Santa, Baby

Kieran had a great Christmas. Santa brought him all kinds of goodies but his favorites right now are the two light sabers he got (because how can you swordfight with only one). He also got a train table (OMG does that take up a lot of room), new art supplies, a Diego coloring book, some trick tracks and two new games for his Explorer.

The Leapfrog Explorer continues to be a big hit (2nd only to Daddy's iPad) and he's doing fairly well on all the games he has so far. Sometimes he enjoys just making the characters do specific things instead of actually trying to win a game, but hey, he's having fun.

After Kieran finished opening his gifts (took about 15 minutes) he then turned around and said "OK, let's go to my cousins now." It was 6:30 AM. Kieran woke up at 5:45 (we sent him back to his room for 15 minutes) and we explained it was too early to go there just yet. Eventually we made it to Uncle Andy & Aunt Wendy's house for some fun with the cousins, a great dinner and a good time. On the way down, Ken referred to it as "a very Jewish Chrimstmas" which struck me as funny, but apt.

Anway, hope everyone had a wonderful holiday and we'll be blogging again soon. And by we, I mean me.

The Parent-Teacher Conference

Our first one-on-one with Kieran's teacher was today. Overall, she says Kieran is very bright, remembers a lot from the beginning of the day to the end. He is a physical child - he likes to be moving, kicking or punching. His anger has flared up again lately but overall he's doing well using his words.

Its very strange and somewhat gratifying to hear that he behaves at school much as he does at home. When he is told to do something he doesn't wish to do he gets angry about it ("no" or "that's not fair") and when he's happy he's moving and laughing and playing. Mostly, the teacher said what needs work are his social skills - just taking turns and waiting seem hard for him.

I guess it's not surprising given he's an only child. Anyway I know I was bad bad bloggy mommy for awhile so I thought I'd share while it was fresh in my mind. Love to all, blog again eventually.

Will this sickness never end?

So I have been horribly neglectful of the blog of late. If it makes you feel any better, I'm not really posting to Facebook either.

Truly, I got sick shortly after we got back from Ohio and I just don't have a ton in me, though Kieran continues to be as adorable as ever. My cold (courtesy of daycare) powers on, though less obnoxious now than it was, and there is not anything to be done about it. *sigh* Ken got sick too.

ANYWAY - On to Kieran news....

His favorite things right now are to watch tv (frightening) and play his Leapster Explorer (Chanukkah gift). He also will now wail "It's not fair!" whenever something doesn't go his way. Sadly, this may last until he's in his teens. I tell him "It may not be fair, but it's the way it is." Which doesn't always go over so well but makes me feel better.

That's about it. The Christmas tree is up, we'll be hanging stockings tonight and, if I'm up for it, finally making latkes for the women at daycare who asked so nicely for them. Gotta go, will try to blog again soon.

A blog from the road

In Ohio right now and had a great time welcoming Uncle Ben home from Afghanistan. We got a late start on Friday night but Ken was still able to do a round of golf (in the cold rain) Saturday. From there we all headed over to Uncle Matt's for a great party (Kieran napped hard on the way there, then stayed up until 10:30). Today was lower-key. We went to Uncle Ben's house for the Bengals/Browns game and Kieran played with his cousins. I think Noah may have been done with us by the look on his face here. (Pictured L-R: Austin, Noah, Ben, Angela, Kieran, Ken, me)

It's all about mom

Shirt and face painting. Gotta love it.

First Weekend Away

Kieran did his very first sleep over (without mom and dad) this weekend at his cousins' house. He behaved himself so well, Uncle Andy told him he was welcome back anytime. "Tonight?" asked Kieran. When told no, he asked "Tomorrow?" He does love his cousins.

Ken and I were going to go to an evening wedding Saturday night. Though we left Virginia with TONS of time to spare (4 hours) we still missed the wedding due to traffic. Four freaking hours in the car. And I get carsick. Ugh. I'm mad we missed the wedding but after we got home (and I rested away the carsick) Ken and I went for a long walk to Fells Point and a quick dinner at Brick Oven Pizza and a nice walk home. And then we were woken up (again) at 2:30 AM when our neighbors got back from the bars and played their music at ridiculous volume. I'm so over them.

