Pillow Talk

JD really didn't want to go down for a nap today. Even though his little eyes were droopy and he was yawning, he insisted that he wanted to "play cars." After an hour and a half of hearing JD talk in his crib, I went up to let him know that it was time to go to sleep. Here is how the conversation went:

Me: "Naptime mister."

JD: "Play cars."

Me: "Lay down. It's naptime."

JD: "Play cars please."

Me: "After nap. Lay down."

JD: "Please please please please. Play cars PLEASE!"

Me: "Naptime."

JD: "Cars. Please. Play. Cars. PLEASE!"

Me: (Trying unsuccessfully not to laugh) "Naptime now."

JD: (As I am walking out the door) Crying, "CAAAARRRRSSSS!! PLEEEEAASE!!!"

I thought it would be easier as your kids started to learn how to talk. They could tell you want they want. Well, I know what JD wants, that's for sure!!

Learning to Speak JD

In honor of JD's 22nd month of life, I wanted to capture some of JD's linguistic developments. It is amazing to me how he hears one thing and when he repeats it, it comes out completely different. And he is starting to string them together into phrases, which can make it even more difficult to decipher.

Gicky - "Mickey" (as in Mickey Mouse)
Poopee - "Excuse Me"
Peas - "Please"
Date U - "Thank You"
Wuh Wuh Wuh - "I love you"
Diddles - "Wiggles"
Oofy - "Goofy"
Poo NaNa - "Pooh went night night" (I heard this one for the first time this morning)
Burr - "Bear"
Yaayo - "Yellow"
Yeyee - "Ellie"
Gucket - "Margaret" (or it can mean bucket)
Tetzel - "Pretzel"
Mama - "Mama, Emma, Grandma"
Come - "Thomas" (As in Thomas the Tank)
KayKay - "Kenna"
Teetza - "Pizza" (which started off more like peepee, so I'm glad we evolved that word)
Pay Cars - "Play cars" (which basically means do anything other than what I am doing right this minute)

I love hearing JD talk and my favorite is "Wuh wuh wuh," as you can imagine! We can have quite the conversation now, but he will get really frustrated if I don't understand what he is saying right away!

100% Boy

JD and I went to the grocery store yesterday and picked up a few essential items. It was already pretty cold, so JD was in his fleece and hat and some sweatpants. Perfect for going Krogering.

There was a nice Kroger lady where the carts were who got us a cart when we walked in. She chatted with JD and asked him how old he was, which he loves to tell people. He also showed her his muscles and how big he was. And the whole time I was calling him JD. But as we walked away, this nice lady said, "Wow, she is really smart for one!"

That is the absolute FIRST time that anyone has EVER mistaken JD for a girl. He just doesn't look or act like a girl, not when he was born and certainly not now.

So just to make sure there aren't any mistakes out in blogworld, I am including some recent pictures that show just how much boy my son really is!

JD thought it was funny when his foot got caught in the tractor.

Playing with the John Deere tractor that he got from his cousins in Indiana, who own a working dairy farm.

My boy can put away some food at meal times, especially spaghetti!

Take It Easy

This week has been a little rough for our house - even more than normal.

On Monday, we had such a good time on the playdate with JD's friends, but when he came home, I thought he looked a little more pale than normal. I chalked it up to too much fun with friends.

On Tuesday, he woke up from his nap with a little runny nose, but nothing serious for a 21-month-old.

By Tuesday night/Wednesday morning, he was up all night coughing (and I mean all night). None of our usual tricks helped - Vicks Baby Rub, Humidifier, Vicks Cough liquid in the humidifier, etc.

On Wednesday, my little guy was a snotty, coughing, drooling mess! He was coughing so hard that he actually gagged himself and lost his breakfast and snack all over me. Blech. He had a tiny temperature. All signs were pointing to a cold, but he wasn't really "acting" sick (moaning, laying his pitiful head on my chest, etc). So, on a mommy instinct, I reached into his little mouth (please don't bite mommy's finger) and sure enough, his last two "two-year-molars" were popping in on top.

So even though it has turned out to be nothing too serious, there has been a lot of this.

And this.

And finally this.

He is finally not coughing so much and is starting to dry out some. The "prongs" (don't know the dental word for it) of the molars have poked through, so even though we have a long road (the body of the molars are the toughest to break through), when it is over - we won't have any more teething until the Three Year Molars!!! Hooray!

Playdate with JD's Buddies

JD is starting to make some friends, even at this early age! He especially loves the ladies - I'm not sure how that is going to translate as he gets older.

Yesterday, our BBC friend Tricia and her daughter Margaret invited JD and I over to play with Katie and her son Cole and Jenny and her daughter Anna Claire.

They have a great house for playdates and have a whole room currently dedicated to Margaret's toys! JD had a ball!!

After a yummy snack, we headed outside and played with bubbles in the yard.

As many of you know, my son is very impulsive (and FAST) and will run off in a split second, paying no attention to Mommy who is screaming "NO!! STOP!!" Yesterday, JD decided to run over to the play car, after he got tired of looking at the dogs. No problem, except there was a beautiful pool in between the dogs and the car! At the VERY last second, right before he was about to go headlong into the pool, JD slightly turned directions to run around the pool instead of into it. Whew!! I was so close to taking a very early swim in their pool!!

The kids all had a really good time playing together. There weren't really too many battles over sharing toys or anything! Everyone took turns and played pretty nicely together.

We tried to get a picture of them all together, but that turned out to be nearly impossible with this group!

We can't wait to hang out with our buddies again!!

Love of Food

I have never been shy about my love for food. I love tasty meals, both simple and complex.

I am so lucky because my husband LOVES to cook! Don't get me wrong, he likes to eat it as much as he likes to cook. But he actually enjoys putting a meal together from scratch.

I'm a recipe girl and always have been. I follow a recipe to the letter and usually it comes out pretty well.

I've mentioned before that Jon cooks with our brother in law Josh and our friend Jordan from time to time. And they have come up with some really great meals for us!!

A little project that they have been helping Jordan with is called Food Creates Community. It comes from the idea that local, seasonal ingredients can be used to create a delicious meal to bring together a group of people. They started this idea back in the fall and it turned out really well!

Jordan is about to do another round, featuring Italian food, just before Valentine's Day! If you are interested in participating or just reading more about the Food Creates Community concept, you can check it out here.

Now I'm hungry just thinking about it!

JD's BarcaLounger

JD has a new favorite spot these days.




We brought out a portable booster/high chair for Miss Kenna when we babysat last week, so both kids could eat with us at the same time.

After she left, we moved the chair in the corner of the kitchen, since I intended to put it back in the storage closet later.


JD fell in love with his little chair and moved it personally to his favorite spot in the living room...perfect view for the television, of course.

The chair design has a reclined back, so he can just relax, while enjoying a favorite snack and his favorite tv shows. He insists on the tray being attached too and has figured out how to climb in and out around it.



He's eating a tortilla in this one and thought it was fun to let it dangle out of his mouth for awhile.

He's just perfecting those man skills...