Sick season

Please send a charter flight to somewhere warm.  It's snowing again this morning!

Joaquin has been sick since Thursday - just cold/low fever, but he's been whiny and cranky and uncomfortable. We have watched 'Cars' about 20 times in the past 4 days.  Similar to last year, January and February are proving to be full of non-stop illness.  I was hoping this year would be better since he's a little older, but he seems to be always battling something, and Art and I are constantly figuring out how to actually go to work.

Could be worse!

Our Snow Day

Blizzard!!

Come on over, we're all shoveled!

There is something freeing and relaxing when you know you just don't have the option to go anywhere even if you wanted to.  We've been enjoying our blizzard experience so far.  I made cinnamon rolls breakfast, we watched 'Cars', then played out in the snow while Art shoveled for about 2 hours.  Came inside for homemade mac and cheese, and now Joaquin is napping.  Not a bad day!

I think we have about 20 inches on the ground, and the wind has created huge monstrous drifts in our yard.  Our street hasn't been plowed yet.  Here's a few more pics!

Leaving Art alone for a minute

Shoveling

Yummm

Earning his keep

Art worked really hard!

Christmas spirit

We're getting into the Christmas spirit around here.  Joaquin loves Christmas lights and would drive around for hours if we let him.  He threw a tantrum in the car on Friday when he couldn't see the Christmas lights because it was 2 p.m.  He loves bells and apparently learned Jingle Bells at daycare because he came home singing it.
We picked out our tree last weekend after Thanksgiving.  We've made that process painfully easy by just stopping by a local garden center.

Has no clue why mom is taking his picture in front of a tree

Consistent with past years, Joaquin is still pretty hands-off with the tree.  When we first got it up, he said 'ooo nice' and 'it's beautiful!" and since then has just worked around it.  Footballs have knocked a few branches from time to time but that's about it.

Admiring his stocking

And this weekend we got our first snow so we got out to enjoy it a bit today.  Joaquin thinks shoveling is awesome.

 Happy December!!

Happy Halloween

Stylin' cowboy

Here's Joaquin in his Tejano cowboy costume!   Joaquin really enjoyed dressing up in his cowboy shirt and boots.  We went trick or treating on Sunday and Joaquin had a blast.  He really wanted to go inside each house and play, so the hardest part was getting him to leave after he got the candy.

Candy!

Making sure it's still there

His favorite candy is Tootsie Pops - but he doesn't care for the Tootsie roll center.  He hands that over to me and says 'All done, Mama.'  He also likes Smarties.  He at them and said 'mmm....medicine'.  Our trick or treating only lasted about 30 mins so we came home and Joaquin got to greet the trick or treaters for the rest of the night.  He liked it when friends came over, but was sad when they left and took candy with them.   We were able to make all the candy disappear overnight without incident.  Next year we probably won't be so lucky.

Not cool mom, not cool.

We went to a really awesome 4 year old's birthday party last night.  It was the equivalent of an all-night rager for Joaquin because we didn't head home until 9:15 p.m.  He played for 5 hours and had a blast.  I didn't bring my camera so have no pictures,which is unfortunate because we had a couple of major milestones occur.   This party had one of those bouncy houses and Joaquin was eyeing it all afternoon before he finally got up the nerve to crawl in there at 8:45 p.m.  That was the first milestone.

I was a nervous wreck.  He wasn't alone in there - there were several kids of varying ages including a NINE YEAR OLD.  So, every time Joaquin would fall, I'd gasp and cover my mouth with my hands. He just looked so tiny in there, and it seemed unnatural for him to be falling and bouncing and flopping around.  So, Milestone #2 - I proved that I am a complete dork of a mom.  The whole time Joaquin was in there, I was watching from the outside, and I'd randomly yell things to the other kids like "LOOK OUT KADEN, JOAQUIN IS RIGHT BEHIND YOU!"  "WATCH OUT FOR THE LITTLE GUY" or "WATCH OUT FOR JOAQUIN, HE'S ONLY 2!!". 

