I color beautiful

"Color" and "Beautiful".... two words that by themselves are quite nice words but when you combine them and add in a toddler, not always the greatest outcome!

It started by Giovanni having his own notepad months ago so he can "color" like momma (me doing the nightly paperwork), and get stuff done as he likes to occasionally say. Well who would have known that this would turn into something so big and important to him on a daily basis. Everywhere we go, we have to make sure his "work" comes with us just in case he gets the urge to color.

Well tonight was no exception while we are at home and I had some last minute orders to input...well so I thought as little man usually sits at my feet and does his work with his notepad and computer. Then

I hear those words used together "Color beautiful momma"

Looking down, Giovanni is standing in front of me with his arms, face, and part of the dog colored in pen! Oh what fun this was! I didn't want to reprimand him because it was hard not laughing but I had to let him know that this wasn't acceptable and we didn't color on our bodies or the dogs body. So what do I do? I take away the pen and put it on our "loose for a day" shelf, all while trying to stifle my giggles because cute didn't quite describe my toddler! "Oh that not funny!!!!" he stated so matter-of-fact.
Well needless to say we cleaned up the toddler and dog but lesson learned...Just because my two year old seems older than his years at times doesn't mean I will make the mistake of letting him use a pen (or any other writing instrument for that matter) without me keeping a closer eye on him. :)

Separation of Sleeping

So many times I have  tried to break my son of sleeping in our bed, and so many times I have seemed to be a complete failure - it's as if he know that heartstring to tug at and uses it all too much. I have tried the CIO method (I cried and gave in), the rock to sleep (he wakes within 3 minutes of no motion), to even sleeping in his room next to his bed (he holds my hand for dear life and no escape).

Finally a solution...his mattress on the floor!!! Who would have thought of such a thing, especially since he could easily gotten "out" of bed and ventured to our bed. *and yes we tried gates to which he shook so hard it broke on and the others he simply climbs over them as if they were a game. There has been little to none of something he hasn't done to get in our bed and snuggle up the whole middle of the bed.

But come bed time this past week I simply rock for five minutes, tell him it's time for bed and leave promising to sing to him "from over there" as he says (through the monitor). At times he has even tells me "Momma go do work, I trying to sleep." While it still keeps me in a bit of confused state of mind as I actually have alone time, I try to enjoy this independence. I would like to say it is due to the schedule of bedtime routine, I have to admit we don't have a routine - or at least the same one - each night. Sometimes there is a bath, others "just one minute" of dancing or reading or even in Momma's bed, but I no longer let him fall asleep anywhere except in his room.

As I sit here and think about it, an idea comes to mind about how he hated the crib and would jump out as soon as he figured that out. Or the toddler bed, to which he'd some times tumbled out of while rolling around, and even the pack-n-play that he'd try to rock until it'd tip over and out he'd crawl too. What I am thinking is that mr. Giovanni does not like to feel confined when trying to sleep....

Road Tripping

Let me say that road trips and two year olds aren't always that fun, but with a toddler that has learned new songs each week at school it is actually quite an amusing time!
So far I have heard "Old McDonald" "Itsy Bitsy Spider" (a fuller version than I taught him), as well as other bits and pieces of songs I am still trying to decipher. Each song has been started with
"Momma listen to it!" and "One song momma peeease."

Packing Away

Last weekend we took the trek to Sesame Place and met up with another very special two year old, someone Giovanni likes to call "Gace" This little girl is very special as not only is her name easy to say but also someone who he gets super excited to see whenever her name is mentioned or if he sees her cheery face pop up on mommas computer screen. With this being said Giovanni wasn't told where we were going or who we were going to see until the day or two before....and what we heard was:

"Meomanni go see Gace and Elmo! Today momma, yes?
"No Giovanni, tomorrow we will"
"No momma, I see Elmo and Gace today!!!!"

After this went on for almost an hour,  it was luckily nap time and hopefully the end of this conversation for the day. Oh boy did I underestimate the mind of this smart little boy of mine, he woke up from a long nap (2.5hours) asking "We see Gace momma! It morrow!"

Well as some may not know, Giovanni is a very strong willed child and doesn't give up easy on anything he really wants whether it be cookies (what we call yogurt covered pretzels) to seeing someone he really wants to see at that time. While this is a great drive to possess, it's not always appreciated at this stage of the game when he doesn't fully understand of 'not right this minute but in a hour' type of conversation. Let's just hope that this amazing quality stays with him throughout his entire life because there isn't always enough of that surrounding us. But back to the matter at hand....Giovanni was determined to go see her and tried to escape to go wait in the car and wait to we were ready to drive.

