Merry (early) Christmas!

I hope to post some video of Kieran singing his holiday songs (yes, it does include a rendition of "Oh Dreidel"). Today we're mostly puttering around the house making cookies for Santa. We took a visit to the Science Center earlier (thank goodness they were open) and then we went to visit Santa at his workshop in the Inner Harbor. Kieran said "thank you" to Santa and I got a great photo of the two of them.

Tonight we open presents from family and friends. Tomorrow morning Kieran will enjoy Santa's largesse and then we'll head down to Uncle Andy & Aunt Wendy's for a belated Hanukkah celebration (and Christmas dinner). I must ask - if you do both holidays on one day, does that officially make it Christmukah? Either way merry happy whatever.

Token Jew (and Gentile)

Ah, the first night of Hanukkah. Somehow it was also Ken's firm's holiday party - why in a firm full of Jews they decided to have it then I'm not entirely sure. But hey, Ken and I got a night out together, so there's that. In his department I think Ken is the only gentile, which I find funny for no particular reason.

Kieran is the only Jew in his daycare class. Its a pretty integrated daycare (which we like), so it was a strange realization. I offered to bring in our menorah and then volunteered to go and do the first night's "lighting" of the menorah. There is truthfully nothing funnier than watching two and three year olds wandering around, fighting over craft sticks (our "candles") and basically not really paying attention when the teacher is trying to corral them. I knew what I'd gotten myself into and didn't get upset when only one or two kids paid attention while we "lit" the candles.

Kieran is having a great time with Hanukkah. Many thanks to my sister-in-law who bought us a decoration that has pockets in it for each night. After we light the menorah, Kieran goes to his pocket and opens a gift. They're small gifts but he's excited by them. This weekend we'll do family festivities and that will be a lot of fun watching him with his cousins and my cousins' kids.

Ken is very big on Santa and I asked Kieran last night if he knew who Santa was. He said "Yes. B-I-N-G-Santa." (At school they did S-A-N-T-A to the tune of "Bingo".) I asked if he knew what Santa did. He said "Santa brings toys." I mentioned that Santa only brings toys to boys and girls who are good. When asked if he had been good this year, Kieran spent a quick second in reflecting and then gave an emphatic head nod.

I can't argue with him.

Stars in his Eyes

Ken, Kieran and I had a grand four days together this past weekend. Let's see what we did....

Thursday we mostly killed time until dinner at Uncle Gary's. We watched some TV, played some video games (yes, even Kieran - he loves his Elmo's World game and the online games at PBSKids.org), went outside and kicked the ball around, and made stuffing. Thanksgiving was really wonderful with lots of great food to choose from (though Kieran ate mostly dessert, who can blame him?). Ken's vegetarian stuffing was a huge hit given that we have somehow created several Lipshultz vegetarians. Knowing these guys as they grew up it really seems like an oxymoron to say Lipshultz vegetarian.

Friday we went to the Maryland Science Center. The last time we went we took Kieran to watch his very first planetarium show. When we gave him the option, he jumped to "see the stars" again. So while we were there we watched a new show they had called "The sky above Mr Roger's Neighborhood" it took some elements from the show and added some stars, clouds, the moon and the sun. Ken and I were a bit bored, but Kieran loved it (again). Even more than playing with the dinosaurs or in the water table. We finished up the day with dinner at Oma and Opa's where Kieran was (relatively) well-behaved and my grandmother was able to show him off to pretty much anyone who would listen. I can't blame the woman, he is pretty great.

Saturday... I think I went grocery shopping that day. Honestly, I can't remember. Wow, I'm getting old.

Sunday we went back to the Science Center. Kieran wanted to see the starts again. Each night we ask him what his favorite part of the day was. He keeps talking about watching the stars in the planetarium. He won't pick something from that day. Oh well, I'm sure we'll be back soon to see them again.

Is he reading?

Quick one.

This morning while getting in the car, Kieran hopped up on the middle (where the brake is) to rummage around on the passenger seat where I keep his CDs. He grabbed a CD and handed it to me and said "I want the Ring around the Rosie CD." I reminded him that I picked the music in the morning and took the CD form his hand. It was my Really Rosie CD. Made me wonder if he's reading how else would have have made the connection of Really Rosie to Ring around the Rosie?

What do you think?

So Weird

I'm under the weather and Ken's been Mr Mom-ing it all weekend long. Last night we got a bit of a reprieve from the Brocks who took Kieran off to his very first playdate. It started as a plan for them to babysit Kieran while Ken & I went to a function. Since I fell ill and I decided not to contaminate his firm, I was going to stay home. But the Brocks had already gotten their kids excited about having Kieran over.

It was the very first time that Ken and I had been at the house without Kieran. It was so weird. It was nice too although we kept thinking we heard him upstairs. Ken left for his event around 6:30 and Kieran got home at 7:30. John said Kieran was welcome back any time - that he behaved himself very well and played nicely with Nate and Rachel. Kieran didn't even give me (much) lip about going to bed right after getting home.

Tomorrow I'll have to call in since I'm still feeling a bit sick. If it doesn't get better tomorrow morning I'll be seeing the doctor though I'm fairly certain I'll be better tomorrow. Ken has been really great doing pretty much everything to let me rest. OK that's all for now. Love to all, blog again soon.

Conversations with Kieran

Last night we had two very fun conversations. The first while he was on the potty.

Kieran: Where's Daddy?
Me: Daddy's at Kendo.
Kieran: I want to do Kendo.
I smile, I know that Ken is going to LOVE hearing this.
Me: When you're bigger.
Kieran: I am bigger.

Later that night, after he was laying in bed, we were talking about our day. We always say our favorite thing about the day before he goes to bed.

Me: My favorite thing today was....listening to Kieran sing "Go for G".
He smiles.
Me: What was your favorite thing today?
Kieran: My favorite was...tea!

It was so funny because I saw the wheels turning in his head, actually reviewing what he liked about the day. Last night was his first drink of tea. He's had a cough and I gave him some hot tea (well, OK, warm) with a lot of honey in it to coat his throat and it was supersweet. He loved it and asked for seconds (and thirds). He's coughing less today than yesterday, so there's that. Gotta go, love to all blog again soon.

Shots of our boy

A little explanation is probably needed. Top photo is Kieran in the kayak on Memorial Day weekend. Under that is the pool party we had with the Brocks. Next is getting his face painted in Ohio and painting pumpkins with his cousins Morgan and Riley, finally we have Kieran as a bag of leaves in his school halloween parade.

How its going

When we were in Ohio, Lori came down with the flu (H1N1 flu to be exact) and upon our return, Ken got it. He's been out of comission all last week and until last weekend wasn't able to touch or come near Kieran or I. He's fine now, starting to mend. I'm travelling for work this week, whirlwind tour of Chicago, and Ken's getting to do the Dad & Kieran thing.

We've had our house shown a decent amount and from the information our realtor sends, a lot of houses are selling in our neighborhood. If showings drop off then we'll have to go from there, but for now, woo hoo for us.

Kieran is doing OK, he had a great few nights after coming back from Ohio and then started something that I'm hoping will stop soon. He's waking up at 4 AM and crawling into bed with us. I don't know if the house was just too cold for him (our house is much colder because the house next door is open to the elements while they work on it) or if he just woke up. He'll curl up with us for about an hour and then be wide awake at 5. Yeah, so not me. I'm actually excited to be away from home tonight just to get one night of uninterrupted sleep. Sad, isn't it?

He's a little hit or miss on being nice to his friends (pun intented, just becase I love you Ken). He's still hitting and kicking though not as much and not as often as before. We've started a sticker chart for good behavior and he understands it a little bit. If he gets 20 stickers in a week he can pick from the bag of mystery each week. Everything is simple "No hitting", "Feed Ochi", etc. and we review it every night during dinner. He tatles on himself which is kind of funny. Yesterday, for example, I was told that he hit one of his friends, but no kicking. At dinner he said he had kicked one of his friends and he wouldn't get a sticker because of it.

