Islamorada - Year #2

(Warning: Long post, but worth reading some at the end if you are looking for a good laugh or travel suggestions)

We went to Islamorada, Florida again this year for vacation. We rented the same beach house and loved it just as much! I think (no, I know) that Carl would move down there in a heart beat. I told him we should quit our jobs and he should be a fishing guide and I will waitress. I am pretty sure we would be the youngest by at least 20 years. Lets just say the island is not full of young families!

Here are some highlights from this year's trip:

- We went to the Dolphin Research Center and did the "dolphin dip". There were plenty of places to do this, but this one was a non-profit and you could really tell that these people L.O.V.E.D these dolphins, so I felt really good spending our money there. Carl and John got on a platform in chest deep water and the dolphin, named Santini, swam by them and they got to pet his back, shake his fins, splash him, make him laugh and have him do tricks. John was not scared at all! He loved it. The child has no fear of animals! I guess I would be worried if Dinosaurs still roamed the earth or if the animals were not in cages at the zoo. :)

Tyler did the "dolphin swim", which consisted of all the things mentioned above, but they also got to hold his fin and swim with it!!!! They also got more one on one time with the dolphin. Tyler did great and they got some great pictures.

- One of my favorite afternoons was when Carl was throwing his net and catching some crabs and little fish off the shore and putting them in a bucket. That proved to be a great time for Tyler and John (well, really everyone). John just stuck his head and arms in the bucket and was trying to catch them all (SUPER cute picture below). He could have stayed there for hours.

- We rented a boat for the week and kept it at a local marina. Carl and Bob got up E.A.R.L.Y. every morning and took it out. I am pretty sure Carl finally wore Bob out to the point of exhaustion! He was such a GREAT trooper!

All of us went out on the boat the first day and although Adrienne and I had sea-sick patches on, poor Tyler did not. He did not quite have his sea legs. :( I was there last year so I felt terrible for him. He laid down and was okay, but was able to get up and fish a bit. He caught a big grouper, but it was endangered so we had to throw it back in (after a quick picture, see below). Carl had to jump in after it to perform a successful emergency surgery on its air bladder with a deflating tool.

The next day we all went out the waves were much calmer. We fished a bit first (Da caught a big black grouper that we took home) and then went over the Alligator reef (a popular spot from our last trip) and all got in the ocean and swam. The water looked like we were in a beautiful pool! We were about 13 miles off shore, but 8 feet of water, it was beautiful. Made me sad to think about the spill in the gulf and how horrible it is to ruin this incredible sight.

One morning, I went out with Bob and Carl. I felt a little icky, but was able to snap a couple of pictures of the mahi mahi that Carl caught (we took that home to eat it too).

When the boys went alone they brought up some big mahi mahi's and more grouper. There are some awesome pictures.

- Every evening we would all make our way down to the beach at some point to look for seashells or try to catch crabs, or take a ride in the kayak. After which we would sit on the back porch and wait for the 12 foot crocodile that liked to visit the pool (did not see him this year either, but saw his tracks). We really called every night an early night, but the mornings came pretty quickly.

- Key West. Well, what was supposed to be one trip ended up being two; however Carl, John and I did not go on either. Adrienne and Tyler headed down there one day to find that it was not much of a "family" town :). They took the last tour bus around the island for the day... luckily... because his book bag was accidentally left behind with electronics in it! I can not imagine the pit in their stomachs! It is nice to know there are some honest people left in the world. Someone found it and turned it into to the lost and found! So the next day, Nana, Da, Tyler and Adrienne headed down there again to retrieve the book bag and get fun souvenirs!

- Robbies - we took 1 trip to this place last year and 2 trips this year. It is a very small marina that has an outdoor restaurant and a little outdoor shopping village right outside. It is a huge tourist attraction because of the mammoth sized tarpins that hang around. You can pay $1.50 and get a bucket of bloody gross pin fish and feed it to the tarpins. John loves doing this, we will back every year. He will tell you all about it if you ask.

- Carl got John a crab and a gecko, both of which had to come into the shower with us to take a bath. Not sure they loved that, but they survived.

- Tyler was a regular in the pool. I love having the pool and ocean all right there at our disposal. Tyler was so patient and good with John, he would play with him and help him with things. It was cute.

- John had outgrown the house's crib that we used the previous year, so we put a twin mattress on the floor next to our bed and surrounded him in pillows. It worked awesome! He only ended up in bed with us 1 night. He was such a trooper and really was a great boy.

