Southern Nevada Railway Excursion

Tech-Baby

This is the Bee watching YouTube videos on my iPod Touch. Pretty tech-savvy, this one. I occasionally have to help get back to "his" videos (most of which are of himself), but overall, he has it pretty well figured out.

I Want a Latte

It's not a real latte. Although he'd drink that, too, if he could (admittedly, sometimes he does if I'm not watching). He tells me he wants a latte and I put like an ounce of my latte with five or six ounces of milk and he's happy. I suppose he probably has latte in his DNA with as much as I drink. :-)

Turn On the Dark

Instead of saying, "turn off the light," Braxton says, "turn on the dark." I think that might be the optimistic version. He's just tall enough to turn on the dark himself.

Motorcycle Baby

Braxton is fascinated by his uncle Billy's motorcycle. Some photos from our recent visit to Las Vegas:

He's All Boy

Summer time is Oregon is beautiful. And nothing is more fun in the hot summer days than playing in the sprinkler. Or taking the sprinkler and making a mud hole that's just the right size for your Diego 4x4 to go off-roading in. Whatev.

The Wide, Wide World

This week, one of the fence boards fell off. And by "fell," I mean was viciously ripped from its home by my dog and the neighbor dog yelling at each other. Anyway, this 1 foot whole opened up a entire new world to Braxton and he spent a lot of time here.

Visit to the Zoo: June 1

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World's Cutest Toddlers

Making Easter Eggs!

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Toddler Dialect 101

Bee is talking up a storm - a lot of mimicking, but also communicating his needs and wants and likes. In case you ever need to have a conversation with him, here's a translation:

raff = giraffe
free = tree
strs = monsters (as in Monsters, inc.)
cheese = mac n' cheese (but sometimes just cheese - you have to pay attention to what he's pointing at)
emo = Nemo (as in Finding Nemo)
papa = grandpa
mama = grandma (mommy is for me... it's a different word)
Iffy = Sophie (my parents' dog)
akit = blanket
muk = milk

UPDATES (4/6/08)
afer = pacifier (I've never called it a binky)
ake oo = thank you (such a polite child!)

UPDATES (4/16/08)
if-fly = butterfly
ishin = lotion

Hello?

Bee crawled up the stairs this evening in search of his father. When he got to the top, he realized the baby gate was up and he couldn't get down the hall.

He let out these little (annoying) whiny noises. "eh. eh. eh."

Me: "Call him!" (telling him to say "daddy!")

Bee looks at me, confused for a second. "eh. eh."

Me: "Bee, call him. Call daddy."

Bee hold his hand to his ear like a phone. "Hello?"

tee. hee.

Bee's First Snow

I think it's snowed before. In fact, it snowed the day Bee was born. But this is the first one that he meant he got to play in the snow. Unfortunately, our temperate climate means that we're often left unprepared for snow day. So I didn't have gloves or decent boots for him. But we had fun. And now, he knows what snow is (just ask!).

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Belated Christmas Photos

Bee and I got to spend two weeks in Las Vegas over Christmas and New Year. We had a lot of fun and spent some great time with my folks. Here's proof:

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The Terrible Twos Have Arrived...

I'm not sure when it happened. It feels like overnight, but I'm sure it was more gradual.

Baby Bee has a well-developed sense of his own free will, but he has yet to understand my desperate attempts to rationalize with him. When will he understand: "not now, maybe later..." or "how about this, instead of that...?" or "no, and here's why..." Soon I hope.

Case in point. This week we were rushing around on a weekday morning trying to get ready to get out the door. Now, granted, I have it easier than a lot of working moms. I often don't leave the house until 9 or 10.

Bee was having the ultra-nutritious breakfast of Pop Tarts and milk while he watched Finding Nemo (his current obsession...).

Me: "Babe, I'm going to go upstairs and get dressed. Do you want to stay down here or go with me?"

Bee: Looks at the TV, looks at me, looks at the Pop Tart and decides, sure, he'll go with me. He puts the Pop Tart onto the paper towel and tried to fold the towel up.

I help him fold the paper towel and then I leave the Pop Tart on the table, knowing full well that we'll be back downstairs in about 5 minutes. We both go upstairs. As soon as we get to the bedroom, he turns to me and realizes that I don't have the lovingly folded paper towel full of delicious Pop Tart in my hand and that, my friend, is that.

Bee lets out an glass-shattering scream at the very very top of his lungs until he turns red. I think he might've even thrown himself on the ground.

Silly me. I lack the ability to read a 2-year-old's mind.

This goes on at least 3 or 4 times a day. Sometimes for reasons that are clear. Sometimes not.

I'm just hoping my ears and my nerves survive this phase.

(photo not of screaming, but reminder of happier time...)