Sunny Days!

Tanner loves sidewalk chalk ("coch" as he calls it). He tries to say pretty much anything these days. If I catch him in the right mood, he'll repeat after me for a good 5-6 words in a row...its precious.

This was our 80 degree day on April 18th! You can't tell but Tanner is soaking wet here because he had just lobbed himself over the edge and into the freshly filled (freezing cold) pool. We were right there of course but he was in (shoes and all) before we could say boo! He stayed in the water(voluntarily) for a good 8-10 minutes at a time even though it was so cold he was gasping! Goofer.

In between "polar plunges", he would sit in this little wagon, which was also filled with (much warmer) water...He's still sooooo in to anything water...

Daddy showing Tanner how to use the remote control for his new Hummer toy (yet another tag sale find from LAST summer - $100 toy for $10!)

Our daily bubble session...one of Tanner's top 5 favorite activities!

Tanner LOVES LOVES LOVES bubbles. Nana and PopPop came to visit a couple of weeks ago and brought the greatest bubbles - they are so easy for a young child to use - the wand is designed so that almost any way you do it, bubbles come out. Its great. Tanner chases them all around the yard laughing and squeeling all the way...He's been saying "Bub-Bal" perfectly for a few weeks now...He asks for them all the time - I try to limit it to one bubble session a day because not only does he end up ingesting a lot of bubble liquid because he touches the wand to his lips each time and then licks his lips and says "num num" (uh huh) but he also gets the bubbles ALL OVER him because they drip off the wand down the front of him. But its so worth it.

Playing guitar on the playstation with dada. We also got him his own little guitar in hopes that he'd use that one instead - no luck there. They always want to play with the expensive "real" stuff...

The weekend after nana and PopPop's visit, gramma Va came for a visit. Tanner and Gramma Va collected rocks around the yard...Another one of Tanner's top 5 favorite activities...rock collecting. He puts them in buckets and carts them from place to place around the yard....sometimes for an hour or more...usually talking to himself the whole time...so funny.

Tanner's first T-ball! Neighbor/friend Christina (4) shows Tanner the ropes. Christina is very sweet and we are so glad to have them as neighbors...

Tanner uses a garden stake instead while Christina was busy with the T-ball set. Hmmm...very clever...

We've had some amazingly warm weather here in MA the past couple of weeks. Mid-summer in April. Its been fabulous to be outside every day with Tanner and it makes me wonder how we made it through the winter indoors every day...We've hit all the local playgrounds multiple times and as you saw above, even got out our kiddie pool on the first 80 degree day.

He's such a riot. Very outgoing and willing to try almost anything. Its a lot of fun. This week he has started calling us "mommy and daddy" about half the time in place of "mama and dada" - its so cute. I'm not sure why he started it but I like it. Today's word of the day was "Icky". It started this morning when I wiped his nose and I said "Ooo, a boogie - I got it." and He said "Icky". The Icky theme carried on all day - this was icky and that was icky...so funny...

Yesterday I took a bus trip to NYC with some girlfriends - so Rob and Tanner had a wonderful bonding Saturday together. They hit 2 playgrounds, made it home for a 2 1/2 hour nap, had the neighbors over for a backyard BBQ, and had an all around great day. I'm so glad I can get away and not worry about a thing. We had a fabulous time in NYC, by the way. We started at Rockefeller Center and worked our way down through Times Square, stopped in at Macy's on Broadway, Hit a Street Fair in Chelsea (bought a Yankees hat for Rob and a little yellow bus replica toy for Tanner) , Shopped boutiques in Greenwich Village (where I bought a pair of cute ankle boots on sale at a store called "Shoegasm")...stopped for a drink (or two) at Hogs and Heifers in the Meatpacking district (The Coyote Ugly Bar), ate a late lunch in little Italy, stopped for a Frozen Margarita at a bar in Soho, and took our one and only cab ride back to the bus with about 5 minutes to spare. All that from 9:30 am to 6pm. Needless to say I was extremely exhausted. And still am tonight. So off to bed! TTYL!

Update

Playing in the box his new wagon came in...

No more box. I smashed it mommy.

Tanner's latest hobby - collecting rocks around the yard...

How does one little child keep us so busy!? Its not like we have triplets! For one, we've never been up before Tanner. He's an early riser and he hasn't outslept us yet. The other morning he made it till almost 7:00 and that was glorious. Usually, its "momma?! momma!" around 6:00 that wakes us from our comfortable slumber. One of us goes in to his room half awake to see that little cheery face, wide awake and ready to rock and roll...

