Nyla has been getting into things I wish she wouldn't so I've been thinking about baby proofing lately. We have the kind of latches that you push down to open a cabinet but Nyla has figured those out. Bohdin didn't require any special measures because he was good at staying out of things once told not to touch. (Paul might disagree here but he has a very very low tolerance of mess) Upon reflection, I realized that Nyla is trying to get the same things that Bohdin touches regularly. She wants the plastic bags, the dishwasher detergent, the straws, etc. I've moved the saran wrap and stuff but I didn't know if I should get something stronger. As long as she contains herself to her current items I'll leave it the way it is. I will probably rearrange the bathroom though. I don't need her eating my contact lenses.
Nyla's novelty with the potty has worn off. I think she may have thought she wouldn't need her butt wiped if she pooped on the potty. Since that is not the case, she lost interest. Someday it will happen.
We went to the playground last night and there were quite a few little boys there. They invented a funny slide game that had them and me laughing. It was good to see Bohdin have so much fun. I wish fall could last forever. It's unlikely we'll see so many people when the weather turns cold. It will actually be hard when the days get shorter too. Almost everybody works around here. It will be too dark after work to take their kids to the playground. We'll enjoy it while it lasts.
Tuesday, October 14, 2008
Monday, October 13, 2008
hrrmm
Bohdin makes a low throaty growl when he's mad in addition to crossing his arms. Nyla has picked up on the sound and now does the same sound to express her anger. It's hard not to laugh when Nyla does it. She seems so young to be doing something like that. Buddy thinks it is detrimental to her talking. She doesn't talk yet or really sign. She is expressive though and does manage to get her point across often. She understands so much though. She follows simple commands when she wishes. She doesn't like to let go of the knife when we ask her but she will put her shoes by the door.
A few weeks ago we went to post to drop off a lunch for Buddy. There was a man walking out wearing a uniform and Bohdin asked if that was daddy. I didn't even have to look twice since he was black. When I said no Bohdin asked "What does daddy look like?" A few days later I was wondering if he knew what I looked like. I was laying on the bed in the fetal position so Bohdin couldn't see me. We called him in and asked him what I looked like. He said "a turtle?".
Bohdin wants to look at toys online together so I have to end this now. He's really looking forward to his birthday now.
A few weeks ago we went to post to drop off a lunch for Buddy. There was a man walking out wearing a uniform and Bohdin asked if that was daddy. I didn't even have to look twice since he was black. When I said no Bohdin asked "What does daddy look like?" A few days later I was wondering if he knew what I looked like. I was laying on the bed in the fetal position so Bohdin couldn't see me. We called him in and asked him what I looked like. He said "a turtle?".
Bohdin wants to look at toys online together so I have to end this now. He's really looking forward to his birthday now.
Saturday, October 11, 2008
Forgot to include the funny story
On Sunday, I was lying in bed with Buddy and Nyla. I told Nyla that she, Bohdin, daddy, and me were going to go on the train the next day. She started shaking her head no. Buddy said "I hope you're not saying no to daddy coming". She put on her pouty face. Here is an example:
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Friday, October 10, 2008
The perfect trip....for Bohdin
You would think that staying at a hotel that charges many many hundreds of dollars per night would offer free internet access but that is not the case. They charge over $17 per day. When we came back from our trip our internet access wasn't working. Buddy has a magic touch so it works when he touches it. So finally at 8:34 pm I can write a post.
If I could have planned a dream trip for Bohdin to NYC I would have done it almost exactly as we did. We went to three different playgrounds. We ate french fries, popsicles, hamburgers, and pizza. He went to toy stores on 3 different occasions. He rode on the subway numerous times. He could watch an m&m ad on a gigantic screen. Unfortunately a great trip for Bohdin does not make a great one for me. I spent half of my time in NYC in transit. That means keeping track of a 3 year old and carrying a 25 pound wiggly toddler on my back for hours. I spent a quarter of the time in playgrounds or toy stores. I spent the other time getting food. I was able to do one thing for myself which is buying new bras. That took less than one hour. I'm just a bit disappointed because I was expecting more time for myself this trip. My birthday was on Sunday and Buddy said we would do my birthday in NYC (He had forgotten my birthday until I mentioned it at noon). I can't figure out which part was the celebratory part. Every meal was takeout. Many were eaten while standing. Buddy said I had time to myself on Thursday before the train left. I used that time to get the kids food for the train ride. They were starving during the trip so it was completely necessary.
