The elusive chicken

Ha! I was right! It's a chicken at school that he wanted. Check out the picture of the elusive "chicken."

If anyone sees this chicken (crossing the road or otherwise) please let me know! Of course, there's something to be said for having a toy at school that he loves but isn't "his" per se. So maybe we won't have one at home and will hope for no repeats of "the chicken incident" in the future.

I WANT MY CHICKEN!

It was a fun filled weekend in our house, let me tell you! First, we started with a major tantrum at 2 a.m. Saturday morning. Jake screaming "I WANT MY CHICKEN!" for almost half an hour. The problem? We don't have a chicken. Not anything that even looks like a chicken. I trieed sneetches, ducks, even a fish (I was desperate and it was 2 a.m.). I had a brief momentary thought of offering him the chicken thighs in the fridge if that would help. Finally, he calmed down, resigned to my complete inability to satisfy this particular whim at that particular hour.

Saturday we went to the Natomas fish hatchery and met up with Jack and his parents. The boys loved throwing food to the fish, watching the tractor feed the fish, and just running around in general. Very fun! After that, Jake and I went to Ama's and he got to play with a very cool train that was made by the husband of a friend of my mom's. See picture.

Sunday was a slow day at home. Jake decided about 10 that he wanted to cook. I'd had about 3.5 hours of sleep (thanks to another midnight tantrum) so I agreed. We made cookies and had a great time. He was very helpful in dumping ingedients in, counting scoops of things, and in mixing. His faorite part was either washing his hands after mixing or getting to pick the chocolate chips out of the batter. He was also very helpful in the eating of the cookies portion of the adventure. Not that I didn't contribute my share to that too. I should have had him help me make chicken for dinner. Then at least I'd have an answer if he wanted his chicken later. Well, honey, remember when we were cooking...

I'm so proud!

So we went out to dinner for Steve's birthday and on the way home I turned on the classical NPR station. Jake heard the music and, after commenting on the presence of violins, asked for the opera CD to be put on! Yay! My baby likes opera! In just a few short (all too short) years I will again have someone to go to the opera with. In fact, the last time I put that CD on, I asked if he liked the music (I told him it was opera and he asks for it by name). He said yes and so I told him I would take him to the opera someday. Now every time I put it on he reminds me "Take me to the opera, Mommy!" You know it, My Darling. You know it!

Oh, and the opera of choice, as the picture should make obvious, is Offenbach's "Les Contes d'Hoffmann"

Another Facebook style update

The last one was such a hit, and things have changed of course, that I thought I'd do it again:

Favorite TV Show: Dora the Explorer
Favorite Number: 8 (ocho)
Favorite letter: R (a pirate at heart?)
Favorite color: Still yellow. Wait, pink. Blue? No, really, yellow.
Favorite saying: No way!
Best friend: Jack T.
Favorite song: To listen to, Upside Down (Jack Johnson). To sing, Three Blind Mice.
Favorite instrument: String bass (by his admission). I think it's probably the violin.
Favorite toy: Bink, the monkey. The guitar is a close second.
Favorite food: Still cheese. Especially brie. My expensive child (sigh).
Favorite ice cream flavor: Pink
What he wants from Santa: A big boy bike (and, presumably, legs long enough to reach the pedals. Maybe next year, sweetie.).
Favorite book: Zin Zin Zin A Violin.
Favorite place to go: The zoo. Especially if Mommy lets him ride the train.
Favorite animal: Monkey!
Least favorite animal (using the term liberally): spiders
Favorite superhero: Spiderman (resolve THAT conflict if you can).
Favorite outfit: Sweats and his Hulk T-shirt.
Any more questions for Jake? Ask them in the comments!

When pigs fly.

Well, the doc yesterday said that, yes, Jake had H1N1 (swine flu - get it: pigs fly? No one appreciates my humor.) Symptoms started a week ago (tuesday, really, but bad Wednesday) so he is pretty much past the worst of it, we hope. He went all day yesterday fever-free and was clearly feeling better last night so off to school he went. He has gotten so used to being home cuddling with Mommy watching Dora that he was really upset about having to go to school today, but he actually told me yesterday "miss my friends" so I know he'll be fine once he gets into it. Here's hoping he really was past it and that 1) his appetite picks up and 2) he doesn't wear himself out today and relapse. I can't even imagine the damage he and Jack will do today... I pity the poor teachers when those two reunite! Stay well, my Sweetheart!

Just as a side note...

Tractor '08

Tractor '09

OK, a ton of stuff....

I should probably make this 2 or 3 posts, but oh well.

We're up to 3 new teeth and probably another soon on the bottom.

Jake had a great time trick-or-treating, even though he has the flu. He was a yellow jacket (get it? get it?) and couldn't have cared less about the candy. He just liked going up and knocking on doors and saying "trick or treat." And he was, as always, polite and said thank you when he got candy (even if he didn't know what it was all about). He was also very into the decorations. Christmas is going to be great with all the lights and stuff and Halloween next year should be a riot!

As mentioned, the IBO has been under the weather. Cough and fever - definatly the flu. Since the seasonal isn't going around yet, we're assuming it's H1N1. Good news is no shot. Bad news is he's been home from school since last Wednesday. We're taking turns being the pillow he lays on while watching Dora. I finally got him to branch out to Green Eggs and Ham and Curious George yesterday (for my sanity was slipping. Say "slipping!" Say "slipping!"). I'm starting to hate Dora, but she makes him so happy. We're hoping for no fever today so he can return to school tomorrow - I know he misses his friends and is bored around the house. I think the saving grace today is going to be the keyboard that Memaw sent yesterday. I literally had to remove it from his room for him to go to bed. Now it's set up in the front room and when I left this morning he was happily banging away.

Last weekend we went to the zoo with Cassie (pictured in the truck with Jake), as well as to a second pumpkin patch. He got to ride a horsey! He was really jazzed about it. He also got to ride the train in Old Sac the day before that and got a carriage ride in Old Sac. Sadly, it was all a guilt-ridden make up from Mommy who had failed to buy tickets to Saturday's ballet and thereby disappointed my darling boy. I'm so sorry! Who else could possibly have a 2 year old boy who is so cool he's disappointed by missing the ballet? I must be the luckiest Mommy in the world.