Theo

i’m cupe

Posted on by mommyinthemidwest

We ask Theo, “are you cute?”
He answers, “I’m cupe.” 

We ask Theo, “are you smart?”
He answers, “I’m marts.”

He used to call his favorite blanket “kanket”…but it’s recently turned into “banky.”  I prefer kanket because it’s more original and more fun to say.  We’re still pushing kanket.

I showed up to the babysitter’s house the other day and he informs me “Iwungohooome n wash tee-vee.”  I swear, we don’t let him watch more than 30 minutes a day.  

We ask, “are you hungry?”
He answers “Hungy! I chair” and goes to his high chair.

When he thinks of something or sees something he wants, “I wun-sum!”

“Hey Theo, you wanna take a bath?”
“Bash! Bash? I wun bash!” as he takes off down the hall to the bathroom.  Or bashroom.  Whatever.

He adds “Iwunna” or “I’mgonna” to lots of things now.  Sentences! How can my baby already be talking in sentences, guys?

He gets near the stove and says “Cook? Hot! Burn? Cwy!” in no particular order.  Something similar around fireplaces and lit candles (without the “cook” part). 

Oh, speaking of crying, he now announces to us when he’s throwing a fit (as if we couldn’t tell) by stopping mid-wail and saying “I CWYYYY.”  No joke?  Hadn’t noticed.

He adds extra syllables.  Like the word “room” – just one syllable, right?  Wrong.  Reee-ooom.  He notices from down the hall that his bedroom light isn’t on, “reee-ooom dock. yight?”  “Yes, honey.  I’ll turn on your yight.”

Oh, and “poop”… peee-oooop. 

The boppy that I place around Dexter’s bum for support while he’s sitting on the floor has somehow become “bocky.”  While Dex is sitting on the floor playing, there’s this one toy that Theo always brings Dexter.  Most toys in our house are/were originally Theo’s and Theo knows it.  So he thinks Dex should be playing with that toy and that toy only.  Or that “tay” as Theo calls it as he’s giving it to Dexy.

And speaking of Dex.  Theo used to call him “Deh-durr” but that has turned into “Dex.”  Can’t even get him to say Deh-durr when we offer him cash.  Just Dex now. 

I’ll be feeding Dexter and Theo will see me, point to my ta-ta’s and say “boovies!” with a devilish grin.  Kinda creepy, almost.  He also recognizes my pump, pump shields, bottles, etc. and associates all of it with “boovies.” 

The boys love their Uncle Steve.  It’s a mystery, but Theo insists on calling him “Uncle Jeans.”  Uncle Jeans is the only African-American adult male in our family.  We have a Charles Barkley book on our bookshelf.  Theo points to it frequently and says “Uncle Jeans?”  Bahahaha.

And my favorite…

Me:  “Theo.  Guess what?  Hey Theo.  I have to tell you something.”
Theo:  “I yuh you, too!”

Think I tell him I love him too much?  Impossible. 

~C~

thanksgiving wrap-up: a photoblog

Posted on by mommyinthemidwest

Hey there.

My little boys on Thanksgiving Day.  Just looking at their sweet, innocent faces fills my heart with pride and love.  Two years ago, on Thanksgiving, I never would have guessed we’d be where we are now.  But I sure as heck wouldn’t have it any other way. 
We spent the weekend at Nana and Pop Pop’s house and were joined by Aunt M, Uncle B, and Cousin Spence, or as Theo says, “Pence!”  I think Pence is pretty excited that Theo can finally play trains with him.  

 

Dexter managed to find a way to play trains too.  Friday night our city had their annual celebration that goes along with lighting the “tree” (a.k.a. monument).  Since I’ve lived here for 8 years and had never seen it, I figured I should mark it off my to-do list.  The city, it was beautiful.  We had mild weather and the crowd was energizing.  The lighting of the “tree,” eh.  It was kind of like, well, turning on a light.  You know?  But my boo recently started a new job, right in front of this “tree” and his company opened their doors to employees and their families for the event.  So, I got to see the new digs.  It was a 2-for-1 kinda deal. 

