Big Brother To-Be

For those of you who don't already know, Kyler is going to be a big brother! His baby brother or sister should be here at the very beginning of December.

We have been calling the baby "Baby Pat" because he or she was conceived on St. Patrick's Day and Pat can be a gender-neutral name. Kyler randomly mentions Baby Pat and it's kind of funny the things he will say. He obviously isn't old enough to really understand what's going on. He knows where Baby Pat is and will touch my tummy when we ask him. At first he would point to his own tummy but now seems to understand it is just Mama's tummy that houses the baby. Sometimes he asks if Baby Pat wants a kiss and will kiss my tummy (so sweet!). And once in a while he will ask funny things like whether Baby Pat needs a napkin. As we have gathered some of his old baby things together, I told him they were for Baby Pat. So he knows that certain blankets, etc. are Baby Pat's.

If he sees belongings of other babies he will tell us that it is Baby Pat's (and sometimes that other babies are Baby Pat). When we go to a new place, like the lake house we stayed at last weekend, he sometimes asks if that is Baby Pat's house. So he clearly doesn't have a good understanding of what is going to happen in 6 months.

I asked him if we could give Baby Pat his bed and he could get a big boy bed. He's not set on that yet. He has also told me that Baby Pat can play with some toys like his race cars, but not others like the motorcycles.

I really think Kyler will be a great big brother. He is so sweet and is smitten by other babies that he is around. He's also a good helper when it comes to bringing me something, so it will be nice to have his help in getting the baby's paci, wipes, blanket, and all those other things we will need. I'm sure he will have some jealously about sharing Mama and I am particularly worried about how he will feel about me holding the baby so often while nursing. But it will all work out and Kyler won't remember life without his little brother or sister.

Table Rock Lake Weekend

This past weekend we went on a little road trip to spend some time with a group of friends at Table Rock Lake. It was relaxing, the weather was beautiful, and it was so nice to be able to spend a couple of days with some close friends. Kyler had fun in the water and definitely wore himself out.

Kyler going on a quiet ride with Dada.

Baby Eva snoozed in the shade on the dock.

Kyler took his first tube ride nice and slow with Dada.

Mama and Kyler rode on the tube a little faster with Tiernan and his mama.

Kyler-isms: Tattoo

Can I first just say that I LOVE this age? I really do. Ky is starting to get past his crying/whining/crabby stage and is starting to talk a lot, lot more. And he understands, repeats, and catches on to a lot more too. I am trying to make a point to write down a lot of the funny things he says and does as a toddler (and will do as a preschooler). Here is today's:

Kyler was playing in our room and started taking out books from our nightstand. (These are novels without pictures but he still thinks he wants them read.) So he says "read it, mama." I read the title "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo." Then I showed him what a tattoo was by showing him the small tattoo I have on the inside of my ankle. He starts looking around at my legs and his for more tattoos. I told him that I had no more tattoos... just one little tattoo. Finally he looks at the bottom of his sock where it says "Hanes 12-24 Mos" and tells me that is his tattoo. Sounds good to me little man!

Little Talker

As Kyler starts talking more and more, he's starting to say things that are pretty funny.

On Monday when we were at home, I put some cereal in his bowl and commented that it was almost gone and that we were going to have to go to Papa's store to get more. He finished his cereal and yelled "Mow!" (more) really loudly. This was followed by him yelling "Mow Papa Stow!!!" while grinning. He doesn't forget much and he knows when he is being a goofball.

This morning when he got up we were hanging out and he comes up and starts slapping my leg. I pretended to cry so he says "Doont ky, mama. Eet oh ka." (Translation: Don't cry mama, it's okay.)

Today he was playing with his toys and the wind kept blowing the curtain over them. So he says "No, Wind!" I didn't even realize he knew that the wind caused that.

