More of this and that
The more the merrier
This morning we asked Logan to spell his name on the computer. So he did with no prompting. The end result looked like this:
LLLLLOOOOOOOOOOOGGGGGGGGGGGGGAAAAANNNNN
As he types he says, "L. Another L. Another L. . .Ooooooooo, another o, another o. . ." He's yet to agree to the conventional notion that you need just type one of each letter.
Well, bust my buffers
Logan has evolved into a true Thomas and Friends fanatic. He's even named his non-Thomas branded trains and misc vehicles after the various characters. And, he's adopted some of the series specific phrases for his own use. Its not uncommon to hear him say "Well bust my buffers!" a la the trains or "Well Done!" - a typical accolade offered by Sir Topham Hatt.
Speaking of Thomas. . .
21 Weeks to Christmas
Ok, so sure, it sounds worse than the Mall putting out Santa's village just after trick or treating tears through town, but Logan is starting his Christmas list. It started out simply enough. See he's got this catalog that is pretty much 95% Thomas and Friends stuff, 5% trains in general. (No idea why we started getting it but we've ordered from it and so now its ours for life.) Logan loves to sit and 'shop' with his catalog. He picked out all the stuff he wants and gets rather insistent about it. Well he's very much enamored with a set few right now. One day, knowing that I actually did
have Annie and Clarabel (aka Thomas' coaches) in the pie safe waiting for Megan's arrival, I scrambled to come up with distraction. By the way , Megan is going to 'give' Logan those when he visits at the hospital.
Me - You know Logan, we don't just get toys all the time because we want them. Why don't you wait and see if Santa will bring them for you for Christmas. We can make a list for him of the trains and other toys you'd like to have.
L - Santa bring Annie and Claire-dah-bela?
Me - Well maybe. We can put it on a list for him and ask him.
And with that we sat down with a crayon and the catalog and set to circling all the trains on his list. Its a long list by the way and Logan refers to it often - adding more circles and marks as he falls for another item in there. Now we're working on getting him to understand exactly how far off Christmas is. Whoops.
Hey, at least for now he has a plan. He's going to sit on Santa's lap at the mall and tell him "My name Logan Potts. Please bring me Annie Claire-dah-bela for Christmas."
His first plastic card
Today was a big day for our little book worm. Today, little Mr. Logan got his very own, very first library card. And boy is he proud of that card. It started about a week ago I guess. Grandma, Logan and I went to the County Fair. Next to the animals, the rides, and real backhoe/loader he got to sit in, Logan liked the library's exhibit. He got a pencil there and an inactive library card.
Now when I was a child in this very same town, one had to to have the ability to write his/her own name in order to get yourself a real live working library card. We asked the staffers at the Fair about this. No, times have changed. Today you merely need a name and to be breathing in order to get your card. And so we promised Logan to take him to the library and activate his card.
This morning, just before 10, we got ready to meet the grandparents for a trip downtown - first library and then the "State" Ice Cream Festival. I asked Logan if he wanted to take his little backpack, something we once had gotten for free from some place trying to get us to buy books from them for the rest of our lives. I pointed out that this backpack was just like the one Daddy had worn on his back yesterday as he left for his trip. Logan just stared and turned around to let me put it on. I handed him his inactive library card and down the stairs we went.
Surprisingly he protested giving up the pack in order to get into the car. The moment we got out at the parking garage he asked to have it back...and so he got it. Armed with his library card and my hand, he walked to the library. Upon identifying the circulation desk, Logan stretched his total 34 inches as tall as he could get them and held his card up high saying "Hey Lady, make my card work." She chuckled and asked if he (still decked out with his Dr. Seuss backpack mind you) had a book to pick up or renew. No, we explained, he got this at the Fair last week and wanted one that worked. Over to registration we went and Logan repeated his request for the staffer there. She handed me paperwork to fill-out and gave Logan a choice of cards -white or blue. He selected blue.