Tanner is the absolute joy in our day. He is more and more fun every day. His frustrated and fussy moments have decreased lately, which is so wonderful. I've even had a few struggle-free trips to Walmart and Marshalls recently! What a feat. He is talking up a storm - new words all the time. Yesterday he told Theo ("dedo") "Bad." "Bite." just as clear as a bell, after Theo nipped at him (yes, Theo is still a grouchy old dog - lately I've had to keep them in separate parts of the house to keep Theo from nipping at Tanner)

I'm still in the office 3 days a week and at home with Tanner 2 days...We love our days together. We've been going to a playgroup at the Ware Family Center 1 or 2 times a week. Tanner loves it and it gives us structure to our day. There are anywhere from 5-10 other kids there. He takes a few minutes to warm up then he's off and running...playing from room to room, exploring and mingling. He's the first one to claim his seat when "snack time" is announced. Its hilarious. He RUNS to the table area pushing anything and anyone out of the way. "Eat. Eat. Eat!" he says. What a riot. As soon as we get home from playgroup I know he's good for a 1 1/2 - 2 hour nap.

With the warmer weather we've been outside more and he's taken to collecting rocks in a bucket around the yard. He loves it - runs around picking up pebbles and hauling them around until he can't carry it any more. We can't wait for summer!

March Update!

My brother, Barrett, and I in San Diego last week...he flew down from San Fran for a quick visit last Sunday.

Remind you of anyone??? Like momma, like son???

On Friday night, I arrived home after being gone a week at my annual San Diego conference. I'm not sure who was more relieved when I walked in the door - Tanner or Rob...both were glad I was home. Tanner actually gave me a warm reception this time instead of the cold shoulder. And He looked different to me after just one week - more "little-boyish", taller and thinner! He had 3 new words - "Hunter" ("unta"), our friend's 5 year old, "Wow!" and "Pee-you" (while waiving a hand in front of his wrinkled-up nose.) Rob did beautifully while I was away. Everything was in perfect order at the house and I could see that daddy and son had grown even closer in my absence. It is wonderful. Very sweet. Saturday morning we woke up to "Dada? Dada? Dada?" from his crib instead of the usual "Mama Mama"...(okay with me, btw!)

Tanner is an absolute riot these days, A laugh a minute. His sense of humor is really developing and he laughs "heartily" at himself and others all day long. He's recently become more patient as well. As our communication increases, the Tantrums decrease, at least for the time being. The 3 of us spent all weekend together focusing on each other and enjoying quality time together. By the way, now that the big conference is done, I'll have much more frequent posts. Back to normal pace of life. Yay!

18 Months and Snowboarding

Smuggler's Notch, VT

Tanner had the most fun putting everyone's goggles on his head...

At the condo...

At "Family Funzone"...

Tanner is 18 mos old...He weighed in at 23 lbs 10 oz and 31 1/2 inches tall at his appt a couple of days ago. That's 50th percentile for height and 25th percentile for weight. "A good place to be" sais Doc Brown. His vocabulary is blossoming. Seems at least 1-2 new words or phrases a day. This morning he was going around saying "boo boo. Oow...boo boo. Oow." over and over. He loves to imitate a monkey and showcased himself tonight in front of company in just his diaper with his "oo oooo oooo" and monkey walk (arms tucked under his armpits jumping up and down). Everyone was hysterical. He says "tickle tickle" to himself all the time and my personal favorite, the newest phrase, "Thank You" ("dank goo"). He actually said it to me yesterday unprompted - after I handed him a pretzel, he said it softly and earnestly. Talk about heart melting. He tells me "up" and "down" regularly and "all done" ("aa dom") when he's finished eating. Speaking of which, his favorite hobby right now is to EAT. This kid has been eating like a HORSE the past couple of weeks. He absolutely LOVES to eat. His tummy must be feeling better than ever because he has a newfound love for food. His favorite phrase is "Eat Eat Eat"...as he runs over and tries to open the fridge. As an example, this morning for breakfast he ate an entire Stoneyfield yogurt (adult size, not kid size), a bowl (packet) of apple cinnamon oatmeal, an entire banana, a handful of blueberries, and a cereal bar. Now is it just me, or does that seem like a bit much??? I'm not going to bore you with the menu, but the rest of the day was more of the same...I'm thrilled about it, don't get me wrong...this from a child who couldn't eat anything but Neocate until almost a year old, no wonder...

