Whoah I missed a month!

I wish I had some great excuse as to why I haven't posted in a while. Perhaps I could say that having a toddler has taken up all of my ability to write out my thoughts all blogger-style....but I can't. Let's face it, social networking (ie Facebook) has taken out my will to blog.

That's it in a nutshell.

Yet I will make an attempt to persevere.

My kid is cute. Like really cute. Like: Dude, look at that kid, he's so cute! (Or "she" sometimes because I chose to let his little ringlets grow and some people fail to notice that he is not particularly dressed as a "she" but ahhh I digress...).

He's cute.

And uber smart.

And super duper funny. Heck, my kid is a walking riot.

And totally utterly adorably sweet. (When he's not being a terror tot)

Yeah he's all that.

Happy Mother's Day (Video)

This kid has the world wrapped around his little finger...especially his Dad. That man melts every time Thurston goes in for a hug.

The Early Morning Faces of Thurston Wolf

By morning, Thurston usually has ended up in bed with us. Some say it's a bad habit, I personally love it.

I'm usually the first to roll out of bed in the morning and drag myself to the bathroom to get ready. Generally around the time I'm applying mascara, the door knob to the bathroom turns and suddenly the door opens with a bang. Shuffling his feet, with his head down and away from the blinding light of the bathroom, he walks in. It takes my ruffle-haired kid a few minutes to adjust to the light, being awake, not having mom next to him in bed anymore, etc. and he stands at the door for minutes to collect himself.

And thus...the morning faces of Thurston collage begins. I will definitely have more to add as we progress on in this journey we call life.

Cups

It's been a struggle lately to get Thurston to sleep in his own bed these days. However....he's perfectly content to conk out on me or Dave. To be honest, I kind of love it.

I don't know if I've mentioned at all lately (or enough in my last three entries), but I have the coolest kid. He's so easy going --aside from a few peanut butter induced or teething induced screaming episodes.

He's been exploring language more lately and his tiny voice attempting to work out "I wooov woo" is so cute.

Some new words and phrases as of late: "Hi Mama", "Hi Dada", "Hi Baby", "Teeth", "Apple" (without the 'b' now), "Milk", "I woov woo", "Hi Papa", "No! Mine!".

He's also moved almost entirely to the big kid cup. He actually gets angry with me if I try to give him a sippy cup. He's pretty good at it too except when he starts dunking his hand in it or spitting it on the floor for a reaction.

House Arrest

Last week the cold kept us indoors huddled and shivering. This week, the torrential downpour that is Oregon Winter at its best has been keeping us cramped inside and under cover. I feel cramped and cooped and confined inside my house, staring out at the dark and dreary skies, sighing for days of sunshine and flip flops.

It's warmer this week, but wetter than last week and I decided to get out of our house in any way that was possible. This morning we ran around our yard and stomped in puddles. We dried off and enjoyed some tea (aka water in a big boy cup) and crumpets (licking the jam off of a biscuit).







Last week Thurston and I managed to get ourselves bundled up and out of the house only to seek immediate shelter from the cold in our neighborhood coffee shop 3 blocks away. After warming ourselves with steamed milk and green tea respectively, we huddled together and walked back home.


Some times, these brisk outings are the only things keeping me sane through the winter.





I really need to get a rain "coat" for our jogging stroller so that I can take us both out for some soggy runs.

Turning Toddler

We walked to the coffee shop this morning and as I basked in the warmth of the shop and the fragrant scent of coffee, Thurston decided his legs would quit working. His jell-o legs collapse from under him and he slumps to the floor. It's not truly that he's incapable, it's his ingenious solution to my not picking him up right away, whether it be in a coffee shop, grocery store, sidewalk, etc. I think to myself..."oh boy, here comes the Toddler".

His stubbornness goes further to include feeling the need to do everything just as Mom and Dad do...

He wants to throw the groceries into the cart himself, he wants to drink out of big kid cup (even when most of the water runs down his face/shirt/pants), he wants to sit in a regular chair, he wants to serve his own food (heaven forbid mom serves him a spoonful), and so on.

Yet...there are bonuses to the Toddler stage. This also means my little Toddler loves to help mom out - sweep, put away the clean dishes (or dirty, it doesn't matter to him), bring me his shoes, put on his coat, bring me books to read, reminds me where my nose is, or even a piece of paper he feels I should have. He's quite the helpful one and he actually loves to please.

In addition, my usual down-a-banana-in-a-minute-flat kid is no more. Suddenly his interest in food extends to a few bites and then his attention is elsewhere. He'll carry that same banana he used to devour in a minute around the house for upwards to an hour and then leave a third of it somewhere for me to come across later. He's losing his huge baby belly and starting to grow stems so that no counter tops are safe from little fingers any more.

Mama!

Now, I know I've said this before... but I seriously have the sweetest, most affectionate kid. Both of his teachers at daycare have voiced this to me numerous times. In fact, just this morning as I dropped him off, his teacher starts gushing about his sweet temperament.

He is going through a "mama" phase right now. It can be both heartwarming and trying at the same time when he just wants "mama" all the time. I think he just needs the reassurance that I'm there though and then he's fine. Poor Dave though...he'll pick Thurston up and Thurston will turn with his arms outstretched to me and wail "Mama. Mama!" I have a feeling that one of these days things will switch and he'll want nothing to do with me if Daddy's around! However, Grandpa trumps "mama" all the time. He is absolutely enamored with his Grandpa. Thurston and I were recently in Reno and my Dad picked us up from the airport. As soon as Thurston saw my Dad, he made a bee-line to him and ran with up-stretched arms. A woman approaches us in the airport and exclaims at how much Thurston must love his Grandpa by the way he reacted to him. My Dad's emotions don't show obviously, but I can see how much he's touched by it.

Thurston's language continues to develop every day and I am fascinated by how quickly he picks up on things. He loves to play the "Where is" game and happily points to the object in question...or will run off and retrieve said object -- such as his shoes (or mine) or a book of choice. When he doesn't know something, he'll point wildly in the air as if he is on a quest to find whatever it could be.

For the most part, he is just a great, happy kid. He loves to please, loves to make us laugh and loves to be the center of attention (go figure). Every day, I am grateful for his presence in our lives.