The Puddle

For a change of pace, this entry was written by Guy.

It was a pretty normal day today. Nico and I went to Fred Meyer to get a new alarm clock. He was in full charm mode, turning heads with his grin.

We went for a walk after dinner, and it had been raining a bit so there were plenty of puddles to stomp in. The last one Nico played in went up to his ankles, which he thought was hilarious for about a minute, until the cold wetness really sunk in. So we rushed home to a change of clothes and a warm bath.

This is Nico just as we were leaving for the walk.

FaceTime

Today we facetimed with Grandpa and Grandma Russell. Nico had a great time showing them some of his toys.

We also spent a good amount of the day playing with Legos. We recently pulled the Lego bin out of storage and Nico enjoys rummaging through it.

Just a hohum picture today. Couch sitting and eating cheese!

Fever

Nico grew a fever last night, and had it all through today. It was a low grade one, in the 100s, but his appetite seemed to be affected. He also went down an hour earlier tonight than usual.

Yesterday we all went to the Fish Park together. Nico is used to going inside the lobby, but it was closed because we were there after 5 PM, but he had a hard time getting over it. The whole way up the path he kept pointing back to where we usually go inside. It took some coaxing (and Guy putting him on his shoulders) for him to get past it.

Nico is learning how to sit on a ball, and is getting better at throwing them too!

This picture is from yesterday. Nico had just squished a bug on the window.

The Stroller Walk

Nico and I went for a walk after Guy left for work. After dragging around the planter for a while, he went up to our car and pointed to the trunk. After I opened it, he pointed to the stroller, indicating that he wanted me to take it out. But, he didn't want to get in it. We started walking down the sidewalk and I decided to leave the stroller in the driveway, thinking he had changed his mind about it. But he saw that I had left it behind and went back and whined and pointed at it. So, I brought it with us. He kept changing things up, and handed me the planter. Then he wanted to push the stroller for a while, then he wanted to get in it. I took him around the block.

The picture is of Nico eating Kale Chips. Up until this point he has never liked them, always throwing them on the floor when we put one on his plate. But he changed his mind tonight, and ate a lot of them. I think the difference is that he was sitting on Guy's lap while Nico was feeding the kale chips to Guy, and then all of a sudden he put one in his mouth! When we loaded up his plate with them in his high chair, he was pleased!

Just a Day

Just another day today. Nico is getting better at his "educational" games on the iPad. I'll have to video him doing his thing, solving puzzles and the like.

We had some beef polish sausage for dinner tonight that tasted more beefy than sausagey.

That's about it!

Cars

This morning Nico and I went to Target to buy a few things. I also bought him a toy car, they sell for 1.07 each, and couldn't pass it up. Nico was very happy.

After Guy left for work tonight, Nico and I went out again, this time to the dollar store. It was an unplanned visit. He grabbed two sets of toy cars (8 cars total) off the shelf and started walking off with them so I bought him both sets. 2.12 total cost. We played with them quite a bit after getting home. These ones won't last long, though. They are made of cheap bendable plastic, suitable for dollar store purchase though!

I am posting a picture from yesterday, when Meatball came inside and had a snuggle session with the boys.

Car Cart

Every so often when we go to Fred Meyer, I let Nico ride in one of the car carts. Today was one of those days! We all took a trip to Freddies to pick up some needed house supplies. Nico turns one wheel, and then both wheels at once.

Family Park

Since Guy didn't work tonight, we ALL went to the park. It was also a little colder today than it has been, so we didn't stay very long.

After we got back from the park, I asked Nico if he wanted to eat a meatball, and he signed "cat". The neighborhood cat that often comes inside is named Meatball, and Nico remembered! After this, he kept signing cat and pointing outside, looking at us like "where is this meatball you are talking about?"

Snuggle Buddy

This morning Nico slept in until 8:20!! His usual wake up time has been 6:30-ish. He woke up around 6:20 this morning when Guy got home, but Guy went in there and laid him back down and he slept for another 2 hours. Wow! Because he slept in, we were able to go up to the cabin this morning before his first nap, which would be late because of his late morning. We had lunch and saw the Grandparents Salisbury. There was snow on the roads and I had quite a time getting back up their driveway.

