Nursery

Nico on the big wheels in the church nursery.

Bruce's Birthday Party

Today we went to Bruce's birthday party at Municipal park. Here is Nico sharing some dried apples with his cousin Rory.

Update

Nico got sick again a few nights ago! Not sure what's going on with the little buddy, he's had a long string of illnesses this past month.

Yesterday when he was longing to go outside, but still pretty weak, we went to the zoo and I trucked him around in the stroller. He was happy to stay there. We fed the goats from the stroller and went up the stairs in the stroller. The only 2 reasons he got out were for the brief walk among the penguin statues and so that he could sit in the jeep for a little bit.

Today we saw Evie and Allicia, and played with their new train table! This afternoon we went to the park.

Hat

Wearing my hat at Old Park.

Lining up Cars

Nico lining up cars this morning.

Overcast With a Hat

Nico insisted on wearing his hat today. I asked him if he wanted to go to the park and he said "Da" (Yes). Then he did the "pop-pop" thing with his lips to indicate that he wanted to go to the Fish Park. The Fish Park is right next to Municipal Park, so we went to both.

Boxin'

Nico crawled into this box with the iPad while I was washing dishes this morning.

We are still battling illness! He woke up with a barking cough this morning, but after some homeopathy and a few minutes of steam-time in the bathroom, he is already sounding better. I'm updating the blog for today at 9:30 in the morning! But I know if I don't do it now that I will forget this evening.

Street Fair

Went to the street fair briefly today. At first Guy was holding Nico and then holding my hand with his free hand. Nico saw that we were holding hands and asked to get down to hold Guy's other hand. For a kid who does not like his hand held, Nico really enjoyed it this time!

Chicken Sandwich

Eating a chicken sandwich, made with chicken pancakes as the bread (chicken and eggs mixed in a food processor, then fried into pancakes) and avocado, cheese, and mustard inside. Yum! He approved.

Reading a Book

Pancakes

Nico had Guy-esque pancakes for the first time today, and maple syrup for the first time as well! Guy-esque pancakes include pancake, peanut butter, and syrup. Nico loved it! We topped him off with some goat's milk.

Train

Went to Barnes and Noble tonight and Nico played with the toy train while I read a book about gardening. We ran into the little boy Miles that Nico played with once. Him and his mom (Liz) and dad were also there.

Recovery

Today was a lot of sitting around watching Shaun the Sheep on Netflix. Nico seems to be recovering quickly from his illness. He had a pretty restless night last night but is doing much better today. He was able to eat part of a banana this morning and then graduated to goat's milk and avocados and chicken stock and then tonight he had some dried apples and fresh peaches.

Despite the illness, he actually wanted to go for two walks today. The first one was meager, but the second one was quite long and he actually walked most of the way around the block!

Fishy fishy

Went to the Fish Park this evening. In one of the viewing windows there was a large dead fish on the bottom of the tank, with crawdads crawling all over it!

Later tonight Nico spiked a fever and got sick once :( Poor buddy

p.s. the scrape on his cheek is from a tumble in the church nursery on Sunday

Walks and more Walks

Today we hung out with Evie and Allicia.
And went for walks.

Meatball

Nico hanging with Meatball on our front porch.

Guy took Nico to the zoo today for some father/son time.

Trip to the Cabin

The boys went on a trip to the cabin this afternoon, for a Labor Day BBQ.

Helicopter

We all went downtown this evening to get some coffee beans from Dawson Taylor. While walking along, a man on a bench handed Nico a toy helicopter, saying that he found it on the bench and that he should probably have it. Nico really liked the helicopter. He held onto and showed it to everyone who seemed interested.

On the way back to the car we also stopped to play the "public piano" on 8th street. Nico enjoyed that.

Then we went to the greenbelt with the intent of letting Nico ride his Strider bike, but he was so intent on holding his helicopter that he only stayed on the bike for a few minutes.

We had gone for a Strider ride earlier in the day, though, and he has started SITTING on the bike instead of just walking with it. He prefers sitting on the bar of the bike, not on the seat. It looks pretty uncomfortable, but I'm sure he'll get the hang of it soon.