And finally, the had a first today that I was unprepared for and hope it is a "first and only." He was playing and all of a sudden comes up to me waving both hands. As I looked down at him, I see something on the palm of each hand and some on his bare belly (he had just eaten breakfast so I took his really messy shirt off). I had no idea what it could be so I checked in his diaper - sure enough, I think it was poo! I have no idea how it only got on the palm of his hands and not fingertips but I didn't take any chances and got him cleaned up immediately. Yuck! I had decided earlier in the week that it is time for potty training. Our next free weekend will be spent mastering that. Hopefully since I have Mondays off I can get it accomplished and knocked out. He is showing more signs than ever of being ready so I hope he is!

He's 2!!!

We had a great time celebrating Kyler's 2nd birthday. I was out of town Wednesday through Friday for work, so we didn't go overboard on his party this Saturday. He had a motorcycle theme with lots of orange and black decorations.

The party was in Papa's garage which seemed fitting for a motorcycle party. We started the party off by having Kyler open his gift from Great-Uncle Greg and my cousin Kyle since they had to head to the races... and ended up winning!!!

He was pretty impressed with the NASCAR wrapping paper, and he was pretty particular about how he unwrapped gifts so this took a while. He had to get every last bit of paper off.

Greg's gift won for the most unique. It was a little figure with a funny face that made some crazy noises and leaned back and forth as you shifted gears. It got a lot of laughs and I think it's gotten more play from the adults so far than from Kyler.

Then we were on to cake and ice cream. Grandma Debbie made the cake and did a great job, and of course we had to have Grandma Tammy make her amazing homemade ice cream.

Kyler loved his cake and enjoyed having everyone sing happy birthday to him. He was able to blow out the candles one at a time (after we re-lit them after his dad accidentally blew them out). I ordered him a custom birthday shirt that fit the theme too.

He had to help cut the cake of course. Instead of eating the cake and ice cream, he was so proud to pass it out to his guests. He was the only one who didn't clean his plate.

Kyler got lots and lots of new toys (good thing we're moving to a bigger house!) and had a hard time opening each gift since the previous one looked like so much fun. He is a very lucky boy and did a pretty good job saying "thank you" after each gift (even if his guests had no idea what he was saying).

Of course Papa took the cake for the biggest gift. Kyler got a motorized tractor with two detachable wagons. He did not want to get off of his tractor for a couple of hours. We wondered if he would sleep in the tractor. He was a little timid of making it go, but did manage to almost run into a few things throughout the afternoon.

Of course, the motorcycle birthday party would be incomplete without a couple of Harleys present. Jesse is a family friend who Papa texted that morning and he didn't disappoint. Not only did he bring his bike, but also got Kyler a matching purple toy motorcycle that he didn't put down for about 2.5 hours that evening.

Great Grandpa Remi's bike was also present, and Kyler even got a ride on it as the party was winding down. He was pretty scared to get on but once he did he did not want back off. He is officially our little biker.

It really does go by that fast...

"Cars"

I wish I could tell you the number of times we have watched "Cars" over the past couple of weeks. Kyler is suddenly obsessed with it. And when we're not outside, that movie is on pretty much all the time. I usually try to limit his TV watching but I have given in more than I probably should. He asks for cartoons and that's what he's referring to (apparently it can only be a cartoon if there are cars in it).

He knows most of the characters now - Lightning McQueen, Mater, Doc, and Sally. And he also knows McQueen's catch phrase - "ka chow." He is even starting to memorize the movie and knows what part comes next in some instances. I have started only letting him watch it at nap time and before bed when we are trying to get him to wind down for the night. Sometimes if I'm trying to do dinner or something and he's crabby I'll flip it on for 20 minutes while I finish up what I'm doing. He is NOT happy when I turn it back off!

Things We Don't Need

As a follow up to our favorite things, I thought I would share a few "could be favorites." We need more toys like we need a hole in the head. But here are some things that I've been thinking about getting Kyler for his birthday or a future Christmas gift.

Wooden Blocks

Duplo Legos

(He has the fire truck set but likes to build new stuff all the time.)

