Toddler To-Do's

M coaxed me into playing a music game with him today.
In this game, he would run over to the lights/music infant toy we have, push a button, and then backtrack quickly to begin drumming to the beat of the music on his toy drum. I was then to follow, sometimes being allowed to drum on the drum with him and other times encouraged to drum on some metal bells. It was all pretty cute. We were our own little music band. Quickly, though, the music would end and M would abandon his drumsticks, head back over to push another button, and the fun would ensue again and again--"work" in a toddler world. He was having a ball.

For the next task, he dropped his drumsticks, but this time headed over to the computer, where in a "manly" little boy's voice said, "I have to get to work. Work on the computer." He bent in half while attempting to mount the computer chair (a beautiful sign that he is *thankfully* still too little for our big people's world). After he finally made it up, he busied himself "typing" away on the keyboard. His first order of business he told me was to "check out Thomas (the Train)". Oh yes, important things to do in his big little world.

All this got me thinking... Here is our precious little boy, already enslaving himself to some imaginary task; already committing a precious moment in time to the dreaded four-letter word--work. Have we conditioned him to assume that's "what big people do" or has he been hard-wired like the rest of us to want to accomplish a mission or task, anything that will bring him self-satisfaction and reward? And will his future work be really satisfying in the end? I pray so! How much I pray this for all of my children--the they find their life's passion and ultimately, their God-given happiness upon pursuing it!!

Yet my precious little boy, don't go to work yet.
You'll have plenty of that when you're older.
Stay young with your mama a little while longer...

Three Cheers!

Ahem... Ladies and gentlemen, announcing the newest member of the "I Can Do All Things on the Potty Club": MWG!! Our little M came, saw the lollipop rewards, and conquered! We're going on 3 days-in-a-row of #2 on the potty! Yahoo!

(Like you needed all that info, lol, but we're so PROUD!!)

Today also marked the first day of potty success at school. M's teachers were thrilled.

Here's a glimpse of the lollipop man, showing off his treasure. God bless!

Lost and Found

So I finally found our lost Enya CD...
Hiding place compliments of T-baby, my forever "organizer". :)

Fight or Flight

Pardon me if my mama instincts flare up during the writing of this post... :)

Yesterday, one of my brood became threatened and I was ready to take on the world! Mad mad!! My sister and I were happily chatting at Chick-Fil-A, watching our boys in the play area through the glass (minus T-baby, who was at home napping). M so enjoyed romping and climbing with his cousins. The playground is set as a faux rain forest with a tree to climb and slides within the plastic canopy. Very cool. M always has a great time playing there and never wants to leave...

So, my story begins with an initial altercation where M came down the slide, crying and saying that someone had hit him. I consoled his tears and he was soon up and running, playing as if nothing had happened.

Only a few minutes later, my sister and I watched as M ascended the tree (as he had done 100 times already) when out of the blue one of the children started to kick him!! My sister and I saw it at the same time--M bent over in the tree while the little child sent kick after kick into his ribs! I was appalled... We started shouting at the child through the glass, watching as the kid then went after him to bite him in the back!!!!! Okay, now my anger was palpable. How DARE this little 4-year-old threaten my sweet (and apparently innocent) M. We ran in and quickly rescued my completely unraveled, tearful boy.

The culprit--an adorable, pink-clad GIRL. What a toughie she was. In the midst of it all, her mother appeared, scolding her daughter for "hitting" (she obviously hadn't witnessed the event!) and made her give an apology. It was all I could do to prevent myself from opening up to both daughter and mother... This little girl had threatened my poor baby. And to top it off, the mother never looked me in the eye and offered a very half-hearted "sorry" over her shoulder as they walked out of the play area.

What???? I wish I could beam myself to that moment and help the woman understand what her daughter had done!! The whole scene makes me seriously reconsider many of the thoughts I've had about sending my child to school! I know that's taking things a little far, BUT having one's child in school is subjecting them to the result of other people's poor parenting. Yuck!! Definitely a thought to consider down the road...

So there's a little taste of my sympathetic nervous system to excite your day!!
I now understand why mothers, in the thick of things, can do amazing feats.

