Sometimes we play with science

Once upon a time we were all really, really tired of being cooped up inside. But, go figure, it was March in Utah and it was raining. Again. And you can only splash in so many puddles before you need a new activity. Anyway, T-Bone is BUSY. Like, only stops moving for Daniel Tiger busy. "Hm," thought Mommy, "does this kid ever sit still? Probably not, but CHALLENGE ACCEPTED!" So, Mommy got busy thinking of ways to keep T-Bone busy, and then she remembered that science is really cool and really fun. Plus, it's messy, and what little boy doesn't love making messes? Seriously, though, we had so much fun with this activity and it's super easy. Also, you probably already have everything you need on hand. 

First, put a hefty layer of baking soda in a baking sheet. I'm kind of a baking soda junkie, so we had plenty of this.

Next, fill some bowls with plain old white vinegar. I put food coloring in ours, just to add a little spice to life.

Next, use a medicine dropper to make mini-volcanoes all over the baking sheet. 

Sometimes, you need to get your hands all up in it, too. 

Not only does it teach about acid/base reactions, you can practice mixing colors and see what happens.

And then, if you really want to get crazy, put the bowls of vinegar right on top of the baking soda and go to town.

T-Bone loved dropping the "powder" in the "water" and making them bubble over. 

And you know what happened? He was quiet, and happy, and entertained... for a whole hour!  I even heard giggling and squeals of glee instead of "No!" and whining. Amazing!

3 Years Old!

My Dearest T-Bone,
When you were born I never could have imagined how you would be at three years old. You make me feel a range of emotions that I never thought possible on a daily basis.
You are an independent little man and love to try new things, especially if they're dangerous enough to make your mom and dad crazy. You love your little brother... sometimes a little too much. We are always telling you that you need to be softer with him, which usually just makes you hug him harder.
You love to build with Legos, and are pretty much obsessed with all things transportation related. You love trains, fire trucks, police cars, dump trucks, garbage trucks, and especially helicopters. You tell me all the time that when you grow up you want to drive a fire truck, and ambulance, and a helicopter. This is pretty much in keeping with your penchant for high-adrenaline, dangerous activities.
You like movies and tv, especially Justin Time, Toy Story, Nemo, and Cars.  You still like Mickey Mouse, but not nearly as much as Woody and Buzz these days. You still like to go play in nursery and at Shellie's house. You like other kids and love to play with your friends.
You have been going to swimming lessons for quite awhile now.  Some days you like it, but most of the time you cry. I think it's the stubborn in you. You want to do things your way and don't like it when your teacher, Kami, tells you to do it a different way. You are very good at doing scoops, kicks, and floating on your back. You don't like to put your face in the water or dive in.
We have been working on potty training, and you have more good days than bad ones. Right now you are working on earning a Lego Pirate Ship, but have to have a certain number of days with no accidents to get it. It might take us awhile, but you are enjoying putting stickers on your chart everyday.
Your favorite foods are chicken nuggets, meatballs, and especially rice and beans. You also like corn, broccoli, tortillas, yogurt, and ham and cheese.
My sweet little man, Mommy and Daddy love you!  You bring us more joy than we could have possibly imagined. Keep growing and learning everyday!
Love,
Mom

To Sleep, or Not to Sleep? Definitely been not to sleep.

Oh the joys of being a parent. I love my crazy little family, probably more than words can express. We have our battles (any parent of a 2-year-old does), but for the most part life is good. We giggle, we love Mickey Mouse, we play the tickle-bug game, we hold hands, we read stories, and we generally get along.

Make no mistake, however, life in the Gorgeous Borges house isn't all sunshine and roses. Let me tell you a little story about how our world has turned into a bit of a nightmare of late. This story is otherwise known as "The Time that Mommy was a Big Chicken and it Ended up Biting her in the Butt. Bigtime." Let me begin:

Once upon a time a young couple decided to have a baby. This baby decided that from the day he was born, he was going to love sucking on a binky. In fact, for much of the first year of his life, it was rare to see him without it. And let's be honest, shall we? Babies with binkies are cute (and quiet). Anyway, this sweet little round-cheeked lad had a mommy and a daddy that thought they knew it all. They just knew that after his first birthday that little binky was going away. And then that sweet little monkey-boy turned 1. There was a little party with much cake-smashing. It was adorable, trust me. But that sweet little monkey-boy's mommy was a big fat pushover, and his daddy was the ultimate softy. On the night of his first birthday, that little boy went to bed contentedly sucking away at his binky. So, the mommy and the daddy decided that for a little while he could keep it for awhile, but only when he was in his bed.
After about six months the mommy and the daddy decided it was time to (finally) grow a pair and take the binky away. So, one night they put the monkey-boy down without it. And he screamed, and he cried, and he wept and wailed and gnashed his teeth. It was not a pretty sight. So the mommy gave in and gave it back. And life was good. Everyone was sleeping, everyone was quiet, everyone was happy.
More time went on and the little boy turned 2. The mommy and the daddy decided it was time, once again, to try and take away the then-dubbed "bee-bee". It was a catastrophe. Mommy was a chicken and gave it back. And then finally, after much debate, it was decided that the bee-bee would go away forever in exchange for a Woody and Buzz doll. Everyone, including the monkey-boy, was agreeable to this plan... Until the dreadful day arrived. The bee-bee went away. The mommy cut it up so she wouldn't be tempted to give it back. She showed the cut-up bee-bee to the child and into the trash it went.