He bounced and flopped and jumped to his heart's content and had no interest in leaving.  Art and I were calling for him from the outside and pressing our pathetic faces up against the netting and Joaquin would just bounce away to the other side of the bouncy house and completely IGNORE US. Finally, Art had to stick his head in the little netted entryway, crawl about half way in to grab Joaquin and pull him out by his legs.  he kicked and screamed and was not happy when we started to head home.

My other completely uncool moment was during some squirt gun play earlier in the afternoon.  I said this to a 14 year old kid who was, in fact, squirting grown-ups: "Please stop squirting the grown-ups."

I wasn't holding on to much hope that I was still cool, but when I heard myself say 'grown-ups', i knew it was all over.   

When Joaquin woke up this morning, I asked him, "Do you remember that awesome party we went to yesterday?" And he nodded a very dramatic nod, so I asked him, "What was your favorite part of the party?" and he said "Friends Friends Friends Jump Jump Jump".  It's so much fun to see Joaquin get excited about life.

The new trike

Joaquin's birthday was a pretty low-key affair this year, which was kind of nice.  We did go to Uncle Marc and Aunt Lindsay's and cousin Ryan for a small celebration. Ryan and Joaquin are really starting to interact with one another as opposed to just playing independently near each other.  Ryan is thrilled about this development!!

Art's and my gift to Joaquin was a new tricycle.  It is red with awesome fenders, tassels on the handle bars and a nice bell.  Joaquin loves it and calls it his 'beek'.  His legs are still a little short to reach the pedals, so he just pushes himself along with his feet.  He loves the bell. The sidewalk out front is on a slight decline, so he scoots himself along and once he gets going at a good clip, he rings the bell. 

The only downside is that he doesn't always want to ride his trike all the way home. So, he just stops and abandons it...realizing he can just run and probably get to his destination a little faster.  That leave me or Art to carry or push it home.  He just hops off and starts running, and then quickly glances back at the trike.  Maybe he's into training for some sort of toddler triathlon...hmm.

Joaquin is 2

I've received more than a little flack for letting poor Joaquin stare at that airplane for 4 months.  Sometimes I just need a break from the blog.  BUT today is a big day because my baby is 2 years old today.  I really can't believe it.  He's pretty clueless about the importance of the day - and I have started to coach him on what to say if someone asks 'How old are you?".  He's still learning.  He has a whole year to learn to hold up 2 fingers or say 'TWOOOOO'.

So since it's been a while here's the latest summary of Joaquin's likes and dislikes:

Likes:
Airplanes (still).

Nooooodles.  Still...although the noodle obsession has grown because often when he's hungry he will say "Eat?........Noodles?"  Joaquin is a perfect angel when we eat at Noodles and Co.  We were just there last week and he sits and waits for his mac n' cheese and pretty much eats it by himself.  Art and I are a little sick of eating at Noodles and Co. but we can't argue with the positive results we get when we go.  I will enjoy my noodles in peace.   Most other restaurants, he just wants up and out of his high-chair ASAP.  

His Dada.  Joaquin is more than a little obsessed with Art's whereabouts.  If Art isn't around, he constantly says 'Dada?' and I constantly say 'Dada's at workies', or wherever.   Art leaves for work before I take Joaquin to daycare and we stand on the porch and watch him go and shed a little tear.

Singing and Dancing (still).  I get so much joy watching Joaquin in his carseat bop his head to the music and sing along.  He pretty much always gets the last syllable of a line of music.  So, we like a kids song that goes 'I'm having a bad day'.  And Joaquin chimes in right on queue to sing 'Daay'.  However, he really loves the song Paparazzi by Lady Gaga and can sing along with half the words in that song, I swear.  He says 'Papa...Papa...{head bop} Zee'.

Crossing the street:  Joaquin enjoys going back and forth across the street or running down the path by our house and then crossing back and forth.  I am using it as a teachable moment but wouldn't mind actually going somewhere.

Declaring things are his.  Joaquin is developing a possessive streak.  He loves string cheese, for example, but now instead of eating it when I give it to him, he likes to just hold it until it gets warm and floppy.  He takes comfort in just knowing it's there.  He does the same with Oreos.
With other things, like toys, keys or sunglasses, he picks them up and then says 'MINE!' and with that declaration, they are his in his mind.

