Clean Up

Logan was pitching a royal fit this morning because I wanted to put on his black sneakers (with velcro) instead of the blue and white ones (with shoelaces). I finally caved in because I didn't really feel like trying to argue with an almost 2-yr old and I knew he wouldn't yet understand the concept of "matching" black shoes with a black shirt (let alone how much easier it is to put on shoes with velcro!). All in due time.

In any case, once we were done putting on his shoes, I told him to take his black shoes and put them away in his room. I wasn't sure how far he'd get but I figured I'd give it a try.

Later, I walked into his room, having forgotten the instructions I had given him earlier, and found his shoe drawer left open with his black sneakers nicely piled on top. It made me laugh - that he knew where to put them and where they belonged, and that he couldn't bother with shutting the drawer or figuring out how to make the shoes fit. :)

Sicky

It's been awhile since any of us have been hit by a bug so I guess we were due. Nothing terrible, but it does seem like Logan's down with a little something. He had a really hard time sleeping last night - waking up every hour or two (lucky us!). So, Jon stayed home with him today just in case it got worse. Luckily, he's been in pretty good spirits all day. He's been a little more clingy than usual and running a slight temperature (by touch, whenever we take his temp however, it's nothing unusually high). But other than that, he's been his usual active happy self.

So, he's either sick or perhaps, it's just the change in weather? (thank GOD for cooler weather! I'm actually glad to see the fall has finally come) ;-)

Homeward Bound

Had a nice weekend visiting with several of Jon's family. Logan especially loved getting to know his older cousin Zachary (5 yrs old). The two boys were inseparable! Will upload pics later this week.

Family Reunion

On our way to Dillon Beach (a couple hrs north of the city) for a family reunion this weekend.

As we were packing up the car to head out, Logan climbed into the car, snapped himself into his seat, pointed to the driver's seat and said "Go!!". Jeez. Someone's impatient to see his aunts, uncles and grandparents I guess! ;-)

Nightmares?

Logan and I are at the park again. Doing more playing than watching Daddy at practice. ;-)

Last night Logan had a rough time sleeping, waking up crying every couple of hours. One of the times I went into his room he was face down crying into his mattress, still mostly asleep, but crying "my car! my car!". I can only imagine he was having a bad dream about someone taking away his precious car.

When I was thinking about posting on his bad dream today I realized I tend to post more about the bad than the good! Truth be told, we've been having a really good couple of weeks. Logan's finally found a rhythm at school, at home, with his sleep, etc. It's been very nice and we've all been basking in his wonderful behavior. But who wants to read about the good stuff all the time? So very boring. ;-)

Employee Discount

A local sports store sponsored a 20% discount "party" to Microsoft employees tonight, so we dropped by to get a few items for Jon's rugby habit.

Mr. Logan also scored an awesome winter jacket and beanie. :)

Eeewwww!

Total bed head hair this morning. Had to share... ;-)

Logan's new word is "ewww" for any food he doesn't like. It's usually accompanied with a toss of said food across the table. It's pretty cute - for right now. I'm sure it won't be after the 547th time.

Children's Discovery Museum

Last weekend Logan and I met up with Stacey, Mo and their daughter Maya for a play date at the Children's Discovery Museum. I have been talking about visiting the museum for months now, but we never seemed to get our act in gear. In any case, I'm glad we finally went because we had a blast! Logan's favorite by far was the water area - when I finally pulled him away so that we could see the rest of the museum he THREW. A. FIT.


The only draw back to the day was that we went too late (post naptime) - so we only got to spend about 1-1.5 hrs before the place closed - and Logan was again, UNHAPPY about that. He thought I was tearing him away from the best palace of toys ever, never to return again.

That made my mind up - plunk down some more cash and get a membership for the year.

So today, Logan and I went to the museum again, this time with Jenn and Robert. I'm not sure if Logan remembered everything from last time or not - but he seemed to enjoy the activities EVEN MORE today, if that's at all possible. :) I think it helped that I could coax him along by following Robert's (who he adores and calls "wa-wa") every move. ;-)


We also went when the place opened - and because we're now members, we got to enter during the exclusive "members only" hour before the rest of the public joined - which was super key. The place was MUCH less hectic and more open for the boys to explore and discover. And, easier on us Mamas chasing after them every few minutes! :)