Once the mission was complete he asked to be put down (or rather demanded) and took off, card still in hand, to his books. Seeing a promptly lost card looming the moment Logan dropped his card to retrieve a book from the shelf we placed it in his backpack - still attached to him if you're keeping track. He sat in the chairs and read. He conned Grandpa into taking him up and down the big stairs. He looked at a few more books and insisted he read them before we left the building. And then it was time to check out. He carried his card again in his grip. We placed his books on the counter with the librarian - the same one that gave him his card. He told her he was ready to pay. ha. He insisted on having a few books to carry himself - satisfied to have a couple put in his bag. He's proud of this new stage of his life - this 'library card holding citizen.' And boy does he love that silly back pack.
Oh, and if you were keeping count, he kept that thing on his back the entire time we were at the Ice Cream festival - including a tantrum and a wicked game of chase with his friends.
But he tried so hard. . .
Today we finally located a package of the new Pampers Feel and Learn training pants. Its a furniture owners dream - your toddler feels the sensation of being wet, which in turn aids the potty training process, yet the outside of diaper stays dry keeping your furniture/rug/car seat/bed safe. Figuring if we were making that much of a leap we may as well be prepared for Logan to take us up on the offer. That meant it was time to break down and buy the sized 2T Thomas and Friends that the little guy has had his eye on for ages.
When Gram and I got back to her house (where we had left Logan entertaining Papa) I showed him the package of his new Thomas emblazon briefs. I explained again that he got to wear these when he could use the potty all the time and not need diapers any longer. He wanted his new underwear right then. He asked for his potty. He sat on it. He went through the motions and he asked for his big boy underwear. So ok, we did it. We just didn't toss his shorts back on over them since I hadn't brought a 2nd outfit. He spent sometime admiring his new underwear in the mirror before returning to the fun he was having.
Throughout the afternoon I'd ask him if he needed to use the bathroom. Each time he'd say no. Then we played hide-n-seek. In the midst of counting to 10 next to the couch while I hid, Logan called out for Grandma. "I pee!" he yelled and he asked for help with his potty. He ran as fast as he could down the hall. He got his potty in position. He tried to tug his new underwear off. He sat down....and that's when we realized his sock was wet. . . and his underwear....and later noticed a small trail down the hall from kitchen to bathroom. Poor kid had tried so hard. He knew he had to go and he asked to go - he just couldn't get there in time.
A Year's Difference
Logan's first haircut was roughly a year ago. Each one after that became increasingly more traumatic than the one before peaking with the one he had a few months ago. That time out he started to cry and protest the moment we pulled into the parking lot of the large strip mall the hair cut place is in. He sat on my lap the entire cut and screamed his head off begging to be freed. That last torture session resulted in such a short haircut that we could afford to delay its follow-up. . .until today.
This morning I called Grandma because it has become a tradition for the three of us to suffer through the trim together. Afterwards we treat ourselves to a run through Toys R Us (next to the hair place) and lunch at Friendlys or just ice cream at Rich's. I decided to give a morning cut a try this time instead of the post-nap trim we've done in the past. And just like each time before it, we talked up the haircut this time - I reminded Logan that if he sat still for the lady it would go faster and she wouldn't scratch him accidentally as he whipped his neck around. I reminded him that he had his pick of cool chairs to sit in - a motorcycle or a car. I reminded him that he was a big, brave boy who could have ice cream when we were done.
He told Grandma where we were headed as soon as she got in the car and he told us both he'd sit in the big car for his cut. We pulled into the parking lot and he shed not a tear. Instead he said "Almost there. We get my hair cut." When we walked into the Kuts 4 Kids place he headed right for the pile of toys. When the lady called his name he told us no he was playing. When we tried to put him in the seat he cried and locked his knees - but then he saw we had put Thomas on the TV and he allowed himself to be settled in.
He cried and begged to get out until Melissa (our new favorite haircutter) turned the razor on and started to trim. Then he quieted and sat absolutely still - his eyes wandering from me, Gram and the TV. He'd call out "Mommy, get down." or just "Mommmy" a few times but still no tears. No hysteria. He clung to two toys he had picked up from the play area. When the louder buzzer got near his ear he whimpered a little but settled right down again as we reminded him that it was quick and everything was ok. He did not appreciate the spray water bottle misting his head - that produced a bit of protest. He wasn't so sure he was happy about the comb and scissors running through his hair but still, no tears, no fits. He sat still and let Melissa do her work. He saw her put the scissors down and get the big powdered brush out to whisk away the cut hair and announced "All done! Down now." He even smiled at the women working there and waved goodbye. And he left without sneaking out when of their toys in our rush to move the hysterical child from the offending premise.
