A Trip to the Commissary

Here are a few pictures from our trip to the commissary with Kimiko this week. Einar was on his best behavior all day and I think we wore him out good because he fell asleep on the way home while he was eating some Pirate's Booty. I could see his eyes start to get really heavy and close, but he kept putting the puffs in his mouth. In just a few moments he was out with another puff still in his hand.

On Thursday we went to the Wild Animal Park and after riding on the tram ride around the park (it's a 45 minute guided tour around the entire park to see the major animal areas), we walked over to the Elephant overlook to see both the Asian and African elephants. Instead of a stroller that day I lugged him around in the backpack along with our lunch--not sure if that was a great idea since he was so heavy and our water bottles and lunch didn't help the situation. He also fell asleep eating on the way home from the animal park. This time it was a graham cracker that he was snacking on.

We've yet to see him fall asleep in his soup at the dinner table, but it doesn't seem like those days are very far off with his recent track record.

The biting problem is still a major problem. Although I've been consistent with all of the things that I'm supposed to be doing according to both books and the internet, he bit his friend Hailey hard on the shoulder yesterday when she got home from preschool. He had been great all morning while playing with Kathleen and Nathan while I did some shopping, but then he snapped before lunch. He got sent home. After his nap we went immediately to the bookstore and bought a new book called Teeth Are Not For Biting that we are going to be reading A LOT. I also picked up the one called Hands Are Not for Hitting. He's got to figure out soon that biting is NOT OK and I've got to figure out how to make that comprehension happen. I'll keep you all posted.

MOPS, Moppets, Bookstores and A Haircut

Hey everyone! Our week is shaping up to be quite busy even though the calendar didn't look so full on Sunday night. This morning we went to our first MOPS/Moppets meeting at one of the local churches here in San Clemente. MOPS is an international organization for mothers of preschoolers and Moppets is the childcare that is provided while the women meet for guest speakers, discussions and prayer. I'd heard about it from a few others and decided to give it a try for a semester and see how it goes. Einar had a great time downstairs in the Lively Ladybug room with the other kids that were his age while we were upstairs for our meeting. There was breakfast for the moms and snacks for the kids. It seems like a nice group of women and the seem really organized and well planned out for the year. The only trouble that I forsee is our ability to get there by 8:45 in the morning!

After coming home for a nice stir fry noodle lunch for the two of us, Einar took a nap while I cleared the table and sorted through some papers. He would have taken a longer nap, but two gigantic helicopters flew over the house about 3PM headed down towards Camp Pendleton. I wonder if I could send a letter to the Marines in charge at the airfield to request that they not fly over during nap time. I wonder if they take suggestions....

So we got ready and went to the bookstore to look for a book with pictures of babies and kids that are experiencing a variety of emotions including frustration, anger, etc. Einar is having trouble with these emotions in particular and when he gets mad he's been biting his friends. I thought maybe we could look at these pictures and talk about other things you can do when you feel like that. Unfortunately, I didn't find what I had in mind. Then it was off to Costco to get some toilet paper and then to IN_N_Out for a hamburger dinner.

On the way home, we stopped at the Cobb Family's home to pick up our half of the veggie basket and were just in time for haircuts and bathtime so I came home with a new kid. Kathleen has been giving Nathan haircuts since he was 2months old and she's quite the professional. Einar looks really good and he even came home clean!

Tomorrow it's off to Vista to take Kimiko to the Naval Hospital for her appointment and then to the Commissary so that she can fill up her new freezer in the garage. She is a friend that we met outside of the hospital last spring while she was waiting for a taxi to take her home. Her husband passed away a few years ago and she can no longer drive, so about once a month or so we take her on a few of her errands. She and Einar get along famously and he loves it when she pushes him around in a shopping cart since they are at the same eye-level when she's pushing the cart and he's riding.

Thursday we'll be going to the Wild Animal Park with the MOM's club. Another early morning, but it's best to get there early when the animals are eating and not taking their early afternoon siestas.

Back to Normal

We have settled back into our routines a bit now that we've been home for awhile. Einar has been playing hard both inside and out and has been doing a great job of being ready for his nap and for bed at night.

Rip Van Einar is at it again! I've been waiting for him to wake up this morning, but I now hear him so I should go down and help him get up.

We were watching a Bob the Builder show the other day and he showed me where Bob was when I asked him.

Non-stop Weekend

On Saturday I took him to the Santa Ana Zoo to ride the train. It was membership appreciation day so the train rides were free and since that zoo is only about 25 minutes away we were able to be home for naptime. The train ride goes around one half of the zoo and Einar liked waving at the people walking around and I think he liked looking at the farm animals. It also goes through a tunnel and the engineer encouraged all of the kids to make a lot of noise while we were in the tunnel, but Einar just had this puzzled expression on his face when it got so noisy and dark. The Santa Ana Zoo is small and has lots of birds, some monkeys, and lots of farm animals. On a weekday, when it's not so busy with families, it's a great zoo for Einar to walk around without riding around in his stroller--It's sure to wear him out!

Today we went to church in the morning and then after naptime we walked to the swimming pool to swim before dinner. I thought that the pool was heated until October, but I guess I was wrong. It was pretty chilly, but we had a good time anyway.

Speaking in Sentences

Last Sunday while I was having dinner and watching a movie with some of my Seattle Mom-friends, Einar spoke his first sentences. Most would call them phrases, but when you go from only one word to two strung together for the first time, it's a sentence. His were: "Me YAH!" and "Me NOW!" My parents were watching him and he was pointing at things on the counter and saying that when he wanted what he was pointing at. "Me NOW" indicated that he wanted it faster than it was coming already.

Tonight he started saying "Me NA" which means "Me No." This is used when Mom suggests that it is clean-up time and we both need to clean up the toys. Or any other thing that Mom wants Einar to do but that Einar would rather not take part. It's been a rough evening! I'm tired after our two weeks in Seattle spending time with our families and having all kinds of extra pairs of hands around to help with the little guy and then coming home and having a few days of just me and Einar again. Einar only stops when he asleep in his bed. He might read quietly, but then the books get taken around the house with him and left out all over.

I did enjoy an entire 5 days in Connecticut while Einar was with his grandparents in Seattle. My college friend, Craig, got married over the Labor Day weekend and I flew back to attend and to have a kid-free weekend with another college friend, Katie. Katie left her two kids home with Dad for the weekend. It was so relaxing and we even got to enjoy the whole wedding without any disruptions or diaper changes! If you are ever on the Connecticut coast, check out the Sound Reach Bed and Breakfast in Guilford. Katie and I thoroughly enjoyed our stay and the breakfasts were fabulous.

While I was in Connectictut, Einar was hanging out with the grandparents. I guess he only looked around the house for me once and then when he figured out that I wasn't around, he didn't look any further he just had a good time. He took a successful nap in the ready bed (like his camping bed) at Poppa and FarMor's, mowed the lawn, played in the fountains, ate nonstop, and only had to have one time out when he started hitting. All-in-all a successful stay without Mom!

When I returned to Seattle, we went to the zoo, to the Puyallup Fair, played with Einar's PEPS friends, celebrated my 32nd Birthday, ate lots of yummy food, and visited with lots of friends and family.