I remember now (and a picture)

The picture was taken this morning. We went out for a walk and he wanted Bink to come with. When we got outside I was informed that Binky was cold and he needed a sweater. Ooooo Kaaaay. So I found the sweater vest that Jake wore to his naming and the hat that Aunt Jema sent (from Sweden, I think?) and off we went. I dare say we had the most nattily dressed monkey on the block. Possibly in the whole neighborhood.

The other darling thing lately is that Jake has started reading ME a book at bed time. Last night he read me Cloudy With A Chance of Meatballs. He knows most of them so well that he can get through a lot of it from memory combined with the pictures. It's wonderful to see him want to read and love books almost as much as he loves Dora and Diego.

Speaking of the two D's, Jake's Spanish is improving. Every time we go out to the garage to leave he tells the door to "Arriba" (which it does, generally). He also knows para (stop), can count to ten (at least as well, possibly better than he can in English), and a few other words. I have to watch the shows too just so I can keep up!

OK, there was one more thing, but I forget. Must write this stuff down so I can write it down, you know?!

The least wonderful time of the year.

There have been about 1,000 cute stories to share on here but this time of year is not condusive to me keeping a thought in my head for more than 5 minutes if it isn't related to bill drafting so I've fallen behind. I'm sure as I start typing they will come flooding back to me (notice the nearly baseless optimism!) so here goes...

We have added "for" to Jake's trademark phrase. Whatever it is that he gets but someone else doesn't he says "So sad, no ____ uh you." The "uh" kinda bothered me but I figured he'd grow out of it and so I always said it correctly (but with more sarcasm probably) after him. Finally last week he said "So sad, Dippy. No (I forget what it was) for you." Yay. OK, it seems silly, but I was pretty excited.

He's still asking to go to the snow all the time. He also wants a pink kayak. Well, he wants a pink everything. Pink is, apparently, the new yellow and his favorite color.

Jake was supposed to start music class at school yesterday but refused to go. Even when they said Lauren could go with him. I don't think they showed him the instruments, that might have helped. He told me, finally, in the tub last night that he was scared to go. I think he is like me in needing to be pushed to do something fun but once he's there will love it. He's got a little shy thing going on. Must work to break him out of his box before he has to do it later when it's harder (take it from me!). A challenge might help. When I said last night "so sad, no fun for you" he responded, "NO, I GO!" He he he, reverse psycology!

Ah, I also don't think I've blogged about his obsession with Green Eggs and Ham. Although, what is there to say, the kid LOVES this story. He knows parts of it by heart and can recite it. His Sam-I-am doll asks me every night if I like green eggs and ham. He will also start to riff on it and add other things... "would you, could you with a monkey? Would you, could you with a digger?" Yeah, find a good rhyme for monkey in that context. I would not, could not with a monkey. I would not, could not with a... flunkie? junkie? skunkie? Yeah, I thought so.

He's starting to potty train a little at school, but not much. He's about 1.5 pouds away from the size 6 diapers (and growing out of his 24 month clothes rapidly) so I hope he figures it out soon. The cost per diaper goes up pretty steeply with the 6s. Sigh. I can't wait until I don't have to spend that money any more.

OK, I think I'm out of both stories (for now) and baseless optimism. I promise more if I can just remember it long enough to get here... squirrel.

Pictures - SNOW!

Lots new here, but this post is for pictures so I'll just say (for today) that we went to the snow today for the first time and Jake loves snow! He didn't want to leave. He loved sledding with Mommy (who sucked it up and got over her fear of sledding for her guy) and throwing snowballs. At Mommy and Daddy, of course. He also got a kitchen of his very own this weekend and is very excited. But, since a picture is worth 1,000 words, I'm going to stop talking and let Jake speak for himself!

Hang Loose, Dude!

OK, I'm going to start with the cute moment and tell you that I've taught Jake to make the shaka sign and say "Hang Loose, Dude!" which is so very cute that it almost hurts. My dad would be proud (once he stopped laughing) if he were here.

Now for the not-so-cute stuff: Jake had a trip to the doctor on Monday because his cough and breathing were getting pretty bad. School sent him home because he was coughing so badly and kept falling asleep. They said he had a temp, but he never did that we could see. Anyway, the doctor heard some "crackling" in his lungs and started him on antibiotics for pneumonia. Not bad enough to require a chest x-ray, but the "p" word scares me something awful. So there's that this week. Although, he's really good about taking the antibiotic.