He then informed us that we were headed to Toys R Us. He marched us right back to the Thomas and Friends display where he helped himself to a few of the cars out on the set-up table. He had no interest in anything other than that train table - not even picking out a train to take home. . .until we were leaving. Then he was ready to pick out a train to buy. And he tried to pick out several. After talking him down to just one train, he selected
Toby the Tram Engine. He marched it to the register and placed it down on the counter to pay. Once outside the store he asked to have the package open and then announced that we'd have our lunch at Friendlys. He ordered there on his own and he told the waitress all about his new train and his haircut.
In fact, little outspoken man even yelled at the waitress when she passed by us without his post-meal ice cream. "Hey! Where my ice cream? I want my ice cream!" Of course, once he got his ice cream he decided that he really didn't like the crumbled oreos on it after all. Lessons learned. . .
Phonics Find
A few weeks ago it dawned on us that the library had software for loan. Mentioning this in passing one day to Papa sent him on a mission - find software titles to borrow for Logan's perusal. Among the first round of Library games was the JumpStart Phonics offering. Logan took to this game quickly. In fact, he came home one day from one of his "Gram" days and asked me to play Phonics with him.
"We don't have that game," I told him
"Phonics on Granma's computer," he said, clearly understanding that all things do not translate from one house to the other. Then he added, clearly having figured it all out in his own way, "Tell Papa make copy Phonics put on Logan's computer."
Well long story short, we now have Phonics on our computer. This morning was the first time he had it to play. Mind you, he's had the Phonics game on Gram's computer for about two weeks now and plays it the two days a week he's there - no more. He knew right away which game to go to - the totem poles. He loves those talking totems apparently.
The concept is simple. The little camper character that narrates this section has made neat little decorative tiles in arts and crafts. The totems love to dress up in them. Its your job to give the totems the tiles they ask for. The trick, however, is that they ask you by saying "I like the tiles that make the sound. . . ." and you need to match the sound it makes to the right letter.
So here we are - my two year old and I, still in our PJs and wiping the sleep from our eyes. The totem has asked for a letter by making its sound. "Ok, Logan, what letter makes that sound?" I ask him and I repeat the sound the totem just made. Without missing a beat he correctly says "T." Well ok, he knows his T's. We go on to the next letter. "L" he says, "Like Logan." Umm, yeah, ok so he knows L. . . and he also, for its worth knows C, D, and P...and a few others. I came to decide one of two things - he either knows these sounds OR he's got the game figured out and merely selects the letter that appears most often in five offered tiles. Either way its impressive to me.
We move on to another game - this one, I figure will be tougher because you've not got three letter "D's" to look at when the game makes the sound for you to match. This game, you see, is about bees making honey. TO get honey in your jar you need to select the hive that matches the sound the bee is making - these are vowel sounds. Let me be quite honest, some of these sounds have thrown me into confusion. Huh? What? Was that an "a" or a "u"? Logan, however, had few issues - no Logan heard the bees and got the right match 3 of the 4 times.
We're hooked on this game now. At least he is. He asked for it again tonight...and hey, its early reading skills, who am I to argue.
Perfecting the pick up line
This morning we met up with some of the local mom's group at the park. Among the group were a few of our newer members. At one point Logan decided to join Michael on the bucket swings. He nearly gave up on the activity when Michael did, but instead he decided to hang in there and see what the next kid was up to. The next kid being one of the newer 'members' -- a 20-something month old little girl named Emily.
"Hey lady" Logan said to Emily's mom.
Thinking Logan was referring to the female his own age, her mom laughed and said "Oh, you can call her little girl or Emily."
So Logan did just that "Hey little girl." Figuring he should learn to both sides of an introduction I nudged him to tell his new friend and her mom his name.
"My name Logan Pott," he said - once again leaving off the s. Then he paused a moment as he looked over at Emily and said "I like cars, trucks and planes."
I'm not sure, but it sounds like a pick-up line for the toddler crew to me.
