September 30, 2010
B-Boy fights diabetes
Early Saturday morning, Neb, B-Boy and I went to Durham for the diabetes walk. Many folks he work with formed a team to walk to fight diabetes. You might remember Neb blogged about it earlier here.
The event started at 8:30 am, about an hour away from where we live. The morning, like most mornings, was quite chaotic. But we did get there on time, and B-Boy was in good spirits. We started with some music and stretching… and then it was announced that Neb’s team came in tenth place for fund raising! YAY!
We took the stroller we use for walks at home, so B-Boy had lots of room to stretch out. This also meant that Neb could show off his nifty lights to his coworkers. What did it mean for me? Well, it meant a bigger basket underneath to store all our stuff… and that I got to listen to music because the stroller has an iPod dock. Heh heh. We did the walk listening mostly to Bob Marley, which made the time go by nicely.
The walk was a four mile one. The weather was nice, and not too hot. Neb and I were tired at the end – B-Boy was refreshed because he got a nice nap in along the way. I was a proud momma, he didn’t cry once… not even with all the dogs around!
Nuh uh
B-Boy doesn’t talk much, but he sure does like to make sounds.
His latest sound is Nuh-uh. I think he picked it up from one of his teachers, who uses that sound when B-Boy is doing something he is not supposed to do… just before he takes off crawling to the other side of the room to continue doing what he wasn’t supposed to do. Yep, he hears that noise a lot.
He started saying it last week. It was really cute, especially because it was new.
This week, I had to go out of town for a few days for work. When I returned, both B-Boy and Neb were really happy to see me. I am not sure who was more excited, B-Boy because he didn’t know where I had gone or when I would return, or Neb because B-Boy was a handfull for only one set of hands.
I snatched B-Boy to the living room to play. He looked a bit taller than when I left, and he is more confident with his walking. He is trying to stand without holding on to anything. He is not quite there yet, but is getting really close. He was standing next to me, pacifier in his mouth happily sucking.
I asked him, “B-Boy, did you miss your Mommy?“
His response? Nuh- uh.
Here’s to hoping that he still hasn’t figured out what it means. Yeah, he just likes the way it sounds, right?
He made up for it later though, he started making a gargling sound in the back of his throat that almost sounds like he is rolling his R’s. Or purring. He rolled on the floor making that noise, and it just made me giggle.
What’s that B-Boy? I know. Nuh uh.
September 25, 2010
First time at the Water Table
The weather has been getting cooler, and B-Boy’s teachers thought it would be fun to take the older kids outside to play. This means that B-Boy got to play in the swings again, and then get introduced to some new activities.
They first introduced B-Boy to sand. They took off his shorts and sat him down to play. He must take after his Mommy, because he DID NOT LIKE having sand touching him. (I just don’t like having sand EVERYWHERE, well after I am off of it.) He initially put his hands in it, and let the sand run out… but then what was left really bothered him.
Fortunately, his teacher noticed his low level of enthusiasm for the sand, and picked him up to play elsewhere.
The next day, they brought out the water table! It is basically a two level kiddie pool up on legs. Rather than getting in it, they play standing up. They splash, splash, splashed… and played with water toys. Fun!
What was really amusing is that the other boy, KidN, was unsure at first what to do. B-Boy, who is used to water after all those swim lessons, siddled up to the table and started splashing right away. KidN only needed a few minutes to see that it was fun, and what to do before he jumped in to play. They seemed to have lots of fun, and took a long, solid nap that afternoon. Hee hee… smart teachers.
The teachers said that the windows were covered with water when they were done. The best part of it all was that they were all clean afterward!
September 18, 2010
A sure fire way way to stop a baby crying
Ok. Full disclosure. I don’t know if this works for ALL babies, but this works on B-Boy every time.
Of course, I just jinxed myself. But we shall pretend that didn’t happen, shall we?