That's about it. Hopefully while I'm gone Ken will find the cable for our new camera and we can post crazy amounts of photos. (hint hint). Love to all, blog again sometime...

On Our Way

House goes up on the market tomorrow. We'll be on our way to Ohio at that point, Ken & I are keeping our fingers crossed on what we might be able to get.

Kieran continues to be amazing, wonderful and full of himself. I'm trying to say no to him more often simply so he does not always get his way. He's becoming a bit too bossy for my taste, though he will always change a demand into a question if you say "Are you telling or asking?".

OK, just a quick post today, hopefully more photos to come soon. Love to all, and somebody please BUY OUR HOUSE.

Boobies, Batman and Behaving

So, we're apparently at that stage where Kieran is fascinated by boobies. Yes, I do understand this phase will never end. Kieran continually points at my chest and says "Boobies" making Ken and I snicker as quietly as possible. I'm working with him on what is "fresh" and what is OK. The other night he pointed at my chest and said "One, two. Mommy has two boobies." For a moment I was caught. Do I congratulate him on good counting or talk with him about things that are fresh? (I opted for "good counting!")

While Kieran is all about his Batcave (thanks to Grandma) and loves his Batman jammies, we have had to curtail his cartoon watching. He's been hitting again at school. He had a really bad day earlier this week where he actually kicked another kid who was laying down as he walked by. Ken had a talk with him that night and told him that if Ken heard that he was hitting at school again that he would not be able to watch Batman again for a long time. The next day Kieran hit another kid on the back with a plastic peach. Ken told him no more Batman for awhile. He does understand even if he doesn't like it. I think maybe its OK to play with the figurines but not sure he understands the difference between defending yourself (what Batman does in the cartoons) and just hitting people.

Last night was the first night in a LONG LONG time that Kieran went to bed without coming out of his room again. I'm not sure what we did differently but I'm hoping we can repeat it. Ken & I are also going to start with a star chart for small chores and behaving well. Enough stickers will get him selected treats (going to the Science Center, maybe a Bag of Mystery with stuff from the dollar store, who knows, we'll think of something). As he grows older (OMG he's nearly 3) and understands more, I want to be sure he contributes around the house. He can help me pack his bag a little bit. Yesterday he asked "Mommy, did you pack my fruit strip?" I had been forgetting to pack it every other day (FYI, that day I had forgotten). Anyway, I'm thinking that with a little help from me, he can pack his own lunches and do small things like feed Ochi. We'll see how it goes. I'm really excited about it. OK, back to work. Love to all.

Frogger

Kieran saw a frog at school today. I guess they found a baby frog near the playground. Ms. Shree told me that Kieran wouldn't go near it. He was a little away from it when it jumped and he ran. He wouldn't go close to it again. I asked him about it tonight and he said it scared him.

I'd worry more that he tells me a lot of thing scare him if I didn't know better. Its like when he makes the sounds as if he is crying but he is not actually crying. He does it to see if he can get away with it. He is both scared and interested in sirens (and most loud noises). If we're outside he'll grab my hand if he hears a siren but then he's craning his neck trying to look around to find it too. Weird cutie.

Another tale from school is that he grabbed an empty box of cereal from their home living area, a music stick and went around the room beating the box like a drum and dancing the the music. Kieran loves to sing (but not to hear me sing - tough nuggies kid), dance, play the drums, shake a marraca, and play guitar and piano. We don't just listen to regular kid music, though its part of what we do hear everyday. I get the radio in the car on the way to school in the morning and he can ask for whatever he wants to hear on the way home. He now requests Tracy Chapman to go to sleep, as well as Mary Mac (Carbon Leaf) and Bed, Bed, Bed (They Might Be Giants). Hopefully we'll create a kid who loves music of all kinds.

The Great Purge Continues

Our friend Joshua was a great help to us this weekend taking a bunch of bulky items to the dump in our continuing effort to get stuff out of the house. While Ken and Joshua went to the dump (and back again) Kieran and I played with Justin and Beth. Justin turns 2 (this week I think) and we'll be heading to our first kid party in two weeks. I've been thinking about what to do for Kieran's 3rd birthday. We've avoided doing any big birthday thing just yet but I don't think we can stay away anymore. Right now the front runner idea is a gymnastics thing.

Sunday was the Federal Hill Street Beat Festival. We took Kieran early to Little Ones Lane so he could enjoy the inflated slide. He climbed all the way to the top looked down and decided he didn't want to go. But then he wanted to try again. Once he slid down he laughed and jumped and went again and again and again. I was glad we had gone early because after about 20 minutes of him going (I swear he went down the slide at least 15 times) we went to have lunch and by the time we got back there was a line five kids deep.

They also had a kiddie pool full of rice and toys for digging in the sand. He played there for quite some time. Ken found out about our new comic book shop, Alliance Comics, and we went for a visit. Kieran really liked looking at the comics even though we wouldn't let him down or let him touch them. He's still very into Batman and Ken is pushing for a Batman-themed birthday. I do think a Bat Signal cake would be quite cool.

That's about it. Slowly but surely getting the house in shape. Done with the contractor, who did okay. Plumber came today and fixed our kitchen sink. We'll likely need to repaint our front door this weekend or next and hire a house cleaner (WOO HOO). I hope all this money is worth it, I know Ken is ready to leave the city. I've got mixed feelings. Having a backyard for Kieran to play in would be nice, but I'll miss having everything walking distance, all the festivals, the attractions, etc. But not hearing my next door neighbors cheering (and jeering) during each and every football (baseball, basketball, etc) game would be really really nice. Especially when they're doing it late at night. They don't have a kid who wakes up at 6 AM. Every day. Maybe I'll knock on the door and they can babysit the next day. I mean, hey, they're still up....

Huzzah!

Kieran, Ken & I went to the Maryland Renaissance Festival last weekend and we continue to hear Kieran yell "Huzzah!" instead of "Hooray!" (OK, so we encourage this and remind him). While we didn't get to stay very long Kieran had a great time looking at all the costumes, watching the bubble makers, and jugglers. Ken and I enjoyed the beautiful fall weather and of course, the food.

On the home buying/selling front, our realtor is going to need to take some additional photos of the house and we'll be putting it on the market next month. We're waiting so we can finish up a few things and hire a house cleaner that will scrub this place as it has never been scrubbed before (have I mentioned I HATE housework?).

Kieran got a big scratch on his face today at school. They have a wooden play kitchen which they have recently moved. Normally they had the play microwave opening against the wall, but now it opens into the middle of the floor. Trying to show me what happened, Erin opens the door to the microwave and bonks another kid on the head. While I struggle not to laugh, Erin comforts the kid and then another kid runs full tilt into the wall. It was chaos but complete fun too. I left with Kieran (who insisted that we wait until Ms Shree came back so he could give her a hug and kiss) and there were 3 kids crying, another 2 kids yelling and the others were everywhere. Even with his contrary nature, Kieran seemed a breeze compared to all that.

He's a great kid.

Vomit is Never Fun

Just a reminder that even though my little man can be an Energizer Bunny of entertainment and movement, every now and again he still has to stop. Sometimes stopping is less fun than others.

Wednesday night Kieran wasn't feeling well. When Ken & I went to bed Kieran was up (it was very late) and didn't want to go to bed. Ken took him to the bathroom and we put him back to bed. About 20 minutes later he was crying. After we got him he was content to sleep in bed with us but about 30 minutes after that I heard the dreaded sound. You know what I'm talking about. It's that pre-vomit sound. UGH.

Yeah, all over our bed. Ken took Kiearn to the bathroom to finish throwing up in the toilet. I changed the sheets. That morning, Kieran was still feeling warm and we split the day. I went work in the morning and Ken went in that afternoon.

