the cape the first few times, and he only barely tolerates it now).


This week, we decided he needed his hair cut again (for the sixth time in his short little life). After we went to the library, I again brought up the hair cut idea. He reluctantly agreed, but only after I reminded him about the traditional ice cream stop.

"I get ba-lllla ice cream, with sprinkles!?!"

"Yes, you can have vanilla ice cream, IF you sit still and wear the cape and be a good boy."

"Yes Mom. I wove ba-llla ice cream!"

"How do you want your hair cut?"

"I want it stand up!"

"Okay..."
Sure enough, he sat very still and wore the cape, just like I asked him to do. But I didn't require him to smile to get vanilla ice cream. He sat very sternly and very seriously, but he was still.

I think he's been hanging around his brother-and wanted the same hair cut!

Summer Nights...

Tonight was the first night we actually ate our dinner on the back porch. We've had such a chilly spring, we keep forgetting it's actually "summer" (at least in the sense that the neighborhood kids are out of school). I tried a new recipe for dinner and judging from the comments it was a hit! We had pork chops with a creamy herb sauce, mashed potatoes, and oven roasted carrots. Here's a little snippet of the conversation around the dinner table tonight:

Half-pint: "Momma, I hungry. We eat lots of vegetables."
Momma: "Okay, it's time to eat, please sit in your chair."
Half-pint: " Wow, Momma, it looks good!"

After the blessing, the mostly one-sided conversation continues...

Half-pint: "Wawishlious Momma!"
Momma: "I'm glad you like it. Please eat your meat."
Daddy: "The carrots are really tender!"
Half-pint: "THANK YOU Momma! I wove the potatoes!"
Momma: "I'm glad you like it, please eat your meat."
Half-pint: "I eat some meat-it's yummy!"

Pause for swallowing...

Half-pint: "I SO happy! Dinner wawishlious! Thank you Momma! I eat my potatoes all gone!"

It's great to actually get some thanks for dinner and to actually have everyone like it!


Summer bedtime is the pits when you're one of the littlest kids on the block (especially when it's hot outside). Tonight after we put Half-pint to bed-before the sun set-I could hear him talking. I listened from the outside of his bedroom door, where I could see him kneeling at his window:

"Hey, you guys! I ober here! Hey guys...I ober here...Be quiet! It's bed time. I try to sleep. Be quiet, it's bed time!"

As he realized I was in his room he said to me: "Momma...you close my window? They be noisy I can't sleep...I play?"

We closed his window (I never saw anyone outside, but I'm sure the kid across the street had been out) and he eventually fell asleep in his bed. Then I opened the window again-it's a hot night.