This afternoon Nico was being quite a snuggle buddy, so we each had our turn snuggling him.

Step

We all went for a walk after dinner. Then after Guy left for work, Nico and I went to the park AGAIN. The weather has been nice, I think that's why we've been doing that a lot. Today he practiced stepping down off of a step. Each time he did it, he would face plant into the wood chips on the ground. But then he'd get right back up and do it again. He also practiced walking up and down hills. He likes the descent the best, where he has a hard time keeping up with his steps and threatens to tip forward. 

Park

We plugged in our new freezer today and sent the deposit for our half cow.

We went to a park again after Guy left for work. Nico loves to play on the fire engine. After getting down, he walks around to each of the fire engine's wheels and pretends to turn it like a steering wheel. Then he looks at me and points to it and I say "wheel!"

I asked him if he was a fish today when he got on his stomach in the bathtub. He responded by what I thought was the sign for "camel", but come to find out it is also the sign he uses for "snake". So, interpret that as you will :) When I asked him again tonight, he responded with "fish".

Sleepy Snugga

In the mornings after I take a shower and am getting ready, I put Nico in his crib for a few minutes. He usually hunkers down and when I come back he is lying down kicking his feet about. When he sees me he asks for a pillow, so I put one under his head. Then he points to the blanket, so I put the blanket on him. This morning he then pointed to the stuffed animals in his crib so I surrounded him with all his stuffed animals. Then he asked for his toothbrush, so I gave that to him as well.

So he pretend sleeps. While he was doing this today, he was hanging his feet out of the crib so I took the opportunity to clip his toenails. I sang him "This little piggy..." to keep him distracted from what I was actually doing.

The picture is kind of blurry for lack of light.

After Guy left for work, Nico and I went to the park.

Evening Walk

We all went for a walk at 6 PM tonight, when it was just starting to get dark. We don't usually go out that late! It was a brief walk around the "block". Around the corner, down the alley, and through the back gate. Nico wanted the stroller so we strapped him in and took off.

Oh and p.s., the shoes that he's wearing he particularly likes and selects them over all the other pairs of shoes that he has.

Micro Machines

Today we moved around the stuff in our outdoor storage area so that we could fit a freezer in there. Guy came across his old micro machines so he pulled them out. In the picture you can see Nico "helping" Guy fix one of the cars. He then went rogue and tried to fix his own car. He went through Guy's screw drivers one by one, holding it up to a car and then dropping the screwdriver to the floor so he could grab the next one.

Birthday and Fresh Air

This afternoon we went to Fuddruckers to celebrate my dad's 60th birthday. Happy Birthday Papa! Nico enjoyed himself. I gave him pieces of my grilled chicken and we let him have some sweet potato fries, too. He was fans of both. Lots of family and lots of pictures.

Afterward, we met Liz and Bruce and Rory at Veteran's Memorial Park. It was a lovely day, sunny and in the 50s. We stayed for more than an hour before we headed to the Co-op to buy ingredients for dinner. Meatloaf and butternut squash fries.

Splash

Nico woke up an hour earlier than usual today! This afternoon I bought a freezer. And we were supposed to meet at Chicago Connection with the Grandparents Salisbury and Nico's cousins/uncles/aunts but I wasn't feeling well so I stayed home with Nico. Guy was already at the restaurant, otherwise I'm sure he would have taken Nico with him! So we missed a good photo op there. (I am fine, btw, but I did eat too much cheese for lunch).

Nico has learned how to move himself onto his stomach while in the bathtub, so he has been enjoying that.

Looks like we do have a picture from Chicago Connection!

Park

This afternoon Nico and I went to the fish park to meet Liz and Bruce and Rory.

After dinner (apple turkey sausage with kale chips) Nico and I played ball in the hallway. He is slowly learning how to throw a ball forward. So much laughing!

New iPad

This morning we went to the mall to exchange our old iPad for the new one. It works much better! We played in the mall play area for a bit too.

Spaghetti (with squash instead of noodles) for dinner tonight, Nico wasn't too fond of it.

First picture with the new iPad! After Guy left for work I gave Nico a second dinner because he didn't eat much the first time. I let him sit on the chair instead of in the high chair.

Food day

Today was payday, so also grocery day! We get one 10% off coupon a month at the co-op, so we buy all our month's meat in one go. Today was that day! We also drove to Meridian to buy the area's best eggs.