What a memory
Shortly after migrating Logan's room to "big boy status," he and I spent oodles of time one afternoon reading book after book in his bed. Among that stack was a book by one of my favorite author's - Shel Silverstein. I bought the book,
The Giving Tree, shortly after Logan was born yet we had never before read it. When we were done with story time that day the books went back on their shelf and we didn't touch Silverstein's book again. Instead we'd read the books kept in the living room during the day, and then each night we'd read the same three (
Mommy's Best Kisses, Rainbow Fish, Sleepy Bears) at night before the infamous "
Teddy Bear, Teddy Bear" reading per Logan's request.
Tonight though he stumped us. Tonight he asked Daddy to read. He told us specifically he wanted the "green book." We racked our brains. The green book? What was that?
The Construction Site? "No," he'd say in response, "the green one."
So I asked, no assuming that if he knew he'd tell me, "Logan, what is the story about."
And he said "The boy climbs the tree."
It took me a moment to realize what he was talking about. I stood from his bed and glanced quickly at the hutch housing books over his new big boy desk. The green book. The boy climbing a tree.
The Giving Tree.
I took the book from the shelf and showed it to him. "This one?" I asked him. He clapped and smiled wide.
A little more of this and that. . .
The move update
A week and a half into this new sleeping arrangement and things are still grand. Logan adores his new room and has taken to the bed better than we could have hoped. Dare I say bedtime is almost even easier than it had been before - and before it was pretty darn easy. He doesn't get up in the middle of the night, at least not that he makes us aware of any other way then turning his music on.
He spends tons of time in that new space of his playing with his Hot Wheels on his new rug. The only downside to that is he also enjoy pushing said cars/trucks under the bed and then laughing as he demands a big person get the broom to sweep them out to safety. Nice.
What did you say?
One day he'll stop surprising us - maybe . . .
When leaving a birthday party Sunday Logan dropped a little stuffed baseball in the car.
L - Mommy, get my ball please!
Me - Where is it? Where did it go? (Not really expecting him to tell me.)
L - Right there Mommy. It by you.
Sure enough it was under my seat.
Today at ShopRite I gave him a choice of carts - the ones that look like cars to drive or your traditional carts (which require a quarter deposit in the box so that you'll be nice and return them to a central location not smashed into someone else's car.)
L - Hmmmm, I think I want, let's see, that one. (he says pointing to a regular old cart.) Mommy got money for it?
Little Engineer
One of Logan's renewed interest is the wooden tracks that go with his Thomas trains. He has them at Gram's (and don't tell but Megan has gotten him a set for his room as a "Hey, there big brother" gift she'll give him when she arrives.) He has spent hours on end the last two days there building his own combinations of track set ups. He builds, he plays, he rebuilds. He's loving it. When he's here sans his tracks he pushes his trains around the living room in elaborate paths. He's also more than content to play with his "Geos" (aka GeoTrax) and to try to see what else that poor little train can push around - another trucks, plastic trees, etc.
The zoo
Last week we took Logan to the zoo for the first time - not a huge zoo. A small, but big enough for now, free admission zoo in Cape May. He had a blast and still - a week later - talks about all we did and saw there. Can't read a book with animals in it without him telling you he saw that "Aminal" in the zoo. He seems parrticularly smitten with the "Gah-ger-affes" (giraffes) and the Cheetahs.
I do myself
This has been one of his most favorite phrases the last several months. I do it myself! Well also last week we took him over to the Boardwalk in Point Pleasant to go on the rides - and do it himself he did. For the first time ever Logan asked to ride the kiddie rides on his own. AND, he happily did so. He road the firetrucks about 4 times, the boats twice, the little cart and horse once. He'd have gone more if he could have but we ran out of tickets. He also got Daddy on the big train, the little ferris wheel (which he calls "The view ride") and the truck ride. That day, of course, I did not have my camera with me. We'll get photos next time.
Mechanically inclined
Among his birthday gifts from Grandma and Papa, was a set of plastic HomeDepot tools so Logan would stop trying to take everyone else's. Well today he was driving around the backyard in his little VW Beetle when he decided it needed a tune up.
"Mommy, I need my screwdriver!" he called out repeatedly until I relented and went in side to find the screwdriver. I handed him the blue handled flat head. "No, Mommy!" he said, in a tone that reeked of 'Girls, what do they know about tools!' attitude. "I need my Philip head one. My red screwdriver!"