OH, and Guy fixed the car stereo by removing the pennies Nico had shoved into it!

Late Night Walk, and Bath

It was 8:30 PM before I realized we hadn't gone for a walk at ALL today! So I took Nico outside really quick and we walked down the street and back. We could hear the crickets and Nico seemed really excited that it was getting darker and he was very talkative and excited the whole time. He tried to say "dark" when I said it. And he says crickets like "Kih-Kuh" or sometimes "Guh  Guh".

Then we came home and I gave him a bath. He played with his new wind up toy frog from Grandma Salisbury. It kicks in the water!

Oh and I should mention last night. Nico had a very late night last night and had trouble falling asleep. He asked for milk and so I gave him some, but he wanted to keep the bottle in his crib with him like he does with his water bottle. I put the milk bottle right next to him, tucked him in, then silently grabbed the milk bottle on my way out. Just after closing the door he starts crying. I go back in and he asks for milk again. I get him milk and after 5 more minutes of snuggles I put him back into the crib. This time he holds onto the milk, propped up on his elbows, until I leave the room and close the door.

About 15 minutes later I went back in there and took it from his crib to put back in the fridge. He was asleep by then.

Zoo, Slobber

Today we went to the zoo. I wanted to get in to see the butterflies one last time before they are gone. Their last day is next Monday. This morning was cool, so the butterflies weren't fluttering around everywhere, but that also meant that the butterflies were perched on everything, so we spent a long time looking at all the butterflies perched on twigs and trunks and flowers.

Lately, whenever Nico wakes up from his nap, his sheets are soaked. But not from urine, from slobber! At first I thought it was his water tipping over, but in the mornings after a full night of sleep his sheets are never wet, even if his water is tipped over. It happens only after nap time!

In the picture you can see that his sheets are soaked and his hair is also wet. The wetness went down his shirt, too. You can also see Nico's new bear, Bud.

Mall and New Things

Nico and I went to the mall today with Grandma Salisbury. She bought Nico a new pair of shoes and a snuggly bear from Build-A-Bear. We named the black bear "Bud". It was a lot of fun!

This evening we went to the Fish Park and then took a brief walk on the greenbelt. Nico spent time trying to walk just on the white lines. We even went down to the water and tried to touch it. He said he wanted to touch it but I think he was a bit shy about it, because he never made a move toward it!

Nico has also been drinking a lot of raw goat's milk. We have his own little sippy cup for milk and he asks for it by signing. He's gone through about a quart of it in 3 days. That's a lot compared to the last time we had goat's milk!

Alexis

Grandma Salisbury and Alexis stopped by today for a bit. Nico loved having her around! Lexie hug-attacked him several times, it was cute!

Before Bath

Nico right before we went off to bath time! Nico doesn't get a bath every night, but we may need to start. His whole body can get incredibly sticky after an entire day of playing!

Pants

Today at the cabin we attached a clothespin to Nico's shirt and pants to keep his pants up. We figured that he needs some suspenders!

Broth

Picture is of Nico drinking the rest of my chicken broth from my mug. The mug belonged to my Great Grandma French!

Tonight we went to the Fish Park for the first time in a while. Nico walked nearly the whole loop by himself, waving bye-bye to each landmark as we left it. Bye-bye fishies, bye-bye bridge, bye-bye sign, bye-bye waterfall.

Evie

We met Evie and Allicia today at Old Park, we hadn't seen them in a while!

Story Park

We went to a new park this morning, Story Park in Meridian. It is on the corner of two busy streets, not that that's a problem, it was actually a benefit! We had big semis and dump trucks pass by often, on their way to the freeway. Unlike other places where you can just hear the trucks pass on the street but not see them, at this park you can see them. And there were a lot of them!

We have a mat on our front doorstep that says "Welcome". Whenever we leave the house, Nico crouches down on the mat and points to each letter until we recite it for him.

This evening we passed time by going to the library, then parking downtown and walking around a big city block. When we got back to our car there was a fire engine passing by. No lights flashing, just cruising. They slowed down and waved at Nico, who was pointing nonstop at them.