When I came home at 11:30 that morning, Kieran asked if he was going to school. I felt so bad to keep him home but he needed the sleep and he was still running a fever. He didn't act like a sick kid, which he never really does. Last night his fever broke and today he was back at school. I think he was pretty happy to be there but I'll enjoy a vomit-free weekend (I hope) with our boy.

Thanks Grandma & Gma!

Busy But Fun

So the weekend draws to a close and we had a ton of fun with Grandma's visit. Debbie arrived on Friday and before she went to sleep that night she had Kieran laughing and talking (he takes a few to warm up to anyone). Saturday we went to Gunpowder Falls park because Kieran has been talking about going to the "beach" for several weeks. He had a nice long kayak with Daddy and was ready to go by himself. He actually climbed into the kayak and grabbed the paddle, pushed off, waved to us (of course, Ken grabbed the back of the boat to be sure he didn't drift out into the bay). While Kieran napped at home, Grandma went and got a whole bunch of new toys including a Batcave for Ken... I mean Kieran.

Yesterday we got our photos taken (I'll try to have someone at the office scan one or two for posting), Kieran didn't have a drunk baby one in the bunch. He laughed and giggled the entire time. My mom joined us for lunch and then we headed home where Kieran napped hard. We had to wake him at 5 pm (he didn't go down until 3).

Today, we all got up showered and dressed and went off to breakfast with Grandma. Debbie's flight wasn't until noon so we were able to have a nice leisurely breakfast before saying goodbye to Grandma. Ken went to work for a little bit and Kiearn and I finished the grocery shopping then came home and headed over to the science center.

Now it's nap time and Ken and I have a few quiet minutes to ourselves. Maybe I'll take a little nap....

Random Acts of Family & Friends

Yesterday was a blast. We had a nice playdate with Harry (though still more parallel playing than actual play-dating) then a short nap and off to the pool party with the Brocks.

Here in Federal Hill we have a very active family community. There is a listserv of parents who ask questions of one another and post information about living in the city. One of the parents had a broken foot and works out in Owings Mills, where I do. After his wife asked if anyone would drive her husband home, I ended with a passenger for a few weeks. As a thank you (now that he has his own car), John and his wife Cathy offered to feed us at the Otterbein Swim Club.

It was a great time, Kieran loved "swimming" (aka hanging on Ken's back being toted around) and running around in the mud. We missed the rain so it was a ton of fun and the food was great. Kieran had so much fun he slept in until 7 this morning (Thank you John & Cathy)!

Today we needed to get Kieran a haircut. We go to the Columbia Mall because they have Cartoon Cutz where the kids can watch TV while they get their haircut. Right now its the only way we can get Kieran to sit still for his haircurt. After the haircut we went downstairs to get a little something to eat. Ken went to get some water and hears "Uncle Ken!". We ran into The Lipshultz Clan who were at the mall with G'Ma. Completely random, but completely fun.

Small Wonders

So, after having a horrid time on Saturday, Kieran came up to me on Sunday and said "Mommy, I need a hug." I flung my arms out and he hugged me for a good 30 seconds.

Everything else melted away.

Ken & Kieran had fun with Zadie (who's done a LOT with the little man lately, took him to a ballgame, had lunch with him a few times, got a very enthusiastic "Zadie!" with a run and hug) at the Columbia mall while I stayed home and did some putzing around the house. I still need some "me" time but this was good. And that hug later that day...a great way to end the weekend.

Public Displays of Agression

*sigh*

It's the day that every parent dreads. The day their kid loses it in public.

Allow me to start with a little background - this past week Kieran has woken up in the middle of the night but gone back to sleep. Sometimes he's up early (5) and sometimes he'll sleep in (6 or 7). So, I know he's pretty tired. This morning he didn't want Ken to go to work and pitched a fit, but recovered by the time we hit the farmer's market. We came back home from the market, watched 1/2 hr of TV and I offered to take him to Trader Joe's to get his granola bars since we were out. He fell asleep on the way there. When we got out he didn't want to wake up, he wanted me to carry him around, but eventually agreed to sit down in the cart.

Everything went fine until checkout. He was sitting on the counter and asked if he could "write his name" meaning he wanted to play with the signature pad. I told him no and when he kept reaching for it, I put him down off the counter. Then the first hit came. I told him that hitting is not nice. He hit me again. I let him know if he hit me one more time he would not get his granola bar. He not only hit me, but kicked me and yelled and screamed when I told him no when he asked for his granola bar. In addition when I got down on his level and held his hands, he head-butted me so hard my nose bled. I was PISSED, but managed to hold onto my cool enough to start ignorning him. We got outside of TJs and he asked for his granola bar again. I told him no, that he hit me and I had warned him that if he did he would not get the treat we had come to buy. He lost it again, and screamed in the parking lot.

We're fine now. He's napping (so needed) and we had a nice lunch and some fun before he went down. I'm so upset and frustrated though because he does keep hitting me. I've done more reading on it and everything I see says be consistent with your chosen method of punishment. Mine is ignoring him/time out. It works about 1/2 the time. He and I are going to have another conversation about it when he wakes up and is a bit more coherent. Like I said, I know the WHY of what happened but I don't think Kieran understands it. I keep telling him he needs to use his words and hitting is not nice and not accpetable. It doesn't seem to be sinking in. Do I just have an agressive kid? He's hit another kid at school, but the person there basically shrugged it off saying "that's how kids are at this age". She wasn't excusing the behavior, exactly, but she was trying to say that it is not unexpected. I'm ready for him to be older now please....

The Allergist

We survived without pinpricks from the allergist today. He said that Kieran probably has overactive histamine levels, but he wanted to see Kieran if/when he was broken out in hives so he could better diagnose him. Because Kieran did not have any breathing issues any of the times he has had reactions the allergist was not worried about any additional reactions.

He may want to run some blood work since we still need to get Kieran's blood drawn from before (yes, yes I know, we're over 2 months overdue). Once I have the paperwork (Thanks Wendy - got it) we'll show it to him (the allergist) and he'll determine if there are additional things to check for so that Kieran needs but one needle.

That's about it. Still working on the house to get it ready for sale. Its a lot of work and a lot of trash but it's all going to be worth it. Love to all blog again soon.

No drug tests, please

Monday morning Kieran had a bump above his eye. Given that he woke up with hives on Sunday, I assumed it was another hive, gave him some Benadryl and sent him on his way.

Tuesday morning he woke up with an eyelid so swollen he could barely see out of it. Off to the doctor (again), who determined it was not a stye or an infection but a bug bite. He prescribed some steroids and off we to school we went. I dropped Kieran off at daycare (I had the day off) and went to fill his prescription. I went back to daycare, gave Kieran his medicine, and ran a few errands. I got a lot more done than I thought possible, considering I was going to take all day to do what I got done in 2 hours.

That night we went to the Howard County Fair where we met up with Bubie, Zadie, Aunt Wendy and the cousins. Kieran had a great time (even though it was hot and Zadie made a few Quasimodo jokes at his expense) we pet baby animals, watched the cousins go on a few rides, and had a pig scare the crap out of Kieran (not on purpose, but Kieran was next to the stall saying hi to the pig when the pig oinked, loudly, at him).

Today his eye is much better, though I almost left this morning without giving him his dose. I'm starting to worry that he enjoys medicine. I gave him a dose and he said "More medicine please!" God bless the person who was bright enough to realize that adding a bit of flavoring to any medicine will help kids take it. But now I know I'm going to need locked medicine cabinets since he doesn't quite understand the reason for medicine. The steriods are making him hungrier than usual but that's about it, no other adverse side effects. Good thing they're working but I think we'll keep him from organized sports for a few days, until the drugs have run their course. :-)

Firsts

This past weekend was chock full of firsts.