So back in I went for the red handled Phillips head. When he was well armed with the right tool, he set to work. He found all the small opening around the inside of his car where screws did in fact reside, and set to work poking his screwdriver in it and turning. No, the thing didn't work well enough to loosen any. I did check that. Satisfied he had fixed whatever it was that was bugging him, he tossed his tools on the ground and went back to driving "to Paris" as is his latest favorite destination.
Moon over China. . .
One recent morning we saw the last vestiges of the moon in the early (ok it was actually 7am) morning sky. Logan was thrilled since the moon is rarely out when he's still awake anymore. About a half hour later he went back to the sunroom to try to find the moon and was utterly dismayed to find it gone.
L - Oh my! Moon is gone! Mommy, where it go?
SO I decide to be honest about it and not make up some story about the moon going to sleep or hiding etc. I tell him that as the Earth spins to change it from night to day the moon ends up in view on the other side of planet where we can't see it.
Me - See, come here, let's look on your globe.
And I pull down off his toy box the actually made for 8 and up Leap Frog Globe Logan has. I ask him to find where we live...and he does, poking the stylus at the United States, which he says along with the male voice the poke initiates. I then spin the globe around to the other hemisphere and I explain that since its day where we live now and we can see the sun, this side of the planet sees the moon.
Logan studies his globe for a moment and then says "Oh! Moon in China!" and he pokes his stylus at the large land mass sitting before him. "China" says the male voice.
Trying to spell
We've gotten into the habit of spelling things for Logan - not to get our message over his head, but to make that next step from loving his books and memorizing them to reading them. We'll tell him "See that word - Z-O-O spells zoo."
The other day on the way home from Gram's house I ask Logan went he did that day. "Got Tommy Tracks" he says - and he had indeed gotten more tracks. Then I hear "K, W, N, Y, Z, T, Tommy Tracks." It took me a minute before I realized he was trying to spell.
Marking two years
When Logan was born we started an annual tradition. We took a roll of black and white film then selected the very best one to frame. That first picture shares a white mat with a footprint and his birth stats. The frame is a simple black frame and the whole package rests nicely on a wall in the hallway. Last year we added a matching frame with three photo openings. The idea at the time was to feature three of the best in the 1-year old roll of black and white. Since then we've adapted and designated that frame the 1-3 year old frame in an effort to preserve wall space. ;) Anyway, here's the photo that will join last year's as the "2 year old" photo.
And sleep we did!
For those keeping score (and heck, aren't you all?) Logan did in fact spend the entire night in his big boy bed without nary a "MOMMY!" or "DADDY!" peep out of him. He did wake at least twice during the night - how do I know this, you ask? For about the last year (give or take a few months, hey, who is really keeping track anyway) Logan will turn on his fish tank music when he wakes up in the middle of the night and knows we're not going to indulge him with a trip out of the crib. He goes off to sleep with that music playing. He will push that button over and over again until he's out cold. So in the middle of the night when he wakes up and knows its still "sleepy time" he'll press that music on again until he drifts back to sleep. Normally its just one music cycle (about 12 minutes). And so last night he played his tank at midnight and at 2am. I know because I forgot to turn the volume on the tank down after we'd been playing with all afternoon. Mommy, it turns out, can not go to sleep with said music playing even if Logan can.
He did call out at 6:30 this morning asking for someone to come get him. When I got into his room he was smiling and proud of himself. . .on his way down the step stool. Of course, while he can climb UP the step stool, he has some slipping issues on the way down. I showed him the alternate out method - scooting on his butt from the bed to the short drop down to the toy box and then wiggling off the toy box to the floor. He's practiced this several times now for fun - up the two steps of his stool, down to the floor on the toy box.
We spent well over an hour this morning playing cars on his new rug and admiring all his cars, trains and whatnot around his room. I think this might work better than we had expected.
Fingers Cross - the big move. . .