Paul wanted to know what the best meal I had. That's hard to pick. Our first day there we walked to a middle eastern restaurant. I didn't really get to try much of that because I told Buddy to take it with him since he had to rush back to a meeting. That might have been good. The Shake Shack burger was good. Part of mine was a little underdone (I forgot to ask for it well done) but the part that I did eat was tasty. Every meal seemed so rushed it was hard to take the time to enjoy anything. It wasn't the pizza that Nyla mistook for poop.
Nyla had her diaper off at the hotel and ended up pooping on the floor. (We contributed to the filthiness of hotel rooms. Sorry) She pointed out her poop on the carpet. I picked it up with some toilet paper. She then pointed to the pizza she had been eating. I will admit that it also looked like poop to me. It was quite funny. Buddy picked out that meal.
Bohdin really enjoyed the toy stores and found numerous things to add to his birthday wish list. Prior to the trip there was only one thing on there. He liked a lot of the new Playmobil toys. They did look like a lot of fun. He thought the conveyor belt was great. He has been talking about building a conveyor belt from his room to the living room and into his toy box so he wouldn't have to deliver each toy himself. This toy conveyor belt wasn't big enough for that but he still liked the play possibilities of it. He also liked the recycling truck and some of the other trucks.
I saw my first NYC rat. It was in the subway on a platform across from us. Bohdin didn't see it. He was on a litter kick this week and pointed out a lot of the litter we saw. In the subway stations there was a lot that was on the track so over and over I heard about litter. He also thought the peeling paint made it look dirty.
Tuesday morning was a little brisk. Bohdin runs really hot so he went out with a short sleeve shirt and pants. He was also carrying a bag of ice. He likes to eat ice. He was the only person on the streets that wasn't wearing long sleeves. Almost everybody was wearing a jacket. I thought everybody looked kind of drab wearing their dark colors. After a day in khaki pants I realized that it was out of necessity. My pants looked like I had been camping in the woods wearing those same pants every day for two weeks. I'm surprised they came out clean.
Bohdin thinks I've been typing long enough now. It's time to read a book.
Bohdin's favorite part: "Everything"
Bohdin's favorite food: "The popcorn and all of it. The tuna fish."
Bodhin: "There are two different kinds subways. Some are colored and some are not colored. Some are numbers and some are letters." "Limousines are stretched cars" "The circle elevators have some windows. I can look out the window and see how high we are going. When we go up and down it makes my body feel a little bit funny." "I saw those doors that go round and round by themselves that are like spinning doors." "I saw one sign that said don't hold the doors open and one that said no leaning on doors." "One m&m was being a statue. One was climbing on top of a building and going like this [pounding chest]. A red one was on the ground being nothing and he was being with a yellow one. There is supposed to be an orange one also. I saw lots of m&ms like on an m&m tunnel." "We need more tickets to get to the other coaches. I don't like it as much." We walked through the train and had to turn around at business class. Bohdin didn't like that. "I like chasing the birds. I was sneaking up on them and they would fly up on the trees. The ones on the grass, I would try to make them fly but they would fly back on the ground." "I saw a machine that had some pipes up there and it was connected to the big pipe." This was inside the Hershey store. "I remember the cards you use to get through those tolls. The ones at the subway stations."
He's insisting I read again. I'm glad I got his perspective though.
If I could have planned a dream trip for Bohdin to NYC I would have done it almost exactly as we did. We went to three different playgrounds. We ate french fries, popsicles, hamburgers, and pizza. He went to toy stores on 3 different occasions. He rode on the subway numerous times. He could watch an m&m ad on a gigantic screen. Unfortunately a great trip for Bohdin does not make a great one for me. I spent half of my time in NYC in transit. That means keeping track of a 3 year old and carrying a 25 pound wiggly toddler on my back for hours. I spent a quarter of the time in playgrounds or toy stores. I spent the other time getting food. I was able to do one thing for myself which is buying new bras. That took less than one hour. I'm just a bit disappointed because I was expecting more time for myself this trip. My birthday was on Sunday and Buddy said we would do my birthday in NYC (He had forgotten my birthday until I mentioned it at noon). I can't figure out which part was the celebratory part. Every meal was takeout. Many were eaten while standing. Buddy said I had time to myself on Thursday before the train left. I used that time to get the kids food for the train ride. They were starving during the trip so it was completely necessary.