Kieran woke up in the middle of the night, came out of his room and climbed into bed with us. The first time he did this was Friday night. Unfortunately, he did it all weekend long and did it again last night (this time he brought his stuffed animals with him, intent on going back to sleep).

We're looking at selling our house and moving back to the burbs. It'll be Kieran's first move (if we can sell and find a place to go, etc).

Kieran spent a lot of time playing with his trains too. It was the first time he said to us "Its Train Time." He also danced a lot this weekend (not his first time dancing) but he did request to have some dancing music played.

OK, back to work. Blog again soon.

Tales from Daycare

Kieran has not enjoyed water play day, which Goddard has twice each week. Generally speaking Kieran likes to splash or squirt other kids but hasn't liked to be squirted.

Until today.

Today, Carolyn asked him if it was OK if she dumped water on him. He told her yes, she dumped the bucket on him then promptly asked "Are you OK?" He would say yes, she'd ask if she could do it again. Repeat. Its a big step forward for him since until now during these days he's only splashed and jumped in puddles, he hasn't really enjoyed being wet. Its exciting to see this unfold.

On a separate topic, I got a list of recommended allergists from local parents (I love the Fed Hill Kids Group) and will start calling them tomorrow.

Return of the Hives

Yeah, he woke up with them this morning. I gave him the requisite Benadryl and sent him to daycare. Just to be safe, I called the doctor's office to see if he needed anything further. They wanted to see him, scaring me with stories of Strep starting with hives.

So, I paid $25 to hear "yes, allergic reaction, keep giving him Benadryl". However, because this is the 2nd time he's gotten hives without us being able to figure out the cause, we're going to see an allergis. The only thing I can think that he had that was new yesterday was caramel sauce at McDonald's (for the apples instead of fries). Doctor said that it's possible that he is allergic to one of the dyes within the caramel.

Anyway, so we'll be off to see the specialist and get it all squared away. They gave me a list and I have to check and see if any of those allergists take our insurance (and if we like them).

On the plus side, Kieran had a great time yesterday with Bubie, Zadie, Zack, Becca and Pete (whow are building a website), Uncle Andy, Aunt Wendy and Vicki (and Gracie). He had tons of fun playing mostly with Pete, eating up a storm, and generally giggling through the day. I'll have some new photos up on Shutterfly soon.

A Few Stories Before Bed

Our evening routine is so routine as to be laughable. Kieran hardly fights going to bed, but once he's settled in, even if he is dog tired, he will get up, open the door and lay at the top of the steps until we come get him and put him back in bed. It's the second "good night" that's the real one - and we all know it. Sometimes it takes him 15 minutes to get up and open the door. Sometimes only 5. Either way it pauses whatever we're doing and refocuses us on Kieran.

I've been carpooling with a dad in the neighborhood who broke his foot and needed a better way to get back and forth than the Metro. He and I can get a bit carried away on the adult talk and Kieran has finally gotten more vocal about attention (which I'm actually happy about but know I will come to regret) from me. We'll be chatting and I'll hear Kieran tell me about the alligator at school that bit him and I'll stop, tell him "Well, I hope you told the alligator how you felt." Kieran then proceeds to tell us for a few minutes how it was "not nice" and "I told alligator, I don't like it!". He then gets quiet again. This interruption is welcome and fun. His sense of whimsy is just developing and I have no issues feeding it.

He's been very mommy centric this week. Every morning he crawls into bed, lays next to me for a little bit and then quietly tells me "get up". He whispers, so as to not wake Ken. This morning I was hoping to get a bit more sleep. I asked if Ken could take him downstairs. He said "no, mommy do it". *sigh* I guess I'll sleep in eventually. Maybe when he's a teenager. Or in college.

Baseball Boy

He just started getting interested in baseball so we bought this inflatable bat, ball and tee set. He hasn't even see the tee yet but he LOVES to play baseball.

Terrible 2s... 6 more months to go

Kieran officially turns 2 1/2 tomorrow. Wow. So amazingly fast. Everyone says it but, just, wow.

And the hits just keep on coming... I mean that literally. Kieran has been hitting me, generally lashing out when he's pissed at something I am telling him he cannot do (or should do). Most of the time he's fine but then, all of a sudden, Mohammed Ali shows up where my adorable child once stood. So, time out on the sofa and I leave the room. This should be the end of it, right?

Oh, no. My child FOLLOWS me into the next room and raises his arm to hit me again. When I dodge him and he falls on his ass, I try very hard not to laugh or make any noise of triumph as I scoop him up and dump him back on the sofa to finish his time out, crying or not. I have a feeling that I am either not doing something right (I'm going to be doing some research this weekend) or that many toddlers go through a stage like this and I just have to stay the course. For now, staying the course it is. Suggestions welcome.

Making Memories

Our long weekend was fantastic, if a bit hectic. Kieran had a lot of new experiences, a couple of late nights and a ton of fun.

Friday we went to see Joshua and Beth (who we went to college with) and their son, Justin who is one. Many of their friends have kids around the same age. Kieran was nearly the oldest kid there (with the exception of Katherine, who is also 2). He had a great time running around the yard, playing in the baby pools and just snacking the day away. Shannon took some wonderful photos (see below of Kieran and Katherine). We didn't leave until close to bedtime so he got to sleep late that night.


Saturday we kicked around the city and basically killed time until the fireworks. I will say one of the benefits of living in the city is being able to walk around and decide last minute exactly where you'll go see the fireworks. After braving the inner harbor (wow that was a mistake) to get some dessert we skipped the more popular Federal Hill Park for Riverside, which is only a block and a half away from home. So we grabbed a blanket and settled down at 9 and entertained Kieran for half an hour. Ken and I laid on the blanket, Kieran snugged down between us, completely captivated by the fireworks. Ken said that this will probably be one of Kieran's memories when he's older. It'll certainly be a cherished memory of mine. While he's seen fireworks before he remembed just how much he loved them. As I laid him in bed (at 10) he asked "One more time fireworks?" I felt bad that I didn't have the power to give him more.

Sunday we celebrated my grandfather's 95th birthday. Mom and I had been calling a few places the past few weeks that could accomodate our large party in a private room. She said that Poppop's (aka Opa) face light up when she mentioned crepes, so Cafe du Paris it was. The restaurant is usually closed on Sundays but they opened up for us. It was a good time and the food was nice. Kieran loved seeing everyone - Uncle Charles, Uncle Drew, G'Ma, Oma, Opa, Uncle Andy, Aunt Wendy, Zack, Becca, Pete, Renate (and her friend Fred), and mom's friend Carol. We were quite the crowd. That was the big excitement for the day (that and running into a table). After that we came home, let him nap until late, played in the house and that was that.

Overall, he had two days where he got to bed very late this past weekend. Did that mean that he slept late? Of course not! But this morning, when it was time for school, getting ready and whatnot, he slept until we woke him up at nearly 7. All weekend long it was 6. In the morning. When he's older and reads through this blog he's going to realize just how much I love him, since mornings and I generally don't get along well.

Poop Machine

So, after I posted that he's been having big issues with the pooping he goes and poops regularly for about 3 days in a row. We still ordered the book, but I also discovered these Fiberful fruit strips and he's been eating one of those per day, which may be what's finally helping him do it.

He also loves that we hoot and holler when he poops. The other day he asked Ken to cheer after he'd gone potty (Ken is a bit louder than me). So far we haven't had to bribe him but I will if it comes to that.

Miss Francine at school asked me about something he's been doing for a bit, which is climbing up on the toilet to pee. He used to stand and lean across the potty to go, but he was having issues because he's a bit on the petite side, so he started climbing up on the toilet, putting his knees down and leaning over so he could go "standing up" like a big boy and not need to sit down to pee. It's damn funny to watch but I do expect one of these days he's going to slip and fall in, then it won't be so funny.

