Trying a new way to blog. From my phone! Stay tuned to see how well technology and I get along

Pumpkins

Today Gus is 21 months old. I can't believe how much older he is looking. He doesn't even look like a baby anymore. Gus just looks like a little boy. He tries to act like a big boy, too

Gus also is talking more. He has several words now including Momma (my favorite!), Pop-pop, up ball, teeth, and the old faithful, HOT! I didn't want to add more American Signs to his repertoire, but since he is taking so long to learn how to speak, I feel it almost necessary to prevent utter frustration to both mom and toddler. He can point up and down, sign for more, milk, water, bananas, cookies. And now, he can sign for "help." This has been crucial. I also think it is pretty cool that he understands an abstract word like help.

Finally, Gus is doing really well in school. I love the fact that his school keeps the kids outside as much as they can. This usually comprises of a couple of hours in the morning and the afternoon. Due to the cooler weather, this time will decrease each day. However, I was told to bring in snow boots and pants because they do take them out in the snow as well.

Bruiser AND Bully

Just in the last couple of weeks, Gus has finally started picking up some words! For 20 months, he only said "hot". I've heard from many people that 1) this is normal for a boy and 2) "Connie, once he starts, you'll wish he would stop." Even my pediatrician wanted me to come back in unless he had at least 3 words by the end of August. Well, here it is the first week of October and he can say "out", "Pah!" (which is how he says "up" so I hope this counts!) and my favorite, "ma ma ma ma ma".

Gus is in school now. It is an actual preschool and they have a room for Toddlers. This is affectionately referred to as Toddieland. Gus loves all of his new friends. Unfortunately, Gus shows his love in not so nice ways. Okay, I admit it. My kid is a bully. If a kid has something that belongs to Gus, he pushes the kid down in order to get his toy back. If a kid has a toy that Gus was recently playing with, he pushes the kid down to get the toy. If a kid is playing with any toy that Gus wants to have no matter who the toy belongs to, Gus pushes the kid down. Remember, Gus is like 100% for height, so he has some force in his pushes. While I am glad that my boy is not a biter, I think there is equal shame in having a "pusher" for a kid. Nobody wants to have their kid play with a mean bully. Then, the teachers at Toddieland decided to teach Gus gentle hugs. Gus was all over the gentle hugs. Except he'd run up to the little kid with such enthusiasm and excitement that he'd end up giving the little kids a chest bump. And since Gus is twice the size, the kid would end up in the next room. I don't think that Gus is actually mean, I think he just is, well, a toddler. I'm hoping we can teach Gus to be more gentle!

I'm having a great time spending the weekend with Gus. Here he is playing in my yard and at the playground, showing off his Hokie Gear.

Bruiser

As Gus gets older, he acts more like a boy. He's rough and tough and falls a lot. He's already had to get his lip glued together a few months ago. I guess they glue instead of suturing. That was "Gus vs. Door Frame".

For the sequel "Gus vs. the Deck" he caused major panic and trauma to his poor Momma. His cousins were visiting for the weekend so they got to bear witness to this accident. As did my next door neighbor who was outside with me when it happened. Gus misstepped off the deck backwards and bumped his chin. I picked him up and he had a little blood coming out of his mouth. Well, Connie the super nurse had witnessed Gus biting his tongue only a couple of weeks ago. That time, it stopped bleeding within minutes. This time, the blood started spewing everywhere. Heidi ran to get me a towel and she came back with this horrified look on her face. Blood was everywhere! I finally got him into the house and he had swallowed so much blood he started puking blood up.

This is about when super nurse Connie panicked. Logically, it made sense that the tongue is vascular and bleeds easily and a lot. It made sense since he had a big hole in his tongue that it was bleeding hard for a reason. And it made sense that he was swallowing so much blood and the stomach is sensitive to the blood so the person will throw it up. Finally, I knew that they do not put sutures in tongues (or glue for that matter) because tongues heal very fast. Yes, it all seemed to logical. Except I was the mom and this was my baby and it all was happening so fast. I shamefully admit that I called the pediatrician. The pediatrician told me what I already knew. She prescribed Gus to eat Popsicles until it stopped bleeding. Heidi was nice enough to go buy some Popsicles. Gus at about 5 of those little mini ones which stopped the bleeding quite nicely. Eli is such a good cousin, he took the medicine as well and at Popsicles right along side baby Gus.