Today was the Street Beat festival, where I did a quick stint of volunteering. It was fun, monitoring the moon bounce and watching Kieran have a great time. After I was done, Ken went home and Kieran and I played a little while at the festival. Then we came home for a quick breather and then off the the playground. Kieran barely stopped moving all day. Ken just finished his bath so I gotta go upstairs to join in the bedtime fun. Love to all, blog again soon.

Fever Broke

So, Kieran's fever took mercy on us (it was a HIGH fever - the highest he's ever had) and broke on Wednesday. Yesterday and today he's back to school.

I promise to blog some more after this weekend - Kieran has his first official soccer game AND his very first sleepover at his cousins without me and Ken. I'm looking forward to having some time just me and Ken but I think I'll be "I'm missing something..." all weekend long. :-)

Sick?

Last night Kieran felt hot. I don't mean warm, I mean HOT. When we took his temperature it was 102. We gave him medicine and he went to sleep without complaint. Today, he's at home with me.

Still with 102 fever, but otherwise not acting sick at all. Its one of the wonderful/frustrating things about Kieran. He doesn't really let sickness slow him down. On the other hand it means Ken and I have to be super vigilant to ensure he doesn't go to school when he's sick. He's a bit less energetic today but I wouldn't call him lethargic. We've watched endless hours of TV, played with legos and I might see if a walk outside is too much for him.

Just for those who worry, I checked with the doctor's office and they said unless his fever runs for 3 days straight, don't bother bringing him in.

Big Boy Bed

This past weekend we bit the bullet and bought Kieran a twin bed. Ken and I have been talking about this for awhile as many nights we would come into Kieran's room and he'd be asleep on the floor, in the closet or half on-half off his bed in a near-standing position.

I had asked Ken to wait because a few months ago, Kieran had the option of sleeping on the floor or in a big bed and he chose the floor. During our vacation, he slept in a full bed (bottom part of a bunk) and loved it. Afterwards, we asked him if he'd like his very own big bed. Kieran said yes.

This weekend was supposed to be about seeing what was available, and getting more information. Wouldn't you know? Ikea had just what Kieran wanted, mattress and all. He's loving his new bed and we love being able to lay down on his bed and read with him each night.

Oh, and if anyone wants an idea of what Kieran likes right now - the Pigeon books by Mo Willems are his favorites. We have Pigeon Wants a Puppy and Don't Let the Pigeon Stay Up Late. More are always welcome. :-)

Kieran, the collected stories

I haven't blogged in awhile. For those who have not heard, my company underwent a merger, announced one week before I headed out on vacation. I'll be part of the new organization but we've got quite a bit of work ahead and I've got a new system to learn.

Kieran has been highly entertaining and I have many stories to tell. This will be one of those weird stream of consciousness blogs, so try to keep up.

During vacation Kieran and Becca (our niece) shared a room. The first morning we were there, Becca woke him up. When they were upstairs getting breakfast my brother asked Becca why she did that. Becca said she didn't know. "C'mon Becca, think about it." replied Kieran. When pressed, he added "My dad says that to me a lot."

Towards the end of the week, Kieran woke Becca up. When asked why he did that he replied "She was asleep."

One day I was sitting upstairs with most of the grown-ups when Kieran came up and said "Mommy, I need to show you something. C'mon." He gestured to me, took my hand and led me downstairs. I thought he'd built a fort with his cousins or drawn something he wanted me to see. However, I was shown poop (one of the dogs). "Why did she do that?" he asked, "That's disgusting!"

We had an amazing vacation - beach and pool every day with great food done family style each evening. Kieran loved swimming and was not afraid of the water at all. I know he misses his cousins and his push for Ken and I to give him a sibling has increased.

This past weekend Kieran was playing with his action figures. He has many, but on Sunday he decided to be Supergirl. "Look, I have boobies." Kieran said, touching the plastic figure's chest. Ken and I both admonished him with the standard "That's fresh." Kieran got this mischievous look in his eye, smiled and pointed to Supergirl's chest. Ken saw this and said "Kieran, even pointing is fresh." "Yeah," he replied, "but it's funny."