- The flights... oh the flights... I would have stayed on the plane coming home for another 4 hours if I could. We all used our miles to upgrade to 1st class. I tell you what... SPOILED ME! The flight to FL was good, of course we got delayed on the tarmac, but not for long. I was sitting with John while everyone else was surrounding us. We bought a 2-n-1 seat for him, it was a car seat and a stroller (but was thin enough to fit through airport security thingys and the aisles of the airplanes). I HIGHLY recommend borrowing ours if any of you need to, it was great to have. He sat in his seat all strapped in and was a great boy! We played, watched a movies/shows on my ipad, played games on my ipad, looked out the window, played with Diego, ate the breakfast (which turned into lunch) that they gave us, etc. Just towards the end he got a little restless, we all were, he just does not know how to control it. :) So I switched seats with Nana, and then everything was new again!

Okay, so I thought the ride there was easy... the flight home... I seriously would have stayed on it until they made me leave. It was a 777, the biggest passenger plane there is (I think). At first we all panicked because we were not actually sitting together due to the arrangement of the plane. I asked the check in desk person point blank if the seating arrangement between John and I would lend itself to a toddler, she assured me it would... she was CRAZY and CLEARLY had no kids. Anyway, after a Chinese fire drill when we got on, everyone ended up okay. I just put John in my lap (oh, don't feel sorry for me, it was a luxury) and his car seat in the random seat that was BEHIND me and BY ITSELF that the check in girl thought would be okay for him (I am not bitter about this or anything). All of the seats laid completely back for a bed (yes a flat bed) and turned around so you could have your own DESK, each of them had their own pop up TV's and you could order movies individually, and then if you were not in a bed position, you had another seat in front of you that you could ask a friend to come over and pull down a table between you and dine together! WHAT? Or you could shut yourself off and put a wall between you and the next person. Okay, I will stop (somehow this was the longest part of my story of the entire vacation?!?) Anyway, John was great, he sat with Daddy most of the time and watch Alvin and the Chipmunks. Then we all got together in one little pod and played, it was AWESOME!

- And lastly, I have to document this as I was in tears I was laughing so hard about this. Our drive home from the airport: Imagine 8 days away from home, traveling all day long with A LOT of luggage, we were just ready to be home.
1) the rod case (10 ft heavy, awkward case) got caught in the conveyor belt and was "lost" for a bit at DFW and all the workers are taking their SWEET time to help us out, so we had to wait for that.

2) the van that was supposed to pick us up and take us home ended up being a "party bus" in all its glory. Flashing strobe lights, champagne glasses, STRIPPER POLE and everything! It had NO seat belts for John's car seat or a trunk for our luggage, all 22 piece of it. WHAT?!?!?!

3) Carl = furious = calling company to say we would not pay.

4) Driver pulls me aside as we are on 121 and says to collect payment right then or we would be let out and find another ride home. I look over and Nana has her wipes out trying to sanitize the stripper pole and John is jumping from person to person and I am desperately hoping Carl does not realize what is happening. I choked up the credit card. ARE YOU KIDDING ME?!?!? BLAH, BLAH, BLAH, we made it home and Carl called the CC company and cancelled the charge... haven't heard anything more from the car company.

And finally - pictures:

Swimming update

So, in the time that I wrote the previous blog on swimming and the time it posted (4 days)......we have a fish on our hands! He asks to go swimming every day, he loves to go 'deep' like a scuba man, he wears his goggles and smiles at us under water. Seriously, it was the quickest jump in confidence that I have seen with him.

In part I would like to thank the makers of the Toy Story dive figures, as that his is favorite thing to do. He will grab them on his own if he has is goggles on (we are of c ours holding him and pushing him to the bottom), or he likes to ride on your back and go under to get them. Next, I would like to thank all the brave little friends that he has seen go under and play in the water. Monkey see, monkey can be an amazing tool at this age.

Swimming (or something like it)

John loves to get in the pool, but he is really one of the most cautious kids I have seen. I know I should feel lucky, but a part of me wants him to dive right in becuase I know how much he will love it once he does it!

Summer #1, hardly ever got in the pool as he was still an infant. When we did slip him in there, he really did not care one way or the other.

Summer #2, most of the time in the water was spent in floats or sitting on the swim out. I do not think he even realized you could go under water, much less want to.

This summer - he wants to get in the pool when we talk about it and loves it when we are in it, but he does not beg to get in it like I thought he would at this age.