Dislikes:
Sharing.   Probably not surprising, but once he declares something as his, he doesn't want to share it and lots of crying and pointing and drama ensues.  Fun moments as a parent of a toddler.

Not getting his way.  Ok, he's two.  So there's no consistency anymore.  He just gets pissed when he's not doing what he wants to do.  He makes snap decisions.  Like, 80% of the time he loves to sing A B C D' or 'Twinkle Twinkle little Star' with me.  But sometimes he's just not in the mood and he yells 'NO!!' when I start to sing.  You just can't keep up and it's not worth trying.

He can be a 2 year old monster that sometimes I can't wait to send to daycare or put to bed. ha.  He will roll on the floor and writhe and scream and run away and cry and stomp when he's having a good tantrum.  But that's ok i suppose.

Joaquin is also a sweetie who loves to give hugs and usually will give me a kiss when I ask.  The teachers at daycare still describe him as gentle and loving.  Sometimes he looks at me and says 'Baby' and that's my queue to pick him up and hold him like a baby.  He has a couple of stuffed animals that he likes to nurture.  He feeds his Chickie goldfish.  He puts his Bear to Night Nights or pulls him around on a toy. 

So Happy birthday to Joaquin.  I really can't believe you're two.  xoxoxoxo and lots of love from your Mama and Dada.

Airplane

 

Joaquin loves airplanes.  He really likes most modes of transportation, actually.  He'll be happy to show you all the cars, trucks, school buses that drive by.  If we hear an airplane go by overhead, he yells AHPANE! and searches the sky.  If we're in the house and he hears one, he'll run to the window to try to find it.  He spots airplanes that I miss all the time.  Friday was nice enough to hang out outside for a while so we walked down the path by our house and checked out some airplanes. 

First of many...

We all went to the Auto Show on Sunday.  Art and his dad roamed free and I was in charge of chasing after Joaquin for the morning.  One thing I learned quickly is that the ropes that are supposed to keep you away from the fancy cars are really useless if you are under 3 feet tall.  They don't even register on Joaquin's radar.  I had to grab him and quickly usher him away from the 2010 Toyota Sienna prototype, and some Best Buy stand.

The cars were incidental.  Joaquin loved revolving platforms, escalators, water fountains and anything on an incline.

 

He liked to pick up brochures and bags.

 

 

Who really can resist the Pentastar V-6?

I was unaware...but i guess the people want the original hot hatch.

Here's everyone at the end of the day.  I didn't work out all week but I think I should get credit for carrying or chasing 25 pounds of kid around at McCormick Center. 

 

Happy Valentine's Day

Happy Valentines day!  Here's our little cupid admiring his handiwork from daycare.  And refusing to get dressed.  Joaquin has been terrible at getting dressed, especially for his mom.  We battle it out every morning and I usually have to physically restrain him on the floor while he writhes and screams.  It's a pleasant way to start the day.

Things have been pretty quiet around here.  We all recently had a nasty stomach bug and are finally enjoying food again.  Art and I might head out to dinner tonight since we have Art's dad with us.

 

Tejano Joaquin

The new header at the top of our blog is from our trip to Texas for Thanksgiving - Grandpa has chickens in his yard and Joaquin enjoyed the chase.  His grandpa also got Joaquin these fancy cowboy boots. They are real leather with a hard sole that clicks around our wood floors when he wears them. And he loves to wear them around the house and stomp his feet. 

(Look how clever we are by putting a little cow next to his boots)

Here's our little cowboy corralling his pink stroller.  We are going to get a special hard drive, put copies in a safety deposit box and a fireproof safe so that we can show this picture in his teen years. 

 ≈

Friday morning

Our friend Jaxon came over on Friday for a playdate and some lunch.

 They ignored a whole room full of toys and were fixated on 2 soccer balls for a while.  Joaquin was not in the mood to share with his friend AT ALL.   Joaquin only wanted to play with the toys that Jaxon picked up and we were in constant non-stop negotiations with him to get him to play with another toy.  It was not his finest moment and it was not a pretty sight so no photos were taken.  See how guilty he looks?

Fortunately Madison showed up to talk some sense into the boys and distract them from the balls.