Water Baby (Part II)

We went to Gunpowder Falls state park yesterday. Ken's Team in Training had a group swim and we decided to take one of our kayaks out and see how Kieran did.

To say he loved it would not give you enough of a mental picture. He adored it, he begged for more, he wanted to go kayak by himself.

Ken took him out first and they did a short loop with Kieran helping to paddle. Once he got tired of that he trailed his hand in the water, which is what he did when I took him out. After he and I got back he got into the kayak by himself and Ken pushed him around in the water. Kieran loved it.

After we finished our boat rides, Kieran then played in the water with us. For a kid who didn't want to put his head underwater during swim class, he LOVED being in the bay. Went up to his chin and jumped up and down. Then Ken's group arrived and Kieran and I settled down to play in the sand for awhile. After he decided he'd had enough of that he got up and went back in the water.

Needless to say, about 5 minutes after getting into the car for the trip home he was out. He didn't wake up for 2.5 hrs. I tried to get him up at 2 hrs and he wasn't having any of it. I had to drag him out of bed a half hour later.

The Poop Update....
Still having big withholding problems. He doesn't want to poop on the potty (or anywhere else for that matter) so I'm increasing the fiber in his diet, trying to keep him from having an option. He did go yesterday and again this morning (after telling me he was not going to poop, he did nearly immediately upon sitting on the potty). I'm going to try and get a book called It Hurst When I Poop and see if that helps. If all diet changes and the book don't help, we'll need to go to the doctor and talk with them about medical resolutions.

We still haven't gotten his chest xrays or his blood drawn but I'm hopeful we can get that done within the next 2 weeks. OK enough, back to work (and maybe something to eat too...)

Dad's Day Recap

We had a good Father's Day. Started the day with Zadie and Bubie at Brunch (along with Andy, Wendy, Zack, Becca, Pete, Wendy's sister Tamara, her husband John, their kids Jack and Joey and Wendy and Tamara's mom Vicki) at Clyde's in Reston. After that we hung out by the fountain and listen to the annoying Yoga guy laughing (don't ask).

From there we hung and Andy and Wendy's for a little bit before (drumroll please...) we took Kieran to his first movie at the theater. He did GREAT. Possibly because we skipped nap to do the movie, which started at 1:30. Possibly because he is the best kid ever. Possibly because it was Father's Day and Kieran knew it and he wanted to be good for Daddy. We saw Up, which I enjoyed and was more adult than I expected. Kieran said he liked the movie, that his favorite part was the ballons. My favorite part was the dogs.

So, I'm sure you're wondering what Ken got for Father's Day. My super secret craft for him? Kieran made him a cap and shirt using fabric markers (Zadie got one too). Ken loved it even if it isn't really something they'd let you out of the house with on What Not to Wear.

Post #250

Wow, I'm zinging right along here. This will be quick. Just wanted to fill you in on the doctor's appt from today.

Doctor thinks it may be allergies (something Ken and I have suspected may be causing it). We'll have him take Zyrtec for a week. If that helps, we're good. If it doesn't, I have a prescription for Singulair. We're also going to have to get an Xray of his lungs and bloodwork done. The doctor does not expect to see anything in either of those, they are more to cover bases and be 100% sure.

So, I'll let ya'll know what we find out.

Everything's Busy

Sorry I haven't posted as much lately. On a quick lunch break at work right now and figured I'd fill everyone in on the latest details and developments.

Over the weekend Ken and I went kayaking, which was tons of fun. Thanks in HUGE part to my brother and his wife's generosity in babysitting Kieran all day long. Kieran was so excited to see his cousins, he talked about it most of the week and when we were about to go he was ready to give us a hug and kiss and be off to play with Zack, Becca and Pete. He didn't nap, but did crash on the way home at 8 pm (usually his bedtime is 8pm and he's asleep around 8:30 or 9).

On Sunday Ken & Kieran went for Kieran's last swimming lesson for a few weeks (I hope to get him re-signed up today for the next set). If he can't be part of those lessons, we'll try to have a standing time to take him to the pool every weekend and play in the water. He enjoys it and asks to go so we don't want to stop the momentum. I think when the outdoor pool is open that'll be even better.

Tomorrow Kieran and I go to the doctor. Kieran is still coughing quite a bit and the doctor wanted to see him after his last appointment if he was still coughing regularly at the end of May. So, there's that. I'll post tomorrow night to followup. I may not know anything at that point because the doctor mentioned he may want to take an Xray of Kieran's lungs and I don't know if we can get that done tomorrow (or if the doctor will still want to). We'll see. OK back to the grind.

Everything's Fine

Just a quick note to say his fever broke yesterday during naptime so he's fine today. I still need to call the doctor because he continues to cough off and on. I think he just keeps catching colds but doctor wanted to see him if he was still doing it at this point.

Ken was able to get an earlier flight yesterday (WOOHOO) and is now home. Had a rough night since Kieran woke up at 1 am coughing and wet the bed because of it. (Poor guy)

Otherwise all is well on the home front. Gotta go, work to do.

Saturday Night Fever

Yeah, he was running a temperature yesterday. I think it was all day but it was really noticeable just before bedtime. I gave him some ibuprofen and put him to bed. He's still running a minor fever today but other than a reduced appetite he seems to be fine. I'm hoping the fever breaks today so he can go to school tomorrow. Otherwise, we're headed to the doctor's.

Water Baby

Today was Kieran's next-to-last swimming class. He did well but for some reason, though he bugged me all week to go swimming, he really wasn't into it today. We'll have one week in between this class and his next set of classes, and we have to sign up on Monday - but I think we'll keep going.

He didn't nap immediately after class today. It was a first. I think its because I let him have a juice box in the car ride home along with a fruit strip. All that sugar kept him awake. When we got home we finished watching Bolt (for the umpteenth time) and I just put him down for his nap. He wasn't crazy about the idea but he didn't crank out.

Right now all is quiet upstairs. I have some things to do around the house and then I'm going to settle in to read Street Gang, my book club book. So far it's been captivating. It's all about the origins of Sesame Street. OK love to all, blog again tomorrow - even though Ken will return then I think he'll check the blog before he leaves. :-)

Dinosaurs, dinosaurs, dinosaurs

We'll probably hit the science center this weekend since this week at school they focused on them. Today's comment refers to their story time, when they read one of Kieran's favorite books, How do Dinosaurs say Goodnight?.

Kieran was so interested in the story! His favorite words: "What Happened?"

He was full of fun today. He's learning his body, has been fascinated by his nipples and asks about various body parts. At dinner he pointed at my chest and identified my boobies. He then told me very matter-of-fact that he also had boobies. I asked him where they were. He pointed at his breastbone, a little below his chest. I decided not to correct him.

During bath tonight he had most of his fish toys in the tub with him. He would throw them and then said "Oh no, you bumped your head! I'm sorry." He'd then pick up whichever fish he threw and kiss it.

Unfortunately we missed Ken tonight so no Daddy call. Kieran was a bit upset by this but was more upset because I wouldn't let him hold the phone (or, more importantly press the buttons). We'll have a few calls tomorrow since we'll be running around. OK, enough. love to all blog again tomorrow.

Todays Comment and More

"Kieran did a great job today! He counted & identified his colors in Spanish using blocks!"

That's from his daily sheet at school. We did pretty good today. He's being a bit contrary but more just to see what he can get away with than anything else. During dinner he pushed his meal away and said "I want yogurt." I told him that he had chicken and he could eat it or not, but I wasn't getting him anything else. He was quiet for a second then said "How about applesauce?" I said no again. He thought it over and then grabbed his plate and said "Mine! This is my chicken, not yours." He proceeded to announce to Ochi that the chicken was his as he ate it.

We called Ken before bed tonight and when Kieran heard his voice he hugged the phone. He's getting closer and closer to having real conversations on the phone (and in person too). Its so fun to watch.