When we are in the pool now, the majority time is spent on the swim out or walking around the steps where his head is still above water. However, in the last week or so (thanks to seeing Kaitlin do it) he is loving this little fish ring thing. It is by no means a safety item (i.e. floaties or life jacket), as he can slip right out of it. However, he holds on tight out of fear or just becuase we tell him too and is able to kick around and have some freedom in the pool. We all love this and I think it is a great step towards the next step.

At the beginning of the summer when we would put him under water, he would come up coughing, but not crying. He did not love it, but did not hate it. Now when we go under (after watching several other kids do it), he will come up without coughing, so I think he is getting the hang of holding his breath. When you ask him if he wants to go under, he says NO and proceeds to death grip your neck. But once he does it, he is okay with doing it again and again. I have heard the next step is to get him to open their eyes under water and they will love it even more. So I want to get him some goggles.

I was thinking about waiting until next spring to get him swim lessons, as from what I understand, at this age it is just getting them used to the water anyway.

Would love any feedback or personal stories if you would like to share....

Morning Talk

One of my most favorite times is in the mornings when we have no place to be and we can take our time. On mornings like this, I go up to get John and we just talk and play in his room before we start the day. Another reason this is my favorite time is that there are no toys and you can really get him talking because he is using his imagination.

Friday morning was one of the most talkative ones I have ever had with him and I wanted to document it as it was a perfect example of conversations at this age. These stories are not necessarily funny or interesting, just a glimpse of inside his head.

Also note that although I tried to include exact wording as I remember it, there truly are no transitions into each conversation, he only stays on one subject so long. :) There was so much said, so I know I am forgetting some things, but this is my best effort.

First thing out of his mouth-

John: Did you sleep in Daddy's bed? Can you fit in my bed? You too big and Daddy is too big. I fit in here.
Me: You do fit in this bed, do you love it?
John: I love it.
Me: Do you want a big boy bed?
John: yes, where is it?
Me: We will have to get one.
John: at the store?
Me: Yes, you can pick out whatever you want
John: (jumping) I want a big boy bed, a blue one! a blue one!

(guess we are going shopping soon)

Next -

John: Where are we going today?
Me: Your friend Amelia and her baby brother August are coming over to play at your house.
John: What's that Mommy's name?
Me: Lindsey

Next:

John: I see the leaves on the trees, Giraffes eat the tall leaves, lets get in the chair and look at the giraffes.
Me: (Opening the blinds and putting him on my lap to look out the back window) Do you see the giraffes?
John: I do! the green one. A Mama, Daddy and a brother and sister giraffe.
Me: Do you want a brother or sister?
John: I have a brother.
Me: Oh ya, who?
John: Garrett.
Me: No, Garret is just your fri....
John: A DOG A DOG (seeing the neighbors dog in their backyard). Can her come inside my house?
Me: No, he lives over there in that backyard.
John: I see my backyard, and my pool, two pools a little one and a big one.

Next:
Me: Do you want to read a story?
John: ya, that one (pointing at all of the books)
Me: which one? The polar bear book?
John: No, that one makes Daddy cry. (this is a precious story called "God Gave Us You" that Grammie and Granddaddy gave us and we read it to him the week he was born, and both of us cried. We put it in the closet for a while b/c both of us would cry anytime we read it. Apparently Daddy still does.:) Softy!)

Next:
Me: Are you going to show Amelia your dinosaur when she comes over?
John: Her likes the big dinosaur, not the little dinosaur. Her not like sharks. Amelia is my sister.
Me: No sweetheart she is just a friend too.
John: Oh, no the sharks are coming. (jumping into the chair) Get in the boat, Mama you get in that boat (pointing to the other chair).
Me: what kind of shark is it?
John: A great white shark! He not get my toes, oh, Mama, pick you feet up. Swim over here. (as he jumps from one chair to the next) get in my boat.
Me: lets swim real fast and see if we can make it downstairs before the sharks get us.
John: Hold me. Swim swim swim.

And thus my plan to get him downstairs to eat breakfast worked... and our day begins...

28th month

This may be the first monthly update I have done on time in a long time! I am pretty proud of myself. :)

- Games: He started to play a few games. He does not necessarily grasp the concept, but he thinks it is fun. When he plays hide and seek, he will close his eyes and count and let you hide, then sometimes he will look for you, sometimes not. Then if it is his turn to hide, he just runs out of his hiding place (typically in plain site) and laughs when you are done counting. "I spy" is another one he will play for hours if you let him. He understands that you take turns and he is sure to tell you when it is your turn. He is pretty good about finding whatever the other person "spys", but sometimes when it is his turn, he says the color first and then tries to spy it. And lastly, "Ring around the rosy". He gets this one, as it is pretty simple, but it is not a favorite of mine, I get dizzy SUPER easy, wonder why that is?