So its now been about 40 minutes of silence from the end of the hall with Mr. Boy in his very own "big boy bed"! It remains to be seen if he'll spend the night there, but hey, let me revel in some joy while I have it. ;)
Yesterday my parents came over in the afternoon and helped empty out most of Logan's room. We had our "last night in the crib- farewell sleep" and when Logan woke up we talked all about how today we were making him a big boy room. My dad and Bruce took apart the crib and put it in the new nursery while Logan and I were out. They then painted the room the shade of blue Logan picked out - ok so I gave him a choice of two and its the one he picked. This evening the two guys and Gramma brought up and assembled all the big boy furniture which is basically a hand-me down from my brother. . .and little Logan was VERY keyed up. He loves his new room. He loves his new 'city' rug with a road running through it and he's really digging the fact that he can get up and down from his bed on the stool we picked up today for him.
Then it was bed time. Bath went as normal. Stories went easier than normal because we got a late start and I think he was sleepy - which means he didn't try to con us into just one more story more than once. ha! Then bed time -- he resisted going a bit. He climbed down from the bed and asked to go look for the crib. So we talked a bit about how the crib is gone and now he has his bed. Then I told him I'd stay with him a bit. I laid next to him and just hummed his music.
At one point he lifted his head and said "I know mommy. Megan sleep in big boy bed. Logan sleep in crib." So we had to talk bout how Megan was too tiny for the bed but that wasn't the point. Logan was just simply too big for the crib - the doctor told him how big he was getting and so he was ready for this big boy move.
He was ok with that and settled down. When the music stopped I restarted it and got up. He started to cry and protest so I talked to him again. I told him it was ok I had to sleep in my bed tonight and he had to sleep there. He said "No! Mommy stay in big boy bed with me and daddy sleep in other bed." And I told him no - didn't work like that he'd be ok in his bed just like with naps.
So I stood next to his bed and hummed his music. His eyes started to get heavy and he said "its ok. Its ok. Its ok. In morning we get up, turn on light, play table, play road on floor, play games. Go church, come home, play again. Go bar b que grammas. . .Its ok." (Yes that was one long ramble out of him - not poor punctuation on my part. LOL!) Then he looked up at me and said "Ok, mommy I go sleep now." I restarted his music and told him he's right its ok and I'd see him in the morning. When I got to the door he said "Mommy go see Daddy now. I go sleep." He talked a bit more to himself and now its quiet.
It remains to be seen what the rest of the night will be like...we're just crossing our fingers and hoping for the best - tonight and each night forward. LOL!
2-year Well Check
Logan went for his well-check yesterday and got a nice clean bill of excellent growth and health. We had talked with him a lot about what to expect at the appointment since his last encounter with the doctor's office had been that hellacious virus in the spring and he spent his entire time there in hysterics begging to leave. A few weeks after he had gotten over the fever, we took him with us to Tasha's vet visit and he freaked out when we walked back to the exam rooms.
The prep work, however, did the trick and he shed not one tear, protesting only once when the doctor put him on the table and he thought I wasn't there with him. He loves been stripped down to his diaper so we talked about how the doctor's office would let him be 'naked baby.' When the nurse did his height check before he got undressed he yelled at her "No, nurse! I be naked baby!"
We had talked about how the doctor would use a little flashlight to look in his ears and mouth (and he practiced saying "AHHHH!) then use the special "tool" (since he's big on those lately) with a little circle on an end to listen to his heart. When the nurse was leaving Logan said "Ok, tell doctor bring big flashlight now." She laughed and said "Oh, I've never heard it referred to like that before."
He chattered away for the doctor which was helpful because I'm not quite sure she believed me when I told her how well he spoke. "Would you say he can say at least 50 words?" she asked. "He said that a year ago," I responded, "He says hundreds now." She just grinned and said "Ok." Then Logan popped off an observation along the lines of "Doctor sit on chair. Have white coat." and she said "Oh, well I see we put words together well."
Since we've left he talked to anyone that will listen about how the doctor looked in his ears and said "Anybody there? Nobody in ears." and how the puppy listened to his heart (she keeps a little stuffed dog on her stethoscope to tell the little ones that the puppy is listening.)
As for stats - well he's 34 inches tall and 26 pounds. In correlation, he typically wears either 24 month or 2T clothing - depending on the weight/height ranges on each - although he can still get into some of his 18 month stuff without looking like he's too uncomfy. His little foot isn't looking so little anymore - in April he was a 6 1/2. WE went about two weeks ago to get measured and he's now the proud owner of size 7 sneakers and Tevas "like Daddy, Papa, and Mommy."