Random Thoughts and Stories

Ken's got a trip to Vegas this week for the AILA conference so I'm doing the single mom thing. I'm going to try hard to post once a day so Ken doesn't feel like he's missed much. Bedtime tonight went fairly easily. It's pouring down rain and Kieran and I spent a little time looking at the rain before bed. I think it's the first time he noticed there were windows in his room. This could be because we keep them covered most of the time, who knows?

Kieran's 100% potty trained. We stopped using pull-ups at night since he was dry each night and it was just a waste. I guess he was ready. We've had a total of 3 accidents, 2 on his first day of real underwear and one since then. I think he loves going to the potty, being a big boy (and the poop on the potty song which I change each time he requests it). He's one of the few kids in his room who doesn't wear pull-ups, but he just doesn't need them. I'm so unbelievably proud of him.

A story I've been meaning to tell....
When we did our make-up mother's day at Dad & Dar's Ken was sharing his dessert with Kieran. Kieran kept asking for "more cookie." Ken gave him a bite. I told Kieran that it's okay for him to ask for the cookie, but he needed to say please next time. He looked at the cookie after he had just taken a bite and said "Please next time!"

Car troubles continue....
My "malfunction" light came on yesterday as I came home from work. I looked it up and it's probably something to do with fuel injection and the car needs to go to the shop. There was a silver lining to this, since the car is driveable during the time that light is on, Ken agreed to take my car to the airport and I'm driving his car. At least the light came on before Ken left and not after.

Ken got a Prius a little while ago and I'm learning how to drive all over again. You can see how fuel efficient you are and the more you lay on the gas the less efficient you are. My frugal side is warring with my speedy side. So far frugal wins - I'm averaging 41.6 miles per gallon.

Today's Comment (for Ken):
Kieran had a great time today counting dinosaurs all by himself & in the correct order! (Cognitive development: We counted from 1-10 using toy dinosaurs) Good nap, lots of poop. I love you babe.

PreSchooler

Yeah, I think even though he's a toddler and throws tantrums, he's really got a preschooler mindset.

He did not have a single accident yesterday.

He starts in the Get Set room at daycare today.

My little boy is growing up way too fast.

The Big Boy Era

We began the true potty training this weekend. With big boy underwear and everything. He's done pretty well so far, one accident while he was already on his way to the potty. At daycare they're ready for him to be done with pull-ups and whatnot as well. So starting now we'll only be doing them at night.

Yeah Kieran!

Hives and Other Stuff

Kieran had a bad case of hives last weekend. I think I saw them on Saturday but they didn't really show up in force until Sunday. We (and by we I mean Ken) took him to the Urgent Care place.... where they sat for 2 hours before leaving and heading over to the emergency room at the local hospital (he was in Columbia, since we were going to be at my dad's later that day). They also took two hours, but within that two hours we saw 3 different people and were moved through the system. No idea what caused the hives - could have been a lot of things, most of them stuff I had done unthinkingly for which I feel terrible.

He was fine and we had a great make-up mothers day dinner at Dad & Dar's. We gave him Benadryl for 3 days and his hives have disappeared.

Other than that things proceed normally. We're going to try cotton underwear this weekend since he's very good about telling us he needs to go potty. Still will do potty pants at night but I figure a long weekend will be a good time to see if he's ready for this step.

He's still fighting us on bedtime, but not as harshly. He pretty much knows its time to go to bed at 8, and is usually ready to settle in by 8:15, 8:30 at the latest. OK, enough blogging. Back to work!

One More Thing...

Kieran is now peeing standing up. Yeah, that's our boy!

Quick Update

Ken talked to them last night (he had to come home to get some sleep, he was unable to work due to lack of it).

They have agreed to stop banging on the walls at 8pm and stop cleaning up by 10pm. They were good to their word last night and mentioned they plan to be done with the demolition by Sunday. Once true contractors get in there to work we should not have this issue as they won't risk their livelihood by violating City ordinances. WOO HOO for us. Didn't even need to bring out the "stick", just talked with them about it.

The Neighbors, Part 2

So, last night was BAD. And by BAD I mean the neighbors who have been demolishing their house in preparation for contractors were working until 11:30. Ken had to go and ask them to stop at least on the 2nd floor. They were kind enough to move to the 3rd floor to continue working. He was up until 12:30, I was up from the time he came back to bed until 3 am.

I checked on Kieran when I came to bed (they were still working) and he was out, so I didn't think anything of it. But this morning Kieran started crying and said "The banging." Ken asked if our neighbors had kept him up and he said yes. Ok, my sleep schedule you can mess with, but not my kid's.

We've gone over there 4 or 5 times to talk with them about noise. Today I learned something interesting... they are legally only allowed to work on the house from 7 am until 7 pm. Also, the demolition they're doing is not permitted. So, tonight I can go over there and tell them about the timeframe, explain that we're tired of asking them to keep it down, that we want them to get their work done but they need to have some consideration. I'll also tell them that my husband, the attorney, has had it and is ready to rat their non-permitted butts out, costing them a few grand and at least 8 months' time. We'll see how it goes.

Horseboy

Mothers Day Do-Over

Just a quick one. Ken is bathing Kieran right now - something he's not very fond of doing (because it's painful to him) because today is about ME. :-)

We went to Clark's Elioak Farm this morning for the petting zoo and the Enchanted Forest items. Kieran had a great time on the Little Old Lady Shoe slide. I had such flasbacks to doing it when I was a kid, I had a great time.

Unfortunately the day was not going to continue going well. We're still having constipation issues and Kieran hadn't pooped in about 3 days. He did a big solid one at the farm, then we were able to enjoy the morning. He even had a pony ride, something he enjoyed so much we had to take a photo (coming soon) and email it to my dad so Bubie could see her little budding horseboy.

After the farm we went to lunch where he broke down again (Ken wouldn't let him dry his hands on a paper towel from the floor - that meanie) and we had to leave before finishing. Then off to the grocery store where he had another breakdown (mostly because he was hungry). Basically we had a bunch of breakdowns all day very unusual for Kieran. Normally about 2 a day is as much as he does. However, he just gave us the poop to end all poops so I'm hoping we're done.

That said, I want a Mother's Day do-over where my kid is not a holy terror and crying and hitting me. Ah well, at least I was able to blog and wish all my friends and moms a Happy mothers day.

Ears in the Clear

Kieran's doctor's appointment this week went well. His ears are clear of infection (finally), though he's got a cough that's been around for awhile. Doctor said if it wasn't gone by the end of the month we'll have to bring him back. I think it's getting better but maybe that's just wishful thinking.

Overall things are going well. Ken's busy at work (good but boo because it means not being home in the evening as much), I'm busy at work but am managing to leave it at the office, and Kieran is enjoying school and we have maybe one big meltdown a day - if any. My biggest concern is backsliding on the potty training. For a good long while he was going reguarly on the potty, there were 2 weeks when he was dry at school.

Carol was in town and we got some additional time with her - I don't talk or email with her enough (though truthfully this could be said of most of my friends, I'm really bad at that). Carol enjoyed meeting Kieran and gave us this rousing rendition of Old Macdonald. Enjoy!

All Wet

Our first swim lesson went well. Better than expected, actually. He was a bit nervous about getting in the water, but once he was there (and realized he could splash) he had fun. He wasn't crazy about putting his head underwater, but after a few quick dunks with Dad, he began to put his own face in the water. He even did some kicking with us holding his belly.

Oh, and he fell asleep on the ride home. About 12:30. It's now 3:30 and I'm going to have to go wake him.

We meant to get photos of our outing today, brought the camera and everything. Excitement got the best of us and we ended up leaving the camera in the car. Better luck next time.

One Day, Two Posts... Don't Get Used to It

Just wanted to tell everyone that tonight we had a minor meltdown at bedtime, but after about 10 minutes of crying, I went back upstairs, and he got into bed without a fight. I'm so excited about that, I just had to share.