Paul wanted to know what the best meal I had. That's hard to pick. Our first day there we walked to a middle eastern restaurant. I didn't really get to try much of that because I told Buddy to take it with him since he had to rush back to a meeting. That might have been good. The Shake Shack burger was good. Part of mine was a little underdone (I forgot to ask for it well done) but the part that I did eat was tasty. Every meal seemed so rushed it was hard to take the time to enjoy anything. It wasn't the pizza that Nyla mistook for poop.
Nyla had her diaper off at the hotel and ended up pooping on the floor. (We contributed to the filthiness of hotel rooms. Sorry) She pointed out her poop on the carpet. I picked it up with some toilet paper. She then pointed to the pizza she had been eating. I will admit that it also looked like poop to me. It was quite funny. Buddy picked out that meal.
Bohdin really enjoyed the toy stores and found numerous things to add to his birthday wish list. Prior to the trip there was only one thing on there. He liked a lot of the new Playmobil toys. They did look like a lot of fun. He thought the conveyor belt was great. He has been talking about building a conveyor belt from his room to the living room and into his toy box so he wouldn't have to deliver each toy himself. This toy conveyor belt wasn't big enough for that but he still liked the play possibilities of it. He also liked the recycling truck and some of the other trucks.
I saw my first NYC rat. It was in the subway on a platform across from us. Bohdin didn't see it. He was on a litter kick this week and pointed out a lot of the litter we saw. In the subway stations there was a lot that was on the track so over and over I heard about litter. He also thought the peeling paint made it look dirty.
Tuesday morning was a little brisk. Bohdin runs really hot so he went out with a short sleeve shirt and pants. He was also carrying a bag of ice. He likes to eat ice. He was the only person on the streets that wasn't wearing long sleeves. Almost everybody was wearing a jacket. I thought everybody looked kind of drab wearing their dark colors. After a day in khaki pants I realized that it was out of necessity. My pants looked like I had been camping in the woods wearing those same pants every day for two weeks. I'm surprised they came out clean.
Bohdin thinks I've been typing long enough now. It's time to read a book.
Bohdin's favorite part: "Everything"
Bohdin's favorite food: "The popcorn and all of it. The tuna fish."
Bodhin: "There are two different kinds subways. Some are colored and some are not colored. Some are numbers and some are letters." "Limousines are stretched cars" "The circle elevators have some windows. I can look out the window and see how high we are going. When we go up and down it makes my body feel a little bit funny." "I saw those doors that go round and round by themselves that are like spinning doors." "I saw one sign that said don't hold the doors open and one that said no leaning on doors." "One m&m was being a statue. One was climbing on top of a building and going like this [pounding chest]. A red one was on the ground being nothing and he was being with a yellow one. There is supposed to be an orange one also. I saw lots of m&ms like on an m&m tunnel." "We need more tickets to get to the other coaches. I don't like it as much." We walked through the train and had to turn around at business class. Bohdin didn't like that. "I like chasing the birds. I was sneaking up on them and they would fly up on the trees. The ones on the grass, I would try to make them fly but they would fly back on the ground." "I saw a machine that had some pipes up there and it was connected to the big pipe." This was inside the Hershey store. "I remember the cards you use to get through those tolls. The ones at the subway stations."
He's insisting I read again. I'm glad I got his perspective though.
Tuesday, October 7, 2008
NYC
Buddy was supposed to do a blog post on Sunday but claimed he didn't know how. I couldn't do one yesterday because I didn't have internet. We took the train up with Buddy to NYC yesterday. He is attending some sort of conference. To have a conference at a hotel in Times Square seems like a waste of taxpayer dollars. Since they don't share rooms we tagged along.
I had told Bohdin about the train trip last week and he was so excited. He woke up before dawn on Monday morning ready to go. Our train didn't leave quite that early. The train trip was okay from my perspective. It was really bumpy. Sort of like being on a really turbulent airplane for almost 4 hours. It's no surprise that train travel isn't more popular.
By the time we made it to the hotel it was almost 2. Buddy had a meeting at 3. We went out to get some lunch really quick but it took so long. Bohdin was fascinated with everything he saw and could not walk quickly. He wanted to talk about and see everything. It was nearly 3 by the time we got our food and I sent Buddy back with the one dish (we only had enough cash for one meal). I walked with Bohdin and Nyla to Whole Foods to pick up a snack there. Nyla likes munching on raw broccoli so I picked up a few things at the salad bar. That store is so so busy. It was a bit of a frustrating experience.
