Rainy Days

from heidi

Gus has been sick since Halloween. One illness merging into a new illness before we can really recover.  The downside is that we haven’t been able to go to school or see any of our friends.  The upside is that we are getting very creative about our play!

Today’s rainy day activity was to make a new track for some trains that don’t fit on our standard tracks. We got the wrong gauge trains in a box of assorted trains and tracks from one of Joe’s colleagues. Gus requested we make them a track (he thinks I can make anything in my craft room!), so I got out a piece of long paper and started drawing the track according to his specific directions. In case you can’t read my scribble or decipher my poor illustrations the track goes “past the rain, around the pond, over the bridge, thru the forest, down the hill, up the hill, thru the mountain, into the snow, onto the turntable, onto a siding and out of the way, and into the shed”

Details

Halloween as Percy

from heidi

Gus wanted to be a “steam engine” for Halloween so Joe and I got crafty and turned a box into a train. Not surprisingly, we started this at 9:30 on a Thursday night. We didn’t have blue paint, so we made a green Percy. Surprisingly, Gus wanted to wear it!

Here are a few photos of us in costume. There are lots more from other friends (including the whole family as train engineers), but these will have to do until those can be collected. Here is also a cute (and short) video of Gus in partial costume (jammies and the box).

Gus and I had several parties to attend throughout the day and were well worn out by the time it started to get dark so I decided to skip the trick-or-treating for another year. Gus really doesn’t know what candy is anyways, nor would he say boo to a stranger in a costume. Besides, Joe had to go to a conference and we can’t have his first trick-or-treat without dad. We handed out the candy with some neighbors– someone has to stay home to do it!

Here are a couple of recent random photos of Gus playing with his food and play dough.  In addition to asking about time all the time, he is also asking me what letter words start with, “Mama, what does mechanic start with?” I help him sound it out and he names other words he knows that start with the letter– so smart!

it’s time

Gus has recently become really interested in (digital) clocks. He is constantly asking, “What time is it Papa?”. He is quickly learning to read the numbers left to right (which is not actually intuitive for all those Hebrew, Arabic, and Chinese readers out there). He is also quickly learning numbers greater than 10. Sometimes 36 is sixty three, but it is increasingly thirty six. It is extremely exciting when the clock changes as we are watching it (which it usually does because Gus waits for the big moment every time- “What time is it going to be, Papa?”, sometimes for five consecutive minutes).

It is possible that Santa will bring him a watch this year. Or we might use said watch as a bribe to get this potty train moving! It’s time!

phone call

Gus took Heidi’s cell phone this morning and said into it, “I’m just calling to see if you want to go out to dinner tonight. OK. Bye.”

robots are scary

Papa: “Let’s put on our new robot jammies buddy!”
Gus: “OK!”
Pause.
Gus: “I’m afraid of robots”
Papa: “Well, they will probably take over the world one day”
Gus: “Yeah”

first day of [play]school

from Heidi

All summer we have been working on getting a co-op of seven parents and children for a playgroup/pre-school for Gus.  Stewart’s family generously donated their basement space and with one last push this weekend, we finally finished all the logistics of schedules, decorating and furniture, etc. Today was the first official day of “school” (aka Sprouts/playschool/pre-school/the co-op). Gus was super-excited, but also I think he didn’t totally know what it really meant. Nonetheless, it’s been a great bribe all week, “Do you want to go to school? Yes? Then we need to [insert activity here].”

School runs Tues/Thurs from 9-1. Since we rotate which two parents are working, I don’t actually have to work until October.  Though I wasn’t worried that Gus would cry when I left or anything, I was worried about how he’d manage with all the noise and chaos of seven toddlers in a room.  When I returned a few minutes early, I took a peek inside and was surprised at how quiet it was.  The majority of the kids were participating in a story.  I overheard Luke ask the kids, “What kind of sound does a cat make?” To my surprise, there was a chorus of “Meow!” Amazing. When it was time for pick-up, Gus told me about his day– playing trains, reading books, playing outside, snack-time.  So cool!  On the car ride home he said he wanted to go back to school.

Meanwhile, I was able to run several kid-free errands, including taking the time at the store to really decide what I wanted to get (versus what I can find quickly that seems somewhat acceptable), and then I had lunch with a friend.  Anyways, I’ve posted a number of super cute photos of the school (I sewed all the cute curtains, pillows, and art smocks for the school) and Gus posing for his first day.

s’mores and spelling

We went camping with the Guster for the first time (ex-utero, that is) and he LOVED it. His favorite activity, he informed us after returning, was throwing rocks in the river. As the person who accompanied him on frequent trips to the river, kneeling in mud for 30 minutes at a stretch, I can vouch for that. The campsite was beautiful (actually probably the best campsite we have ever had).  Our tent was literally 30 feet from a rushing river that lulled us to sleep every night. We went on a bunch of hikes, Gus had his first s’more, and we saw cool bugs and beautiful scenery. It was a grand time. Then Heidi and Gus traveled down to California to visit Heidi’s parents in Santa Rosa. Heidi’s sister Amy and her younger daughter Zoe were there as well so Gus got some quality time with his two-year old cousin.

In the meantime, Gus has also developed some new skills. The other day, I turned around and saw that he had arranged the letter magnets on the fridge into his name. It was unbelievable.  He is really starting to get into letters and their sounds. He is also quite the puzzler. He has advanced right past the wooden puzzles and has been doing 30 piece real puzzles- like, that fit together to make a real picture. It is insane to watch him do this.