Can't argue with that. I'll try to blog more soon. We start our official soccer league this week, should be fun.

The Cousins

Kieran loves his cousins. Talks about playing with them all the time. Today, at daycare, I learned he has another cousin.

Miss Kali (the director) called me to her office after I dropped him off this morning to tell me that Imani (her granddaughter) told her that Kieran was her cousin. Imani and Kieran have been in the same rooms for the past two years. They play together like brother and sister (and fight that way too), so when Imani was listing her cousins with Miss Kali she said "... and Kieran." Miss Kali said "Kieran is a friend from school."

"And my cousin." replied Imani.

Miss Kali noted that when a child is that insistent, there's little you can do to change their mind. I was told that we're going to have to come to their housewarming - since we're family now and all.

Sweet Child Returns

We had a bad week last week with nearly every evening being a battle and ending with Kieran whining and crying for at least 10 minutes (usually a half an hour). And that was AFTER we changed his bedtime to being later.

This week has been pretty dang good so far, but we'll see. He squeaked by to the Bag of Mystery from his magnets last week (we're holding him to 34 as the number to reach, 49 is a perfect week). He's at 33 this week with 2 days to go, I'm trying to figure out if I should give him an extra dip into the bag if he gets to 43.

We've spent every weekend this month with my brother's family (good thing he doesn't seem tired of us yet). Next weekend will be the first one where we don't spend time with them and I'm not sure how Kieran will react. Hopefully he'll enjoy time with just mom and dad, but we'll see.

Tonight we're heading to the South Baltimore Little League carnival (assuming the weather holds/isn't too nasty) and letting Kieran stay up a bit later than normal. I'm hopeful it will translate into late sleeping tomorrow. Probably not but hope springs eternal.

Alien Child

Someone please tell me how our beautiful, sweet, wonderful child became a pod baby who says nothing but "No!" to everything and anything.

Photos, finally

Yeah, so we're really really bad about getting photos posted. Most of that stems from the fact that we only dump the camera only once in a while. After which we lose the cable to the camera. Every time. Anyway, when I realized we had about 6 months worth of photos, I thought it was time to share them.

The top photo is about 4 months old. From his school, this is a height chart they did when he first started in the classroom. You can see there is about 4 inches between Kieran and the rest of the class. *sigh*

Next we have Ken and Kieran making bread together. For a little while Ken was doing this every weekend. Until Kieran confessed he didn't like the dark bread they made. This weekend we're going to try a honey wheat loaf.

From Passover. Kid in a yarmulke.

Kieran at swim class. Look at that smile.

Soccer class.

Kieran and the Ohio cousins. From left-right: Noah, Morgan, Kieran, Riley, Caleb.

Our Little Fish

After I introduced Kieran to our local pool, he's decided he wants to live there. The past two weeks, after swim class on Saturday, we went to our pool and spent about 2-3 hours there. For the holiday weekend, we also spent Monday at my brother's local pool (4 hours).

On Tuesday he mentioned his ear hurt. He had said something last week but seemed to have forgotten it in the excitement of seeing his cousins. When he insisted his ear still hurt on Thursday, I took him to the doctors. Yep - Swimmer's Ear. So, drops in the morning and evening for his ear, pain medication to help him sleep through the night the next few nights and he should be right as rain next week.

Of course, this means he is not able to go to swim class this week, nor is he allowed to enjoy water play day (today) at school, and we have to be very careful of his ears during bathtime. My biggest fear is that this experience will turn him off of swimming when he'd been doing so well. Hopefully he will prove me wrong.

Nature vs Nuture

So the other day I was talking with my mom about Kieran's inherent love of cats. "You've given birth to a cat person, go figure." she said. I have been a cat person all of my life. Kieran had cats until he was about 6 months old, then just Ochi for the longest time. But he really does seem to prefer cats over dogs.

Today on our car ride into work/school, Kieran kept choosing classic rock from the options on the radio. I like it, but I'll tend for more progressive/folksy music left to my own devices. However, I know Ken likes classic rock.

