Morning with Dadoo

Dear Henry,
Dadoo loves getting you up since in the last two months you've perfected his technique.  I wonder why?  I love peekin' around the corner to see you guys giggling your way through it.  Look at those smiles.
Love, Mama

Down, Down, Over

Dear Henry, 
Down, Down, Over...these are the words I used Monday as I held your chub of a paw, wrapped around a pen inside my hand.  I guided your hand 5 or 6 times on a post it note to mark your first H for Henry, ever.  I was trying to divert your attention from my computer and thought, eh, why not try.  So I made a few for you, guided you, then said, "Now see if you can do it yourself baby."  And guess what?!  You did.  We practiced again yesterday.  I was gloating about your skill when Grandma P and Bahboo picked you up for a couple of nights sleep over so I could recover from having Shingles .  I sat you down in your booster seat and put paper in front of you and said, "Henny, make an H for them, draw them an H."  and... YOU DID!  Whilst saying, "down, down.o"  You were so proud you started handing them all of the papers you've been drawing, stickin' stickers to and "writing" on all at once. 
At least you can do this for now.  I know how things can come to a kid and then not resurface until later but I'm still excited for you.  In the last week we've also been working on the idea of circles.  You can point them out if I ask you to find one.   I asked you to draw a circle, after showing you, guiding you and then setting you on your own to try. You did!  I mean it is a blobby one but, eh! Who cares! You have the idea, we'll work on perfection later.  I do like that in all of this brilliance you had a hard time keeping the scented markers out of your mouth so you looked a little wild.  
When Dadoo arrived home I showed him your papers and he came beside you to see the new trick.  He was really impressed and proud of you!  ....and once again you had to eat the markers...your face was covered in ink anyway so Dadoo and I decided to draw on your face a mustache oldie tyme style.

I happened to be texting with your birth mom J on Monday after the big event and shared your abilities with her via story and photo.  She replied, "Hellsss Yea, he's gonna be a genius!!!"  To which I said, "fer sure, by nurture and nature sista."  J said, "Yup.lol"

We are all so proud of you and your desire to try new things.  You've been quite the fun boy lately.  My little buddy patting and fixing my bangs in the morning and rubbin' Dadoo's arm. My sweet boy.  We love having our first refrigerator art.


Love, Mama
PS I love seein' your little curls comin' back just in time for fall.
PSS The little cut by your eye, I had the dishwasher three fourths of the way shut and going and you decided to stick your head in it at lightening speed I didn't have the chance to stop.  I hated it!  I felt so bad. 

Mommy's Little Helper?!

Dear Peep,   I know it is weird but I really love spying on you.  I love lookin' in on you when you're playing your own games, vrooom vrooming your cars, and singing your own epic opera for nobody but you.  You can carry on for quite sometime before acknowledging that I'm there.  It is in those little moments when pure "kid" is happening and you're being your own person.  The kind of moments adult long for in their own lives but can never quite reach that level of blissful play after the age of 13.  My love for you grows watching you, is that possible? You already seem to fill every thought,  every nook and cranny of my heart.  I have mentioned before your love for work both taking part and watching others.  Your own desire to help around the house is increasing as you make more sense of how the deluge of choreographed motions fit together to complete various tasks.  For instance this week you kept swiping the rubber spatula from the kitchen after watching me use it to make cookies and cup cakes, always allowing you to taste the progress of such goodies from it.  You took it to the living room and were cooking up something for daddy on the couch and you were continuously offering him imaginary tastes.

  

In the mornings when I say, "It is time to get dressed," you run to your dresser and grab a 

handful of shorts and bring them back to me before I'm even half way down the hall.  You're the quickest booger I've ever seen conjuring images of supernatural movements only possible in fictional movies.  When doing laundry you will transfer the dirty and clean clothes or towels back and forth, mixing them all up.  The other day I caught you trying to sort your clean clothes in the laundry basket I had just placed in your room.  The sort was happening high in the air as shorts went one way shirts went another and you'd start all over again when you heap them back into the basket.  

It is sweet when you insist on taking the sponge from me to wipe the counters down after dinner or take the extra broom and sweep my pile of dirt willy nilly for me to sweep up again.  The pots, pans and mixing bowls make their way out everyday if I even approach the kitchen.  You still get Dadoo his bag of M&Ms in the morning if you're up... that reminds me he needs some more!  