Who wants to arm wrestle? I'm ready!
Oh I know, settle down, B-mama, and have some grace! God's been after me about that since...! Pesky Lord.:)

Thanks for listening and stick up for the innocent today, okay? God Bless!

Conversation in the car

M: Mommy, Dosh?

B-mama: Dash?

M: Daaash.

B-mama: I'm sorry, M, but I don't know what you're saying.

M: Jaash Groben CD.

B-mama: Oh, Josh Grobin! You want to listen to Josh Groban?

I have indoctrinated my son. He loves Josh Groban. And so do I. Can you blame him? The poor thing has been surrounded by his music since in the womb. So has Baby T. They both stop mid-play to listen to his glorious music. We are all in love with it; bordering on obsessed, I guess.

Josh Groban and 80's music. My children will start pre-school knowing the tune to "Video Killed The Radio Star." We jammed the other morning at breakfast to Pure 80's.

Does this count as brainwashing one's children? If so, I'm completely guilty.

Finding Our Smile

Out of nowhere, our little M has begun to shine. While I don't want to jinx the pattern, I do want to rejoice in it while it's here (praying there is more to come!!) Today marked an incredible day of him helping, listening, caring, sharing... and of course, smiling, as he does so well. (I definitely needed to archive these thoughts seeing as behavior is day-to-day with our wonderful 2-year-old! Lord help us!)

We've also been having trouble catching his wide, toothy grin on film until today. The "Jay Jay Smile" emerged on the swings Sunday as M had us in belly laughs at the park, beaming proudly and cheesily from his lofty seat. What a little ham. For some reason, he associated the smiling with one of his favorite DVD characters, Jay Jay, The Jet Plane. Don't ask me, but we're going with it... especially as long as it gives us toothy camera smiles! :)

Here are some snapshots from today of our beaming wonder... God bless.

A Full Morning

Nothing like beating the gloomy midwestern skies with ample activities and "adventures" as we like to call them in Gasperini-Ville. M will refuse to go in the car for a simple errand, but as soon as we say we're "going on an adventure" (as it usually is for this mama!), he's all for it, hopping in the car willingly! This morning was no exception...

We ventured out to campus to go running (me), feed the ducks by the pond (a fave activity of M's), and head to Panera for a "date" over bagels. There was something charming about calling it a date with my boys. My heart warmed at the thought--I need to think like that more often. Upon pulling into the driveway after our date, M requested swings, so out we went again to a park down the street. The boys had a ball and I was able to snap a few shots for your enjoyment... One beautiful outcome of a busy morning is tired, ready-to-nap children. Subsequently, I am stealing a moment to write. God Bless the Nap! :)

Hope your Friday is blessed and full of adventure.

*Also, blessings to our dear friends' sweet Aberly, who will be entering the Church today through the Sacrament of Baptism. Hallelujah! Gasperini-Ville will be there in full attendance with ample cheers, noise, hurrahs, etc.! Trust me, you won't miss us. God bless!!

School Days

Today marked a HUGE milestone in Gasperini-Ville: M's first day of preschool. Though he's still only 2, GG and I felt he would really benefit from more organized play and socialization. He'll be attending the Tues./Thurs. morning program. And can I say, I just love the school!! They take a unit-based approach to learning and incorporate main themes into every means of play, art, reading, science, etc. Their philosophy rings very true to this former teacher's heart!

And guess who couldn't wait to get started...

M was "all systems go" from the beginning, offering mom a quick hug and "love you" before tearing off to his first exciting day of school. May this be the start of his love affair with school and learning (a chip off his parents' blocks).
Needless to say, the words "awesome school" and "great job school" were heard in the car on the way home. M was in heaven... When I asked him if he liked it, he replied with an emphatic "YES!!!" His teachers said it was as if he'd been around for a year. He had a wonderful first day.

And quite surprisingly, this mama was bereft of tears. I know, shocker! Why? I think because I know this is the *best* thing for our independent and confident little man. Will it always be best? We'll see. GG and I remain open to all schooling possibilities--homeschooling, parochial, public. It just depends on what's best for our kids. Praise God for the freedom to choose.

