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.

Camping, Trains, and Colds

Einar and I have both had colds this past week that we managed to snag after we got home from our camping trip to San Simeon, but are now feeling better as long as the box of Kleenex isn't too far away. Last Thursday we left San Clemente for a camping trip at San Simeon State Park about 300 miles north of here on the coast. The Cobb family down the street were gracious enough to invite us along on their family's camping adventure. Kathleen and Justin have been taking their kids, Nathan and Hailey, on a camping trip every month this summer and are planning on a week long trip to Yosemite next month. It was really nice to travel with a family that was comfortable with car camping and knew all the secrets of doing it with little guys.

After the first day and a half, Einar got used to the whole camping thing. At first, he kept heading towards the car and trying to get in to go home. On Friday night, our first in the tent, he woke up crying in the middle of the night and when I turned on my headlamp to help him, he was crying and using his hand sign for "all done, help me get out of this situation." However, by the time lunch rolled around on Saturday, he was sitting at the picnic table to eat and even took a four hour nap on his Thomas the Tank bed in our tent!

While the kids were napping, Kathleen and I left them in the excellent care of Justin and went to see the Hearst Castle, which was 5 miles up the road. We took the tour that went through the mid-sized guest house and the main floor of the main house. It was all quite amazing and hard to believe that it was built on the campsite that the Hearst Family that they went to each summer.

Other than our camping adventures, we've been playing with lots of trains. Einar is enthralled with Thomas the Tank Engine! Every train is a "Choo Choo!" and there have been tough negotiations at night when we have to say good night to the trains. I'm a mean mom who won't let him take toys to bed with him.

New Picture

This is Einar in an egg at the Santa Ana Zoo last week. WE saw lots of farm animals and the zoo is the perfect size for young walkers who can walk around the entire zoo in an hour or so. This week has been busy with beach parties, baby showers, out of town company, and starting to pack for our upcoming camping trip. I'll write more soon.

A Bit of History

Did you know that the guy who founded San Clemente was a former Seattle Mayor? I didn't either until I ran into another Seattle transplant (she grew up in Shoreline) at Kailani's 1st birthday party on Sunday. Check out the link for more information on Ole Hansen. Einar took his swim lessons at the Ole Hansen Beach Club which is our community swimming pool.

Here are some great pictures from the party as well. The little ones shared a small birthday cake. The birthday girl is the one with the frosting in her hair.

p.s. I guess I still haven't figured out how to include a link, so if you are interested just Google "Ole Hansen San Clemente Seattle" and you can check it all out!

Cool Mornings at the Park, Hot Afternoons for Naps

Another overcast morning! After Einar finally woke up at 10:10am (I was opening drawers in his room to find him clothes and make a ruckus), we headed out to Thunderbird park in Dana Point. We enjoyed a picnic breakfast of French Toast sticks and fruit before Einar headed off to the serious business of play. He looks even paler when he gets sidewalk chalk all over his face! He had a lot of fun on the play structure today and also enjoys running full speed ahead and running straight into Mom for a hug. Now that the sun is heating up the day again, we are home for naps and vegetable cleaning.

Afternoon at the Beach

I found a way to keep a toddler from roaming around on the beach--bury him in the sand! That way he has plenty of sand to play with and less sun exposure than when he's not covered with sand. Yesterday he woke up early from his nap so we packed up the car and drove down to the San Onofre Beach on base to play in the sand and surf. Thank goodness for car washes that vaccuum out your car well since mine has lots of sand in it now.

Today we went to the Wild Animal Park. It was the first overcast day in weeks and it seemed like a good break with routine. Einar has been coughing and a bit feverish so I didn't want to expose the other kids in the church nursery to him. He also woke up too late to make it to church this morning. We saw the lions and an elephant show. This Asian elephant named ChaCha was even dancing to music.

Ants and Corn on the Cobb

Einar just went to sleep about 20 minutes ago. We had a good morning at Lantern Bay park in Dana Point with lots of our friends in the shade of the trees and in the sunny sand of thet playground. Lunch was at Denny's and then it was straight home for a much needed nap. Before dinner we hit the pool for a cool down and then we had a yummy dinner of bar-b-que salmon, corn on the cobb, green beans, bulger wheat with dill and for dessert dixie cups with fresh strawberries (Einar chose not to eat the strawberries so I got to eat his!). I was amazed at Einar's corn-eating skills--he at the whole cobb clean! He also nibbled on some of the beans, but the salmon and bulger wheat were not appreciated.

We've had ants and heat this past week, both of which are a bit bothersome. On Saturday it was 108 degrees and on Monday it got to 102. The humidity has been in the 60%'s which doesn't make it any more comfortable for Seattle natives. I know that it has been got all over the past week or two, but it's been such a big part of our week that I had to mention the heat. Several days we've escaped the breeze-less heat and gone to the mall in the late afternoon to play in the kid area--kids get to run around and the moms get to enjoy the air conditioning.

I've been at war with the ants since they appeared on the scene again late last week. We've had several months without an ant invasion, but they appeared in full force again coming up our stairs. AFter I'd scrubbed them up one afternoon, they returned and brought more friends into the kitchen. I guess Argentinian ants are real pests in Southern California and hard to get rid of. I've scrubbed with soap and water to eliminate their trails and positioned ant stakes around the cupboards and now they seem to have diminished in numbers significantly I hope it stays that way since they do really bother me, especially when they are marching around my kitchen cupboards. At least they don't bite us.

Biological Hazards

I just got a phone call from the Ole Hansen Beach Club where Einar is taking his swimming lessons and today's lesson has been canceled because of a biological hazard in the kiddie pool--someone either pooped or threw up during lessons today. I guess it takes a day for clean-up, so our lessons will resume tomorrow. Instead of swimming right now, Einar is taking advantage of the situation by catching some extra zzzzz's in his crib. He didn't fall asleep until right before one this afternoon, so he's logging his fourth hour of napful bliss.

Me, I took an hour nap this afternoon to escape from my nose. Today I've been sneezing uncontrollably since I woke up this morning. I'm pretty sure that it's my allergies and was also pretty sure that I had used up the last of my Alavert as well. However, when I woke up from my nap I found a hidden stash of 4 doses that will certainly help me today and help postpone the Costco trip for a couple of days. Now I'm grilling an eggplant so that it can become a secret ingredient in tonight's dinner (I think I'm making pizza, but I still haven't decided yet).

This morning I took Einar to our church to watch the dirt movers. There is a huge construction project that is underway at the church to build new offices, bathrooms, kitchen and meeting area and they are moving A LOT of dirt. Einar and I brought snacks to enjoy as we watched the progress. We only stayed for about 45 minutes and then it was time for the crew's lunch break. Einar looked like he was in a trance the whole time. He didn't move much at all and there weren't any expression changes either, just enthralled in what was going on in front of him. We'll have to visit the church parking lot again.

Tomorrow it's off to the Naval Hospital Camp Pendleton for Einar's well-baby check-up. We'll find out for sure how far off of the growth charts he measures. I think he also gets a few shots as well. I'll keep you all posted.