I think the water area was still Logan's favorite activity - but he also enjoyed many of the other interactive learning stations, the arts and crafts room and climbing in the firetruck and ambulance. :) We ended the day with a bit of lunch before heading out, since the boys were starting to get that glassy-eyed tired look. Logan passed out within minutes on the ride home and had a great nap this afternoon to recover from the day. I didn't take too many pics from either visit - but the rest of the collection is linked from the pics above, in case you'd like to see more of the kiddos. :)

I'm very happy we decided to buy the membership (which also allows us to see other Children's Museums across the country - score!). I can see us visiting many more times to come. ;-)

Preschool Buddies

There are three boys that Logan has moved up together with at school, from the very beginning in infant class, to the pre-tots room, and now in the toddlers' room. Logan gets along with everyone and is famously friendly at school, but these four boys seem to be particularly more tight-knit than any of the other kids (it doesn't hurt that all four boys are definitely the rough and tumble push and shove kids of the bunch).

This week, one of the boys' mothers was picking her son up at the same time I was picking up Logan and grabbed me to show me a few pics and video she caught of our two boys that afternoon. They were so damn cute I immediately scribbled down my email address and made her send them to me.

(After seeing these pics I realized I better get Logan a haircut this weekend!)

Enjoy! :)

Welcome Amelia Jeanne

Our wonderful friends Eric and Jill just had their baby girl Amelia Jeanne last night!! We couldn't be more proud, excited and happy for the two of them - and of course, look forward to meeting Miss Amelia. :)

Congrats again Eric and Jill. You are going to be awesome parents! Can't wait to see you grow into your new roles over the next few weeks, months, years....

Playtime

At the park, waiting for Daddy to start rugby practice.

21 months old

A few days ago, Logan turned 21 months old. It was also his Daddy's birthday and for the last few days I feel like we've been doing an extended celebration for Jon instead. ;-) We had a nice evening with friends on Thursday night, my parents took us out to dinner at La Milpa on Friday night - Delicious! Logan then showed off his train set to his grandparents late into the evening until it was time for bed. Saturday we got a large number of friends together for a big dinner at the Taiwan Restaurant, walked to one of our favorite frozen yogurt shops for dessert, and then hung out at our place for a little bit before we then took off to see the movie 9 (interesting and entertaining).

But this post was supposed to be about Logan!

Last seen with Odin's cone on his head

We're pretty sure this was a big growing month for Logan. Several nights, he's had trouble sleeping. I even blogged about it here and here. But, just last week his body finally decided to right itself and we had a couple of the most glorious mornings ever, when he slept in 'til 8am one morning (holy cow!) and then 8:30am the next (unheard of!!).

Buckled himself in and then CRASH! Toppled over trying to get out. :)

Besides putting on the inches this month, or perhaps because of it, he's actually calmed down some. Just a little. But not too much. He's been more and more interested in his books, and will now sit with you on the couch or bed asking you to read to him. Or, he'll ask you to help him practice drawing letters with his favorite retractable pen (that he loves to push in and out on your arm, fingers, face, whatever). Or, he'll sit on your lap watching random funny video, after video, after video.


And when the funny has run out, he's mesmerized by the brilliant score (created by Amanda's hubby Jesse! woohoo!) to the latest LucasArts game. If it weren't for the work calls that I had to take each morning this weekend, I think he would have stayed on my lap asking me for "more" YouTube videos all day long. ;-)


Besides his cute cuddly persona, we still see flashes of the obstinate "terrible twos". It may be 100 degrees outside but goddamn it Mommy, I want to wear the big black thick soled tennis shoes with SOCKS. And, I may have just spilled spaghetti sauce on the front of my shirt but I want to keep it on - because it has CARS Mommy, CARS! Don't you see? It has CARSsssss! Or, I want to eat with a grown up fork and knife, because they are cool and shiny and hey! they make neat sounds when I bang them together JUST. LIKE. THIS.

Or, I refuse to leave the play yard at school because I'm having sooooo much fun with my friends and isn't it soooooo funny when I run away from you and you have to chase me down just so we can go home? And I know that the new train set you got me will still be home when I get back but I MUST HAVE THIS BLUE TRAIN CAR clutched to my chest all morning long during the drive to school and will you JUST give me my JUICE JUICE JUICE please?


I'm okay with giving into the smaller things that he insists on, but he's definitely learning the hard way that some things aren't up for negotiation. Like, the annoying little habit he's recently picked up when he isn't happy with something I've said or asked him to do.

When that happens, he tries to hit me.

*Cue: Let the hitting (of parents) begin!

Or, not really.