It turns out that much of Gus’s amazing skills can be traced back to his (obsessive) love of Thomas the Tank Engine, I almost hate to admit.  The puzzles he is doing are Thomas, of course. He learned his colors early because he knew that Thomas is blue, Percy is green, James is red, etc (really, I could go on and on). He learned his numbers this way as well (Thomas is #1, Edward is #2, Henry is #3, I think I’ll stop there). And, he is learning his letters this way. He knows that Thomas starts with T.  He is starting to put this together with other words. A week ago, I asked him what letter his friend Jonah’s name starts with. Gus said, “Jah, Jah, Jonah. Jah, Jah, James. It starts with J!”. I think I cried. I couldn’t believe he could put spelling together like that… at age 2. As much as I cannot stand you Thomas, thank you for your contribution to my son’s development. (Now stop being so mean to the other engines).

Our other big news is that Gus is starting  school next week. We are part of a group of seven families that have gotten together to form a co-op preschool that Gus will attend two mornings per week. More details on that coming up. And another massive photo dump should be happening any day now.

bad bloggers

It turns out that Heidi and I are terrible bloggers. Or at least infrequent bloggers.

We started this whole bloggin’ business while Gus was in the NICU to give updates to our friends and family in an efficient manner. As the story of Gus’s entrance to the world played out, we realized that Gus may want to read about his early years at some point so we decided to keep it up for him. It also became surprisingly therapeutic to share our parental joys and triumphs (and hint at our occasional frustrations and despair) with the two people that continued to read the blog. Although it has been pretty enjoyable, it sometimes feels like a chore- definitely more fun than taking out the garbage, but also a bigger time investment.

We have been trying to be Zen about the blog- sit down when the inspiration hits us and not think of it as a commitment. What we didn’t really factor into our plan was how crazy life is with a toddler. The posts have become more and more spread out as Gus gets busier and busier (and demands more and more of our attention). I imagine when he is in high school, all Heidi and I will do is blog- about how our precious son doesn’t want to spend any time with us any more.

Our first night away

Joe and I had our first overnight trip without Gus. Grandma and Grandpa flew in for a visit and stayed with Gus while we went to a fabulous wedding in Hood River.

It was wonderful to get away alone together– I especially loved that all we needed to pack was one small shoulder bag. Just one tiny bag for two people! No gear, food, extra clothing, toys, books, blankets, or carseats!

Before the wedding we went wine tasting nearby. We danced the night away under the stars and enjoyed a fleeting remembrance of life before Gus. I wouldn’t change a thing, but parenthood can be so all-consuming that it’s nice to remember what those times were like when we were just the two of us.

Summer Lovin’

From Heidi

I’ve been working on setting up a little craft business.  I have so many ideas and inspirations– more than I can actually manage to produce, but I truly enjoy the creative outlet– even if I never manage to turn a profit.  It’s hard to get much work done with Gus around– although he loves to play in my craft room with all the ribbons, buttons, googly eyes, etc.  Sometimes we “sew together” and Gus sits on my lap while I sew very slowly.  I think it won’t be long before he is ready for a needle and thread of his own. Also, the summer is so beautiful and perfect here. It’s hard to craft when I could be on a bike with the sun on my face and the wind rushing past. We’ve borrowed a neighbors bike trailer and are now enjoying getting around more by bike.  Last night we hopped on the bikes to get dinner and gelato– about 30 blocks away– just long enough that we felt we “earned” our gelato.  Yum!

We’ve had a really busy summer so far. We’ve traveled down to visit our newest niece, Paige Ashley, in California. She is adorable (looks so much like her brother at that age) and it was also great to get cousin Cooper and Gus together since they are only two weeks apart in age. Joe’s parents also came last week for their (now annual) fourth of July visit and project completion.  With their help we installed a vented kitchen microwave (more work than you might think as we didn’t have one at all before) and a fabulous screen door. Additionally, their was lots of gardening, some fence repair, a ceiling fan installed upstairs, and fantastic tree swing installed for Gus. I also received a new (vintage) sewing desk– it was Joe’s great-grandmother’s, I believe– and it is perfect for my craft room. It’s beautiful and I love sewing on something that I know several generations of crafters have used well. Though a LOT of work was done, we managed to squeeze in a little fun, too.  We went to the beach for one night before projects began and enjoyed the sand, surf, ice creams and some late night dominoes. And after the projects (finally) ended, we all enjoyed our neighborhood block party on the fourth.

In some ways, Joe and I feel like we haven’t made the most of summer in Oregon– we haven’t even been camping yet! And it seems like we might not make it out there until later this summer.  Guests just left (the Hardmans followed by a brief visit from the Blases), we have more guests coming next weekend, a wedding to attend (our first time overnight without Gus!) after that, and a trip to Seattle planned after that– and that’s really just July!  August we are hoping for a trip to Montana to see my grandmother and my family.

Gus just looked over at me and said “Hi, sweetheart!” Ha! He really is picking up on a lot these days.  When Grandma was here, she noticed how he says a particularly loving and sweet, “Hi!” when he wants to connect with us.  She called it a “verbal hug” and it totally is just that.  He really bonded with Grandma this visit (and was definitely more engaged with Grandpa, too). He often asked for “Grandma to do it” which is rare for Gus (he always wants Mama or Papa to do it). Gus also loves to smooch– and I mean really smooch!! He often leans over and gives us a big kiss (usually followed by a verbal hug “Hi!”).

I wish he will always want to snuggle, hug (verbally and physically), and kiss us as much as he wants to this summer.  It’s so wonderful to be on the receiving end of such open and earnest lovin’.