I am not sure what you think is helpful about pulling out all of your wet wipes on Dadoo's mat in the living room but you have your work face on so I know you think you're doing something.  All of these things and more you feel you are helping me greatly so I always give you a big thank you hug.  Truth is this turns the work into double the amount of time but I really don't mind most days.  You will put your books back on the shelf and help put the toys away.  For now that's a little ray of light.   Someday soon you'll be helping me in the yard when the insurmountable leaves take their bow to autumn littering our yard in mountain sized mounds.

Love, Mama    

PS  The basket has been in the family for possibly almost 100 years.  That was Bahboo's Grandma's basket who immigrated to the United State from Poland around 1908.  Pretty cool.  Here is a photo of Uncle Gary looking at me in the same basket when I was younger than you are now in 1974.

Won't You Take Me to Bubble Town?!!!

Dear Bubble Butt, 
This summer we have tried to take advantage of free community resources as much as possible.  Mommy Brook clued us in on a bubble truck that would be arriving at their library in Spencer.   We had a quick lunch at the Dairy Queen and waited for the truck to show while keeping an eye out for your girl Lil' and Mama Brook.  Unfortunately Mommy Brook and Lily didn't end up coming because the library told them it was canceled due to the weather!  A large storm was on the way.  So the Ram truck... I don't know if this orchestrated monstrosity was what we expected or not but it did deliver the bubbles in volumes juxtaposed the angry looking sky.  

The wind was blowing so strong the bubbles and all of the kids running around created a rather dramatic scene.  You certainly loved playing in the buckets and shouting out, 

"BUBBLES!"  It was awesome too that the heavy rain held off about 45 minutes, just enough time for bubble bliss.  As you can imagine the ground became a sloppy, soapy slippy mess.  It was worth the short drive.  As a side note, you looked super handsome in your bubble makin' attire.  I so love garage sales, dollar bins and second hand stores where I can pick and choose fun, unique and inexpensive pieces for you to wear.  You were the coolest dude at the bubble fest hands - with bubble wands- down!
Love, Mama

ANIMALS! ZOO!

Dear Henry, 
About a month ago we went to the zoo.  Boy, I am glad we went a month ago, it is 105 today!  This visit you were very engaged in all of the zoo's activity.  You've been making animal noises and identifying many by name for a while now and the zoo gave you an opportunity to sharpen your skills.  You really love elephants so one of the first things we did was watch the elephant show where you get the opportunity to "pet" the thing in person.  I say "pet" because let's face it, even you, the king of the dirt eaters, wasn't willing to commit to more than a poke at the dirty, stinky ginormous beast.  (Don't get me wrong, I'm not an elephant hater, quite the contrary)  As the elephant made her way out into the ring you pointed and "phhhhhhhhhhhhhh" to welcome her.  You became so excited exclaiming and wiggling around.  After that you were pumped for more animal action.  Some of your other favorites...

*the dolphins

*watching the walrus swim

*peeking at the baboons fighting
*petting the sharks

*the seals

We can't wait to take you to the St. Louis zoo!
Love, Mama

Potty Butt

Dear Henry, 
How super cool is this?! Sometimes you'll use the potty to pee pee.  2x to poop.  
You certainly can already show us when you are going.  When you poop you go around the corner of a chair and come out with your hands behind your back.  When you pee you push down on the front of your diaper.  On one occasion you even brought me the potty.  You always ask for a book before you will sit.  In the last week when you poop you've started to  sometimes take your diaper off after you've "dropped the kids off."  I love this new development, now it is up to me to keep ya going with it.
Love, Mama

Campin' Take Two

           Dear Henry, 

Camping the second time around went much better.  This time we brought Dave and Kate to experience their first camp out which gave you more people to play with.  We were smart and got you really tired before getting there by swimming at Grandma P's and Bahboo's house first.  With a lot of food and many popscicles down the hatch you were content.  There were a lot of people there and you played really hard so by the 

 time we got to Grandpa Tim's farm for hot dogs you were already winding down.  You gobbled down a bag of goldfish while waiting for your hot dog.  I got the fire ready while Dave and Kate set up their first tent and Dadoo kept an eye on you.  You woofed down a hot dog like it was your last meal and then played in the tent some until a melt down creeped in, initiated by you realizing you were zipped in and so I took you off to bed without a problem.  This left the rest of the evening for the adults to eat lots of s'mores, to tell stories and to relax.  You slept well and in the morning we cooked breakfast and Grandma P and Bahboo joined us for bacon, eggs and juice.

I was proud of the way you tried to help Kate put the tent away.  It was very cute. 

I think you're going to be a great little camper after all!  You like to explore, cook on the fire and you were able to avoid diving toward the fire this time, which can be totally problematic.

Love, Mama