So, how much of Kieran's current preferences are gleaned from us by environment and how much was he born with? The world may never know...

Weekend Photos and Movie

We had a blast this weekend with our new (earlier) soccer and swimming classes on Saturday. Ken was gracious and let me take a 3 hour nap Saturday afternoon. Wow, I needed it.

Sunday, Kieran and I went to the Science Center where he got his face painted like a cat. He fell asleep on the walk home and half of the cat rubbed off. Above is a photo of the half-cat face. I'm hoping the face-painting place will have some images of his full makeup - they were terribly impressed by how still he sat for it.We had a picnic dinner in Riverside with live music provided by Nelly's Echo. It was a great time and Kieran danced his little tush off.

Quick Fish Photos

Kieran fished for the very first time during our trip to Ohio. Here are a few quick pics of him with the fish he caught. That's Uncle Matt and his cousin Riley in the first shot, and just Matt with him in the second. Thanks all for helping us have such a great time this weekend.

Burps are Funny

And so are farts, pretending to burp, calling people anything other than their name, and "bathroom words". Yes, the Lipshultz humor has reared its entertaining head.

Ken is mortified. Having grown up with it, I am amused.

In other Kieran news... last night when I went to pick him up he ran to me smiling and yelled "Jana!" instead of the traditional "Mommy!" that I've gotten in the past. Ken and I have been working to be sure that Kieran knows our names, on the off-chance he gets lost. But he now gets a kick out of calling us our names instead of Mom and Dad. *sigh*

Also yesterday he got a straight face on his daily sheet. Not a frowny face or a smiley face. When I asked him about it he said "Dad will take it.", which is what Ken has said about that mark since it's not a great day, but it's not a bad day either. Too smart for his own good, I tell ya. OK back to work for me. Love to all, blog again soon.

Ruh-Ruh-Reggie

Quick story while I have a minute.

Reggie is the most vocal cat I have ever known. He wanders around the house meowing (which, to be fair, Leann told me he did this). Mostly he wants to be sure you know he exists and should be pet.

He was doing this on Sunday when I called to him "I hear you whiny. C'mere."

Kieran looked at me. "No, Mommy. His name is Reggie. It starts with an 'r'. Ruh-Ruh-Reggie."

Princess Mommy

Yesterday there was a board meeting at my office. Which means I had to dress a tad nicer than usual. All my pants were dirty, so I opted to wear a dress. I thought it would be simple, but forgot that the hem had fallen out so I spent 20 minutes ironing it back together (thank goodness for hemming tape!).

After I got dressed, I went downstairs to put Kieran's bag together and get going. Most who know me know that I do not often dress up and, when I do, I rarely wear dresses. When he saw me, a note of awe in his voice Kieran said "Mommy, you look like a princess!"

It made my day. And I was able to use it as an excuse that night not to give him his bath ("Princesses don't give baths.").

Welcome the newest Gauvey: Reggie

I had no plans to get Kieran a cat, even with all his lobbying and the fact that I truly miss having cats around. Ken was actually pushing harder than I was. We had some cats that were not-so-nice to our house, which we're trying to sell, and I had significant concerns that a new cat would make the old issues worse.

Yesterday morning I login and begin reading my email. There was a plea from a family in the city who had to move to a place that had a 2-pet policy. After asking family and friends, they posted to the local family groups. A five year old cat needed a home and I had a 3 year old who wanted a cat. I sent them a note and after several exchanges by email and phone, we all agreed - Reggie would join our family.

Kieran didn't know about us being able to bring Reggie home until we met him. He's an adorable Maine coon-type cat black and cream tiger stripes and a great laid-back temperament. After chatting with Leann and Damon and playing with Reggie we ask Kieran if he'd like to take Reggie home with us. "Yes." was the answer we knew we'd get.

On the ride home Kieran's smile was ear-to-ear and he told Reggie (before I had barely driven 10 feet) "Don't worry, cat, we're almost there". Reggie didn't run and hide but explored our house, hissed at Ochi, ate some food, let us pet him and generally hung out. Right now my biggest concern is the hissing at Ochi but I have a feeling that in a week I'll come home to find the two of them napping together on the sofa.