Curried sprouted lentils and chicken for dinner.

Picture was taken right before heading off to bed.

Fishems

This morning we went to the toddler gym where we met up with Nico's Aunt Liz and cousin Rory. Rory and Nico had a lot of fun!

Guy wasn't feeling well again today, we think he may have caught another cold. So Nico and I went out this afternoon to the library and then to the fish park. The weather was sunny and warm! (In the 50s). It was cool to see the fish now that Nico actively enjoys "talking" about animals. I can't wait to take him to the zoo!

Speaking of animals, Nico received two new life-sized zoo books from Grandma Russell!! We chose one and read it several times today.

Not much

Not much went on today, co-op for dinner ingredients. Meatloaf and kale chips. Yum!

Another daily routine: after Guy takes his shower, Nico hears him open the door to the bathroom and runs over there. Nico follows him into the bedroom where Guy tosses him onto the bed. Nico plays with stuff on my nightstand while Guy gets ready. Clock, piggy bank, whatever he fancies.

The Mall

We went to church this morning, Guy only had 3 hours of sleep. He stayed awake after church and this afternoon we went to the mall to go to the Apple Store. There is something wrong with the wireless on our iPad, and they are going to replace the iPad for free because we are still within a year of purchase date. Yay!

Poor Guy was super tired!

Nico and I have a special ritual we do once or twice a day. I sit on the couch and I pull him up and he sits next to me. I pull a blanket over us (he asks for the blanket as soon as I sit him down on the couch - this buddy knows his routines!) and then I put the laptop on my lap and I put my arm around him and we watch real animal videos on youtube while sometimes eating cheese.

In the picture, we are sitting on the couch in this position. I told Nico to "say cheese" and he signed it :)

Routines

Nico is a big fan of routines. He anticipates what is next and is excited to show you that he knows what's coming. This morning as Guy was heading to bed, he paused to tell me about something and Nico quickly picked up the slack by signing "goodnight" over and over again. He'd walk to the bedroom door, realize Guy wasn't following him, turn around and come back and sign "goodnight", looking at Guy like he was forgetting something.

One routine that I love and that Nico started all by himself with no prompting from us, is the morning baby routine. Nico and I come out to the living room in the morning and sit on the couch next to Guy. Nico promptly climbs down off the couch and goes to his room and brings back the baby doll. He hands it to Guy and then goes back into his room to get the baby's hat, and then the blanket. Not sure why. But it sure is cute!

In the picture Nico and Guy are playing with a Lego truck.

Feetsies

A few months ago I think I posted a picture of Nico in his high chair and how he liked to push his feet against the lip of the high chair tray. Well now, his legs are too long to do that, so he uses the table to support his feet instead. Growing growing!

Today the produce stand was out of our favorite eggs, so we went to the co-op to buy some backup eggs.

Nico ate a ton of squash for dinner, I was so surprised!

Rhino

Today we went to the toddler open gym. Nico then took a nap and then we went to the Co-op to pick up dinner ingredients. Guy made up some banana/orange "ice cream" for dessert. After dinner, Guy left for work and Nico and I went to the park for a brief visit.

Nico thinks about animals a lot. In the mornings he often signs dog cat bird mouse or some other animals all right in a row. It's nice to know what's on his mind :)

In the picture he is signing rhino by poking his eye. That's the sign he came up with, since in the picture of the rhino in his book, the rhino's eye is front and center and Nico always pointed to it first thing.

Mostly All Better

Nico is mostly recovered from his cold, but he still has a snotty nose. He enjoys it when I suction his nose out - he actually laughs! Guy is feeling mostly better, too, just very exhausted. I have felt like I was getting the cold on two different occasions but then it just stopped.

Today Guy and Nico went for a short walk after dinner.

In the picture, Nico is sitting with Guy at his computer, listening to music.

Snuffles

Nico still has the snuffles and Guy is just starting to get them.

This picture is from yesterday, Guy is giving Nico a drink of soda water from his glass. Nico really likes soda water!

Salad Spinner

Nico loves to use the salad spinner. While we are in the kitchen he likes to stand on his step stool so he can reach one of the counters. I usually give him something to play with, and a lot of the time it's the salad spinner. Sometimes it's a bowl with a small amount of water in it, and a spoon.

