Drew at 14 months

Drew is still enjoying many of the same activities - most especially "sorting." He loves to take all his cars and move them from the floor to the table and repeat this endlessly. (Yes, we're worried.) He also loves "stacking." He recently discovered four men, from the castle shape sorter, can be placed on top of each other and fit! So, he'll do this for hours as well. Stack - unstack - stack - unstack. It's normal at this age to sort and stack, but he seems to go a bit overboard. Sometimes I see him eyeing the room for new places to put his cars...and suddenly they're being lined up on the couch or kitchen chair (where they can't all fit - causing much frustration).

He's definitely more clever. One example: he has learned he can go under and between things. So if I'm trying to block his exit from a room by standing in front of the door, he simply crawls between my legs. He also finds pleasure in crawling under tables...or in forts! Ahhhh...forts!

He can follow directions...such as: sit, come here, eat, drink, do nice (he can be so gentle!), go upstairs, etc. And he is trying to say things. New words: "Saaaaa" for sox, "Wa" for water (still needs encouragement with that), "moo" for what-does-a-cow-say. He also tries to put on his own socks and shoes which is ridiculously cute. Oh, and he's learned to pose like a supermodel. Yeah, Drew!

Good times...

Well, we've been having lots of good times and I want to share them!

The weekend before last we went to Todd's party (a co-worker of Chris' from Atrion) on Friday night. The highlight was the fabulous fire pit in the back yard...not to mention the enormous house, sound system, jacuzzi, etc. Sales must be good for Todd.
Saturday we went out to South Woodstock, CT to see my friend Dot's pottery. She owns Sawmill Pottery where she teaches classes and showcases her work. She has beautiful work for sale under the name Stone Soup Pottery. We bought a wonderful vase which looks great in our home! The ride out was great...peak foliage...and we stopped for dinner along the route home.
Sunday we took Drew to the pond...then to feed the ducks in Wickford...then to the Playground...and on to a family dinner at my mom's house.



Last weekend we went to Kate & Raj's new house Saturday. They had a ping pong table out back and I did really well left-handed! I'm happy that my torn tendon isn't limiting all the fun. Drew had a blast. We kept a fruit plate within reach and in between sorting cars he would help himself to more. Cute.
Sunday was Trent's 1st birthday. It was a halloween birthday party so Drew dressed in his cowboy suit. It was adorable. I'll post some pics on Halloween...can't give away his look just yet.

SO - life is treating the Kardos family well. Chris and I are both working hard, but it's all good. Drew is maturing into a delightful toddler. And after some YMCA tears a few weeks ago, he's now adjusted and actually painted a pumpkin there this week!! He's engaging and social...has a wonderful sense of humor...and is very focused on sorting and stacking. A bit OCD? I wonder. But maybe it's a sign of academic diligence and success to come :) Wishful thinking?!?

Happy Autumn!

Fall, Autumn, October, Oktoberfest, Columbus Day,

Pumpkins, Apples, Apple Pie, Mums, Hayrides, Corn Maze...

We celebrated Columbus Day at Schartner Farm. Drew enjoyed the hayride and the pumpkins...we enjoyed spending the day together with good friends. It was warm & sunny ~ a perfect day. Chris made some delicious apple pie too!! It is a beautiful Autumn in Rhode Island.

NYC

Ahh...another trip to NYC. A much needed break. I was thrilled to spend the night with friends whom I've known for years. Little did I know we'd be up til 4am, but I guess there was a lot to catch up on! Here are the pics of us, our friends, a good night in NYC.

Karl, Jenny, Chris, and me

The Ramos Family!

Da BC Boyz!

Former BWC Crew (only RJ remains at the school!)

Ruowen & Chris Liscio (also our HOSTS!)

No sense crying over...

Last night I while I was tutoring, Chris claims Drew fed himself using a fork. I asked if he put the food on the fork or if our little genius did the work, and he claims Drew fed himself. I decided to put this to the test. Now perhaps yogurt wasn't the best "test" but nonetheless I gave Drew a spoon and he got busy. The joy on his face was priceless. Oh to possess a spoon! A wonderful, fabulous spoon! I tried to help scoop up the yogurt, which frustrated him terribly, and then left him to his own devices. I saw him insert the spoon backwards, try to drink from the yogurt container, and even gnaw at the bottom of the container. The end result was a tray full of yummy peach yogurt and a deliciously dirty Drew.

Speaking of dirty...

Drew had one of his massive DUMPS today - and Daddy was not here to help the cast-restricted Mommy. For some reason Drew HATES to be changed and quite a struggle results:

remove old diaper,
hold twisting legs,
avoid kicking feet,
ignore violent screams,
not get shit all over the place,
find wipes,
pin legs back,
attempt to clean,
prevent wall climbing,
sing lullaby,
try to calm,
grab swinging legs,
clean butt,
... UGH!!

Below is a description of what occured today...readers beware.

Well today, I failed. Drew grabbed his filthy diaper from beneath him and threw it. Much to my dismay, he had poop on his butt, back, hands, and feet! Now, remind you, I am wearing a CAST! Talk about a disaster. While Drew hysterically cried, I tried to

remove old diaper,
hold twisting legs,
avoid kicking feet,
ignore violent screams,
not get shit all over the place,
find wipes,
pin legs back,
attempt to clean,
prevent wall climbing,
sing lullaby,
try to calm,
grab swinging legs,
clean butt,

WHILE CRYING.

Oddly enough, my crying stopped Drew's crying...temporarily at least.

Finally, the mess was cleaned up. My cast was crap-free. Drew was released from the torture of the changing table. And I thought: Maybe I should work full time.