Rubber Ducky, You're the One

You make bathtime lots of fun!

Crazy for ABC's

If you've been following along, you know that Reid recently started sleeping in his big boy bed (actually, it's been a while now but I'm a little behind in getting stuff posted). Well, I attempted to get him to talk about how he feels about his big boy bed. But, if you haven't been around Reid much, or if you're a camera, he tends to be a little man of few words:





Knowing my boy like I do, I knew one thing that was sure to get him to open up. He has recently become completely enamored of each and every letter of the alphabet, so I decided to have him share his new passion with the camera instead. Notice how he pipes up with no hesitation whatsoever once I mention ABCs:

Now if only he had that much enthusiasm for the potty...

Operation Big Boy Bed

A couple of months ago, Reid started showing signs of trying to climb out of his crib. And within a couple of weeks, he'd figured it out and made the dreaded escape with the help of a nearby armchair. One morning we heard the telltale sounds of Reid waking up over the monitor and when Ted went to retrieve him he found Reid sitting nonchalantly in the armchair.

I asked Reid to demonstrate his newfound skill for us so I could capture it on film and he was happy to oblige.

So proud of himself. Hmph. And with that, it was time to execute Operation Big Boy Bed - the conversion of his crib into a toddler bed. I only cried a teeny little bit.

I'm not sure what the technical definition of "big boy bed" is. Does it have to be a twin size to qualify? Or does a toddler bed count? In any case, we told him it was a big boy bed and that seemed to make him happy. Here he is demonstrating how one exits and enters a big boy bed:

I was prepared for the worst, expecting to be up all night putting him back to bed over and over again, but our first couple of nights went off without a hitch. He got in his bed, stayed in his bed, and went to sleep. But then he started to get a bit more adventurous. Fortunately, we have a video monitor so I can keep an eye on him in his bed. One afternoon during his nap, I checked the monitor and saw that he wasn't in his bed...but it was quiet - always a bad sign. So where was he and what could he possibly be doing? I crept upstairs, and on a hunch entered his room through the bathroom door. And found this:

Who sleeps on the floor when there's a perfectly good big boy bed in the room? My big boy does.

Reidspeak

As anyone who's been around toddlers knows, it sometimes sounds like they're speaking their own language. And Reid's language is developing at a crazy fast pace. Here are a few of his words and their translations:

zhou - shoe

puh-zhou = puzzle

AP-peet = airplane

EP-peet = elephant

AG-gear = alligator

orrs = horse

bawg = frog

raff = giraffe

noshy = rhinocerous

BE-bug = ladybug

OTT dohg = hot dog

moke = milk

peas = peas or please

dae-doo = thank you

ah-bee = Harvey (he's made progress since Harvey was Ra-ra just a few months ago!)

BAY-beeeee = baby

I especially love hearing Reid say his sister's name. Somehow Olivia in his language is Be-bop, or sometimes (when speaking more formally) O-Be-Bop. It's tough to get him to perform on cue for the camera, but here's a bit of him speaking his language with some not-so-subtle encouragement from Mommy.

He says something new everyday and often surprises me with the words he knows and things he understands. We really have to watch what we say around him! It's so fun to see his verbal skills developing, but part of me wishes I could hit a pause button and Olivia could be Be-bop forever. Oh well, maybe the name will stick and she will always be our sweet little Be-bop.

Restless Sleeper

Welcome Olivia!

We welcomed our daughter Olivia on April 23rd. As parents, of course we immediately adored her. But we weren't sure how Reid would react. He met her for the first time in the hospital when she was 1 day old and seemed appropriately interested in her - curious but unconcerned that Mommy was holding her instead of him, and oblivious to the changes she would bring.

But the real test was bringing her home - to his territory. I'll let you see for yourself how that went:

So far, so good. The cameraman (Ted) clearly assumed Reid had grown tired of her and was moving on to something more interesting. But he quickly realized his error and resumed filming when it became apparent that sweet Reid had just gone to find something to share with his new baby sister:

Awwwww. We'll so how long that lasts...

Big Shoes to Fill

Reid adores his daddy (really, it's hard not to) and wants to do everything Daddy does. But clearly, he's got some big shoes to fill:



He put those on all by himself - I had nothing to do with it!

I'm sure everybody really wants to see the new addition...but I'd already uploaded that video before she made her arrival and I wanted to share it with you. One more time for Reid to shine solo in The Hamilton Times spotlight. Next time, I promise a report on our baby girl!

The Sincerest Form of Flattery

Reid is a master of imitation and regularly mimics our everyday activities such as brushing his hair, putting on deoderant, cleaning the toilet, sweeping the floor and, of course, talking on the phone (or the remote control or the calculator or whatever else is handy). Here he is engaged in an important conversation on Mommy's iPhone:

I'll have to capture some of his other mimicry on video. In the meantime, I'm just flattered he's paying attention. Though I do wish he'd work to improve his efficiency in the chore department...

Still a Girl

We recently had an ultrasound to make sure everything's still looking good...and it is. And it's definitely still a girl. Either that or a very unfortunate boy. But no, it's a girl. Here's her profile:

And here's a peek at her little face. (Hint: Tilt head to the right and you'll be looking at her head-on.)

Just hoping that nose looks alright on the outside. Michael Jackson comes to mind looking at these photos...