Today Guy made pesto soup and he stood on his step stool to "lick the beater" after Guy made the pesto. Nico loves fresh pesto sauce!

Nico has a cold and was snuffly today with a runny nose and some sneezing. I'm hoping he feels better tomorrow, though the cold doesn't seem to have affected his spirit!

Walk in the Rain

This afternoon after dinner we all went for a walk in the rain. Guy sighs and says "It feels like home."

Tonight it seems like Nico might be getting a cold. He had a very phlegmy nose and it was making him cough a bit. If tonight is rough for him (he's already been awake a few times) then I'll be pulling him into bed with me.

Clean up

We've started a routine where we clean up Nico's toys every evening before bedtime. We move all his toys back into his room and put them away. In the picture Nico is returning two of his magnets to the fridge during clean up time.

We sing "Clean up, clean up, everybody everywhere.
Clean up, clean up, everybody do your share."

Snow

We had a lot of snow this morning, so of course we had to venture out in it today! Nico kept falling over and wasn't too happy about that, so it was a short outside visit. It started raining later and it all turned into slush by the afternoon.

I made butternut squash fries for the first time tonight. They turned out good!

Quail

You may not be able to see the quail in the picture, but there was about 30 of them outside. They blend in with the gray rocks. Nico signed "bird".

Whenever Nico hears the house creak, he signs "bird". The first time he heard a bird on the roof, he got scared. I told him it was just a bird walking on the roof, and so whenever he hears that sound or any other creaking sound that the house makes, he signs "bird".

Meatball

We let Meatball the cat come inside again today, Nico was so excited!

Guy and Nico went to the Co-op this afternoon to pick up foods for dinner. Kale chip nachos, yummy!

Praying Baby

Tonight Nico was being quite cute. We pulled out the little rubber animals for him to play with at the kitchen table, and as we were going through them he reached for my hand. I held his hand and then he grabbed for Guy's hand. He wanted us to pray! That is how we usually pray before meals. After he grabbed both of our hands he said "Do bah". We prayed and then said Amen and then let go of his hands, but he reached for our hands again. We prayed probably 5 times before we urged him to play with the animals instead. So cute!

"Thank you Lord for Nico's curiosity and for the animals. Amen."

Also today we found Guy's Aeropress after it was missing for a few days. Guy went through the trash outside and found it. We think that Nico threw it away. A few days ago he picked up a pine needle off the floor and walked over to the trash, lifted the lid, and then threw it away. I said "Thank you!" enthusiastically. It was that same day that we couldn't find the Aeropress. I told Guy that I saw Nico playing with it, so we searched the whole house trying to find where he put it. He had put it in the trash. We had a good laugh about that. And Guy finally got his coffee.

The picture is of him talking through a wrapping paper roll.

Chicken at the Cabin

Today we went up to the cabin and brought chickens with us to roast. We roasted the chickens and had much other food to eat as well. We saw the grandparents as well as Jeremy and Bambi and Nico's cousins!

In the picture he is trying to move a chair from the kitchen into the living room. He LOVES sitting in pint-sized chairs like that. He also figured out how to use the chair to get onto the pint-sized table. I said "Nico, try to use the chair to get onto the table." I pointed to the chair and he walked right over and did it. So I guess he had a little encouragement from me.

Anniversary

Today is mine and Guy's sixth anniversary. Grandma Salisbury watched Nico this afternoon and Guy took tonight off. We went to Jimmy John's for dinner and then went to the mall to walk around for a bit. It was strange being without Nico, it had been a while!

While we were gone, Nico and Gma Salisbury went for a bike ride and a walk.

Music

Today Nico learned how to turn up the volume on Guy's computer speakers. Guy turned on some music and Nico was dancing to it at the same time he was turning it waaaay up. He had a blast. It feels like Nico is becoming more like a little boy. He has his own opinions and tastes about things and he seems to be trying to be more communicative with his signs. Not sure how else to explain that.

Salmon cakes

We had salmon cakes for dinner tonight, they are one of Guy's favorite meals. Nico loves them too. We went to Fred Meyer after Guy woke up so we could get a curtain rod for the front windows, and a headlight for his car. He got pulled over a few days ago because it had burned out.

