This is the third official week of summer (defined by when Daddy ends the school year). We've already had many adventures . . . trips to Half Moon Bay, visiting Daddy at Jazz Camp in Pescadero, fun with the Scarsdale clan, and more. Theo is so curious and aware of everything around him. The other day he was babbling enthusiastically when he suddenly exclaimed "My mommy drinks coffee and wine!" Um, gee, I guess there's no hiding your vices with a 2-year-old around!
Last night, Theo went to his first pro baseball game--the Oakland A's vs. the Baltimore Orioles, with daddy, Grandpa Weinmann, Uncle Barry and Riley. Apparently he was very into the jumbo-tron and the hot dogs. All day today he's been talking about "hitting the ball like the Oakland As." It's cute, but I must confess that I find baseball very boring . . . so I hope he develops more of a passion for basketball! But not football. Mark my words, my son is NOT playing football. . .
Yesterday our little family went to the Healdsburg Jazz Festival and enjoyed some lovely Brazilian music in the park. They had all these beach balls scattered around the field for the kids ... and daddy and Theo played beach ball soccer. Theo was caught on camera by a professional photographer who emailed us the photos . . . too cute!
One of Theo's best qualities is his affectionate disposition. He is generous with hugs and kisses, especially for mommy. He likes to hold hands and even caresses my face sometimes when he's going to sleep. As you can see here, when given the opportunity he will even kiss himself!
Last week Theo climbed up on top of his dresser when he was supposed to be sleeping . . . he pulls my hair now when he doesn't get what he wants . . . he pees through his nighttime diaper every night . . . he won't eat anything consistently except pepperoni (gross) . . . he likes to bounce his super ball into the kitchen sink . . . he bursts into tears one minute and laughter the next . . . it can take him 10 minutes to walk up our back stairs . . .
First, you climb up on the table. Then, you wave the stick around and try to hit the ball. Who cares if you accidentally hit mommy in the eye? It's even more fun if you have "Sweet Home Alabama" playing in the background and your mommy shows you how to shake your booty. Silly mommy.
Theo really got into the whole Easter egg hunt thing this year. He loved running around and finding all the plastic eggs and then popping them open and watching all the goldfish spill out. My moms group had a brunch/egg hunt with all the two-year-olds, which was truly adorable. And then we had a hunt in mom's backyard with Josh and Eli, and then another with Rose and Riley at Rossmoor. That's a lot of goldfish! Luckily, that's just about all he eats these days so he was pretty happy.
. . . stop and smell those roses! There's nothing better than a 2-year-old to help you live in the moment.
How cute are my boys? I'm sure Jeff will not appreciate me blogging his nakedness, but I couldn't resist. Do you LOVE the pink tile? Can you say "remodel as soon as possible?"
• The Lawrence Hall of Science
• Elmo • Pizza at Jupiter (the kind with pesto, olives and chicken)
• His mommy (he hugs me all day!)
Every day I think about my boy, and all the wonderful things he brings to our lives. But I don't know how to blog about it in a way that captures it, and so I just don't. OK, no more of that. No more worrying about being interesting or funny or unusual. . . . here we go.
Here I sit, inside Jeff's car, inside our garage, while Theo sleeps in his carseat. It's almost 5 pm on a lovely Sunday afternoon, and he's been asleep almost two hours. We just can't get him to nap on his mattress now that the crib is gone . . . it's a problem. And if he doesn't nap, well, that's a BIGGER problem. So one of us will put him in the car between 1 and 2 pm and just . . . drive. He'll eventually drift off, and then we can park somewhere and read or work (thank God for my laptop). I know this is a phase, and like so many others it will pass.
Ok, so this post is a little late. OK, it's a lot late. Theo turned two on January 12, and he's such a big boy. He's become quite independent (won't hold my hand on the sidewalk), adamant (loves to say "no" for no reason) and picky (about eating). Here's a glimpse of the little birthday party we had for him.
As we approach the new year, sure to be a momentous one, I am reflecting on the changes all around me. Of course, we have a new President (yeah!), a recession (blah!), and technology that changes so fast it makes my head spin. And, in our own little world, we have an almost-two-year-old who now speaks in complete phrases ("I don't want it", "Watch, mom", "I make macaroni and cheese", etc.), sits on the potty, and has outgrown his crib. Yes, that's right: last week he crawled out of the crib. Scary. So yesterday we donated the crib and changing table to a very nice woman who is 5 1/2 months along. And last night, for the very first time, Theo slept on his "big boy bed" (which is just his little crib mattress on the floor). It was a process to get him to stay in bed . . . but after 2 hours of jumping, running all around, screaming when I locked the door and left . . .he was fast asleep. I just can't believe how quickly he's changing. Sigh.
This article describes exactly what Jeff and I are beginning to deal with as white parents raising an African American child. I'd love it if all my friends and family read it.
"What I'd ask parents is, are you willing to be the uncomfortable one?" Goller-Sojourner says. This is how he'd question a prospective parent if he were a social worker. "Because somebody's gonna be uncomfortable, and it seems the burden is on you. You have to be the uncomfortable one."
He means that if white parents of black children, for instance, don't live in black neighborhoods, join black churches, have black friends, and send their children to significantly mixed-race schools, then at least they should cross the thresholds into black barbershops even though it's awkward, or drive out of their way to shop at grocery stores in black neighborhoods. Parents should be careful to raise their children to live in this world, not the one they wish existed.
"If you're buying a house and you have a dog, don't you spend more time looking for a big old yard for your dog?" he says. "Love is but one of many components of parenting. You're raising children to live in a world that may not be your world. If you go to the pound, they won't just give you a dog. There are rules. They'll say, 'That dog's not good for your house, we'll get you another dog.' But when you ask that question about kids, people freak out."
To read the whole article (and I hope you will!), click here:
http://www.thestranger.com/seattle/Content?oid=787542
- All of the sudden Theo likes to say "I suck." (Ahhhh . . . I did teach him about using a straw, but . . . )
- Theo pronounces "fork" more like another 4-letter word that starts with "f." Such fun when we're in a restaurant ("want f--k! want f--k!")
- Riding on daddy's shoulders
- The bass
- Charles Mingus
- The guitar
- Pat Metheny
- Macaroni and Cheese
- Drums
- Turning anything into a drum by pounding on it with sticks
- "He's Got the Whole World in his Hands"
- Climbing
- Hugging
- Kissing the European way -- once on each cheek (where did he learn this???)
What a night. What a day in history. What a time to be raising an African American boy! Wow.
Halloween was one fun day and night. Theo attended his brousins' school parade during the afternoon, and danced happily to the sound of the band (which Eli is a part of). Then the three of us attended my mom's group celebration at 5, and beamed at all the cute almost-two-year-olds . . . and then we went to the Lonners', where Theo was thrilled to give out candy to all the trick-or-treaters. Every time the door bell rang, Mr. Alphabet Soup ran to the door, opened it, carefully got one piece of candy at a time from the bucket and placed it painstakingly into each kid's bag. It took FOREVER, especially when there was a whole group at the door. But he absolutely loved it.