Update and Videos

I feel I've been neglectful lately in blogging about the anecdotes of Kieran's day-to-day. Sleep is an ongoing battle but we're managing. Unfortunately it's going to mean that we have a few nights where he cries for awhile before sleep, but at least he knows we're serious about bedtime. My sister-in-law is going to loan me her book about parenting a willful child. My kid, stubborn, oh no! Wherever did he get that trait from? (wait, don't answer that)

Most of the time he's a great kid. He's running around like crazy, loves to move his body. We're starting swim lessons this Saturday. Not sure how he's going to react to it. On the cruise he was not keen on the idea of getting into the pool and getting him into the ocean was hard as well. We'll see. The whole point of this first class really is to acclimate him to the water. I'll try to post Saturday night or Sunday to tell you how it goes.

He's talking up a storm asks repeatedly "what's that?" I try to answer but many times he will ask without pointing at anything. He loves to learn new words and even read Ken's handwriting upside down. Of course, now I have the silly idea that I could maybe teach him to read. He knows all his letters and he knows the sounds for the letters so its just putting it all together.

This is a little video of Kieran singing his ABCs. It was early hence the crazy hair and PJs.

Photos!

Popular

Been feeling pretty popular lately. This past weekend while Ken was out backpacking, Kieran and I had oodles to choose from.

Saturday morning we started out at the local playground, then we met up with Stephanie and Harry at Rolly Pollies in Crofton. Kieran had a GREAT time there - loved jumping on the trampoline, he did the zipline and swung from the rings. He even did the balance beam with Stephanie (though I missed it because I was with Harry). He slept for a LONG time (though nap was delayed to 2-4 instead of 1-3). Saturday evening we went out to dinner - just us - and he ate well, tried new food (which he hated, but hey - he tried it).

Sunday we got up and went over to the Nearly New sale in Howard County. There we picked up LOTS of new clothes (well, new to us), a few books and a new bath toy. All for about $20. I think I spent about $1 per item. We met up with Joshua, Beth and their son Justin (friends of ours from college who moved to the MD area). Didn't get much of a chance to talk as I was shopping and trying to keep an eye on Kieran - really hard to do. So, they want to get together soon.

After the sale we met up with Zadie for brunch/lunch at Mimis Cafe. Kieran had fun there, though he kept trying to tell me he'd "be right back" and leave the table. Zadie kept him very entertained and we all had a good time. Again, the nap moved to 2-4 but he slept.

This week I had dinner with friends last night and book club on Wednesday (I still haven't read the book - bad, bad Jana). Saturday we have about 3 things we got invited to go during the day and we have a baby shower that evening.

I don't know if it's just the time of year or what, but dang it, I feel loved. :-)

Sleep Issues

It finally happened. Kieran has begun to really fight us on bedtime. He's also waking up multiple times at night. I did some reading and apparently this is normal. Frustrating, but normal. For example, it's nearly 9:15 pm. Bedtime is at 8. I hear him upstairs right now. If I continue to hear him kicking, I'm going to have to go up there (again) which I'm trying to avoid.

This has become SOP. He's not been going to sleep until after 8:30 most nights and is up by 6:30 most mornings. How the heck did this happen and when will it be over?

OK, I have to go put his butt back to bed (again). If my neighbors don't stop pissing and moaning over whatever sport they're watching I'm going to have to go next door and be obnoxious neighbor and tell them to keep it down. BAH.

Ah, the Weekend

Had a good time this weekend. Kieran is still into the power struggle but seems to recover quicker than he did before. Basically sticking to my guns and not giving in seem to be key.

Saturday Kieran and I hung out at the house. He had gotten up so early he konked at 10:30 and woke up around lunch. So he and I went to a neighborhood coffeehouse and had brunch together. He ate all my eggs, the little stinker. We then went on walk around, hit the Cross Street Market to pick up some fruits and veggies. I haven't been in a long time and the guy that I buy from said something to me about it. Gave me grief, actually. Can't blame him, his prices are great and I'm just lazy about going. It's easier to get it all at the store than to make a separate trip to the market.

Anyway, today Ken had a Daddy/Kieran day of fun and I got to do stuff by myself. Was pretty nice to be able to run errands and do whatver I wanted/needed without having to keep track of Kieran. Got home in time for him to be up from his nap... except he didnt' have one. He snoozed a little bit in the car with Ken but didn't get a real nap (yeah, he was a JOY tonight at bedtime and yes that is sarcasm). Ken did a little work while Kieran and I went to the playground for an hour. That's about all there is to report. Power struggles continue, so does way too much tv on the weekends but we're working on it. Oh well. Such is life. We manage and move on.

Love to all, blog again soon.

Power Struggles

So, Kieran's been doing well at daycare this week. His 'issues' last week were centered around him wanting to do everything himself. We're at that age when he wants to do it all himself but he's not really able to do it yet.

*sigh*

He's also getting his way WAY too often. I realized that tonight when we were getting ready for bed. He likes to choose his PJs. Blue was his choice tonight. He then refused to put them on. No worries, I let it alone for awhile then tried when the time was running out and we needed to get him into bed. He LOST IT when I put the PJs on him. Opening the PJs drawer was the power struggle. I'm bigger so I won. He cried for about 10 minutes. Got him calmed down and to bed. I WIN! Oh, wait, I'm not supposed to feel that way, am I?

Busy Bee

Sorry I haven't been as blog-happy as I have in the past. Work has been crazy busy (I haven't even had time to call and schedule my car for maintenance that it desperately needs) and then we get home and its a whirlwind until 8 pm. At that point, I'm so done looking at a computer screen (at work) and running around (after work) that all I want to do is veg.

I know this does not help those of you who need your Kieran fix. I get a daily Kieran fix and I sometimes forget that you all want to know all the gory details. I'll give you a quick rundown of the past few days.

Kieran LOVES to go potty. We'll probably be looking at Underoos in July and thinking about how to do Overnight potty training soon too. I have zero idea how to train your body to do something while you sleep. Anyone with thoughts please speak up!

He had a bad day at school yesterday. I knew the day was going to be bad when he laid down on the floor and cried when we told him it was time to go. We were running late that morning and I think he was hoping it was another day at home. We'd spent the weekend at the playground and running around doing some small errands. I heard from his teacher that he did NOT have his "listening ears" on yesterday and he needed to be in time out quite a bit. I hope today will be better.

I caught the Pink Eye early and it was cleared up in just about 24 hrs. I did an extra day of drops just to be sure. He's still on oral antibiotics for the ear infection and we'll need to go back to the doctor's in April to be sure it's all cleared up.

He's still talking away. I feel bad that I only understand about 60% of what he says but once I get it, I get it and I can move on to the next word he's saying that I don't get. I've got some videos of him this past weekend at the playground (I love to make him say "Attica!" when he's looking at me from behind bars) and I'll try to post those this weekend.

OK, gotta get back to it. Love to all, Blog again.... sometime....

Return of the Pinkeye

Yep. It's back.

Last night I noticed some green gook in his eye. I thought maybe some snot migrated when he wiped his nose with his sleeve while I wasn't looking.

But it came back.

So - no daycare today (I refuse to share this with the other kids in the class, call me selfish), off to the doctor's. Yep, pinkeye and his ear infection had not cleared up. So - drops in his eye for a few days until it clears up and more antibiotics for his ear. Ken's at home with him now and I'm working the rest of the day.

Kieran feels fine and is his usual active self. No worries, just medication. Love to all, blog again soon.

Fearsome Foursome

Haven't blogged in awhile and this will be a quickie because I don't have a ton of time these days (sorry!).

Potty training is going VERY well. He stays mostly dry at daycare almost all day long. At home he's a little less quick to ask to go to the potty but he does LOVE to poop in the potty. He has also begun asking me to "go away" or "leave" so he can poop in peace. I may have to get a photo of him on the potty with a book in his hands (yes, he does like to do that too, wonder if it's genetic?).