Hanging out in Pop Pop's van

Playing on the playground

Nearly amputated tongue the day after

Bedtime Ritual

Now that I am going to write more often, I have to think of specific things to talk about that most people don't care about. But if you love Gus and me enough to read this blog, then maybe you will like my boring topics!

Its funny how certain routines have come to be. Seems like I don't set the routines, but Gus and I do it together. Take for instance his bedtime routine. Most nights, Gus gets a bath before bed. Then he gets his PJs on and I make him his milk and take him down to his room. About 6 months ago I bought this over-sized leather-like chair for his room. If you are a new parent and don't have a reading chair in your room, you are missing out on some good times. Here is Gus in his chair. Here he is by himself but usually we are snuggled on the chair together reading. I asked him to model his reading chair with his milk, book and Peter (Peter is the name of his lovey).

Gus lets me read him books like "Goodnight Moon", "I love you because you are you" and "Brown Bear, Brown Bear". Yes, I use the word "let" me. I have to bribe him to let me read him these books. If he had it his way, we'd only read truck (ckkkkkkkkkkkkkkkk) and train (choo choo) books. His favorite is "100 First Machines". Gus sits on my lap, drinks his milk, and we read book. After that, Gus and I run down the hall to the bathroom. He is so cute, he stops in front of the steps and very gently sets his empty milk cup on the step for me to bring up stairs. Then, he brushes his own teeth. . . with a motorized electric toothbrush. Those boys and their toys!
Finally, after brushing his teeth, he turns it off, and places it on the sink. Then he literally sprints back down the hall to his room and tries to climb into his crib. What a good little boy! He loves going to bed with Peter and his music. He looks up at me and I can see his eyes that he is saying, "Don't let the door hit your butt on the way out, Mom!"

With that, I close the door and night night Gussie! And that is our bedtime routine.

Boy Meets Trucks

As I said before, Gus still doesn't talk. At 19 months, he is a little delayed, but this is his trend. He has a handful of signs that I taught him: milk, water, banana, cookie, more, done, dog, cat, bird. He refuses to learn animal sounds. The only one he will repeat is snake (which says "ssssssssss"). The kid has made up his own words for a few different vehicles. For instance, for train he says, "choo choo" or for fire engine he says "woooo woooo woooo" and finally, for his all time favorite trucks he says, "ckkkkkkkkkk."

I find it so amazing that as a boy he loves trucks and balls. I give him dolls and stuffed animals, but he will not play with them. He only wants to throw rocks and push trucks. Isn't it funny how we don't push gender roles on children, they inherently know them? While Gus is drawn naturally to boy stuff, he has no understanding of "boy colors." He loves to play with his pink car which makes my guy friends cringe.

Gus loves his trucks. He just got a very large metal Tonka Dump Truck from his grandmother. Gus loves this truck because 1) its big with big wheels which makes it easy to push around 2) it carries a lot of rocks and 3) the large wheel give the truck the ability to go down hills very very fast. Gus pushes the truck to top of hills and then gently rocks it back and forth as if he was counting 1-2-3 and then gives it a good shove. That truck goes coasting down the hill very fast until it gains so much momentum that it flips over crashing. Of course, the crashing is just as fun as watching it go down the hill. Gus is all boy!

19 Months

He gets the brow furrowing from his Mom!

Gus loves his tractors (or riding lawn mowers)

My little toddler is 19 months already! We just returned from a whirlwind trip cross country. This time, Gus and I drove to Virginia and back. Well, I drove and Gus chilled in the back seat watching movies and eating lollipops. What I discovered on this 3 week trip is that I have the best little boy ever. Of course, I am a little biased. Seriously though, that kid rocks. He rarely to never cried. In fact, he laughs pretty much non-stop. And he eats EVERYTHING. Each way driving took us 4 days. He sat contently playing with trucks I tossed to him from the front seat and watching Blues Clues.

Gus walks but he won't talk. His only word is "hot". My boy won't even say Momma. Most toddlers his age have at least 3 words minimum. Most have more than that. I believe he won't talk because he doesn't have to. I give him all he needs. He is a well loved little Gus.