Last weekend Rob and I went on a 3-day snowboarding trip with 4 other couples to Smuggler's Notch, VT...We all brought our kids - 9 adults and 4 kids sharing 2 condos. Tanner was FABULOUS on the way up and the way back - over 4 hours each way. Again, major progress from a child who used to scream the entire 20 minute ride to daycare every day. The mountain had so much for the kids - Hunter (5) tried skiing and loved it...Tanner and Henry (4) had a blast with in the "Fun Zone" - which had bounce houses, crawl through tunnels, mazes, and obstacle courses...Tanner was in his GLORY. We put Tanner in the 5-star slopeside daycare center for 3 hours on Saturday so that we could hit the slopes together. He did great - when we left he was digging in the snow table in the middle of the room. They told us he made friends easily and did a good job sharing (hmmm, I somehow doubt that - sharing is a concept far from his grasp yet...) We all got a babysitter on Friday night and went down to the lodge for Karaoke...it was a blast. Not to mention I renewed my passion for snowboarding, after a confidence building lesson on day 1 (last time I was out was pre-pregnancy...so it had been a while). I'm still learning, but making progress...It was a great weekend.

One reason you didn't hear from me all month...

Where we stayed...

Mallory Square

Smathers Beach...

Our favorite hangout...Hogs Breath Saloon...

Key West! Rob and I took a short (4 day) getaway to Key West a couple of weeks ago. Gramma Lockwood kept Tanner so we could go back to one of our favorite places and rekindle our love (kidding!). Seriously Rob and I were there 10 years ago and we vowed to go back. I'll tell you what, it was fabulous! We had the time of our lives and didn't waste a minute. We flew into Fort Myers and took the Key West Ferry (3 1/2 hour ride) to Key West. We stayed out late on Duval Street each night, watched live music, shopped, rented a scooter, went to beaches, took a day-sail on an authentic wooden schooner, and ate out every meal...A far cry from 10 years ago when we were living out of a van, sleeping on side streets, and eating PB&J!

We missed Tanner terrible but he did just fine without us. He was a little peeved acting when we got back but within a day or so he was back to normal...

Lovin Life

Gramma Va bundled me up and we went for a long walk and saw lots of dogs in the neighborhood. I said "A-Dog...wuuuf. A-Dog....wuuf" over and over the entire way home...

What? They look big?

I loooove blueberry applesauce! Eat. Eat. Eat.

Tanner is doing so great lately. He eats almost everything without consequence (save for whole milk), he sleeps great, goes to bed easily, naps well...this week we switched off of Neocate onto rice milk - AND we got rid of the bottle - sippy cups only. He seems a little disappointed about the bottle but he's managing fine. Its so wonderfully..."normal." Rob and I feel like we are finally catching a break. A little smooth sailing...

He is talking up a storm. Every couple of hours he says "eat eat eat...eat eat eat" and goes running over to his high chair and tries to climb his way in. Yesterday at Walmart he said "bubble". Today he told me "good job" after he told me he pooped ("boop.") I always tell him "good job" after he poops but he beat me to it today. He says "dada bye" when Rob leaves for work and his favorite "mama go go go" when he wants me to get up and go somewhere with him.

He'll be 18 months on the 15th...I really can't believe it. Today was such a good day (so refreshing)...Tanner was in such good form - his mood was happy all day - very few crankies...a 2 1/2 hour nap and I even got a couple of short errands (under 15 min each) done...as long as I keep them short he seems to manage ok without a tantrum. I wish every day could be like today. Rob and I were just saying the other day that it seems like things are finally getting easier...Life is good.

Unscathed…(except for Mommy’s Frayed Nerves)

It was just a 5 minute stop at the Grocery to grab some nice Italian bread to go with dinner…I was whisking quickly down the dairy aisle when our little dervish, who had been chattering happily and doing his stand, sit, stand, sit routine in the big part of the cart decided to do a semi-SlowMo Superman dive over the edge of the grocery cart! Somehow, by the grace of an Angel and perhaps my cat-like reflexes (soooo kidding for anyone who really knows me) I was able to lunge around the side of the cart and grab onto his corduroy jacket mid-air…while he was completely inverted - cranium headed for the cement floor. There he was dangling upside down - with mommy having some sort of precarious half-grip on just his clothing…I somehow lowered him safely to the floor and hugged him to me while two older ladies looking on gasped to each other and covered their mouths. I’m sure they were thinking...See what happens when you let your child ride in the big part of the cart?! SEEEE YOUNG LADY??!@#$%!!. I felt like telling them “Its because he screams like a jailed Ban Chi if I put him in the front part of the cart!”
Well Tanner had startled himself so badly that he let out this little whimper like he was about to cry - and then realized that he was just fine and proceeded on with his acrobatics. That’s when mommy strapped him into the front part of the cart, despite his ear-piercing protests…Disaster averted but warning heard…Mothers of strong-willed children take heed – it isn’t worth it! Let ‘em scream…