Buster, you were really flying there.

Nature. Goulet!

Ever since he was a baby, Cody and I have made the song stylings of the late, great Robert Goulet part of our bath-time routine. Typically I would do the crooning. A little like this.




Tonight, Cody finally brought a little Goulet himself. You'll want to turn the volume up--way up--so you can here him in his little, tiny voice whisper, "All done Goulet."

Happy Tanksgibbing!

Happy Tanksgibbing, everyone! I have not had time to blog because I have been so busy with Thanksgiving! It was really really fun. A little crazy, and I wasn't always on my very best behavior. But mostly I was pretty good and there was just so much happening. When I woke up, GRANNY AND POP POP were at my house! And then Aunt Kelly came! And Aunt Monika and Uncle Sean! And there was swinging and dancing and sliding and tickling and pilgrims and a parade and turkey -- turkey says GOBBLE GOBBLE!! Let me show you all about it!











Granny brought me two pilgrims. I named one Peggy. I loved her SO MUCH that I broke her!! But then I said ALL BETTER and I asked Mommy to get TAPE PLEASE and I know she will fix it!! Hi, Pilgrims!! (Granny, that was just for you.)

And this is how the magic happens.

Every morning after Cody wakes up, he and I go downstairs for his milk. I carry him around the house and we say good morning to just about everything we see: the refrigerator, the dining room, Walmac the Wonder Horse, the deck, the trees, you name it. Then we head to the garage and Cody really goes nuts. He says good morning to the surfboard, to the rake, to the snow shovel, to the tool box, and--most importantly--to the mini-vaccum. No one can really understand his level of excitement in this, because the ritual has yet to be captured on tape.

But this video may give you some idea. It took place after dinner, so it's far removed from his morning routine. But he made such a mess that we required the services of the mini-vacuum to clean up. What follows is Cody's reaction from my suggestion that we go wake him up.

Kicking It Up A Notch

Last week, CJP and I discovered a "NEW PLAYGROUND!" that is within walking distance. It has no baby swings, but apparently Cody had been waiting for just such an excuse. I don't know if there's any going back to the bucket seats now.


Also, this morning JVL asked me, "So are you guys going to the P-L-A-Y-G..." and Cody piped up, "PLAYGROUND?" You think I'm kidding. But no.

And hey, remember this? :)

Goodnight, My Sandbox, Goodnight, My Love

You probably think I am trying to climb on my turtle sandbox like I'm not supposed to.

But I'm not. I'm just giving him a hug and kiss before I have to go inside for the night.

Mommy says I love all creatures, great and small. I also love ones that are plastic.

Reunited, and it Feels So Good

On Sunday, we went to visit my old babysitter, Emily! And my best friend, Elora! And there was a NEW BABY there -- Baby Luca! He is so tiny! And so sweet! Mom says I used to be so little but I don't believe her. Luca was really interesting, but mostly I was so excited to see Elora. We danced and hugged and played, just like we used to!



I miss Elora and Emily, and I love them. But I am so excited that Elora is a big sister! I'm going to be a big brother in April so I am going to have to ask Elora for good advice.

Under the (Dreary) Weather

Cody's latest words include: "tissue," "blow nose," "nose drops," "nose bulb," "snot," and "no feel good." Can you guess it's been a rough few days? Poor bear has been croupy and runny of nose, and generally miserable. He's been a real trooper, but we will all be glad when he's on the mend and we're sleeping normally again. To pass the achy days, we've been staying close to home, and doing the familiar...like baking...


Visiting Squirt at the library...

Playing with the library puzzles...

And one NEW and exciting thing: showering "alone" in Mom and Dad's "BIG SHOWER!" with "STEAM!" and "BIG SHAMPOO!" (From Costco, of course.) This has been quite a bit of fun, and helps his stuffy little head, too.



In other good news, Felix the Frog Humidifier has been put back in his place of honor beside Timmy the Turtle, next to Cody's crib. Cody can now say "Felix" and has yet another name to add to his litany at bedtime. ("Night night Patches! Night night Bidi! Night night Tigger! Night night Felix! Night night Henry! Night night Blue! Night Night Vacuum! Night night Mixer! Night night Mini-Vacuum! Night night Mommy! Night night Daddy! Night night Moon!" (There's more. It's very cute to listen to over the monitor. :)

You Never Forget Your First Time

On the elevator, that is.

