Remember this photo from about a eighteen months ago?
Some things never change.
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Ah, I love my boys. And I had worried that Paul wasn’t going to take a nap.
(Apparently, he was playing happily and then he went over to Daddy, put his head on Daddy’s lap, and fell asleep. It was enough to put Ryan to sleep too, apparently.)
These pictures were taken in May, when Paul was 18 or 19 months old. We’ve finally gotten to them! I took the pictures; Ryan did the processing. I wasn’t completely happy before the processing, but Ryan showed me that a little tweaking makes photos look pretty good. I think they turned out very nicely! Note: Post has been post-dated to reflect date photos were taken. Originally posted July 2009.
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I had to change the batteries of Paul’s jungle music box. (He loves it and I do to: he amuses himself at night if he doesn’t want to go to sleep and in the morning when I haven’t come in yet).
He wanted to do it himself (after I was done).
Paul has reached a new stage: frustration. He can’t talk, but he thinks he can. So he has lots of mini-tantrums every day. He says: “Goggol bubble mmmmmlophble.” When I don’t do what he wants, he repeats himself louder. Then he starts to scream.
On the other hand, he also knows about 25 signs. Apple, cracker, help, please, thank you, milk, more, banana, cookie, shoes, socks, play, ball, eat, water, bath, and I’m sure I’m missing a number of them. When he signs one of those things and I can’t do what he wants, he screams.
I know this is stage. And I don’t want to indulge his every whim. I’ll give him what he wants when I can. But some days it’s a bit frustrating on this end too.
Paul, the world won’t end when you don’t get what you want! How long will it take you to learn this?
On the other hand, I got him a hat for when Mommy and Daddy are working out in the yard and it’s sunny. Here he is eating his lunch on the deck Saturday. (For some reason, I couldn’t get him to smile at first. Maybe the sun was in his eyes.)
I visited another thrift shop this week. They had a sale on kid’s clothes and I got a few things. It is amazing how many of the thrift shop items (for boys, at least) are Winnie-the-Pooh related! I got Paul’s chair a few weeks ago and now I got some jeans and a Winnie-the-Pooh outfit. If only it were Halloween, Paul would be all set!
I’d never buy an outfit like this off the store rack, but at a thrift shop for less than $1? Sure. I think he is adorable, although this outfit makes him look more like a baby. Lately, he’s been looking a lot like a little boy, so I’m OK with that reversal!
Paul loves to play in the closets in his room; that’s what he’s doing in those pictures above.
In other news, Paul is phasing out his nap. His only nap. A few days in the last few weeks he hasn’t napped at all when I put him in his bed; other days he sleeps just one hour before awaking. But then he sleeps for more than two hours Sunday afternoon, so maybe he’s not completely done with the napping.
I am in mourning! What will I do without that precious two-hour break in the middle of the day?
I have a friend who sends an email/photo update to her parents and in-laws every single Sunday, without fail. Since this website is Paul’s journal, as well as my “update” to family, I really must do a better job of taking pictures of Paul and sending them on!
Paul was a ham for the camera before breakfast one morning. Paul looks more and more like a little boy and less and less like a baby.
Paul likes to jam.
On January 29, we closed on our first house!
Pictures have been officially requested from my mother, who is home sick and hasn’t seen it, so I have found some time to get them together.
The weekend after we closed, we were fixing the to-be-expected things – replacing locks, cleaning the dirt and dust from months of being vacant, throwing away the previous owners’ garbage, etc. Then this last week we had the hardwood floors refinished: I think they turned out marvelously! We’ve been packing this weekend. Now that we can get into the house, I get to wipe away walls of dust from the sanding of the floors. If you want to see what I mean about dust, see this video of Paul helping me clean it in just one small corner.
I’ve been spending lots of time over at the new house and I can’t wait until we move there for good on Friday! Away with apartment living! Four bedrooms, a family room, and a yard, here we come!
Note my little cutie in most of these pictures. He loves cameras!
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The facade
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The view in the front door (Swiffer in the background...)
The living room, with doors open into the dining room
(Sorry for all the spots. I didn’t do anything to these pictures other than make them small for the web….Looks pretty bad!)
The family room
I wasn’t crazy about the hardwood in the family room at first. But since we got them refinished, I love the look! I’m not sure I’d change it. I guess we’ll see how it looks with the furniture in it.
The kitchen
I am so excited for so much (comparatively) cabinet space!
The deck
The back yard is so huge. I’m quite excited. This is also a swing set with slide at the back of the yard. (My picture didn’t turn out.)
Foyer from above
I like the half-open foyer. Two story foyers are also nice, but I like how this works out (it gives me a sitting room in the master bedroom!)
Part of the master bedroom and sitting room
I suppose it’s a good problem that I can’t fit the whole room in a picture, huh? I like the little sitting room attached to the master bedroom. It looks cozy.
Tub in master bath
I’m not a bath kind of girl, usually. But in our current apartment, the master bath only has a shower, and I’ve found myself wanting a tub on some “I’m so exhausted!” nights. I’m glad the master bath has both! And this looks fun.
Room that will probably be Paul's room
Again, it’s hard to get perspective: the ceiling is peaked (as was the master bedroom) and it makes the room feel so much bigger.
Well, I hope that satiates the curious. I’ll try to post again to let you know how the move goes on Friday!
I suppose that means I should go pack so we’ll be ready, huh…
I get to follow Mommy around all day with this cool new toy: it has a long handle and a flat bottom. Mommy usually uses it, so I know I’m being a really big boy to play with it.
Not only that, but there is tons of open space! I can just walk around for ever. I can even walk into a separate room from Mommy! There are stairs that go up and down. But I stay away from them when I see that they are going down; I fell down a few stairs a few days ago and it was very scary!
But there are also these great doors with handles that I can reach. I love to open the doors! It’s even more fun to go in the little tiny rooms and close the doors. These rooms are just my size — Mommy can’t come in — and I I like how dark it gets in there!
But then I get tired of walking around and Mommy gives me lots of graham crackers. Graham crackers make me smile!
My cousin spotlighted some of the Christmas presents that were “hits” around her house (a million years ago). I thought I’d share too. I shared Paul’s new/old Pooh chair is on his page here. That was probably his favorite thing. But this is my favorite present: a keyboard.
We could spend $35 on a kiddy piano (four keys, bright colors). Or we could get a “Made in China” 54-key piano. We went for the larger variety. It plays 60+ instrument sounds, ten rhythms, and seven “demo” songs. Paul loves the rhythms and the microphone. He “sings” in it. (Which usually sounds a lot like deep breathing.)
We realize it is cheaply made, but we’re hoping it lasts two years or so.
The must amusing evidence that it is cheaply made is the listing of songs on the keyboard. I mean, I expect the manual to lack basic proofreading, but this is hilarious!
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interpretation (for number 1 and number 7): It’s a Small World and We Wish You a Merry Christmas