my trip to the punkin patch

a few weekends ago my granny & papa came to visit me and after our big trip to the TX State Fair, we all went to the Big Orange Pumpkin Farm. it was way out in the country and kinda far from our house. i'm still not a big fan of long car rides, so my papa sat in the back and played with me to ease the pain. once we got to the farm, we got cups filled with food to feed all the animals. i was a little timid at first cuz the night before i got bit by that big ostrich when i was feeding him, so papa had to help me a bit. once i saw all the other kids doing it, i knew i could do it all by myself too.

after feeding a bunch of goats and some cows me, momma, daddy, granny & papa decided to ride the tractor hayride thing. that was fun stuff! it took us all around the farm and we got to see more animals, a barn and a pond. then we walked thru the punkin patch & there were so many punkins to look at, i couldn't stay focused! most of them were just my size, too, so i could pick them up all by myself.after that, i climbed on a big hay bale that looked like a punkin...i fed a big cow...

i sat on a big, red truck with momma & daddy...

then me and daddy went down a big slide!all in all, it was a fun day! when we got home, papa helped me put my punkin i brought home on the front porch. punkins are my favorite thing - this halloween holiday sure is cool!

smell ya later gators! :) nicky j.

"Boobeets"

Ok - so you're probably thinking that this is not the title of a post you'd ever see, but here it is. There won't be any pictures to accompany this one, so don't get too excited. Although, since family members will be reading this, I hope that the prospect of seeing either myself, Kris' or Nicky's "boobies" doesn't get you excited at all!

Now - for the point of this post... Nicky is a "boob man". Being a mother of a boy I have to admit I am a bit more modest when it comes to dressing/undressing in front of him. I tend to "hide" in my closet for the most part when engaging in these activities. However, this is not always a possibility. I figured that the time had come that he could see me (partially) undressed (think waist up). As I was taking off my shirt one day, with Nicky watching my every move, I noticed that his gaze stopped just above my navel and he got a silly smile on his face & stuck his tongue out to the side. (The tongue thing is his signature move, just like his Pop - it usually comes out when he's either concentrating on something, or when he's really enjoying something.) I think in this case it was probably both. I figured "what the heck" and told him "boobies"..."you're looking at momma's boobies" (we are, after all, teaching him English, so I had to expand on the statement). He thought that was just great and began saying "boobeet" over and over (he's got a little speech impediment so the "s" comes out like a "t". Later that evening, as Nicky was having his bath, he touched his own chest and said "boobeet" and once again, flashed a silly smile with the tongue sticking out! So I agreed and said "yes, those are Nicky's boobies". After his bath, I took him up to his room and began our lotion/ointment/bed time rituals and as I was rubbing the lotion on his legs I looked up to see him playing with his "boobeets" and then he reached forward, opened my shirt and requested "boobeet"! Oy! I thought, "I've created a monster!".

Nicky's since given Kris the same silly grin with tongue while looking at "daddy's boobeet" and all I hear while we're changing clothes or bathing or doing anything that might require a peek at "boobies" is an enthusiastic "boobeet"! I think I hear "boobeet" almost as many times in a day as I hear "nyet"! Last night I told Kris I was going to have to invest in some beads for Nicky to throw at me every time he requests "boobeet"! I should get something out of it, right?! Ah, the joys of parenthood!

"NYET"!!!

The Tantrums...Oy The Tantrums! Wow - the "terrible two's" are in FULL force in the Johnson household! No matter what the question, the answer is always "NYET"! Sometimes immediately followed by a "Da", but always no first! Now I ask you, dear readers, what is the point of this crazy shenanigan? Just exactly what does a toddler think they are accomplishing when they engage in this practice? They're still giving in by saying yes eventually (or just following suit with whatever one asks of them). I'm baffled and amazed at the number of times we hear "NYET" on a daily basis. I've read about every article I can find on the internet and in the toddler books we own & most of them say the same thing "IGNORE"...Time Out is also very popular, as is Reasoning. The problem with the 2 latter conventions are as follows: 1. Sitting still (much less sitting still and quiet) is not possible; 2. Nicky doesn't understand English! Now - we do include the "reasoning" during & after the ignoring part, because after all, this will help him to understand English. Only thing is, he doesn't right now, so where are we getting with that?! I do very much enjoy hearing myself talk, so not all's lost! So - IGNORE. I probably say "IGNORE" as may times a day as Nicky says "NYET"!
Another baffling ritual now performed on a daily basis - the flailing on the cold floor, accompanied by the screaming. And all because we won't pick him up when he wants - ok, I can kind of understand that. But - the knock-down drag-out tantrum for (seemingly) no reason whatsoever?! That one gets me! I know, I know. Toddlers lack the ability to fully express their wants/needs, etc, so the whining & tantrums rear their ugly heads. Still - I'm surprised at the number of all out tantrums this kid is able to perform in any one given day...they look so tiring! You'd think just one tantrum would invoke a rest period.