Then there's the QVAR. It's like Pulmicourt, which he'd had before, and intended to stabalize the asthma over the longer term. He has to use it twice a day for at least 2 weeks. I also told Dr. Budd that I hate using the albuterol because it makes him so shakey and so I don't use it as often as I probably should. I also wasn't using it very often because using the nebulizer FREAKED him out. I mean crying, screaming, thrashing, the whole 9 yards. So the doc prescribed a new albu substitute called xopamax (sp?) that doesn't make him shakey and a "spacer" to give adminster the QVAR and the xopa. The spacer is like a junior inhaler. It's silent and takes just a few seconds (3-4 breaths) to administer. The problem? Jake now fears anything over his face (that's my boy!) and screams and fights the spacer too. Fortunately it's now 20 seconds of fight instead of 2 minutes, but still not fun for anyone. But he's MUCH better and I got to spend a day with him yesterday because he couldn't go back to school for 24 hours after having been pronounced to have a fever. I swear sometimes they send a few kids home "sick" because they've lost teachers and don't have the coverage. Fortunately, it's not often Jake because he is normally pretty healthy (knock wood).

On our day home I did finally find a protein that he would eat: Chick-Fil-A nuggets! It was rainy and he was climbing the walls, and me, so we went to the play area at the Chick-Fil-A because 1) I like the food better than McD's and 2) we hadn't been there and it looked more toddler-friendly. Well, I don't love the play area because it stinks and the climbing thing makes weird noises, which upset Jake. However, the kid ate 5 nuggets! This from a child who normally had to have meat hidden in things! Woo hoo! And it's not even that bad for you! Yay! Eat More Chikin!

I know, I need to post a new picture. We got a beanbag at Target yesterday and I have a picture of Jake, Bink, and Meow sitting in it that's pretty cute (if you ignore the bed head). I will try to take a few more tonight and do an all-photo post in the near future! Bad Mommy! Four posts with only a picture of the monkey to placate the masses of devoted IBO followers! How DARE I?! Oh, well. Hang loose, Dude.

Yucky weekend

Well, Jake's cold has moved down into his chest so he's coughing and wheezing. I'm keeping up with the humidifier at night and Advil to hopefully keep the inflammation in his lungs down. Also, he got two Albuterol treatments yesterday, which he hates and I hate giving him. The treatments make him scream, first of all, because he hates the noise and having the mask on. They also make him shakey, which makes me nervous. But they do help him breathe easier.
Saturday was fun while he was at Lauren's house. She has a kitchen that he and the sitter "baked cookies" in. He does love to cook. I really need to watch craigslist for a play kitchen. However, after dinner at Ama's he got a splinter, which was pretty traumatic for him, and then at dinner he had a coughing fit while eating a carrot, gagged, and threw up all over himself. Since it has been probably since before he was 1 since the last time he threw up, it was a pretty scary experience for him (and a pretty smelly one for all of us). But he recovered nicely, ate his ice cream (and seconds) and was perky after. Still, not a great way to end a day.
But there were up sides (in addition to Lauren's kitchen). We went to the zoo yesterday and saw the new orangutan, the giraffes in their new enclosure, and rode the merry-go-round (which I was corrected - it's not a carosel, despite what the sign says). We also got to see Kat and Nghia and Lexi, which was a treat. Not sure how he felt about Lex, but she was great with him. We hope to see them, and Lex, more often! Plus, of course, we were treating him with kid gloves when we got home Saturday night and he always knows it and milks it. Smart kid. :-)

Monkey troubles

As anyone who reads this blog knows, my child is a perfect and complete angel. His monkey, Bink, however, is another matter. Lately Bink has been acting out. He bit Daddy the other night while we were putting on Jake's PJs. Then, the next night, he hit Daddy. Of course, I gave him a stern talking to, made him apologize, and gave him a time out on both occasions. If you've never had to sternly reprimand a stuffed animal, I assure you it is an experience you won't forget. Bink, both times, was appropriately contrite and promised never to do it again. He's really a good monkey, I think he's just testing his boundaries. I think I beat out Jane Lynch for Best Supporting Actress just for scolding a stuffed monkey with a straight face.

Get a hat!

Well, we're all a little under the weather here. Jake's had a pretty bad cold for the last week or so. Of course, now Steve and I are getting it. So last night I was sitting and talking to Jake while he took a bath and I sneezed. Here is the conversation that ensued:

Jake: Mommy, you sneezed?
Me: Yes, Honey, I sneezed.
Jake: Get a hat.
Me: Sorry, what?
Jake: Get a hat.
Me: (thinking, thinking, thinking) Oh! Gazundheit!?
Jake: Yes!

OMG, you are the cutest thing EVER!