And that's where all the cuteness that is Logan just stops dead in its tracks. And Logan and I have a down-at-his-level loud, stern, steam rising from my ears, in-your-face heart to heart. He's tried it a couple of times but has quickly realized hitting me is not going to fly. Hopefully I've been able to nip it in the bud early, but only time will tell.

The good news is, he's a great listener and you usually only have to tell him once or twice before he quickly understands what he can and cannot do.

That doesn't mean he won't keep trying but at least we know he knows. ;-)

Kim has a very similar pic of me like this (from college days).
I'll have to scan it in at some point.

Happy Birthday Daddy!

Today is Jon's birthday (as well as Uncle Kai's) - we tried all day to get Logan to say "Happy Birthday Daddy" but it didn't quite work. Ehhh, there's always next year. ;-)

We had a nice evening of pizza and homemade cake (thanks Kim!) with a couple friends at the Hickson's house tonight. We'll be having a much bigger celebration with all of our friends this weekend that should be fun (no kids!).

Hope you had a nice birthday Jon - we love you!

Chinese Settlers

I feel like the weekend just FLEW by! And, after only one day back at work (it was actually an all-day training class), I'm ready for the weekend again. ;-)

Saturday Logan and I pretty much bummed it at home all day while Jon took the day to himself, hanging out with some of his work buddies at a nearby work function, going to the gym and running some errands. That night we went to Armadillo Willy's for dinner and Logan LOVED the food and stuffed himself silly! Sunday morning Logan and I met up with the Jodoins and Chouns at Vasona Park to ride the train (while Jon got our car serviced). Logan was enthralled with the whole experience so we actually went twice. ;-) I didn't bring my camera but hopefully I'll get a few copies from friends...

Afterward, we all RACED to Stacks for a noon-time reservation (where Jon met up with us) and enjoyed a really delicious brunch. Again, Logan did a great job at eating! (tho, he's a very slow eater, like his Mommy, and was the last one at the table). Once we were done it was well past naptime. The Chouns headed home and we invited ourselves over to the Jodoin's house :) to put the boys down and then play a game of Settlers (what a surprise). We had a really nice visit; Logan always loves playing with Robert!

Monday was my day "off" so I left Daddy and Logan to hang out (I think they went to the mall and ran errands and played outside) while I met up with my good friend Catherine.


We had lunch in the city and then went on the Chinatown Walking Tour. We weren't sure what to expect but we had SO MUCH FUN. It was about a 2.5 hr walk (so I was pretty tired and my back was a wee bit sore afterward) but it was extremely interesting and the history of the city was so fascinating. We definitely walked away with a new level of respect for the city!

(I took MANY pics along the way - click on any of these to get to the full album.)

Thanks again for a wonderful day Catherine! What's next on our list?? ;-)

Abuelita and Aunt Sarah Visit

I'm finally catching up with the week and have such blogger's guilt for not posting pics and a story about Logan's Abuelita and Aunt Sarah's visit over the weekend that I'll be damned if I don't post about it tonight, before I pass out on the couch watching The Soup. ;-)

Abuelita and Abuelito Riedy, and Aunt Sarah, moved from Washington state, down to Burbank (LA) to be closer to the family and grandkids. While on their drive down this weekend, they passed through the Bay Area to visit with us. Abuelito Riedy wasn't able to stay unfortunately, because he needed to get set up in LA and then ready for work in San Diego by Monday. But, we did have a really nice visit with Abuelita and Aunt Sarah.

Saturday morning we went to Logan's friend Maya's 2nd birthday party.


The party was at a nearby Color Me Mine pottery studio and I thought Abuelita and Aunt Sarah would enjoy coming with us to watch Logan get his art on.


He had an okay time painting his ceramic plate. He certainly wasn't impressed with Mommy trying to help out. Oh well. :) Hopefully it comes out! We ate a little pizza and cake before calling it a day (it was way past naptime).


While Logan napped, Jon and I introduced Alicia and Sarah to a game of Settlers. mwahahahaha

Jon won, of course, but we had a really good time. When Logan woke, we decided to try an early dinner at our favorite Ethiopian restaurant, Zeni. Because we went before the crowds gathered, we lucked out, got a table right away and had a really nice meal (it was Alicia and Sarah's first time trying Ethiopian and I think they liked it!).


Logan had a great time visiting with Abuelita and Aunt Sarah but I think his most favorite part of all was "helping" Abuelita walk with her cane.