The number one time we hear "NYET!"...Are you hungry, Nicky?...Do you want to have breakfast/lunch/dinner, Nicky? "NYET!" Always "NYET!". Usually followed by him wanting to sit in his chair and if it's a snack, will then eat. Meals - forget about it! Pushing the plate as far away from oneself as possible, before even testing out said meal, seems like it's the cool thing to do. Maybe more adults should engage in this practice as to manage their weight! I'm at the point of "why bother?". Why bother fixing a plate of food (of which I KNOW Nicky has eaten before & has enjoyed before)? Why worry that my child gets the nutrients he needs on a daily basis? "He'll eat when he's hungry" is my prevailing thought...I know he's not starving to death. How do I know this you might ask? Well, he's in the 75th percentile when it comes to weight and he eats SECONDS & sometimes THIRDS at school!!! No wonder he's not hungry!

After trying several methods, in an effort to give Nicky "power over food" (what the heck?!), I have issued a "cease fire" when it comes to meals. I don't understand WHY this has become an issue, but apparently it is a battle momma & daddy will NEVER win, so it's not worth us trying. Interestingly enough, last night's "fix my own plate & but nothing for Nicky, then sit down and eat without him" method actually worked! He freaked out & begged for a plate of food and when I gave him some, he began to eat without any prodding...until he had trouble spearing broccoli with his fork, and asked me for help. Once I said I would help, he was all done and didn't want to eat anymore. Note to self...don't help no matter what!

Some days I really miss that quiet little guy that showed no emotion at all in Russia. Well...on the other hand, I do quite enjoy the kisses that are given out at random, so I guess we'll just have to take the good with the bad! Only 6 months until he turns 3! (all this craziness will end then, right?!)

my visit to the TX State Fair with granny & papa

this past weekend my granny & papa came to visit me all the way from el paso. my momma & daddy told me that's a really long way away...thank goodness they came here to see me, cuz i don't like long drives. anyway - when i woke up from my nap on friday, i got a big surprise! not only did i get to see my granny again, but i got to meet my papa! it was so exciting! we all got in their van and went to the texas state fair - i didn't know what that was, but everyone sounded so excited to be going, so i went along with it. my papa sat in the back with me and played with me so the drive didn't seem too long. when we got to the fair we got to look at some animals. there were bunnies, goats, llamas (just like in one of my books "llama llama red pajama"), zebras, some big cow things and an ostrich that bit me when i tried to feed him! yep - the ostrich bit my finger...no wonder my daddy doesn't like those things! after all that i got to wash my hands - that's my favorite thing - i don't like to get dirty at all. then we went to ride a few rides - that was awesome! i rode a balloon thing that spun around and went up & down with my daddy, then a train thing with my papa, then my daddy took me on this really big slide! then came the games - i wasn't that interested in them, but i got some fun prizes when daddy & papa played them for me. i got a stuffed pig, a dog that looks like blitzer (by the way - i've given up on that whole "sabaka" word - it's too hard to say!) and a little lion. i got to try cotton candy & then momma & daddy gave me chicken fingers & french fries with my favorite thing ketchup for dinner! on our way out of the fair i got to see this big dude ("big tex") that talks and then we went into a tent that had tons of cars! i loved that part!!! if you'll notice - there aren't any pictures to go along with this post - that's cuz momma forgot her camera & she had to buy a weird one to take pictures with and she didn't get them developed yet - whatever that means! i don't really believe the thing she was using was a camera thou - you couldn't even see the picture after that flashing light thing went off! hopefully momma will get the pictures and i can send them out later.

smell ya later gators! :) nicky j.

Nicky's 1st Day at Parker Chase Preschool

October 14, 2008

Well, the day has finally arrived! Nicky's 1st day of school went off without a hitch! Kris and I both got him up to get ready for the big day & we kept telling him about going to "school"...not that he knows what that means, but it was fun to hear him say it back with enthusiasm! His version comes out more like "cool", but hey - school is cool! He tried putting his backpack all by himself...

So daddy helped him a bit...

We got to school & Nicky walked in with confidence! We went to his classroom (Lower Preschool) and found his teachers, Miss Tulana & Miss Pearl outside with his other classmates. As I spoke with one of the other ladies to make sure we got all our paperwork correct, Kris handed Nicky over. Miss Tulana took Nicky's hand and took him over to a group of kids and gave him a shovel-thing to play with and he was good to go! We waved "bye" to him and he just gave us a funny look...I don't think he quite understood that we were leaving him to stay there for the day.

I picked him up and his teachers told me he did great! When he saw me he ran and picked up a few toys that were on the playground and he started putting them all away. He even yelled at a little girl when she dumped them out! Miss Tulana said Nicky is like a tornado when it comes to clean-up time & he was used as the example to entice the other children to follow his lead! I told him to tell Miss Tulana "good bye" & he immediately stuck out his kissy lips! :) He even gave 2 of his classmates hugs as we were leaving!

Day 2 at school was more fun. He went right to his class and didn't shed any tears. He ate all his lunch, didn't have any accidents & played well with the other kids. He didn't nap, so he was a bit grumpy with momma & daddy after I picked him up...grrrr! We figure with all the excitement and change, we'll give him a little leeway! :) All our fears of him thinking we were "abandoning" him have definitely been assuaged. We are both thrilled & shocked that he is doing so well!