The sweetest thing he's been doing lately is snuggling with his stuffed animals. He has more than his fair share of them but there are four that we'd be in trouble if we lost. That's Stompy (a dinosaur), Teddy (Ken's bear and his dad's before him), Tiger and Duckie. I've deemed them the Fearsome Foursome - not that Kieran calls them that, but I do. He will throw each one off the bed and then say "Oh no! [insert name here] fell down!" He'll go pick them up, kiss them, hug them and bring them back to bed.

There have even been nights when one of the Foursome made it downstairs in the morning and hadn't been taken back up to his room that night. Then Ken or I have to run downstairs to get whoever was left so he can go to sleep. So cute! Once I charge up the camera I'll get some shots of him with them.

OK, gotta run. Blog again later.

Poop Master

Yeah, just a quick note to say he pooped in the potty again last night. That's two nights in a row. He made me put him on the potty 4 times until he was finally able to push it all out.

I see Underoos in his future.

Veggie Hater

Yeah, like I couldn't see this one coming. Kieran has not been a big fan of veggies. We've been sneaking them in via mixed juice blends, ravioli with vegetables and other methods. I did get him to eat some cucumbers the other day so we may be looking up.

A few other quick things then back to work for me. Been swamped at the office (as has Ken) so I've been neglectful in posting (sorry everyone!).

Kieran had his 2 year doctor's appointment last week. Here is Kieran by the Numbers:

Weight - 24.6 Lbs (10th percentile)
Height - 32 3/4 In (25th percentile)
Head Circumference - 18 1/2 In (10th Percentile)

So, he's a bit of a peanut. Overall developmentally he's doing fine. Talking up a storm (though a lot of it is still open to interpretation) and even full sentences. At home he talks less than at school, probably because we still baby him a bit. I'm working on responding to his one word requests with multiple words. It's a slow process.

He had an ear infection that we started treating last week and will need to go back to the doctor's to be sure it's cleared up. That said, it was only one ear so it should be fine overall. I need to make that appointment.

And for the really big news...

Kieran LOVES to go on the potty. He pooped in the potty last night (yes, I praised him as if he were the second coming) after having already peed in it. His preference is to sit on the potty, which makes his constipation even more of an issue. The doctor said his constipation is probably a result of his diet - too much dairy and no veggies. We've added a vitamin to his diet and I'm limiting his milk intake. The doctor said that if Kieran has no objections to skim milk we can have him drink that. I was a little afraid to nix all the fat from his diet since he is very active, so we're all doing 1% milk for now and I'll switch him to skim after I get his other diet issues/poop issues resolved.

Anyway, that's all I can think of quickly. I know I've been lax in my posting (though not as bad as some people I know) and will try to get better. Love to all, blog again soon.

Poop Issues

Poor little pooper. He's back to being constipated. It's so sad. We have to give him some suppositories to help.

On the flip side, he desperately WANTS to poop in the potty (and he did poop there on Tuesday) so we're making progress on that front.

Otherwise, not much else to report. He's loving school and tells me every morning he's going to play with Carolyn and Ms Michelle. Tomorrow he has a Valentine's day party at school (we already turned in our Valentines for the class). We'll see if he ends up with a smooch.

I am Potty Trained

Had to share this....

We've been working with Kieran on potty training. Very frustrating as he'll ask to go several times and then do anything but (I've mentioned this before but it bears repeating). This past weekend he went pee on the potty twice. I was so excited each time I hooted and hollered.

Sunday Ken was at the office and Kieran had asked (yet again) to go potty. While we were there, I had to go, so I went in front of him. When he heard me finish he looked up at me and said "Yay!" and smiled. I guess he's excited that I'm potty trained.

Photos and Update

So everyone is fine. Dad is back from his surgery and recovering well. Hopefully not driving Dar carzy :-). Mutti is out of the hospital and back home as well. Seems to be doing just fine. As promised, here's some more photos from the cruise.

Hospitals - YUCK!

I still owe you all more cruise info and I promise to deliver at some point, but things have been crazy lately and I figured I should let all and sundry know.

My grandmother, Mutti (mom's side) went into the hospital on Thursday. She's out now, so it's all good. She had pneumonia and needed to be hospitalized for awhile. My mom stayed with Poppop to keep an eye on him and when she needed to run errands, I hung out with him. My grandfather has Alzheimers. Mom said the level of vigiliance is similar to that of dealing with a toddler (she's right) but the response is different. Anyway - they gave her anitbiotics, she's good and is home.

My dad had surgery today for a torn rotator cuff. The doctors fixed the issue but when he was done with surgery his oxygen levels didn't come back to where they should be. I'm waiting by the phone to find out if they're going to admit him to the hospital or if the issue will correct itself once his anesthesia wears off (which is what Dar thinks will happen).

I'm also on pins and needles waiting to hear if my cousin's wife has gone into labor. Katie - I'm thinking of ya!

Personally, I'm sick and have been unable to kick the cold that's been plaging me since we got back from the cruise. Ken's working crazy hours and I've actually got tons of work I should be doing instead of blogging.

Kieran did WONDERFUL tonight. We've been hit with the terrible twos pretty big. Some of that is our own fault. With the cruise, his birthday and then him being sick he's gotten nearly unlimited TV for the past few weeks. Yeah, I put an end to that tonight. He whined a little bit when I told him there would be no TV tonight. When he realized I wasn't going to cave he redirected to playing with Ochi and then Play-Doh. Everything else went smoothly and he actually kicked me out of his room 15 minutes early because he was ready for bed.

OK enough procrastinating, I'm getting back to work. Love to all, blog again soon.

Cruise Pics!

First stop was Turks and Caicos. Kieran was a bit leery of the water but warmed up to throwing stones and shells into it.







Our second stop was San Juan. Kieran, Ken, Zadie and I walked around the city. This is Kieran on the ship looking over the port. Dar got to ride horses there and Andy and the crew did a bus tour of the city.





After that was Coki Beach in St Thomas. I seriously considered running away here and making my living by delivering food and drinks to the people on the beach. Maybe that'll be my retirement plan.








Final stop was the cruise line's private island. They had a little play area for the kids with water slides so of course we needed to check it out. Kieran had a great time and I got sunburned here.






Next set of photos will be stuff on the ship with details of the on ship days. A wonderful time - do wish we had more time with Dad and Dar, but they got the Bubonic plague or something. They're doing better now and everyone is all excited about Sunday's big game.

Oh and one more thing.... Kieran is 2! Happy Birthday Kieran!!!! OMG my Little Boy is 2!

Back to Reality

*sigh*

Well, we're back. Had a phenomenal time with everyone on the cruise. I'll post photos later but I'll give a quick rundown of the vacay right now. (I'm working from a computer without the photos but I do promise to upload them soon - we'll also post them to shutterfly and send them out from there as well).

Our first flight went great - Kieran didn't cry once. He was not afraid of the noise or the flight, he sat still for most of it. That kicked off a wonderful week. The downside? Not as much time with Bubbie and Zadie as we would have liked - they got sick and quarantined (each for a full 24hrs). So we'll just have to make up that time during the year.

The first day on ship we mostly just walked around, had a good long nap and played with some of the new toys that we bought (Color Wonder is just da bomb for travelling). The next day we were in Turks and Caicos - basically a beach for the ships. He was a little afraid of the water but had fun anyway. The rest of the trip... well I think I'd better save some for the posts with photos - needless to say we had a wonderful time and despite the sunburn I'd do it all over again.

I think my favorite part was having dinner every night with (nearly) everyone. It was sweet to see all the kids and everyone altogether just having fun and talking about their day. Next time we'll have to figure out a way that no one gets sick (and Kieran can have his own bed).

Promise I'll explain and blog it all with photos later.