Cheers to new crayons, scissors, and glue! God bless.

Happy Birthday to you?

At breakfast this morning, M felt it important to sing "Happy Birthday" to all the members of our family... one by one. He included uncles, dogs, etc. Papa, you'll be thrilled to know you were the choice for the first song. Mimi, you were second. :)

Sweet little (growing) big boy.

Tiger Woods, eat your heart out.

Heart in my throat

I just had the scariest experience being locked out of the house by my own son! I was in the garage taking out the trash and M locked the deadbolt!

No keys, no cell phone, no nothing...

At first I didn't know what to do. I freaked out a little while attempting to pursuade him to unlock the door. I really tried not to panic (but failed miserably) and then went around back to check to see if any doors were open. They weren't. [I'm a freak for locked doors! :)] I did get to see M through a sliding door, though, and assure him I was okay. After, I went back into the garage and patiently coached him to unlock the deadbolt... He did it! Hallelujah!

My lesson for the day is attitude in motherhood is EVERYTHING! My approach to all the day-to-day details directly influences how family responds to those details. When I started to openly worry about being locked out, M became scared and sad, unresponsive to my coaching. He just needed to see that mom was okay and then was open to my joyful instructions. Lesson learned.

Hallelujah, I'm back in the house.
God bless!

**T-baby said "bye bye" today for the first time while waving! [I think he also said "baby" at breakfast while we were talking about a baby. Maybe? Who knows? All I know is he's growing up!!]

Sharing gone bad

Mimi and I had a good laugh today pondering the unusual sharing happening these days in Gasperini-Ville. We seem to be sharing all of the wrong things.

While M doesn't share a whole lot... of anything. The rest of us just keep sharing and passing around the latest bug, virus, etc.

We are excellent at sharing germs and horrible at sharing our toys.
How does such a phenomenon happen?

I must report, however, some amazing brotherhood emerging in our home. M loves little T so much that he hugs him and won't let go. T-baby crawls forth from the hug, carrying his older brother along with him. Today I found myself saying, "M, you need to hug and let go." What a great problem to have--my son is smothering his brother with love. That can't be all bad! :)

Hope your day is full of love of the smothering kind. Apparently, we need 8 hugs/day to fill our emotional quota. Have you gotten yours? I'm off to pursue some...

And speaking of love, happy 30th wedding anniversary to our beloved Mimi and Papa!! What a feat and what a marriage! We love you both so much!! Here's to 30 more!

God bless.

a Hugger, a Dancer

That's our little M, seen here tonight at an outdoor concert at a local mall. He went from hugging to dancing to hugging... We never knew he had such moves.

TGIF everyone! God bless.

Dog Days

Don't worry... I'm not that cruel!
The boys were playing "dog"--a fun game of late in Gasperini-Ville. So much so that the other day I found M munching on a dog biscuit! :) Crazy kid.

While enjoying pretending , M has been taking charge of our sweet yellow, Custer, as well. "Sit" and "down" are common commands heard from his highchair. He is always sure to harp on the dog with an extended finger... Poor Custer! More and more real by the day is my parents' affectionate title for M, "The Dictator". haha

Oh boy, we have another control freak on our hands! Hmm... Now where did he pick up that trait? :)

I need to give a warm e-hug to my hubby, GG, today for taking the reins of our family carriage this morning and seeing it through to safety! He is amazing and always challenging me to be more positive and less despairing. That's tough to do when the baby wakes at 4:45am and doesn't want to return to sleep. Oh Lord! :) [Disclaimer to all new and especially nursing mothers: I have nothing on you all right now regarding sleeplessness! I am fully aware...] Nonetheless, GG stepped to the plate and then proceeded in pristine fashion to work. I, on the other hand, have soddily gone through the motions today, tired and rather lifeless. Where did he get that energy?! Thanks for loving me in my selfish sleepiness, dear GG. You are clearly my better half. :)

Love to all of you too. God bless you today.

Jail Break!

As I type, GG is sitting in the room of the bed felon, M, who has "escaped" now 3 times since putting him down well over an hour ago.