It used to be Hair Bands- you know, 80’s big hair bands, that would calm B-Boy down. He seemed to love them when I was pregnany. He would dance in my belly when one would come on. Poison was a big favorite.We even bougt a Cinderella’s greatest hits album to KEEP-IN-THE-CAR-AT-ALL-TIMES.
But that doesn’t always work.
Then it was The Who, specifically “Who Are You…” I think he liked the “Who-Who Who-Who” part. Or perhaps it was his Mommy singing it so oddly to him…
But that doesn’t always work.
What does? Get ready.
A Jackie Greene’s song off his latest album. It’s called “Medicine” and it stops B-Boy’s cries IMMEDIATELY. It’s a great song, but it’s an even better cry stopper! It works every time… which is both a relief, and REALLY funny. “Medicine” is always the right medicine.
September 17, 2010
Darn right we got the blues!
This past weekend was the Durham Blues Festival. We have gone every year for the past several, and have volunteered many times in the past. I was looking forward to it mostly because I couldn’t go last year, as B-Boy was expected soon after the event and I was often EXHAUSTED! That didn’t stop Neb from going, but I am getting off track.
This year we knew we would need a babysitter. We had hoped ChiggerButt would be in town, but it was Parent’s Weekend and the MacFamily was all down at ECU for the night. We made several calls, and my Mom agreed to come stay the night to watch B-Boy.
She was excited to be able to come see him in his habitat, and we were happy to have her. Neb picked her up and then headed to Durham to meet some friends before going to the festival. The plan was that I would stay home and get B-Boy to bed at 8pm… and then head out once he was firmly asleep. We were not sure how he would do falling asleep for my mom, and Buddy Guy wasn’t scheduled to go on until after 10:30pm, so we decided to let me put him down.
He did great, and enjoyed playing with his Mema… showing her all his nifty toys.
The concert was great (Buddy Guy always rocks), I actually made it to see Bettye Lavette, who went on right before Buddy Guy. She performed with Jon Bon Jovi at the inauguration of President Obama, but she was sooo much better live!
We had a great time, and on Sunday, we all went out to brunch. B-Boy was so good, and we ordered for him from the menu. This was the first time he ate at a restaurant food that was not prepared by me… and he did so well! I ordered a pancake for him since he loves them so much. When it came, I must say Neb and I were both shocked at how big it was! It had to be at least 12 inches across!
B-Boy ate about three fourths of the pancake, but once we pulled him out of the high chair, we noticed there was a large crumby mess in his lap! He probably ate about two-thirds of the pancake in all, and we all left suprised at how much he ate.
That was pretty much the weekend. Music, family and food. Yay!
B-Boy, future engineer?
B-Boy and I made a quick stop at the grocery store on the way home.
He decided that his car seat needed another safety feature, an air bag that could also function as a drum to pass the time and make a fun noise. When we got back in the car, he put his new design to work. What do you think, do we have a future engineer?
September 5, 2010
11 Months
Today, B-Boy is 11 months old. Wow. In just one month, we will be able to turn his car seat around, and a whole new world will open up for us in the car. It’s hard to believe that this time last year, I was stressing about his soon-to-be arrival. The year has flown by very quickly.
We started the day by sleeping in. Ahhhhh, wonderful sleep. B-Boy seems to sense that it is a holiday weekend (it is Labor Day, after all)… so he was nice enough to sleep very late. Once he woke, he got his bottle and then we headed downstairs for breakfast. He ate 3 ounces of oatmeal and half a bananna while I made pancakes.
Which reminds me, in my last post, I forgot to mention that B-Boy LOVE LOVE LOVES pancakes. He gets a small amount of butter on top (no syrup), and it gets cuts into squares he can pick up himself. You want to see pure bliss? Watch B-Boy eat one of his Mama’s pancakes… a hint of vanilla and cinnamon make them quite yummy.
After breakfast, we played for a while and then went to the pool. It was a bit chilly in the water (the high today was supposed to be 85 degrees, perfect for outdoor activities, but it made the pool a bit cold). But we still had a blast. B-Boy really likes being in the water.