- Imagination: I am sure I have said this one before because watching him play and use his imagination fascinates me. He can take any inanimate object and make it come to life. Some of the most common story lines involve eating/biting something or someone; rescuing something/someone; some form of ocean life or dinosaur that makes loud noises; flying; running; fixing someone/something that is hurt (doctor kit).

- Clean up song: Will randomly clean up all of his toys and try to sing the clean up song. I attribute this one to Kara. I will do it with him every now and again, but I think she makes it a game every time she is here.

- Favorite things: He got his first jigsaw puzzle at the Zoo and he will sit and help you "make the picture" almost always until it is done. He is particularly loving his tent upstairs again, he has made it is "doctor" tent. He made Daddy get in there one night and fixed him all up with medicine and kisses after he poked him in the eye with a snake (smile). Swimming or any pool time (a separate post on this one to come). Toy Story anything. He also likes to practice his alphabet in sign language. He knows through "E" really well but knows through "I" with some help. Anytime he makes a shape with his hand he says "what letter is this?". Kara has been teaching him.

- Language: This month, like every month, he has surprised me with how much he is communicating with us. He absolutely knows what he wants to do and does not want to do and he tells us about it. Daddy asks him every night when he gets home what he did that day, I have to prompt his memory a bit, but he will tell him. Although he does not like to be put on the spot, so don't expect too much next time you see him. :)

This also includes him becoming a tattle tale! Be careful what you do and say! He told Daddy what his fathers day present was before he opened it; when we go to the store he tells on Da and points out the chips that he gets; etc.

He calls me Mommy more than Mama now. I still prefer Mama, but what do you do?! He uses "you" in place of "your"; "You hair is messy"; "You turn"; "lets get in you car". Which brings me to the latest, he says "lets" all the time now and for some reason I think that is so cute! "lets play with my times", "lets do it", etc. He also insists on knowing everyone's names including all of this friends Mommy's names.

- Sleeping: sleeping awesome! It is rare that we wakes up before 8:00, but typically about 8:30, and sometimes 9:15! Then still takes a 2 - 2.5 nap and gets in bed at 8:00. He is in a better mood when he sleeps this much.

27th month

A few things from the past month:

- He 'burps' after every drink he takes. Not real sure where he learned this (if anyone wants to confess, please do). He thinks it is funny. We have tried telling him no, but have since moved on to ignoring him. What do you do?

- Potty Training: a little lapse since we have come back from our FL trip (blog to come on that), but overall, still about 90% done with pee-pee.

- Fits: Good news first - the fits of getting out of the bath have stopped! YEA! Bed time fits are still 50/50, but I suppose it will be that way for years to come. Fits in public have shot up this month, awesome. Newest fits are when we get out of the pool, going to be a long summer.

It seems to work (sometimes) when we talk him through it before we stop whatever we are doing. If you start to say "no whining..." he finishes it "no crying, no fussing". All with a smile on his face. Although he still sometimes does it. Just part of this age I guess.

- Things we hear often: "I want to take a bathtub"; "I can't like that"; "me do it"; "no don't get me"; "its not nite time"; Me: John what do you want to eat? John: "papcanes" (pancakes) or "chicken and fres fries"

- Current favorites: Toy Story (we can't wait for June 18th when Toy Story 3 comes out!) movies and toys; drawing; reading; finger paints; being outside; swimming

- He loves to sing! He wakes up singing, he falls asleep singing, he sings in the car, while playing, in the bath, EVERYWHERE!. His current favorites are 'old macdonald', 'twinkle twinkle', 'muffin man', 'you are my sunshine' and 'abc'.

- When he is really trying to tell you something, he will take his time and give you this certain look, but he will look you in the eye and keep repeating himself until you understand. I love it.

- Everything seems to be getting easier when we leave the house. No more high chairs at restaurants (unless it is a long meal), or sippy cups, I rarely bring a change of clothes (which will bite me one day), no strollers, or toys. We just get in the car and go. Now, of course, long trips are a bit more involved, but overall, i have this under control.

- goes in eating spurts where he 'can't' like anything and I hardly get any food down him, to eating anything and everything I put in front of him. I do my best and offer mostly healthy choices, but sometimes I finally go with what the Dr. said.... He will eat when he is hungry. He does choose healthy things on his own....case in point.... We took him for ice cream on memorial day and he asked for almonds in his ice cream in the face of 20 jars of different candies!