Lobbyist

Kieran got up at 3:30 this morning with a cough. Yes, I've been up for about 3 hrs now. Ken tried to get Kieran back to sleep by taking him downstairs. When they came back to bed, Ken said that Kieran told him a crocodile bit him and that's how he got a cough. But, if we had cats, that wouldn't happen.

Will he every stop asking for a cat?

Hodgepodge

I haven't blogged in awhile (bad, bad me!) sorry everyone. It's bee a strange few weeks.

For those who don't know my friend Joanie's brother John passed away recently. I remember him for tormenting her and his love of Speed Racer. Also, he was the kind of person who would do anything for someone he didn't know. An all-around great guy. If you would like to know more about John, check out his Sco got a bug blog. I think his wife plans on keeping it up for awhile.

On Kieran news....
His fascination with boobs continues. I caught him feeling Ms Shree's boobs at school and reminded him that it was "fresh". Trying to get to the root of the fascination a few days before, I asked him if he liked them because they're squishy or because they are a part of me (I was thinking it was simply because they're part of Mom). "Squishy" was the response.

School has gotten better, he's doing well listening (most days) and not having as many fits. Weekends have been bad with one huge meltdown per day. Sadly, I know the cause is the skipping of nap. I hope to cure that this Saturday when we begin his back-to-back classes of soccer and swimming.

Last night we made ice cream from scratch. He loves to help and I want to encourage this trait, so I make things in the kitchen he can help with - also I like the idea of him knowing where his food comes from. Anyway, Ken asked Kieran a question and his response was "I'm eating ice cream." Ken and I had a hard time not laughing - basically he was telling Ken to quit asking him questions, he was eating.

Raising a Lawyer?

Recent things he has said leads me to believe this may be his future occupation.

Me: Kieran, please take your finger out of your month.
He does this, then puts another finger in.
Me: Kieran, please take your finger out of your mouth.
Kieran: It's not my finger it's my thumb.
Ken hides his laughter behind his hand.
Me: A thumb is still a finger, take it out.

Kieran-isms

Some of the fun/adorable things he says:

"Mommy/Daddy you're my best best friend."

"I love you Daddy/Mommy." (usually said after being punished for something)

"I'm Spiderman!" (also insert: Batman, Green Lantern, or Superman) Announcement is followed by web throwing or punching depending on the character.

"My favorite part of today was... turning on the lamp/star light/night light." This is said every evening, almost regardless of any other cool things he has done during the day.

"Mommy, do you have coffee?"

"Purple monkey banana!" I asked Kieran to substitute this instead of saying "no" all the time. This morning he shouted it out in the car when I wouldn't stop singing even though he had asked.

"I do it."  He is SO independent that he gets very angry if there was something he wanted to do and you're trying to do it for him.

"You're a cat.", "Are you OK, cat?" and "Good night, cat." Kieran has begun lobbying for a cat, loves to pretend to be one and frequently asks us to be cats as well.

HE'S READING

I swear to you on the drive to school today he read his book all by himself. He's not 100% there, but he sounded out a word and yelled "I did it!"

First word he read by himself: "Henry" from the book "Daddy and Me"

Talkative

Wow, is he ever. Now that he's listening he's also very engaged in conversation and play-acting more than ever before. His favorite pretend? That he is a cat.

One day after we had finished talking with Ken on the drive home, he wanted me to call Grandma. Then Bubie. Then G'ma. Then Uncle Andy. Then Miss Wendy (that's my girlfriend from college, not to be confused with Aunt Wendy). Then we ran out of people to call.

Every night on our way home we call Ken and Kieran gets very upset if he doesn't get a chance to tell Dad about his day (usually when I call he's eating his on-the-way-home snack). It's so fun to hear some of the great stories he tells.

His favorite part of the day today? Daddy came into his room tonight pretending to be a cat. Ken then let Kieran ride him around the room horsey-style all while meowing loudly. Honestly, it was my favorite part of the day too.

