It all started when Nana drew a happy face (the one that looks like the classic smiley face) Drew asked what it is. Nana called it a happy guy. Drew liked happy guys. Stickers, drawings, balloons, you name it he liked it. In fact when we were doing the developmental assessment for preschool when he was two and half, part of it was to ask him if he was a boy or a girl.
Me: Are you a boy or a girl?
Drew: I'm a happy guy.
We couldn't decide if that counted.
We plan on having "He was a happy guy" inscribed on his gravestone when we finally order it.
Thursday, June 24, 2010
Thursday memory: Crawl by toy stealings
Drew and Meg generally met major motor skills goals at about the same time. It went back and forth who went first
Drew was the first to move in the crib. We had them both in the same crib after they were born. One morning we came in and Drew had done a 180. It was time for separate cribs.
Meg figured out how to roll over first. Can't remember which direction at the moment. Probably front to back. This was followed by many weeks of putting out the blanket for tummy time and then cheering when Meg or Drew rolled over.
Drew learned to sit up first. Sitting up was a nice phase. They could reach a few toys and not bother each other.
Crawling of course came in little bits. Meg and Drew both went backwards first. Drew did commando crawl quite slowly for awhile. Meg figured out actual crawling first. For awhile it looked like Drew was going to stick with backwards crawling and commando crawl, then Meg started crawling past him, stealing the toy he was playing with, and crawling off with it.
After a few crawl by toy stealing Drew figured out how to crawl forward quickly. Then they could take turns stealing toys from each other.
Drew was the first to move in the crib. We had them both in the same crib after they were born. One morning we came in and Drew had done a 180. It was time for separate cribs.
Meg figured out how to roll over first. Can't remember which direction at the moment. Probably front to back. This was followed by many weeks of putting out the blanket for tummy time and then cheering when Meg or Drew rolled over.
Drew learned to sit up first. Sitting up was a nice phase. They could reach a few toys and not bother each other.
Crawling of course came in little bits. Meg and Drew both went backwards first. Drew did commando crawl quite slowly for awhile. Meg figured out actual crawling first. For awhile it looked like Drew was going to stick with backwards crawling and commando crawl, then Meg started crawling past him, stealing the toy he was playing with, and crawling off with it.
After a few crawl by toy stealing Drew figured out how to crawl forward quickly. Then they could take turns stealing toys from each other.
Tuesday, June 8, 2010
Monday memory: SuperDrew and SuperMeg
So maybe I should just call this Tuesday memory, since that's when I seem to post them.
For Halloween when they were two and half, I bought superman pajamas complete with detachable capes and they were SuperDrew and SuperMeg for Halloween. I had figured that this was the last Halloween where I could pick their outfits for them and so I wanted to do the twin thing.
That was the first halloween where they really seemed to get asking for candy. In fact we made it around the block despite the weather being cold, rainy and windy. Fortunately we had bought the pajamas large so they could wear them over their clothes.
For weeks after this they wanted to wear the pajamas, which were quite large at the time, and then pretend they were SuperDrew and SuperMeg. These names for themselves had to be said in the same way Grover says SuperGrover. So it was Sup...erDrew and Sup...erMeg.
Their favorite thing to do in the Superman pajamas was sup (prounounced soup) which meant for daddy or mommy to pick them up and fly them around the room like Superman. So we did this a lot.
Meg still fits (barely) into her superman pajamas, but she is now too big to sup.
For Halloween when they were two and half, I bought superman pajamas complete with detachable capes and they were SuperDrew and SuperMeg for Halloween. I had figured that this was the last Halloween where I could pick their outfits for them and so I wanted to do the twin thing.
That was the first halloween where they really seemed to get asking for candy. In fact we made it around the block despite the weather being cold, rainy and windy. Fortunately we had bought the pajamas large so they could wear them over their clothes.
For weeks after this they wanted to wear the pajamas, which were quite large at the time, and then pretend they were SuperDrew and SuperMeg. These names for themselves had to be said in the same way Grover says SuperGrover. So it was Sup...erDrew and Sup...erMeg.
Their favorite thing to do in the Superman pajamas was sup (prounounced soup) which meant for daddy or mommy to pick them up and fly them around the room like Superman. So we did this a lot.
Meg still fits (barely) into her superman pajamas, but she is now too big to sup.
Friday, June 4, 2010
A Meg story
It's summer and so I don't teach and try to take some time off from work.
So I've opted not to have Meg in daycare (no preschool available in summer) on Wednesday so we can have a mommy and Meg day.
The day itself was uneventful, we met her Nana (my mother-in-law) at the local farmers market, bought strawberries for jam making, went for a picnic lunch, and then shopping for garden supplies and yarn. Meg was excited to pick out yarn and cloth for the the two summer sundress, which she is now demanding I make immediately. I would like to finish at least one other project before casting something else on.