Balance Ball

Guy and Nico have been doing some crazy gymnastics lately. One of their tricks is the Balance Ball, where Nico stands and bounces on a ball while Guy holds his hands.

Guy went to see Weird Al tonight at the fair. He had a fun time, he said that Weird Al wore a different costume for almost every song.

Prairie Dog Tunnel

The prairie dog exhibit at the zoo has been closed for a while, but the tunnel is still available! Nico played in it for a while. Then we headed over to the goats.

Family Visit

We went to church this morning. We start out in the service and then end up in the nursery for a while. I stay with Nico the whole time. After a while in the nursery, and usually right when the sermon starts, we head back out to the sanctuary with a pile of books. The books last Nico about 5 or 10 minutes, then it's time to leave. It works for us! Nico is becoming more comfortable being there and around the people that he is starting to know.

Then this afternoon we went to the cabin. My Aunt Mary is visiting from Lewiston because one of my cousins was married on Friday. We also saw Aunt Jill and her girls, as well as Aunt Ellen. We all had a blast!

The picture is of Nico with Aunt Jill.

To Market To Market

This morning at the market.

We've been buying dried apples with cinnamon. I gave Nico the choice of which ones he wanted and he chose cinnamon. They are delicious!

This evening we went on a family trip to the Co-op. Nico doesn't like being in grocery carts, so having a wing-man is quite handy! Guy can always carry Nico on his shoulders if he gets unruly.

More of the Same

Went to the Old Park this morning. Nico found a truck there that belonged to another boy, but the boy let Nico play with it. Nico took the truck everywhere and drove it over all of the play equipment.

Another trike ride this evening. Nico's legs aren't quite long enough for him to be able to push the pedals on his tricycle effectively, so I am still pushing him. He doesn't like it when I push the back of his seat, so most of the time I push him with my feet as I'm walking.

Waiting

We went on two tricycle rides today. After a while of being on the tricycle himself, he always gets off and asks me to sit on it. He really enjoys pushing me.

Here is Nico waiting at the window for Grandma Salisbury to arrive. She arrived just in time to read him a story and put him down for his nap.

Tractor Spoon

Spaghetti tonight for dinner, and Nico used his new tractor spoon that Grandma Salisbury brought back with her from Ohio. He loves it! And he loved the spaghetti too.

This evening, I pulled my guitar out and Nico played it for the first time! I had pulled it out when he was younger, but was never much interested in it. It had been at least a year before he'd seen it.

Legos

Zoo this morning. I asked him which park he wanted to go to and gave him two choices: Old Park or Fish Park. He said ZOO!

Guy wasn't feeling well yesterday and today, so he was sleeping. Nico was watching a video of Daddy and then ran to the bedroom and opened the door to see if Daddy was in there. He was! Whoops! He's been doing this a lot, we may need to buy a toddler-proof doorknob cover to keep him from opening the bedroom door to see Guy while he's sleeping. Nico always signs "Daddy" and "sleeping".

Legos this afternoon.

VBS and Trike

No picture today, forgot! (Edited and added a picture later)

This week is VBS at the church, and I went to help chop vegetables. I had Nico as a tagalong. He was super hyped up with all the loud noise and people, so I left a bit early.

Then tonight we went for a walk with the tricycle. He rode it for most of the way, but then got off when I wouldn't let him cross the street with it. He got down on his stomach on the pavement and whined a bit, so I climbed onto the trike myself and asked him to push me. He was very excited about this and pushed me really hard for quite a long way. He was a good, strong pusher! Then he tripped and fell, dragging his feet while still holding onto the trike. He thought this was funny so he did this about 5 more times. Then we wrapped things up and went inside.

I noticed that with all the dirt on his knees he also had a little scrape.

