Jake

Another great buy from Costco!  We saw it and HAD to have it "NOW" as Mikey would say!  Mikey dresses as Jake at least twice a day!  He says things like "Yo, Ho, Let's Go!" and "Ahoy Matey!". 

Touch-A-Truck....again!

We hit up Touch-A-Truck this weekend.  This time it was in Newton with over 30 trucks to visit.  Needless to say Mikey had a great time.  I think the pictures say it all!

In a moving truck

"Driving" the ambulance and talking on the speaker

View from the school bus looking out

Mommy's view from outside the school bus

 

28 Weeks!

Baby Update:

This pregnancy has been similar and different in comparison to Mikey.  With Mikey my biggest complaint was the heartburn.  This pregnancy I have been experiencing sciatic nerve issues on my right side, inconsistent heartburn and moments of faintness/dizziness.  Mikey rarely moved inside me.  He moved enough to meet the quota so that it wasn't a concern but nothing more.  Baby #2 is becoming more and more active by the day!  It is quite entertaining to watch and feel the baby move.  The other day I felt his hand grace against mine.  It immediately brought tears to my eyes!  He now is "feeling" like a little baby inside! Tonight I said to Mike that I was afraid I was going to go into labor since he was being so active!

On Tuesday (9/18/12) I passed my glucose test.  Baby's heartbeat was 140 bpm.  Starting next week I will have bi-monthly doctor appointments. 

We're getting closer!!

Goodbye, Summer!

As I have mentioned before there are pro's and con's to living in an apartment.

Another "check" in the "pro column" would have to be the access we had to the (heated) swimming pool and grills all summer long.  We averaged eating dinner there at least once a week this summer.  The other advantage was the privacy factor.  Rarely was the place busy, especially at night to use the grills.  It was great.  We'd swim, eat and enjoy our family time together.  I never had so many hot dogs in one summer before!  And we also have mastered the recipe for a grilled corn, too!

Just one of the many things we will miss about the summer.....and renting!

Great Grandpa's 90th Birthday

This weekend we traveled to Hawley, Pennsylvania to celebrate my Grandpa's 90th birthday.  The immediate Tulumello family was there---all my aunts, uncles, and cousins--19 people total!  It was such a great weekend to catch up with everyone and spend quality time together.  Mikey was spoiled as usual (a common scenario being the only great-grandchild) and he enjoyed his time with the family as well.

Happy Birthday, Grandpa!  We love you!  Looking forward to sharing MANY MORE birthdays with you!

**On Saturday night we took professional pictures before the birthday dinner.  I am hoping to add some of those here once we purchase the rights and own the CD of pictures.  The proofs are AMAZING!**

"I do it myself"

What we find when Mikey wakes up and gets himself dressed in the morning "all by myself":

This particular morning I think he was going for the He-Man look with the underwear on the outside.  Typically he gets the order correct.  But man, is he insistent on picking out his own clothes.  It is quite difficult to break him out of his shorts/football pants and a regular sweatshirt......

Lovey

Due to Mikey's age and the looks of his teeth, we have cut back on the lovey usage.  Mike and I sat down and had the "big boy" talk with Mikey---big boys sleep in big boy beds, big boys go potty, and big boys don't carry their lovies around all day. 

In the past, Mikey would sleep with his lovey at night and for naps.  The lovey would come with us in the car (for long and short trips) but never leave the car while we went inside a store, Eva's House, etc.  (He does not need the lovey to sleep at Eva's either!).  Lovey would also be around during downtime at home during play or while watching TV.

We started on a Monday (the date dated for this blog post) and that morning was a difficult separation as I told Mikey that lovey needed to stay in his room.  If he wanted lovey, he needed to cuddle in his bed.  When he was done, he could leave the room but lovey had to stay.  The transition went A LOT smoother than we had expected (which I could say for most things I that I dreaded changing-----weaning from breastfeeding and potty training especially) and now he gets the rule.  There are definitely mornings that he tries to pull a fast one and  "pretends" we don't see it, but that mischievous grin he gives communicates to us that he knows it's wrong but he is going to try anyway.  There are 6 loveys in the rotation these days (one has been misplaced but I think by the stench in my car it is hiding under the seat somewhere!).  As long as it is a blanket on one side with the satin on the other, there is no preference.  Any or all will do!

So proud of you, buddy!  You're not ready to give up totally on the lovey and I'm not ready to take that away from you just yet.  You have too many life changes coming in the next few months for me to take away your security object.  Baby steps......

Pancakes!

Grandpa Bob is famous for his lemon buttermilk pancakes. Mikey LOVES them.  Each morning without hesitation he requests "banana and pancakes" for breakfast. On the weekends when we do make them, we usually double the recipe so that there are extras to eat during the week. 

When I would have sleepovers as a child, my Dad would make the girls and I pancakes in the morning. He would specialize the pancakes by forming them into our initials or other fun designs. With Mikey it is no different. Dad has "Cars" pancake molds as well as makes the infamous Mikey Mouse pancake or letter "M".  The other day when I was making the pancakes, Mikey started making specific design requests----usually I just make circles.  Here is my attempt at the pancakes. We may have a pancake design competition on our hands!

Three and a half!

Someone in our house is celebrating his HALF birthday today! 

At three and a half you are now:

1) Fully potty trained during the day. You love wearing your "Cars" underwear or "Daddy underwear" (boxer briefs).  You still wear a diaper "so you stay dry all night". When you wake up each morning, you independently remove your diaper, throw it away in the bathroom and change into underwear, a t-shirt and shorts. (You would wear this Olympic t-shirt every day if you could!) Half of the time they are on in the correct direction....;

2) Your language is coming along. You tend to speak anywhere between 2-4 word phrases at a time and ask a lot of "What's that/this?" questions. We are working on lengthening your sentences, pronunciation of certain sounds and longer words by clapping them out or using touch cues, and also helping you recall past events so you can relay them to friends and family;

3) You love Jake and the Neverland Pirates and the song "Roll The Map". Your favorite books center around pirates, dragons and "Big Brother" themes;

4) You are becoming more adventurous when it comes to trying new foods---like my chicken cutlets (finally!)---and you still eat everything for Eva (even now when I pack your lunch and dinner);

5) You are now attending Eva's on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday. Speech is on Monday

and My Gym class (which you participate by yourself) is on Friday.

These next six months are going to fly by with lots of changes headed everyone's way! Can't wait to continue to watch you grow into the best little boy we know!