Trying to distract him, I asked if could help me pack clothes and toys so when needed we could change if we got dirty and such. Thinking that would keep his mind to playing with toys once he started "packing", I went to my room right next to his and started to pack my suitcase and Steven's clothes as well. After about ten minutes of not hearing anything from his room (usually he's very verbal and singing when no one is around), I went to peek in and see what he was doing and making sure he wasn't completely destroying his room and OH MY what did I find....This smart little two year old of mine had empty almost all of his dresser, toy box, and diaper bin into a suitcase and was sitting on trying to close it. REALLY! WHEN DID HE BECOME THIS SMART AND WHERE DID HE LEARN THESE THINGS!!!!

"Vanni, what are you doing?"
"I pack uitcas to see Gace and Elmo..." said in a tone that meant duh mom.
"Ummmm don't you think that's too much stuff for a trip?"
"No momma, I share cars and diapers. I go to beach need coes."

By this time I can no longer hold a straight face and start crying from laughing so much and then it hit me at how much I really did underestimate this vivacious two year old of mine...

Next to come.....The visit...

First School Days

So as some know, little munchkin started school last "school" last Monday and let's say it was a little rough. He cried and cried when it came time to momma and daddy to leave but when we called an hour later he was doing OK. Since naps were around 12:30, I decided to check in on him around 1:30 to make me feel better about leaving him and see that sweet sleeping face. Well he wasn't asleep and he saw me and in turn it made him upset. Let's just say that there will be no more stopping in to check on him, we will just have to wait until the end of the day and shower him with TONS of kisses and hugs.

Fast forward to Wednesday, his second day of school...It was even harder to let him go, he clung to me and said he'd be good and help momma work. That just about broke my heart as I don't want him thinking that is why he is going to school! After ten minutes I had to go and walked out crying a little and told him I'd be back soon! I always come back. Well this smart little boy of mine remember those words because when I came to pick him up he says "Momma come back Meomanni" Still a surprise when he repeats things I say rushed and only once. All the way home he would keep saying "Momma come back Meomanni" in between telling me what he did all day...Manni play on choo-choo, I eat, I no want nap...etc.

Tomorrow is Monday once again so let's hope it goes a little smoother for both of us!

Wahoooo...go go go!!!

Summer has escaped me and keeping up with the energy and life of my toddler! We have gone to Vermont on a vacation with my siblings and their toddlers, we have visited two different local county fairs, been thrill seekers looking for the fastest and most exciting rides, mooing like a cow, swimming in the lake-ocean-and backyard pool with friends and neighbors. Trying new foods and realizing that the only person more "addicted" to chocolate is a cute little boy who I like to call munchkin. Day in and day out the words, sentences, and physical ability is astonishing and keeps this momma in as struck sense of self for I was and am a big part of helping this little one develop into such a fun filled mini me! Lines from "momma chocolate share miamonni" to " get off of me" when he's done wrestling. Stories of what we saw at the fair to counting endless motorcycles passing us on our daily outings "one, twooo, tree, twooo, nine, five..." and we can never forget that even though there is only one motorcycle next to us at the stop light, there is really two because little man remembers one that was next to us hours before!
When bedtime slowly creeps up "momma cuddle one minute" even though he doesn't quite grasp the meaning of one minute and more times than not we fall asleep talking in my bed and cuddling most of the night away. When a toddler is put in their own big boy bed, it is almost as certain as the sun rising that they will end up in your bed at some point the next morning asking "Mickey mouse pease" with the cutest smile imaginable. Then a bath is in store because munchkin is "yucky dirty poop daper". Some things that I'm amazed as is how smart my little man is and insists on learning all his body parts....just imagine that conversation :) Each day my love grows stronger than the day before and never believing it could grow any more....awwww the life of this wondrous creature that toddles around full of excitement

What a character!

One Tuesday we went to see the doctor for the first double ear infection he has since Giovanni had tubes put in over a year ago. Crying and kicking whenever I even tried to look at his ears or clean out the lovely yellow slime dripping out of them, but when Dr. Nick came in the room Giovanni proudly states "Dr. Nick, Giomanni ears ouch and yucky." Then he proceeded to climb up on the examination table and sit without moving a muscle while the doctor looked in both ears. I knew my child is really smart but the next thing he said blew me away....
"Dr. Nick, I run now?"
Each time we have visited the doctor, he has had Giovanni run up and down the halls then listen to his lungs and make sure his allergy medicine is doing it's job. It had been months since we were there and that he remembered this still has me in awe...

*I'm so happy he likes his doctor, Dr. Nick is simply an AMAZING pediatrician!!!