The three of them really bonded over checking out the image in Christy's camera.

Madison was very helpful and fed Joaquin goldfish one by one until he had a mouthful - which he loved. We learned that Jaxon is scared of Elmo dolls so we will hide them for next time.  It's good to have friends to hang out with.

18 month check-up

Joaquin had his 18 month appointment yesterday - a little late since he turned 19 months last week. He weighs 24 pounds 9 ounces, which is at the 25th %-tile. And he is 31.5 inches tall - also 25th %-tile. But his melon is 49 cms around which is the 75th %-tile! He's got a nice big melon just like his dad. Everything else was a-ok at his check-up. I thought this would be a good time to note some what Joaquin is into these days...

Likes:
School buses and 'big trucks!". Joaquin will always point out a big truck or school bus when we are on the road.

Elmo (a.k.a. Lalalala): A while back I complained that Joaquin wouldn't sit and watch TV at all. No more! Now we're having the likely battles of him always wanting to watch 'lalalala'. We have held pretty firm to only letting him watch a show before bedtime (easy enough since he's at daycare most of the day)-but weekends are a bit more of a battle. His favorite episode is the Squirmadega one where Slimey the worm races cars.

Music. If I don't let Joaquin watch Lalalala, he will settle for music. He likes anything with a good dance beat and he is a good little dancer. He spins in circles, shakes his booty and during slow songs, he has a cool slow jam. He likes to dance to Single Ladies (a baby classic), and the new Alicia Keys CD. His all-time favorite song is Popcorn by the Barenaked Ladies. He's loved that song for months and always sings along in the car.

Dislikes:

Dirt. Joaquin still gets upset when there is dirt in his presence. Every time I sit him in his highchair, his first move is to inspect the tray. He pokes his finger at any little speck that is on there and sticks out his finger so I can remove it from his presence. If he sees crumbs on the ground he points at them with a distressed face and says something like "Chehhcwhw". He has a little chalkboard and is in a constant battle with the chalk dust. I've showed him how to wipe it off on his pants, and he normally just runs over to me to wipe the dust off on my pants instead.

Mechanics. Joaquin is in a typical toddler stage where he gets frustrated VERY easily. If the tower of blocks falls over, or the train tracks come apart he will throw that poor train or block as hard as he can - and yell and grab his face. It's a sure sign of frustration. I hope he learns to manage his anger a little better later in life!

Christmas!

In the mornings since we've had the Christmas tree up and decorated, I start many of my day by carrying Joaquin downstairs. It's dark in the house except for the lights from the tree and when we turn the corner to head into the family room, Joaquin says 'wowwwwww!' It won't bother me too much if it wasn't soooo dark when we woke up, but his reaction makes the tree more magical. I also thought the Christmas tree would be the source of more battles. I thought for sure he'd try to take off the lights, the ornaments and maybe even climb it. But after spending a little time plucking the low hanging ornaments off, he left it alone and just enjoys looking at the lights.

Grandpa Bill was here with us on Christmas morning. We opened grownup presents on Christmas Eve and I am very excited because Art got me a fancy new camera - so be prepared to be wowwwwww-ed by my mad photography skillz going forward. Christmas morning it was all for Joaquin. Check out his awesome Christmas pjs!


Joaquin got some great gifts from his grandparents. He was having so much fun with the stuff he got that we've saved some presents in the back room for later. He enjoyed his Airforce One - I don't think it's too early for him to start getting acquainted with the equipment.

We moved the party down to Lockport later in the day to celebrate with Uncle Marc and Aunt Lindsay and the Grants. They cooked us an awesome dinner.
I took a lot of pictures with my new camera on Christmas. I could also show you the plate of cookies, the corn salsa and the dancing snowman if you like! No??!?

Here are the boys in their cute matching Christmas sweaters from Donna. That confused look? That's because Art was standing behind us waving a broom or shovel around and chanting and hopping.

Ryan's working on his walking. And yeah, I let Joaquin chew on a toothbrush sometimes. I think my mom would be cool with it.




The next day we were back home for some beautiful fluffy snow.



Check out his flippers!


And Joaquin had to get caught up on some laundry.


I hope you had a great Christmas too!