If I can get my hands on one of the pictures taken of Nico tonight at VBS, then I will post it here! He was running everywhere, not in one place for too long, interrupting classes and trying to grab all the balls that he could find :)

Editing this entry to add a picture: Me chasing Nico. He kept escaping my grasp and running through all the VBS classrooms. I didn't get many vegetables chopped, but Nico sure had a blast! :)

Cabin BBQ

BBQ at the cabin today, all of the family was there! Nico spent time with cousins and with Grandparents and he ate some hot dog and lots of fruit. I made grain-free snickerdoodles and Nico ate one of those too. It was a great time.

Market Apples

Trip to the Saturday Market this morning. Dried apples, strawberries, and a whole chicken were among our purchases. I bring the stroller so that I have a place to put the stuff. Nico likes to be held at first, but after we buy the dried apples (our first stop), I put him in the stroller and he is happy to munch on the apples while I push him around.

In the late afternoon we did FaceTime with the Grandparents Russell and with Great Grandma Gohl! It was Grandpa's birthday today.

Pushing the Stroller

Nico pushing the stroller at the zoo.

We were one of the first in the zoo this morning. When we were heading to the Co-op, Nico signed "zoo" so I told him we could go after dropping off our groceries at home.

We spent a lot of time walking up and down the big hill that leads to the bears. He liked that half of the hill was damp with water and the other half was dry. He wanted to walk on the wet side.

He also approached a group of people and started roaring like a lion. It was so cute, and incredible, he had never done anything like that before. When you ask him "What does a tiger say?" He roars!!

Shaun the Sheep

Sitting on Daddy's lap while watching Shaun the Sheep (a Wallace and Gromit spin off) on the iPad.

Animals AND Cars

Today at the table, Nico played with his cars and his animals at the same time and I did some crafty things I needed to get done.

Feeding the Goats

Nico has been asking to go to the zoo lately. Today he came up to me, signed "outside" and then signed "zoo". It was a little too early for the zoo at that point, but we went as soon as we could. We showed up right as they were opening and were actually the very first people in the zoo! What a cool feeling! We tried to go straight to the goat pen but there was a leaf blower right out front, so we wandered a bit before going over there. We had fed the goats once before, so he knew that the vending machines dispensed goat food. He also knew that right after we were done we needed to go over to the sanitation station and sanitize our hands. Good memory!

We stayed at the zoo for only 30 minutes, which was perfect. It's nice having a zoo pass!

There is a picture AND a video today!

Pictures Soon

We are minus our laptop at the moment, it is being fixed by Apple and we've been without it a few days. Pictures will come soon! Nico has had a cold this past week and the most boogery nose I've ever seen! Is it slowly fading.

Cars at the Cabin

Went up to the cabin today and Nico pulled out all of the cars and trucks. Papa and Nico played with them off and on the entire evening, even lining them all up on the couch once.

Trucks

Reading books on the couch

Zoo Trip and More

This morning we went to the zoo with the Grandparents Russell and G.G. (Great Grandma). Fun was had and lots of pictures were taken! Nico enjoyed sitting in the jeep at the zoo with Grandpa.

Then this afternoon the Grandparents came over to hang out. They leave to go back to Washington tomorrow morning.

BIRTHDAY BOY!

Today Nico turned 2 YEARS OLD! I can't believe it.

Grandpa and Grandma Russell came into town today!! They brought G.G. (Great Grandma) over with them so we could have a small party. We sang Happy Birthday to Nico, he attempted to blow out candles, and then we opened presents. I think he's getting the hang of opening gifts and understanding that underneath the wrapping paper is something that he gets to play with! He got a lot of great gifts today, including a handmade play mat and carrying case (made out of Guy's jeans when he was younger!). Nico loved this, and spent a lot of time moving his new cars (and old micro machines) around the mat. And get this: the mat is made from Richard Scarry fabric!! Made by Grandma Russell. It was a hit.

This morning the Grandparents Salisbury came and visited Nico at the nursery at our church before they headed to the airport so they could say Happy Birthday to the birthday boy! They brought him a lego set (large blocks) that he loves!

Coloring

Today I brought the crayons out for the first time in a long time, and Nico colored in his very own coloring book. It was a gift to him from my Aunt Jill and her girls. Nico mostly scribbled back and forth really fast.