So Far, So Good

I'm hopeful we're at a turning point for Kieran. So far this week he's gotten smiley faces. He's enjoying school more as well. We're still have a few at-home battles but nothing out of the ordinary for his age.

He's also gotten his second birthday invite. After last weekend's birthday blowouts (Pete on Saturday and Ahrianna on Sunday) he turned to me and asked "Who's birthday is it next, mommy?". I think he's just a cake and ice cream junkie. Then on Monday we got our next invitation to a classmate's party. He wants to go (so far) but I'm going to check with him again tomorrow before I RSVP. Of course it is on the same weekend we'll be celebrating my grandmother's birthday so we'll have another double-party weekend. At least he'll sleep well.

One Good Day

It was all Ken and I needed. Just one good day. 

And Kieran delivered. He was good today got a star on his daily chart at school. Is now allowed to go to his friend's birthday party this weekend and got a granola bar (that was his choice of treat for being good). It was truly a relief to walk into daycare and know that he'd been listening and following directions.

On a side note, Kieran has a favorite pair of pants. They are red and have a "buckle" in the front that he is able to put together and take apart. Miss Shree noticed his pants today and Kieran said "I like them because I can open them and pee!". I laughed so hard I fell down. I love that kid.

NO, NO, NO!!!

So last weekend ended OK with Kieran just eking out a bag of mystery goody. He was good on Sunday as well when we just ran errands. Most of the time he's a great kid. He asks me all the time "Mommy, can I help you?" When I say yes, he says "Hooray! I get to help!" So amazing.

But then there's the other side... the kid that yells NO at the top of his lungs and whines and cries when he doesn't get his way. I'm applying for help. We're consistent, we ask (once he's calm) what the issue was and we talk about it. Sadly, much of his bad behavior is at school. He had a particularly bad day today so much that I'm basically being brought in for a parent-teacher conference. He's THREE. Ken and I are getting to our wits' end. We keep wondering what we're doing wrong. I read up on these issues. I get the same basic advice - be consistent, provide choices, ensure consequences, offer incentives, and make sure everyone's on the same page. We do all that. What are we missing?

AN UPDATE:
This morning I spoke with Miss Margaret. While she agreed it was a bad day yesterday, she thinks it's simply a matter of finding the right combination of incentive/de-centives for Kieran. She knows he's bright (and young for the room) and she seems to have patience for him. We talked for a bit about a few things, and Kieran has been told that if he can't have ONE good day this week (today) he won't get to go to his friend's birthday party this weekend. I feel better having spoken with her that she knows we're trying and we'll be working towards the same goal. Hopefully he'll turn 4 soon....

Still Going...

Kieran has a chance of getting the bag of mystery. He needs to get ten magnets in the next two days. He was great yesterday until bedtime. He threw a huge tantrum about going to bed. Ken thankfully talked him down from his constant crying of "No, no, no!". But he lost nearly all the magnets he'd gotten for the day (and he got a lot). Today was much better and bedtime went well.

So, what do you think? Can he do it? Stay tuned....

Bad Boy Behavior

Kieran may not get the bag of mystery this week. It's only Tuesday but, from a kid who normally gets nearly all 7 magnets on his responsibility chart every day, he's not been doing so well. He has seven between Sunday and Monday. He admitted to not listening and fighting at school. He was whining as well.

Maybe it will take not getting the bag of mystery for it to sink in that he can't misbehave. I know that kids do, and he doesn't lose his magnets just for a little bit of anything. But when you have consistent behavior, the magnet disappears.

Hopefully the week will get better. Will keep you posted.

Just Another Day

Today Ken took the lead with Kieran as I had been with him all week during our snow-in. Not saying I didn't have a great time but it was very nice to be able to have the house to myself. Of course, then I cleaned nearly all day because we had a showing (that's right, someone trudged through the snow to see the place) today. They were in and out because, alas, we did not gut the place when we bought it and it is hard to compete against completely renovated houses. Someone will want our house. I just know it.