Buddy wasn't done by the time we came back so we waited in the room. When he was finished it was getting dark outside and we decided to go to Shake Shack for a burger. This is Paul's favorite place so we had to try it. Buddy didn't get an unlimited subway card like I did so he decided to walk the 1.2 miles there while Bohdin and I took the subway. Despite going to the wrong subway station at first we made it there much much faster than him. Nyla fell asleep on the way there so Bohdin played at the playground near there by himself while Buddy waited on our food. It was a good burger.
By the time we came back it was time to get the kids ready for bed. Bohdin is taking a nap right now so we'll be able to stay out a bit later. I'm glad because my shoulders could use a break from carrying Nyla. Bending down to hear what Bohdin has to say while she's on my back is quite a workout. I'm earning these high calorie meals.
Schlepping two kids around is slow hard work so we haven't done much today either. I bought some bras and then we went to FAO Schwarz. That took over 3 hours. Both Bohdin and Nyla are enjoying looking around, especially Bohdin so it's okay that we spend 5 minutes inspecting grates and another 5 minutes watching a guy load bricks in a bucket.
I had told Bohdin about the train trip last week and he was so excited. He woke up before dawn on Monday morning ready to go. Our train didn't leave quite that early. The train trip was okay from my perspective. It was really bumpy. Sort of like being on a really turbulent airplane for almost 4 hours. It's no surprise that train travel isn't more popular.
By the time we made it to the hotel it was almost 2. Buddy had a meeting at 3. We went out to get some lunch really quick but it took so long. Bohdin was fascinated with everything he saw and could not walk quickly. He wanted to talk about and see everything. It was nearly 3 by the time we got our food and I sent Buddy back with the one dish (we only had enough cash for one meal). I walked with Bohdin and Nyla to Whole Foods to pick up a snack there. Nyla likes munching on raw broccoli so I picked up a few things at the salad bar. That store is so so busy. It was a bit of a frustrating experience.
Buddy wasn't done by the time we came back so we waited in the room. When he was finished it was getting dark outside and we decided to go to Shake Shack for a burger. This is Paul's favorite place so we had to try it. Buddy didn't get an unlimited subway card like I did so he decided to walk the 1.2 miles there while Bohdin and I took the subway. Despite going to the wrong subway station at first we made it there much much faster than him. Nyla fell asleep on the way there so Bohdin played at the playground near there by himself while Buddy waited on our food. It was a good burger.
By the time we came back it was time to get the kids ready for bed. Bohdin is taking a nap right now so we'll be able to stay out a bit later. I'm glad because my shoulders could use a break from carrying Nyla. Bending down to hear what Bohdin has to say while she's on my back is quite a workout. I'm earning these high calorie meals.
Schlepping two kids around is slow hard work so we haven't done much today either. I bought some bras and then we went to FAO Schwarz. That took over 3 hours. Both Bohdin and Nyla are enjoying looking around, especially Bohdin so it's okay that we spend 5 minutes inspecting grates and another 5 minutes watching a guy load bricks in a bucket.
Friday, October 3, 2008
Unfair
I was planning to write today's post about the unfair traffic ticket I received yesterday but then I found out my friend's father was diagnosed with melanoma that metasticized into his brain. It is inoperable. This same friend lost her best friend to cancer a few years ago. That is unfair. I am so saddened that she has had to endure so much. This is a difficult time for her entire family. I'm not up to describing the bland events of my life today.
Thursday, October 2, 2008
Gettysburg
We left for Gettysburg early Tuesday afternoon after a morning of struggling to get ready. The drive was faster than expected. It took maybe an hour and a half to get there. We made it there before Buddy so we drove around town a bit and stopped at the Gettysburg visitor center. We met Buddy at the hotel later but he had work to do. I took the kids to a grocery store to get some stuff for dinner. They were so hungry they ate in the car on the way back to the hotel. We went for a walk afterwards even though it was dark. There is a miniature golf course and go cart track next to the hotel but they weren't open. There was also a housing development which was unlike anything we had ever seen. It was a no maintenance property of small connected dwellings in a castle theme. They also threw in some ancient Roman ruins into the mix. Every house facade was different. It was certainly a strange site.