- still plays with your ear or face when he is cuddling with you. :)

3 years!

Today marks our three year wedding anniversary! I just wanted to take this moment to tell my wonderful husband how proud I am of everything you are and am so blessed to be spending the rest of my life with you! I love dreaming big with you! ;)

Here is to another exciting year!

I love you!

A reminder

Just a quick note to myself to remember how good today is!

Today John woke up at 6:30am (normally sleeps until 8, so this is a big difference, and one that I hope I don't have to get used to yet.); I was just sure he was going to be tired and it was going to be 'one of those days'. And of course it was on a morning that we had a lot planned....

To my surprise, he has been a ROCKSTAR all day long! We left the house at 9:30 and did not get back until 1:00. He went every where with me, including 2 Dr. offices, the toy store, the bank and out to lunch. He was sweet and well behaved the whole time, he told me every time he needed to pee-pee and even went poo at the Dr. office.

He crashed as soon as we got home.

I am so proud of him!

Children Learn What They Live

In honor of Mother's Day, I am posting a "poem" below that hung on my Mom's refrigerator since before I can remember. It must have come from a school letter that was sent home to the parents, b/c on the back there is a partial elementary school calendar. It is pretty ratted and torn, but I love it and it has hung on my refrigerator since I had John. (Sorry Grammy, I think I said I would give it back, but I have come accustomed to seeing it every day, so I think I will keep it!)

It is not really sappy or anything, just thought provoking for us parents.

If a child lives with criticism, he learns to condemn.
If a child lives with hostility, he learns to fight.
If a child lives with ridicule, he learns to be shy.
If a child lives with jealousy, he learns to feel guilty.
If a child lives with encouragement, he learns confidence.
If a child lives with praise, he learns to appreciate.
If a child lives with fairness, he learns justice.
If a child lives with security, he learns to have faith.
If a child lives with approval, he learns to like himself.
If a child lives with acceptance and friendship, he learns to find live in the world.

I hope all of you Mothers out there have an incredible day with your family, make lots of memories!

26th month

The most memorable moments of this past month have probably been the development of attitude and fits. Fits and whining are in full effect! Unfortunately this also means that time outs are in full effect. Well, not all the time, we are still playing with different ways to calm the fits and/or avoid them all together. Some of the fits include hitting or yelling or outright defiance; those are fun. I realize this is just him learning/testing the limits, but man oh man does he know how to push our buttons!

One day he put himself in time out for hitting Daddy with a plastic golf club, it was pretty funny. Then he peeked around the corner and said "hi Daddy, sorry Daddy". Then of course he got to come out and play. Sometimes he has to stay in time out until he can say he is sorry, but he takes his sweet time. He will flat say "I can't say sorry" and stay in time out.

I try to remember these funny times and laugh about it, but I also pray every night for patience and strength, along with repeating "this too shall pass" several times a day.

A few other memories from this month:

- Favorite phrases: "I can't like it", "I don't want to go pee pee", "On your mark, get set, go", "I want to eat" (personal favorite, it warms my heart to see him eat a full meal), "Mama is a girl, John is a boy, Daddy is a boy"

- He asks for and remembers his friends can come over and play. At least 3 times a week he asks if someone is coming to play.

- he got his first little boy hair cut. I miss his long hair, and am trying to convince Daddy to let it grow back out.

- He can remember the most random things and tell you bits and pieces of the story. Like one day went to Grammy's office and she had a dinosaur book for him in the drawer. He will randomly say "Go to Gammy's office, get dido book and see chairs" Then he proceeds to talk about the horse statue that was outside of her window. It makes me think about how much he has been soaking in before I knew it and wonder if I was censoring his world enough?!?!

- Potty training is still 100% done on the poo-poo side, but still only about 90% on the pee pee side. He still dribbles and he will not consistently verbalize when he needs to go. We are staying strong and patient though. Today I am going to start a potty chart with stickers, if he goes a full week (maybe shorter at first) with sticker everyday then he gets a special toy/treat/activity. Actually these past 2 days have been really good, so maybe we have turned the corner.

- He will 'read' book to us now, I am going to try my darnedest to get this on video, but he always clams up when I bring it out.

- MUCH more social at the Little Gym and at play dates. He still is not totally comfortable if I have to leave the room, but no more tears or latching himself to my leg. I think maybe I am seeing a little bit of a sharing issue starting, but am trying to derail it before it starts. But, you know what, I am actually okay with this b/c at least he is being social and he has the opportunity to learn how to share.