Rainy Days

It has been raining for two straight days, so a bit of creativity is required to keep us from going stir-crazy. But as it turns out, Cody did go stir-crazy -- for the hand mixer. We baked blueberry muffins tonight, and Cody made a new friend: Little Mixer. (Not to be confused with Big Mixer -- of the Kitchen Aid variety -- who lives in a cabinet above the fridge, and who Cody believes is always "very tired!" because he is always "sleeping in cabinet!") It's probably not a good idea for me and Robin to be up on a chair hauling Big Mixer down these days, so Little Mixer stepped in like a champ. And from 4:00 - 5:00 Cody played with him, not even noticing that he ate chicken, veggies, blueberries, and two muffins in the meantime. That's what I call a good dinner. When at last it was time for Little Mixer to go to bed ("Tired? Bedtime?") Cody made sure to kiss and hug him. Several times.


Earlier, we went on an "ADVENTURE!" to the "LIBERRY!" to see another friend -- Squirt, the Library Turtle. He lives in a tank on the reference desk, and strangely enough, he too is often sleeping. (Or possibly just hiding out in his shell, trying to escape from the relentless rapping of little knuckles.) Cody loves him. He loves the library too -- he runs to the automatic doors, and bellows: "DOORS! OPEN!" And they do, because in Cody's world, everyone and everything respond to his commands -- preferably in the affirmative. He then shouts, "MORNING LIBERRY!" as he runs inside, stops in his tracks, swivels his head in Squirt's direction, and hollers, "HI SQUIRT! WAKE UP!"



All in all, not too bad, but we hope tomorrow is sunny!

They Said He Was Some Kind of Scientist

I'm thinking Cody might grow up to be an engineer, or something. Lately, he has been obsessed with all appliances--the dishwasher, the fridge, the oven, the washer/dryer, and in particular, his good friends Hair Dryer, Big Vacuum, and Mini-Vacuum. The broom is ok, too, but it's not as good because it doesn't need a "SOCKET! NO NO NO NO NO TOUCH!"


He can say the names of all these things, by the way. We stopped counting his new words at 600 words because it has gotten just ridiculous. He can say anything we can say -- usually perfectly -- and he says it ALL, ALL the time. Serves me right.Anyway, he has developed a particular, and peculiar, attachment to my hair dryer. He takes it out of the drawer every morning and says, "MORNING HAIR DRYER! Plug it in?" He plays with it awhile (not plugged in, of course) and then eventually says, "BUNK BED! NIGHT NIGHT HAIR DRYER!" He pats it, kisses it, and tucks it in. The same goes for Mini-Vac and Big Vac, each of whom has its own bed, and gets greeted, kissed, and tucked in. Every day. Many times a day.



And today was the crowning glory. He loves to go to the "CLEANERS!" because inside they have "SO MANY HANGERS!" and "HOT IRON! HISS! STEAM!" Well, we dropped off some stuff today, and the sweet ladies there (who love him) giggled when he said, "HI HOT IRON!" and promptly took him off the counter and disappeared backstage.


He had the best time, and soon a whole gaggle of workers surrounded him, and he began blowing kisses to his entourage.


"Mini-vacuum! Tired! Cuddle? Bunk bed! Night night, mini-vacuum!"

Spooky, Scary

Lots to tell from our first Halloween in Woodbridge. Some will be a repeat of SLL's post, but bear with me.

For starters, it turns out that dry ice is (a) easy to find and (b) super awesome. With very little effort we were able to transform our ordinary front porch into a SPOOKTASTIC PORCH OF TERROR.

But courage, gentle reader, because Firefighter Cody was there to brave this terrifying sight, with his trusty mini-vac by his side.

The two Dirt Devils were fearless, going door to door to spread to spread holiday cheer.

All in all, a lovely night.

But after the trick-or-treating was done, the real terror struck. Chris and Sherri Wershoven were visiting and Sherri brought with her a pair of angel wings that she thought would look cute on Cody. Evidently, her magazine had a photo shoot with naked babies dolled up as putti. Sherri thought that Cody would make for a fine bit of cherubim himself. So she appropriated a pair of wings.

The shivery horror of these photos is terrible to behold.

There are more from this series. Many more. From the front, if you get my drift.

This All Hallow's Eve will haunt Cody for the remainder of his days.

Me and My Kiddos

Mommy, Cody, and Baby Robin
Photo credit: Aunt "Mockadoo!"