Wordless Wednesday!

Happy Birthday MICHAEL!!!

3 Years ago today at 8:03 pm we were blessed by 8 lbs. 14.4 oz miracle that was you, Michael!
Our lives were changed forever and life has gained so much meaning and love, all thanks to you.
Happy Birthday my Little Man and many, many, many more to come! Grow big, strong, healthy and happy.
I am amazed every day by a vibrant, witty and brilliant person you have become. Listening to you tell stories in your sweet little voices brings me so much joy and laughter. I hold these memories in my heart and hope to remember 30 years from now excatly what your voice sounded like when you were 3. I can go on and on about how much Daddy and I love and adore you but I pretty sure you already know that.

Lots of kisses, hugs and tickles. We love you baby boy!!!

3 Years ago today

Today at 3 years old

You can see lot more pictures at http://www.rebelmikey.com/birthday.htm

3 YEAR STATS!

Here the 3 year stats for my big boy:

Weight: 46 lbs

Height: 42"

So the annual well visit came around again and I just knew that things were not going to go smoothly. Michael is getting older, smarter and much harder to trick... Basically the screaming started the minute we pulled in the parking lot of the doctor's office. It amazed me that he actually remembered the building and what we were there for. We were able to keep him calm in the waiting room since he was distracted by the movie that was playing. Once they called us in, all h-ll broke loose. He cried and screamed until he just about lost his voice and turned as red as a tomato. I felt bad for the doc but she was wonderful and patient. The funny thing is, he cried harder when she was giving him a physical than when he actually got his flu shot.

The ped was very pleased with Michael's progress and even though he's in the 100th percentile for is weight and height for his age she said that Michael is just a really solid kid and not at all overweight.

Nothing makes Mommy happier than knowing my sweet boy is doing well and growing into a strong little man.

Here is my cutie pie

A little preview of the teenage years?

Today for the first time my almost 3 year old son folded the arms across his chest, pouted because he couldn't get his way and said "This is not fair, you're not my friend". I had this baffled look on my face like "How old are you kid?" I though I had at least 7-8 years before this kind of stuff started coming out of his mouth! Oy!!!

In other news, Michael has finally adjusted to the transition from toddler class to preschoolers and actually loves going to school now. Seeing him cry and not want to go to school every day was really making me unhappy.

We're still battling the Potty Training wooes and are getting nowhere fast. He just does not seem to be interested and that's that. I gues we'll wait a little while longer before trying again.

We really enjoyed our annual pumpkin picking trip a few weeks ago. The weather was gorgeous and we were able to enjoy all the outdoor farm fun. Michael really enjoyed running through the corn tunnel and jumping on hay stacks. He didn't really care about the pumpkins that much but we brought home a few anyway. Here is my little "angel"

All Things Fall

Well it looks like fall has finally arrived and I for one CANNOT be more excited. This is my absolute favorite time of the year and so many great things are associated with fall: fall is a prelude to all the great holidays to come, there are so many fun activities to tend to, the weather is amazing, the scenery is magnificent and ...it's my little boy's birthday. Yes, Michael will be turning 3 this fall. I think I need a moment to wrap my brain around that...

Sometimes I look at him and feel that he's still such a baby (always my baby), like when he asks to be carried or I when watch him sleep peacefully at night with my hand on his belly (yeah, I still do that). Than there are other times when his exploding vocabulary let's me know that I am now talking to an almost pre-schooler. The other morning he asked me to read him a book and when we were finished he said very seriously "OK, let's go to work Mommy"

Anyway, we ventured out on our annual apple picking trip and I must admit it was a huge success. I think this year Michael actual got the idea of picking apples and had a great time. The farm had some other fun activities for the kids like the petting zoo, jumping hay piles, corn maze and of course all the yummy farm treats. It was such a great day of fun for the whole family. I am looking forward to going back for pumpkin picking in a few weeks. It will also give me an excuse to get another one of those amazing apple pies...mmm

BRING ON THE LOVE!

In the past week my little munchkin went from the most unaffectionate child to this little boy who is just overflowing with LOVE! These days, Michael will say “I love you Mommy/Daddy” without being prompted and it is usually accompanied by a hug and/or a KISS!!!! He does this at any given time, sometimes for no apparent reason at all. This development is an absolutely delight for us! Don’t get me wrong, Michael always liked being “loved on” but was not very eager to return the favor. If asked for a kiss, he would usually turn his cheek and LET you kiss him. That’s it.
I am not sure what prompted this new wave of emotions from our little cherub but we say BRING ON THE LOVE…and with the face like this who can blame us.

If I had...

If I had a Day Off all to myself it would look JUST LIKE THIS:

Our Vacation (Part 2)

The rest of our time in Cape Cod was spent rummaging around the island. There was so much to do and not enough time to do it all. We visited the JFK memorial along with the Korean War monument. Than it was off to the Cape Cod Children’s museum. Michael really loved this place and had a great time playing with other kids. The museum had a great train table (a must for our son), a huge wooden train for the kids to climb on, a musical room where Michael got to play the drums, Lego tables, huge pirate ship and so much more. We all actually enjoyed it.
Than we traveled to see some lighthouses and beaches and just to take in the beautiful scenery.
At night we ventured out to Downtown Hyannis. I really wish we had taken pictures of this place. There were so many great little shops, street performers and outside restaurants. It looked so beautiful all lit up at night. We had delicious meals at some of the sidewalk restaurants. Michael was up way passed his bed time but it was kind of fun to break the rules and just enjoy some fun time as a family.