 The most fun for Pence and Theo was not only the cookie and drink buffet inside boo’s work, but the wide open space to run and play.  Tell me these are two little boys who aren’t having fun.  I dare ya.

Well…we had fun trying to get some decent pictures.  Finally, the “tree” was lit and we were able to get to the parking garage so that we could sit.  And sit.  And sit.  For an hour.  That was the least fun part of the night, but we should have parked further away from the center of activity instead of using R’s parking pass.  Lesson learned.  I don’t know that I have to go do it again, but it was a fun night.  Something different to do on Black Friday, anyway!  I wouldn’t leave you wondering what that magical “tree” looks like, all lit up. 
yep, that’s it.

The rest of the weekend was filled with a reindeer, giggles with Pop Pop, stories with Nana, rolling and trying to crawl all over the place, and attempts at a decent Christmas card photo. 
Well.  You can see how successful that endeavor was.
All in all…best Thanksgiving ever.  Sure do have a lot to be thankful for this year.
thanks for reading,
~C~

my kid sucks

Posted on by mommyinthemidwest

his thumb, y’all!  Gah… you didn’t really think I would start a bliggety off like that, did you?

When Theo was a newborn, I saw him wiggling that little hand near his mouth a few times but never really had the coordination to really get going.  Plus, I never gave him the opportunity.  I ever-so-gently pushed his tiny hand away from his face and inserted his little green soothie pacifier.

However.

Around the time he turned 6 months old, we decided to transition him out of the miniature baby straightjacket swaddle (which we loved for Theo – it never did diddly squat for Dexter) at night, subsequently freeing his arms and hands from said miniature baby straightjacket swaddle.   When that happened, something else did too.  Theo abandoned that soothie faster than you could say “thumbsucker.”

Mouth, meet thumb.  Thumb, meet mouth.

I’m not sure what I had against it…I guess I just figured it would be easier to take a pacifier away than a thumb, and I didn’t want him sucking his thumb at prom.  I never wanted my kid(s) to be a thumbsucker.  I would go as far as to say that it even annoyed me.  I don’t know why.  We don’t try to dissuade him much anymore.  We do say “get that thumb outta your mouth!” as a game, and he’ll pop it out real fast and look at us and laugh (before popping it right back in and going about his business). 

I notice he does it the most when he’s sleepy and when he’s feeling nervous or shy.  There are days when he hardly does it outside of those circumstances.  There are days when he does it nonstop subconsciously as he plays.  To Theo, thumbsucking = self-soothing.  It makes him feel secure.  He’s still little, so I don’t feel the need to take it away (or try to) just yet.

For the record, I still don’t think it’s cute.

If there’s one thing that makes me cringe about thumbsucking, it’s the gross germs.  All the germs that he picks up (and sucks off of his thumb) while he’s playing at the Simon mall playground.  The table he touches at McDonald’s right before he sucks his thumb.  The germs he’s spreading when his slobbery thumb touches things while we are out and about.  I try to hand sanitze as much as possible when we play in public.  We, as a family, have been sick for the last 6 weeks.  So yes.  I have become that mom.  The one chasing her kid around the playground squirting hand sanitizer left and right and towards every kid that comes within 10 feet of him.  Just be glad I don’t carry Clorox Wipes in my purse.  Wait.  I do wipe off the high chairs and tables at restaurants with Wet Ones. Does that count?

I digress. 

Dex has never slept in a baby straightjacket swaddle.  He falls asleep with his pacifier but then it falls out and he doesn’t use it the rest of the night.  We sure do stick it in his mouth when he starts crying for no apparent reason and he seems to like it.  The doc says we should get rid of it now because they are associated with a higher risk of ear infections after six months.  I’m not convinced yet.  There are just those times when I’m glad to have it, and so is Dexter. 

I wonder if I’ll have another thumbsucker on my hands. 

time will tell,
~C~