Anyway, thought I would do another post for those Kieran fans out there. He's doing very well with listening and following directions. He had a great time at daycare on Friday (I actually think he was a little disappointed that it wasn't Monday) and at Tumble Bees today. Next week is the last Tumble Bees class of his session, so I need to be sure to sign him up for the next set. After that we'll consider soccer and other sports as the weather warms up (please let it warm up). They're calling for snow Monday night to Tuesday. The last I heard it was 3-5 inches. Before that would have frozen the state. Now, we say "eh, at least it's not another foot."

Still Snowed In, but We're OK

Friday Ken and I worked from home, splitting the day because of the doom and gloom of the forecasters. They were right (though it started much later than anticipated) and we got more than 2 feet of snow. Our street was plowed on Monday night, though we still could not get out (and if we did, how would we get back?). It was good though, just in time for today's storm which started yesterday evening.

Kieran's been great, though he's now got a bad case of cabin fever. He spent all day Monday in his jammies, yesterday we walked to the store before it got bad and today we've just been playing inside and watching WAY too much TV. We're supposed to get another foot or two of snow (on top of the two we already had) by the end of this storm sometime today. Ken's trying to get out tomorrow, I'm unsure if daycare will be open tomorrow (doubtful) so I'll likely not see the office until Friday at the earliest.

So, today is day five, for those counting (and I am) of being snowed in. I am hopeful that even if daycare is closed tomorrow, the Science Center may be open and we can at least get the heck out of the house for something other than sledding (which we did on Sunday). Just wanted to let all and sundry know that all told, this could have been worse for us and I'm grateful we've got such a good kid that our biggest issue is that he wants to watch the same episodes of Dora the Explorer over and over and over again.

A Conversation with Kieran

While driving in to daycare/work the other morning.

Kieran: Mommy, you go to school and I'll go to work.
Me: Can you do my spreadsheets?
Kieran: I can't do that yet, but I'm going to work, you're going to school
Me: Okay, but if I go to school, I get to eat your yogurt.
Silence follows this statement for a moment.
Kieran: I'll go to school. Mommy, you can go to work.

It's a Small World

On Friday night we had someone viewing our house. Because we had to stay away until 6:30, I took Kieran to dinner at McDonalds by daycare. We got home right on time and met Ken who was walking Ochi. He said that the couple viewing the house were running late and had just gotten there. It was cold and getting late so I said "I don't care." and walked into the house. A woman I used to work with was there with her fiance. Was so funny - the last time I saw her Kieran wasn't even a year old. Kieran liked her right off, he ran to her and gave her a big hug (on the leg - this woman is TALL). Just funny what a small world it is sometimes.

Kieran got some nice kudos from Miss Chris at Tumble Bees this weekend. She said that she was surprised at how quickly Kieran's taken to the class and that he's very good at it. Normally for boys his age it takes until the next class session starts for them to really "get it". Now, as you well know, Kieran was not very good at the warm-ups. But this week he did all the warm ups without any fuss. He listened, followed directions and took turns. I worried at first that he was only into the tumbling part of Tumble Bees, but now he seems to like it all.

The Weekend

Nothing exciting this weekend. We had a good time at Tumble Bees again yesterday (so much so that Kieran asked if we could do it again today) and he did better listening to the teacher. We'll see if the trend continues. It didn't hurt that it was balance beam week, one of Kieran's favorite activities. After his nap we went for a walk to the market to pick up grapes and then wandered around the local comics store before heading home.

Today Kieran stayed in his room until I got up at 8. He was awake and wandering around but has taken our "QUIT GETTING OUT OF BED AT NIGHT AND COMING INTO OUR ROOM" conversation a little too much to heart. Ken talked with him about it today and we'll see if he does better tomorrow. We watched some Dora and then I took off to the grocery store. Ken was going to take Kieran to the Aquarium but on the way Kieran said he was hungry so they just went for a walk and then came home for lunch. After I got back (and he had not napped) we asked if he still wanted to go, he said yes and before we ever got there, he fell asleep. He has now been asleep for 2 1/2 hrs. I fear that bedtime tonight will not be easy.