When we got home, B-Boy ate several ounces of eggplant and hamburger. He was quite the mess when he was done, which was actually ok because he went directly to the bathtub. Oh what fun he had with his toys in the tub today!
He then took the longest nap… it lasted about three hours. That is why you were able to get that last post about what he is eating now! When he woke, he ate some mangos and drank his formula from a cup. We then packed him up for a field trip. I found a park in our town that looked pretty nifty, so we decided to take him and see what we could do there.
We pushed him around the walking trail, until we found a nice fluffy patch of grass in the shade. We spread a blanket out and B-Boy played with his trucks on it while we got comfy. It was funny to watch B-Boy crawl around the blanket, as he treated the edge like a fence he should not cross… until he eventually did. He especially enjoyed crawling on his Daddy, and trying to take the camera out of my hand. It was interesting to watch him touch the grass and process what that felt like – it was his first time actually playing in the grass!
Neb got up and let B-Boy walk in the grass for a while. He would hold B-Boy’s hands up in the air, and B-Boy would take his steps one after another. He is doing most of the work now, Neb is just there mostly for balance… and cheering.
There was a playground area for kids 6 and under at the park. We spent some time there, and B-Boy and I went down the small slide together a few times. B-Boy is still unsure if it was fun or not. He was all smiles at the bottom, but the middle was a bit touch and go.
September 4, 2010
Another Solid Update
B-Boy is still a champion eater. He moves up to eat in the “Toddler Food Program” next week, which means that the cafe at my work will be providing his meals during the day. He will then be eating the same foods that the other two older children are eating, which he seems to want. We will still provide his foods for snack, but this will make it much easier to get out the door everyday!
His culinary world is about to open up quite a bit, as they will be serving him a lot more than what he has had in the past. That’s not to say he hasn’t had his share of different foods.
As a matter of fact, I think his teachers think I am crazy. Last week I sent in two foods that they considered a bit “odd”. B-Boy is nuts over hamburger, no suprise there. But they were shocked when I sent in sauted eggplant, cooked with onion, garlic powder, basil and black pepper. But he LOVES it…
Another thing he loves? Baked Teriyaki Tofu. My workBFF said her kids adored it, which is how I even came to know it existed. Good thing, because all I have to do to prepare it is remove it from the container and slice it into cubes. Easiest preperation EVER. And, he really really loves it.
How do I know? Because B-Boy makes this noise when he is eating happily. It’s a MMMmmmm noise, but with a higher pitch in the middle. It makes me giggle when he makes it, and it also makes me to copy the noise back. The noise is that infective.
And then he wiggles back and forth in his chair before shoving a piece into his mouth. Unless it is hamburger, becuase that gets shoved in his mouth in fistfulls. He likes it that much.
We also introduced fish- he really liked the grouper chunks I sauted in vegetable broth, but it sure stank up his daycare and our house at the same time. His first meat was ham, and I think he liked the salty taste. It was funny to see him enjoying it… it was the first time I saw him shove food in his mouth over and over.
We are in the process of getting B-Boy to like Kiwi. It is hit and miss at the moment.One day he likes it, the next day, he spits it out immediately.
He is doing really well with his veggies, especially when I started cooking them in my homemade chicken stock. Carrots, peas, green beans and zucchini are transformed cooked that way. He scarfs up his veggies!
But his favorite food overall would have to be Gerber Puffs. They are star shaped, and come in lots of different flavors. B-Boy loves to make them CRUNCH in his mouth. His favorite flavors are the cherry and sweet potato. When he first started eating them, he would pick one up gingerly and place it in his mouth. Now, he picks up fistfulls and puts as many in his mouth as he can. Usually a giant smile follows as if he is saying “See, I really like these!“.
I am proud that he is so adventurous with his eating… I hope it keeps up as he gets older. I can’t wait to introduce crab, shrimp and crawfish! Yum.
The Nebelito Gazette 