Patrick has grown from a sweet baby to an inquisitive toddler in no time at all. Overall, he an easy-going kid. Of course he has the occasional tantrum, but is usually quickly distracted. He has adapted well to school, and is comfortable in crowds, although he does tend to clam up around strangers. He's pretty independent, but comes back to check in with one of us often. He tends to be very enthusiastic (we often hear "oooo-ooooo" when he sees something new or interesting), and although he went though a brief "no" phase, his favorite word these days is "yesss." The boy doesn't like to share, and is going through an unfortunate "no kisses!" phase, but is otherwise loving, quick to grab a hand or snuggle in a lap. It'll be interesting to see how his personality develops even further...
Patrick is not a morning person. Our biggest struggles these days involve getting him dressed and out the door in the morning. Like his parents, he'd rather sleep in and lounge around in jammies all day. At night, he is the master of the stall tactics, requesting book after book. Sometimes he'll ask for the potty to stall even further. After lights-out, he insists on an elaborate ritual of kisses, noses, head-butts, and hugs, both for himself and Babick (his blankie).
Eager to learn, Patrick recognizes all the letters and numbers, can sing the ABC song (minus E and MNO), and count to twelve, or sometimes twenty (the teens are hit or miss). He knows his shapes and colors, and wants to know the name for everything. He speaks the occasional full sentence, but mostly uses phrases.
He's obsessed with Curious George (books and television show), and also loves Thomas, Maisy, Sesame Street, and Signing Time. He still loves books; his current favorite is Harold and the Purple Crayon. His favorite song is "Kosty Snowman" (Frosty). Quite the sports fan, he enjoys playing with footballs, his baseball bat and glove, soccer balls... and pink pom-pons.
We've had a wonderful two years watching our little boy grow, and look forward to cherishing every new development.
Tuesday, December 30, 2008
Saturday, December 20, 2008
Friday, December 19, 2008
Sunday, December 14, 2008
Making Wrapping Paper
No heat and limited power today due to the ice storm, so no baking as planned. A perfect day for painting projects...
Christmas Tree Farm
What a great age for Christmas! Patrick can't get over the fact that we have an actual tree in the house. "Oooo-oooo, tree... in house!!" every time he enters the dining room...
Sunday, December 7, 2008
Friday, November 28, 2008
Thursday, November 27, 2008
Monday, November 24, 2008
Pizza Oven!
After years of research, discussion, and countless elaborate plans, Michael and Chuck whipped up a prototype in a couple of hours. The pizza was very tasty!
Sunday, November 16, 2008
Saturday, November 15, 2008
Sunday, November 9, 2008
Neighborhood SoupFest
We invited the neighbors over for a pot-luck soup and bread gathering. A wonderful opportunity to meet new friends, and catch up with the old...
Monday, November 3, 2008
Sunday, November 2, 2008
Corn Dogs
Michael and Annie conspired to deep fry Annie's Halloween candy. The Three Musketeers was actually quite tasty...
Saturday, November 1, 2008
Friday, October 31, 2008
Happy Halloween!
Yoda joined Luke and Darth for Halloween insanity on Park Street in Kennebunk. Patrick quickly learned to hold out his pumpkin for a treat, but he said "trick-or-treat" only to Mama...
Thursday, October 30, 2008
22 Months
Patrick's language skills continue to grow. He constantly amazes us with words we didn't know he knew. "Octopus," "violin," "matches," "hippopotamus." He creates a running narration of his day -- "run," "kick," "kiss," "push," "open," "hug." He's starting to use adjectives with almost every noun, usually big/small or colors. "Big am-blance," "small am-blance," "loud train," "big rock," "red truck," "yellow bus."
His first color was orange ("or-nange pum-kin"), but he knows most of the rest now and loves to point them out in everything he sees. He still confuses purple with pink.
Patrick has counted to ten on his own several times, but only when he doesn't think we're listening. When asked to count, he'll just laugh. Michael still thinks Robin's making it up...
Our picky eater still loves bread, cheese, and fruit. Still won't touch vegetables or most meat. Asks for "mama's coo-kies" (pumpkin raisin oatmeal), "big cheese" (slices, not cut up), "open" milk (without the sippy lid), and "mama moo" (yogurt).
His favorite activity these days is helping Daddy "cook" in the kitchen. He'll pull over a stool, climb "up high," and ask for a bowl and spoon. He has fun with the toy kitchen and play food we found on Craigslist, but prefers the real thing. He'll be making breakfast for Mama in no time!