Kieran, by the Numbers

Three year appointment today. Here is what we know:

Height: 35 1/2 inches (10th percentile)
Weight: 26.8 lbs (10th percentile)

The doctor said he was on track to be 5'6" (which my co-worker stated was "totally date-able"). So, small but mighty is my son.

Birthday Party Photos

 

 

Thanks again to everyone who helped make Sunday such a wonderful day. This post is dedicated to Bubie who made an amzaing Batsignal cake. Sorry there wasn't any left (and that you couldn't be there to enjoy the fruits of your labor).And also to G'ma who allowed us the use of her home as a party location. Thanks for everything!

The Day Before

Tomorrow is the big birthday party at Gma's house and I'm all set. Whew. If anyone leaves hungry at this point then its their own fault as I have ticked off many Ravens fans by purchasing all food within a 100 mile radius. At least it feel as though I have.

Friday we had fun when I took some pizza and cupcakes to Kieran's daycare and sat with him for lunch. I thought that three extra-large pizzas would be too much for a class of 13 kids, but I would have been wrong. They DEMOLISHED it. Kieran had a good day on Friday and fun at Tumble Bees again today. Sadly he is still not listening to the Tumble Bees teacher at the beginning of class for warm ups. Ken had a long talk with him about this and hopefully we'll do better next week. OK, since Grandma is in town Ken and I are going to see a movie - what a treat!

Leaps and Bounds

I've been amazed lately, at Kieran's ability to communicate in multiple ways. We're still having lots of battles but most are minor and easily overcome.

Just a few days ago, Kieran drew me a face. It was a real face with a circle, dots for eyes and a line for a mouth. He then made me a whale (larger circle) and a fish (circle with some triangles). It was incredible to see him know precisely what he wanted to draw and do it. Before he would scribble something and say "Look mommy, I drew you an alligator." Now, it's quite clear what he's drawing.

Saturday we went to our first Tumble Bees class. Unfortunately we had a substitute teacher and it ended up being mostly free play indoors, but Kieran enjoyed it anyway. He did learn to do a somersalt and has been doing them ever since. It kinda freaks me out but it also makes me proud to know that he did something he liked, wants to repeat it and is working to do it on his own.

Funny stories on his growth and independence come every day. He's big on not letting us in the bathroom when he's going potty anymore. Unfortunately for him today he went in (door closed) and came out and said he had gone. I hadn't heard the toilet flush and he was still fully dressed so I thought he was telling me stories. I told him he still needed to go and he lost it. Threw himself down on the floor and began to cry. I glanced at the toilet and realized that he did go but just hadn't flushed (and gotten dressed again, something he hadn't been doing). Poor kid, I let him know he needed to flush next time.

Ken had a great birthday trip to see his brother and go skiing. It snowed while he was in Ohio and everyone had fun. On our way to the airport to pick up Ken, Kieran told me "I'm going to the airport to see Daddy. When I see him I'll say 'Daddy' and run and hug him. You stay here, I'll be back." Of course, Kieran fell asleep before we got to the airport, but he was really happy when he woke up and Ken was home.

Happy Birthday Bubie!

First:  Happy New Year to everyone. We spent new year's eve at my brother's party (brought Ochi and stayed the night to avoid driving home). Guess who was a party animal staying up until 1 am? That's right, our boy Kieran. The following day we drove home after lunch and Kieran fell asleep for a three and a half-hour nap. We all had a blast at the party with kids galore, a lot of food and some wonderful company.

Today is Darleen's birthday so after a trip to the toy store to spend the money that Oma and Opa gave Kieran for Hanukkah (he got some blinking light cars and toy food) we went to the mall where Ken and I got long overdue haircuts (Kieran got his earlier in the week), then off to Bubie and Zadie's house to celebrate Dar's birthday with the family. Kieran had a great time with his cousins and Bubie and Zadie. One of his favorite things was to use Ken's phone as Pete (my brother's youngest) used the same app on his iPod Touch. The two of them would play the same things over and over. He crashed early tonight, before 7 pm, but then woke up briefly to go potty, brush teeth and get into jammies before getting back to sleep at 8. Pray for me, I wake up with him tomorrow and somehow must try to get him to some type of regular schedule on Monday.