On the way back we made a spontaneous decision to stop at Mystic Harbor, CT. Ralph and I have been there before (sans child) and I just had the fondest memories of that place. Michael was of course fascinated by all the huge ships and believed that they were all pirate ships. There were no barriers between the walk ways and the water so that made me really nervous the whole time. With a toddler who completely worships water and tries to jump into any puddle possible, I just couldn’t relax and was very tense.
To sum up, it was a great much needed trip for all of us. Coming back to work/school was so hard. I love the New England atmosphere of peace and serenity. Looking forward to our adventures next summer :)

We're back from Cape Cod! Day 1

We came back from Cape Cod last Friday and I miss it already. Ralph and I were discussing how we can definitely see ourselves living there; it's so peaceful and carefree. However, I am a city girl at heart and will probably begin missing the hustle and bustle of a polluted metropolis after a while :)

The vacation was fabulous and we had a wonderful time. The first day, we took the ferry to Martha's Vineyard and Michael really enjoyed the ride. This was his first time on a big boat so everything was exciting and new to him. We ran up and down all decks of the ferry and visited the snack bar.

Once we arrived to the Vineyard we had so much fun exploring the island. We visited lots of cute little shops and had a wonderful lunch at a restaurant by the water. We walked around the little neighborhoods and saw some truly charming homes. Michael was having one of his "off days" and was acting like a true two year old should. Pretty much all day his preferred method of transportation was looking up at his father saying "Carry you" in the most whiny voice imaginable. Daddy of course obliged. Michael did enjoy looking at all the boats and trowing rocks in the water :)

At the end of the day the little guys has had enough and was way over due for his nap. The beautiful thing about children is they can sleep anywhere. Stay tuned for more stories from our adventure.

Daddy, chase the monsters away...

Michael is at the age where he's learning what fear is and everything he sees leaves a certain impression in his mind. Now, he's convinced that there is a monster living upstairs in his room. Ralph and I told him multiple times that there is no monster and we have checked the closet and under the bed but Michael is still sceptical. We now tell him that Daddy chased the monsters away and the monsters are now on vacation. Tonight before going to bed, Michael turned to his father with the sweetest scared face and said " Daddy chase monsters away? Monster on macation?" Too cute. Daddy gave him huge hugs and told him that the monster was indeed on macation. Hooray for Daddy, our Hero!

The new TOY has arrived!

Despite my many attempts to try to talk my husband out of it, the new monster TOY is here. Michael is a proud owner of a battery operated ATV. He was very excited to try it but once he realized how fast it can actually go he got a little...concerned. He gave it a "go" few times around the lawn and did very well I might add. I on the other hand kept shutting my eyes in anticipation of the inevitable: crash, fall, scream, etc. Ugh, men and their toys :) I guess I better start getting used to it, my husband just adores things with motors and handle bars...

Slow Days of Summer

We had a calm and uneventful weekend, I love those! Saturday was spent visiting Grandma which is always nice. Michael loves going grocery shopping with Grandma and myself. He holds the basket, helps me get boxes of the shelves, gets to rip the ticket off at the deli line and we ALWAYS stop to see live lobsters at the fish department (lobsters completely fascinate him).
Sunday was another gorgeous day outside so we all jumped in the pool and had some great play time. Michael is getting very brave in the water and I am happy to see him not scared of the pool anymore. He walks around the pool flapping his arms screaming "Mommy look I'm swimming". I do hope he becomes a great swimmer like his Daddy, I have always felt a little bit "left out" because I never learned how to swim (blush).
OK, funny story to close out this post:
Michael found one of our BIG calculators today and was very intrigued. After looking at it for a few minutes, he put it to his ear and said "Sorry, Mommy can't talk on the phone, She's busy!"
LOL :-)

Toddling Around

I love having a toddler, YES you read right, I think this age (2 1/2) is absolutely adorable! I am constantly in awe by new things Michael does, new words he learns and just the bursts of new emotions he's mastered to express. Although most of the time if you ask him "Do you love Mommy and Daddy?" the answer will be "NO" :-), he's is still such a sweet and gentle soul. Every day when he comes out of the Day Care and gets in the car, he gives his father a Huge Hug, brings tears to my eyes every time I see it.
Yesterday we were having a great time playing outside and being silly. I bent down to pick Michael up when he grabbed my face with both hands, stared right into my eyes with this sweet smile and just said "Mommy". I know, I know I am such a sentimental mush...I just can't help myself.

Inheriting bad habits

This story happened a few weeks ago but it was definitely one for the books. I must admit I am guilty of going through the McDonald's drive through and getting french fries one TOO many times but now I might have "damaged" my child. Like his mother, Michael enjoys french fries and will get a kid's meal maybe once a week so he has watched me order through the drive through plenty of times.
On to my funny moment. My baby monitor is always on downstairs and last night it was making lots crackling sounds and flashing lights b/c the air conditioning was on upstairs (where the receiver is). Michael heard the sound (can you see where this is going), ran up to the monitor, got his face real close and screamed "Can I have french fries please!".... I still cannot stop laughing! It was definitely worthy of America's funnies videos.
Also, made me think I should cut down on french fries (blush)