It was the most precious thing ever and he INSISTED on doing it any time we were out and about. :)


Sunday we had brunch at our favorite local spot, Stacks. Aunt Catherine, Uncle Danny and Nadia all drove down from San Francisco to join us as well. We had a great time chowing down on yummy food. Logan was the center of attention and loved it. After brunch, we said our goodbyes as everyone needed to hit the road to continue the rest of their drive down to LA.

That afternoon we relaxed around the house, did some chores, and checked out a local toy shop to compare various wooden train sets. Jon has been wanting to get Logan a train set since he was born - and seeing how well he took to Robert's train set only solidified that goal. We compared the different brands out there, let Logan play with a few himself, and then went home to find a great deal online. ;-)

Oh ok Mommy I still love you...

What a faker.

Mean Mommy!

See those huge tears? That's a result of tearing my son away from the new train set we just got him so that we could go to swim class (he does the same when we need to leave for school in the morning).

Another Growth Spurt?

I have so much blogging to catch up on but let me tell you I'm still fighting a damn cold (why I'm behind on blogging), I'm tired as hell (read below) and I'm starving (it's 2 hrs past lunchtime!).

So, here goes...quick update of the last couple of days....

Logan hasn't been sleeping as well lately. I mentioned a hellish night or two while Jon was out of town last week. He continued to have trouble through the weekend. He's just been off a little. Not every night is bad, but every other night. Or maybe every other other night.

So, night before last we put him down as usual. Nothing out of the ordinary. Only, about 12:30 or 1am (our memory is fuzzy on the details), he wakes up crying. Jon gets a bottle ready, rocks him back to sleep and lays him down in his crib, and crawls back into bed with me. Only, Logan wakes up again about 20 minutes later (now it's about 2am). It's my turn. I go in to rock him and soothe him and try to get him back to sleep. We sit there and I slowly get him to a drowsy state, about AN HOUR later. I lay him down in his crib and he falls asleep.

Take 3. It's about 3:15am or so, and he wakes up crying again. I had just gotten back into bed. So Jon rolls over and gets up.

Jon's a little ticked by now. It's super late (he had stayed up late too, which of course, doesn't help) and Logan's not falling back to sleep on his own. He stomps into the kitchen to warm another bottle and stomps back into the room to take care of Logan. Meanwhile, I can't sleep with all the stomping and cussing-under-his-breath so I get up and go in to take over.

Of course, we're arguing about who's turn it is to take care of Logan. Don't yell or you'll upset him even more I'M NOT YELLING YES YOU ARE while Logan's crying and upset, and we're just getting twisted into one tight little family knot. It's not a great situation to be in. We're all cranky and tired and GODDAMMIT KID WOULD YOU JUST GO TO SLEEP.

So, I go back to bed - but I don't really fall asleep because I know Jon's seething in the other room and I can hear Logan just babbling and all cheery and bright eyed like it's NOT 3 fucking 30 in the morning.

About 3:45am Jon gave up - I think. Because next thing I hear is the friendly pitter patter of Logan's feet. He runs into our room, climbs up onto our bed and just rolls around laughing and having a grand ol' time. He was in the BEST mood ever. Perhaps he knew he had finally won over both parents.

Jon moves to the office to actually work - because he was supposed to be up by 5am and out of the house by 6am - so why try to get some sleep now?

Meanwhile I've got bouncy hyper energetic Logan in our room and I'm half awake. I pat on the bed to tell him to come lay down with Mommy (since sometimes he'll fall asleep with us) and he responds with a huge grin and a saucy little "no!" He runs away, down the hall, and into the living room to play with his toys.

In case you didn't get that, he ran into the living room TO PLAY WITH HIS TOYS.

At least when he's crying and upset and WANTS to sleep, we can keep him contained to his room, rock him and he can just be as clingy as he wants on us. But when he's bright eyed and bushy tailed when it's pitch dark and the moon's still out, it's just not right.

I finally gave up, fell back to sleep sometime after 4am and Logan sat on Jon's lap watching him work until he finally fell asleep on Jon himself. It was about 5:30am.

Jon laid him down in his crib, kissed me goodbye, and left for work, the poor guy.

Logan, on the other hand, slept until 9am that morning and then had a WONDERFUL day at school afterward.

Last night, Jon mentioned to me that he thought Logan must be going through another growth spurt. Since, during that horrific night, he had downed 3-4 full bottles. I hadn't realized we had gone through that many bottles, but I think he may be right; since last night, Logan woke up again at 1:30am, sucked a bottle down dry and then promptly fell back to sleep on my chest.

Hopefully tonight we'll be back on track....