Pretend Food

(I really like the Melissa and Doug sets. They seem sturdy and realistic. We have dreams of someday making him a play kitchen - we already have the entertainment center and some supplies. But we need to get all the projects on our houses done first.)

Pretend Cooking Utensils

Jumbo Plastic Animals

(He's got some smaller farm animals but I think the farm and zoo animals is something he would play with for a long time using blocks as fences.)

Battery Operated Train Set

(I wanted to get one for Christmas from Santa all set up on Christmas morning around our Christmas tree, but we had just moved and didn't even have a Christmas tree this year. Maybe next year!)

A Few of our Favorite Things

I thought I would share some of Kyler's favorite toys and things in case you are ever wondering what to get a one- or two-year-old boy as a gift. As you will soon see, our boy loves vehicles and things with wheels, so this may not be suited for all kids. :)

Matchbox Cars

(My aunt just brought over about 100 used Matchbox cars from her boys. This along with an old piece of trim to use as a ramp has kept Kyler busy for days and days, as well as whenever he goes over to my grandma's house most afternoons for a couple of hours.)

Plain Matching Toddler Socks

(I know this seems ridiculous, but it is hard to find just plain matching toddler socks. We have lots of character socks, and I even bought a pack of plain socks but they all had different variations of a stripe at the top. The problem is that socks go missing, and more so when they are tiny socks. So it's nice to have a package of socks that are all the same that you don't have to find the match to. That, and besides Grandma Tammy, I have always had to boy socks. Something you don't normally receive as a gift like all the other clothes. Who knew?)

Small Plastic Open Face Cups

(We have finally successfully weaned Kyler off of the sippy cup. He now enjoys his colorful little "big boy" cups - not the exact ones pictured. I was surprised at how difficult it was to find a few reasonably priced cups for kids.)

Books

(Kyler has been a book lover since Day 1. We have been spending more time out and about so haven't had as much time to read, but he still loves his books. His favorites are about tractors and trucks of course. He also likes Green Eggs and Ham, Chicka Chicka Boom Boom, Go Dog Go, The Little Engine that Could, Curious George, and Clifford.

Toy Trucks with Trailers

(We don't have this exact set-up, but Ky loves attaching trailers to trucks and loading them up with other vehicles, animals or whatever he can find.)

Two-Piece Pajamas

(At around 20 months, Kyler started to refuse to wear the zip-up onsie pajamas. The kid is weird about his clothes. I don't know about you other parents, but it seems like I am always needing to go buy pajamas and especially cooler summer pajamas for my sweaty boy. I guess it's just something that people normally don'g give as a gift like other clothes.)

Melissa & Doug Puzzles with Sound

(Although these can be annoying when the puzzle pieces are left out and you hear noises randomly as the light dims and brightens, these are great toys. Kyler was able to start putting these together before he was even a year old. He still loves them. He has one that's a little more difficult too where it's all one puzzle but the picture is on the board to help.)

Fisher Price Garage

(We have this older model that I purchased used, but Ky loves pushing his cars up and down the ramps/slides on this toy.)

Pillow Pet

(Ky got this pillow pet for Christmas, right around the time when he started liking to have a pillow to rest his head on. How he sleeps with this in his crib every night, and we take it with us when we sleep elsewhere, along with his stuffed giraffe and favorite Cars blanket, so that his bed seems familiar.)

Step Stool

(A must-have when your kid is over 30 pounds and needs his/her hands washed. Also good for little boys who want to potty on the big potty like Daddy. I just went out and bought a plastic adult step stool, but this extra step would be nice since our bathroom vanity is higher.)

Chalk

(Kyler loves to write on his chalkboard-painted closet doors or the sidewalk outside with chalk. And he really loves it when someone else draws things with him. Plus, it's nice because it's not going to ruin anything if he writes on something he's not supposed to, unlike crayon or marker.)