We thought we were so good, having 4 nights of bedded bliss. M slept and woke up in the morning, calling to us to come and welcome him into the day.

Now...

the independence has given him a taste of freedom.

And we are never to be the same.

Prayers for your restful night's sleep. At least someone will be getting their quota! :)

Silence is Golden

It is eerily silent and peaceful right now in G-Ville. Both cherubs are sleeping...

Praise God for napping. ;)

Milestones to report:

1) M is in a big boy bed as of yesterday. We had a our first night of successful sleep in a railed twin bed without any Mom/Dad interaction. Hallelujah! He started climbing out of the crib on Wednesday and from there, we had no choice but to have a broken toddler or a big boy. We chose "Big Boy"!

2) M lived up to his new big boy status by going peepee on the potty right before his nap. I asked if he wanted to try it, he did, and away we went! Never before has he actually "done the deed" on the toilet. HUGE step toward independence. Can I say "hallelujah" again? :)

3) T is moving to one nap/day. After battling out the afternoon nap the last week or so, we made the switch today. We forewent the morning nap and he just finished a 2-hour mid-day siesta. Wonderful.

Just wanted to keep you posted on the latest. God bless you and TGIF!!

Mac 'n Cheese War

There has been a unified front these days in G-Ville...

against an unnamed toddler, who has taken to being quite picky at the dinner table. Mama was becoming so limited in her lunch/dinner options that something finally had to give! In the end, Mimi and Papa joined the fight and for the past few nights, the aforementioned toddler has encountered quite a few dinner battles!

I am happy to write, however, the adult contingent has prevailed! Kudos to Mimi and Papa for their efforts (since I was out frolicking at various events!) M sat in his chair last night refusing to eat macaroni and cheese for an hour and a half (yes, an hour and a half) and refused to get down because he desperately wanted dessert! :) Definitely my child. :) Mimi finally came up with the *brilliant* idea of a mac 'n cheese train going into the "tunnel" of M's mouth. Hallelujah! It worked...

And guess who ate up the train and the rest of the mac 'n cheese (along with part of an ice cream sandwich and Popsicle as a reward)? What a stubborn little stinker. Mimi managed to capture the stand-off on film. Here's glimpse of the final moments of battle leading to M's acquiescence...

I hate mac 'n cheese!

Maybe if I hide it in here...

Assembling the train

Into the tunnel--success!

Reaching for more... Now that's what I'm talkin' about!

I love mac 'n cheese!

But I especially love dessert
God bless!

Toddler Through and Through

Hoping this works! G-Ville's first video!

Pappy, check out your budding golfer... And everyone else, welcome to my world of toddlerdom! Isn't it wonderful to think of a future without tantrums? I personally can't wait... :)

Totally Trainy

Obsessions run deep these days in G-Ville, particularly for little M, who has a passion for trains.

He awakens in the morning talking about Thomas and friends. Then, he races downstairs in order to eat breakfast while listening to 3 Thomas stories on CD (over and over again). I know them by heart and have the accents down pretty good now after listening to them err... 100+ times. I'm not exaggerating. He's obsessed.

After-breakfast play includes bringing Thomas, Annie, "Groubell" (for Clarabel, who is there in spirit because M doesn't own her yet but still talks about her as if she's present), "Spchencher" (for Spencer), Bertie, and "Toobee" (for Toby) down from upstairs for fun. The select engines get to roll around on the downstairs couch, which allows for new adventures, tunnels (the couch pillows), etc. It's all completely fascinating... for a 2-year-old.

Afternoons are full of trains, Thomas stories, Thomas coloring books, Thomas shows, and more Thomas CD tales. Frankly, we are Thomas'd-out by the end of the day.

But not M. He would sleep with the trains in his bed if we let him.

Quite an adorable obsession, if you ask me.
(much better than the Transformers and GI Joe from my era!)

Can anyone guess who the mystery train is in the picture? Only true Thomas buffs will know!

Bedtime Conversation

M: Mommy, poopy.

Me: M, do you have a poopy diaper?

M: No.

Me: Are you sure?

M: No poopy.

Later... I find a diaper explosion.
Moral of the story: Never trust a 2-year-old.