He also loves to play with trains, especially since Grampy and Bubbie's visit. The Thomas books are some of his favorites.
Patrick still watches Sesame Street from time to time, but Signing Time is back to being his favorite. Most mornings, he'll request either the "farm" or "choo-choo train" (zoo) episode so he can see all of the animals. He enjoys making the appropriate noises.
He also loves to sit on Mama's lap and look at "pic-purs" on the computer. He breaks into a big grin when he sees family members appear on the screen. "Bar-bra" was the first name he used consistently, but he's mastered all of the grandparents' and cousins' names by now. He still has some trouble with the other aunts and uncles, but that will come as he spends more time with them.
"Pap-ick's bab-ik" (Patrick's blankie) continues to be the favorite at bedtime. It's the green alien blanket that Auntie Tamara made. He still sleeps from 8-8:30 to 7:30-8:00 (or 6:30 or 9:00). He also still takes a long afternoon nap from 12:30ish to 3:30ish. He's very slow to wake up, making it difficult to get out of the house in the morning!
Once out of the house, he enjoys school, music class, toddler hikes, storytime at the library, or just trips to the store...
His first color was orange ("or-nange pum-kin"), but he knows most of the rest now and loves to point them out in everything he sees. He still confuses purple with pink.
Patrick has counted to ten on his own several times, but only when he doesn't think we're listening. When asked to count, he'll just laugh. Michael still thinks Robin's making it up...
Our picky eater still loves bread, cheese, and fruit. Still won't touch vegetables or most meat. Asks for "mama's coo-kies" (pumpkin raisin oatmeal), "big cheese" (slices, not cut up), "open" milk (without the sippy lid), and "mama moo" (yogurt).
His favorite activity these days is helping Daddy "cook" in the kitchen. He'll pull over a stool, climb "up high," and ask for a bowl and spoon. He has fun with the toy kitchen and play food we found on Craigslist, but prefers the real thing. He'll be making breakfast for Mama in no time!
He also loves to play with trains, especially since Grampy and Bubbie's visit. The Thomas books are some of his favorites.
Patrick still watches Sesame Street from time to time, but Signing Time is back to being his favorite. Most mornings, he'll request either the "farm" or "choo-choo train" (zoo) episode so he can see all of the animals. He enjoys making the appropriate noises.
He also loves to sit on Mama's lap and look at "pic-purs" on the computer. He breaks into a big grin when he sees family members appear on the screen. "Bar-bra" was the first name he used consistently, but he's mastered all of the grandparents' and cousins' names by now. He still has some trouble with the other aunts and uncles, but that will come as he spends more time with them.
"Pap-ick's bab-ik" (Patrick's blankie) continues to be the favorite at bedtime. It's the green alien blanket that Auntie Tamara made. He still sleeps from 8-8:30 to 7:30-8:00 (or 6:30 or 9:00). He also still takes a long afternoon nap from 12:30ish to 3:30ish. He's very slow to wake up, making it difficult to get out of the house in the morning!
Once out of the house, he enjoys school, music class, toddler hikes, storytime at the library, or just trips to the store...
Monday, October 20, 2008
Patrick's First School Picture
School pictures were taken on a Monday, a day he doesn't usually go in. In hindsight, it would have been better to drop Patrick off for the photo shoot. Because Mommy and Daddy were there, he was distracted and would not cooperate. He was all smiles as soon as we left...
Patrick loves his teachers Kristen, Cassie, and Alicia. The friends he mentions most often are Maya (in butterfly jumper) and Gretchen (in pink).
Patrick loves his teachers Kristen, Cassie, and Alicia. The friends he mentions most often are Maya (in butterfly jumper) and Gretchen (in pink).
Sunday, October 19, 2008
Friday, October 17, 2008
Article in the Times Union
Dr. Michael Dailey, Regional EMS Medical Director, holds a traditional syringe at the Watervliet Fire Department in Watervliet Thursday, Oct. 16. (Philip Kamrass / Times Union)
Read the article here: http://www.timesunion.com/AspStories/story.asp?storyID=730308
Down on the Farm
With Grampy and Bubbie visiting from Virginia, we spent a fun, chilly morning at Indian Ladder Farms. We sampled apples and cider, pointed out tractors and school buses, and visited all of the animals.
Choo-Choos with Grampy
Patrick didn't know what to think when two trains went whizzing by, but they clearly made an impression. Just before bed, he was talking about "two choo-choo trains; loud choo-choo trains"...
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