Meg has the usual 4 year old problem with boundary pushing and impulse control. I will tell her not to do something and then she will go ahead and do something close, but not quite exactly what I told her not to do. Earlier in the day she managed to find some Christmas ornaments on the mantle. After telling her not to play with them roughly she dropped them on the floor and fortunately they didn't break. I did get mad at her and then she got upset that I was mad with her as well. The usual cycle sadly.
Later in the day we were hanging out on the back porch after strawberry shortcake and I found some pieces of wire fencing sitting on the deck. They were leftover from the the garden fencing project earlier in the week. Meg saw me pick the fencing up and put it on the railing. She asked why. I said I was getting it out of the way so no one would step on it. Meg then proceeded to take the fencing and throw it in the yard and proudly exclaim that she got rid of them for me. Amused, I explained that they were sharp and shouldn't be in the yard either, so I was going to throw them away. So I made her pick them up and wanted her to bring them to me. Instead she picked them up and threw them in the compost bin, just as I was saying that they didn't go there. Meg then said in an exasperated voice "I keep doing these things today". I said with amusement "Yes, you do, you need to think first before you do things"
After giving Meg a hug, I fished the fencing piece out of the compost bin (yuck) and threw it out myself.
At least that time she was trying to help.
So I've opted not to have Meg in daycare (no preschool available in summer) on Wednesday so we can have a mommy and Meg day.
The day itself was uneventful, we met her Nana (my mother-in-law) at the local farmers market, bought strawberries for jam making, went for a picnic lunch, and then shopping for garden supplies and yarn. Meg was excited to pick out yarn and cloth for the the two summer sundress, which she is now demanding I make immediately. I would like to finish at least one other project before casting something else on.
Meg has the usual 4 year old problem with boundary pushing and impulse control. I will tell her not to do something and then she will go ahead and do something close, but not quite exactly what I told her not to do. Earlier in the day she managed to find some Christmas ornaments on the mantle. After telling her not to play with them roughly she dropped them on the floor and fortunately they didn't break. I did get mad at her and then she got upset that I was mad with her as well. The usual cycle sadly.
Later in the day we were hanging out on the back porch after strawberry shortcake and I found some pieces of wire fencing sitting on the deck. They were leftover from the the garden fencing project earlier in the week. Meg saw me pick the fencing up and put it on the railing. She asked why. I said I was getting it out of the way so no one would step on it. Meg then proceeded to take the fencing and throw it in the yard and proudly exclaim that she got rid of them for me. Amused, I explained that they were sharp and shouldn't be in the yard either, so I was going to throw them away. So I made her pick them up and wanted her to bring them to me. Instead she picked them up and threw them in the compost bin, just as I was saying that they didn't go there. Meg then said in an exasperated voice "I keep doing these things today". I said with amusement "Yes, you do, you need to think first before you do things"
After giving Meg a hug, I fished the fencing piece out of the compost bin (yuck) and threw it out myself.
At least that time she was trying to help.
Tuesday, June 1, 2010
Monday memory: The Lumpy Steps
Well it's Tuesday again, but I'll go with Monday Memory anyway since I like alliteration.
This is a bedtime ritual as it existed for about half a year or so.
It is bedtime, my husband or I (or both) stood at the bottom of the stairs and say "I hope there aren't any lumpy steps today" Drew and Meg rushed up the stairs and lay down at the top of the stairs. When we got to the top of the stairs we exclaim incredulously that there is yet again a lumpy step. This was accompanied by prodding Meg and/or Drew with a foot so they giggle.
This was Drew's favorite part of the bedtime ritual. Meg didn't always participate, although she still occasionally does the lumpy step now. This weekend she did the disappearing lumpy step where when I went near the stairs there was a lumpy step and when my husband went up the stairs there wasn't. Of course this was accompanied by my husband and I telling each other what we found and that the other must be imagining things, much to Meg's amusement.
It will always remind me of Drew.
This is a bedtime ritual as it existed for about half a year or so.
It is bedtime, my husband or I (or both) stood at the bottom of the stairs and say "I hope there aren't any lumpy steps today" Drew and Meg rushed up the stairs and lay down at the top of the stairs. When we got to the top of the stairs we exclaim incredulously that there is yet again a lumpy step. This was accompanied by prodding Meg and/or Drew with a foot so they giggle.
This was Drew's favorite part of the bedtime ritual. Meg didn't always participate, although she still occasionally does the lumpy step now. This weekend she did the disappearing lumpy step where when I went near the stairs there was a lumpy step and when my husband went up the stairs there wasn't. Of course this was accompanied by my husband and I telling each other what we found and that the other must be imagining things, much to Meg's amusement.
It will always remind me of Drew.
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