In the picture Nico has stacked his cups on he rim of the bathtub with a little help from me (I was doing fall control).

Oh and p.s., the bruise on Nico's cheek isn't as bad as I thought it would be! His bruised cheek is the one pointing away from you in the picture, so you can't see it very well.

Fort

Guy built a fort for Nico today, called the snuggabug fort.

We went out this evening to get some frozen yogurt for Guy and we found a toy store. We had some spending money so we bought a Nanoblocks puzzle for Guy. And Nico was so cute that the worker gave him a hotwheels car!

I forgot to update yesterday. I went to a Keepers of the Home meeting and it threw my normal nighttime routine off. It was a good meeting. Guy had a bit of trouble getting Nico to go down, but it worked eventually. Tonight was also a pretty hard night to get Nico down.

Nico busted his cheek today when he fell on the side of our file cabinet. I'm afraid he will have a pretty large bruise.

Animals

Nico had a fever today, but it didn't get very high and he was feeling cooler by this evening. He may have been teething. We spent the whole day indoors though!

At least once a day Nico asks to play with his little animal friends, as seen in the picture.

He has also learned our morning routine by heart and anticipates what we're going to do next by pointing and saying "dah", matter-of-factly. It is quite adorable.

Typical morning conversation:
Nico points to his armoire and says "dah"
I say: "What do you want to wear today?"
Nico points even more excitedly at his armoire and says loudly "DAH!"

New Hat and Mittens

Nico and I went to get the oil changed in the Malibu this morning. This afternoon we got a package from the Grandparents Russell with lots of goodies in it! Edible Christmas treats and also Guy's old hat and mittens that were knitted for him by his Grandma Russell, Nico's GREAT Grandma Russell, aka G.G. Nico really enjoyed wearing them around the house.

Pesto soup tonight. Nico is sleeping and Guy is gaming with friends and I am off to bed!

Puppets

We went to a puppet show at the library this morning, and sat next to some friends we made at the toddler open gym. Puppet show was only 15 minutes, we were home less than an hour after we left!

The rest of the day was ho-hum. Nico asks for the iPad at every quiet moment. I tried to get a picture of him pulling his snail toy but he dropped it as soon as he saw me taking pictures with the iPad. Silly boy! He has his own sign for the iPad and he signs it often.

Washing Machine

Nico likes to put his hand on the washing machine while it's running, because it jiggles. I caught it on camera today! This morning we also went to the open gym again at the community center. He spent the entire hour and a half on one of the small green quad bikes. He taught himself how to scoot along using his legs, and he slowly drove in circles around the big auditorium, watching the other kids play.

This evening we went for another walk with the planter.

Lucky Peak Bike Ride

This morning we went to Lucky Peak with Grandma Salisbury for a short bike ride. It was very cold so we bundled Nico up with warm clothes and put a large fuzzy blanket on top of him. He got tired of it after a while and was ready to be done! Oh and I forgot to mention, halfway through, he pulled off both his gloves so that he could ring the bell on the bike. We ended up losing a glove this way!

We had leftovers for dinner and Nico and I went to Target after Guy left for work to buy some new mini blinds.

Toddler Open Gym

This morning we went to Toddler Open Gym at the Fort Boise Community Center, just a mile from where we live. We were the first ones there at 9:00 sharp. Nico had fun playing with all the stuff they had there, and really enjoyed being around all the other kids.

We took another walk with the planter this afternoon. Then after Guy got up we went to Barnes and Noble and then after we got home Guy made pork chops for dinner.

Headphones

We went for a walk today (with the planter), and went to the Co-op twice. This morning it sounded like Nico was practicing his G sounds. His vocal repertoire is growing, though he still does not say any recognizable words.

Tonight I put Guy's headphones on Nico's head and he enjoyed walking around with them. He enjoys walking around with things on his head!

Barrette

Nico went outside for a walk twice today. Once with me and once with Guy. He asked to go outside again right before bedtime, and then he signed banana. I think banana is the new cheese and it may mean that he wants you to do something!

He found a barrette in his room and so I put it in his hair. He was very happy to walk around with it, he walked very carefully as to not let it fall off his head. I think he thought it was a very small hat.