Fisher Price Cozy Coupe

(Kyler got this on his first birthday and has got a lot of enjoyment out of it. Right now it is at my parents garage for him to play with when he is over there. But it still gets some use when his little friends come over there.)

Wagon

(We love our all-terrain wagon that Kyler got for his first birthday. It is heavy duty and easy to pull anywhere - on the streets, in the grass, or on rock or dirt when we're out camping. And the best part is that Ky LOVES going for a walk in his wagon.)

Commercial Tricycle

(This one is called the Commercial Trike Road Rider I. The quality of these tricycles is not even comparable to the retail versions. Kyler was able to figure out how to pedal one of these with ease. The price tag is hefty though, so we would probably have just used a regular trike if my mom didn't have these at daycare.)

Strider

(We have only had one for a couple of days but Kyler does not like to get off of this bike. It is tiny and lightweight so we can manage it easily. It doesn't have pedals either - the idea is for kids to learn to balance and then pedal. And there is no traumatic experience of removing pedals. They recommend starting with these about as soon as the child can walk.)

Some April Pictures & Our Weekend

Kyler was pretty understanding for the most part when I was working a lot before the tax deadline. He had his moments when he wanted to sit and help mommy though. Now that the deadline is over, he likes to go into my office, climb up on the chair, and do some work "wook" of his own. He pretends to type on the computer and will flip through my notebook and write in it with the pen.

This kid has always had interesting taste when it comes to food. Most kids seem to enjoy more bland diets, but not Kyler. He takes after his dad. He loves Mexican and can handle more spicy stuff than I can. When we have chicken, he always asks for barbecue sauce "ba ba tu sauz." And we have gone through more ketchup lately than ever before. Last night, Brett let him have a taste of his IPA (a really really bitter beer) and Ky asked for more "moe." We were hoping for a bitter beer face, not a two year old beer lover.

In the mornings, I have started giving Kyler cold cereal with milk on (I had been just giving him dry cereal). You would think he hadn't eaten for a week judging by how much he suddenly eats for breakfast. He asks for more and more, eating probably twice as much as me. Then when he's done he will pick up his bowl and drink the milk out. Can you believe how big he's getting? We only use the high chair about 1/3 of the time, and he doesn't even need a booster seat for our table.

We decided to give Ky his birthday present early. Since he's so young and will be getting plenty of goodies for his birthday, we thought we might as well give him a head start on his bike. He was so excited when I pulled out the box!

The bike we got is not the typical first bicycle with training wheels. It is called a Strider and it has no pedals or training wheels. It is really small and super light. The idea is for kids to learn to balance first, then pedal after. This way we never have to go through the traumatic experience of taking away training wheels. Right now he just walks with it, the next stage he will sit down and walk it, and then he will start to coast with his feet up. Eventually he will put his feet on the footrest bars and coast and balance for a long distance going pretty fast. Then it will be time to introduce a bike with pedals.

We took care of Frazier (my parents' dog) on Saturday while they were out of town. He and Kyler have quite the little relationship. The dog knows just how rough he can be with Ky and lets Kyler do pretty much anything he wants to him (as you can see by this picture).

We ordered a fire pit last week and it got it's first use this weekend. I happened to have some marshmallows in the pantry so we decided to roast a few. Kyler thought they were pretty good. He would laugh when we put them in his mouth - I don't think he's ever had anything so ooey gooey and sticky before. He has a mouth full in this picture.

And this is what Kyler has spent the past two-plus days doing. My aunt (mother of three boys) found a huge box of old Matchbox cars and brought about 100 to Kyler on Saturday morning. He spent the entire weekend playing with them. He uses a piece of trim as a ramp and slides them all out of the box, then turns the ramp so they slide back inside. He cried and cried when I shut the box last night and told him the cars needed a rest. When he woke up this morning, he opened the box right back up. As I've been writing this, he's been filling up a basket and bringing them to my room, lining them all up on my bed.