Buddy had to do some more work after that so I put the kids into the bathtub after cleaning out the copious amounts of hair. Housekeeping was a tad lax. The bathtub drain didn't work so I had to put my hand over the hole so the water would accumulate. After getting ready for bed, I turned out the lights so Nyla and Bohdin could go to sleep and Nyla freaked out. She started crying and clawing at me like I was her last chance for survival. It didn't turn out the way I thought it would. There was a bit of hallway noise and we could hear some people in the room next to us.
The bed was uncomfortable and the next morning I woke up to the sound of a cricket. I was sleeping on a terrible bed in a dirty room. Bugs were the last straw. It took me a minute to realize the chirping sound was very regular and was actually Buddy's alarm. The kids slept another hour. After awaking we had some breakfast and then went out. We stopped for donuts and then went to the site of the first day of battle. I've been to a few Civil War sites previously and I don't really care for them. Gettysburg was no different. The countryside was pretty though.
Bohdin watching the train. Soldiers tried to get across this railroad track during the war. Some troops were stationed on the other side. There were also troops in the treeline in the back at some point.
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We went back to the room for Nyla's nap. The hotel had unbelievably slow and unreliable internet access. I expected more from a conference center. Bohdin ended up waking Nyla early from her nap. The whole situation wasn't working for me so I decided to leave. On the way home we stopped at Cunningham Falls state park in Maryland. We hiked to the waterfall on the easier .5 mile trail. On the way back, Bohdin wanted to do the steeper and longer trail. He did a really good job. The area was really pretty. We'll have to go back again sometime. There was some highway noise which was unfortunate but there were very few people around.
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There is also a lake and a playground at the park so we stopped there. They had nicer sand there than the crap beach in Annapolis. The water is probably much less polluted also. Nyla loves slides.
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I just like this picture of Bohdin.
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Because of our stop and the fact that I took the wrong road for a while, it took us almost 5 hours to get back. I've never been so happy to be back home after a trip. It felt like I had been gone forever instead of just overnight. Me and the kids practically by ourselves on a trip is not that fun. I think and hope NYC next week will be better. At least I won't have to apologize to the kids for strapping them into their carseats yet again. I think I would have enjoyed the area better if I could have done a guided tour. Neither of the kids was up for a 3 hour car tour though. They'll be gone soon enough and then I can go back.
Buddy had to do some more work after that so I put the kids into the bathtub after cleaning out the copious amounts of hair. Housekeeping was a tad lax. The bathtub drain didn't work so I had to put my hand over the hole so the water would accumulate. After getting ready for bed, I turned out the lights so Nyla and Bohdin could go to sleep and Nyla freaked out. She started crying and clawing at me like I was her last chance for survival. It didn't turn out the way I thought it would. There was a bit of hallway noise and we could hear some people in the room next to us.
The bed was uncomfortable and the next morning I woke up to the sound of a cricket. I was sleeping on a terrible bed in a dirty room. Bugs were the last straw. It took me a minute to realize the chirping sound was very regular and was actually Buddy's alarm. The kids slept another hour. After awaking we had some breakfast and then went out. We stopped for donuts and then went to the site of the first day of battle. I've been to a few Civil War sites previously and I don't really care for them. Gettysburg was no different. The countryside was pretty though.
Bohdin watching the train. Soldiers tried to get across this railroad track during the war. Some troops were stationed on the other side. There were also troops in the treeline in the back at some point.
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We went back to the room for Nyla's nap. The hotel had unbelievably slow and unreliable internet access. I expected more from a conference center. Bohdin ended up waking Nyla early from her nap. The whole situation wasn't working for me so I decided to leave. On the way home we stopped at Cunningham Falls state park in Maryland. We hiked to the waterfall on the easier .5 mile trail. On the way back, Bohdin wanted to do the steeper and longer trail. He did a really good job. The area was really pretty. We'll have to go back again sometime. There was some highway noise which was unfortunate but there were very few people around.
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There is also a lake and a playground at the park so we stopped there. They had nicer sand there than the crap beach in Annapolis. The water is probably much less polluted also. Nyla loves slides.
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I just like this picture of Bohdin.
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Because of our stop and the fact that I took the wrong road for a while, it took us almost 5 hours to get back. I've never been so happy to be back home after a trip. It felt like I had been gone forever instead of just overnight. Me and the kids practically by ourselves on a trip is not that fun. I think and hope NYC next week will be better. At least I won't have to apologize to the kids for strapping them into their carseats yet again. I think I would have enjoyed the area better if I could have done a guided tour. Neither of the kids was up for a 3 hour car tour though. They'll be gone soon enough and then I can go back.