And here we are, kids, nearly a full month later.  T-Bone is STILL crying himself to sleep pretty much every night. He's STILL waking up in the middle of the night and crying for Mommy and Daddy. He hasn't asked for the binky in 3 weeks, but he's still being a damned stubborn little man about the whole thing. So, if I seem a little off, it's from lack of sleep. And if I don't hear something you say it's because my ears are still ringing from all the screams. And if I seem a little reluctant to leave the monkey-boy with someone else while Greasemonkey and I go out of town, it's for the sake of the caregiver's sanity.

So, please, I beg of you... pray for the sleep of my child, because this mommy is slowly turning into a zombie.

Updated to add: After 1 month of this nightmare we finally figured out the trick. He just wanted to be tucked in under his dinosaur blankie. If only he'd shared that info with me a month ago...

2 Years!

My Sweetest T-Bone,
  I can't believe you are 2 already!  It seems like just yesterday I was counting down the days until your arrival. 
  You are such a big boy and I am so proud of all the things you have accomplished in your short life thus far.  You can count to ten, and love to count everything from floor tiles, to food on your plate, to toys. You skip the number 4 most of the time, but if I remind you, you'll go back and stick it in there.  
  You love Mickey Mouse so much.  Not a day goes by that we don't watch a little bit of Mickey Mouse Clubhouse on tv.  I don't mind, though, because it's teaching you good things. The other day I was talking to Daddy about one of your birthday presents, and I decided to spell it to him.  I told him, "It's the M-I-C-K-E-Y one." You looked up from whatever had your attention and said to me, "Mickey Mouse!"  
  You are an independent little man and love to do things for yourself.  In fact, the phrase I hear come from you more often than any other is, "Me-me."  You like to help by turning light switches on and off. You also like to do your own zippers and velcro on jackets and shoes. 
  Your favorite food is meatballs with sauce, and you would eat it for every meal if we would let you. You also like hot dogs, chicken nuggets, grapes, apples, chips, cookies, and chocolate milk. You also like to try whatever we are eating, even if you don't always end up liking it. 
  You love to go to church and play with toys and your friends in nursery.  You also like to see your Mema at church on Sundays. You love to play in the snow and build snowmen with your Uncle Mac.
  You are all boy and love to drive trucks, stomp in puddles, and play with your tools.  You are my little piano-man and love to play songs for me while I work in the kitchen. You love to help me when I sweep the floor, dust, or put away laundry.  You sing me the clean-up song while you help. 
  You still love to read stories, and always ask me for one more after we finish for the night. Some of your favorites are: Pete the Cat, anything about trucks, your Sesame Street books, and Edwina the Emu. 
  The other day you came up to me and told me that you wanted to go to Mickey Mouse's house.  You said that Mommy, Daddy, Nanny, Poppy, Maddie, Zach, and Mac would go with you.  Someday we'll go to Mickey Mouse's house, just you wait.
  There are very few things you don't like. One of the things you absolutely hate more than anything is getting your hair cut.  In fact, we haven't cut your hair in several months because it's such a traumatic experience for you. You also don't like to have your hair washed in the bathtub. 
  Keep growing my sweet little man.  I look forward to all of the milestones yet to come. Hugs and kisses.
Love,
Mommy

T-Bone Update

There are a few T-Bone things (stories, etc) that I need to write down before I lose them, so please be patient with me... and feel free to read, if you'd like.

1. He now recognizes, associates, and knows the sounds for A, B, C, D, E, F, J, M, N, O, P, Q, R, S, T, and Z.

2. He can do all of the actions for Itsy Bitsy Spider, Wise Man/Foolish Man, Popcorn Popping, and Book of Mormon Stories.

3. He is proficient at going up AND down the stairs.  He also prefers running to walking, but has a funny Frankenstein run that trips him up.

4. He loves the words pumpkin and Halloween.

5. Speaking of Halloween, my mom, sister, and I took him to a little spook alley this weekend. While there we met a little cat that belonged to the nursery putting on the spook alley.  He LOVED that freakin' cat.  He was more interested in following it around and petting it than in anything else. While there we also encountered a life-size, singing, dancing Elvis skeleton.  It is pretty safe to say that he is obsessed.  It's been almost a week and he still keeps signing to me about the dancing skeleton.  He also keeps signing about the scary witches.

6. On the subject of signs, he now knows at least 35 signs (that I can think of off the top of my head).

7. After attending the spook alley on Saturday we took him out to dinner with us.  While waiting for our table a man walked into the restaurant.  He was probably in his 50's, about 6'2" or 6'3", and solidly built.  He was wearing cowboy boots, wranglers, a HUGE belt buckle, a western-style shirt, and a cowboy hat.  T-Bone took one look at him and immediately started making his horse noises. Luckily for us, the man was as amused as we were.  That could have been embarrassing.

8. I bought him a giraffe costume to wear for Halloween. He hates it.  Every time I get it out he starts to whine and says, "Nananananana, Fffff." (Translation: No, no, no, no, no, no, giraffe)  Needless to say, we've moved to plan B.  He's going to be a pumpkin for Halloween, because he loves them.

9. He LOVES Mickey Mouse Clubhouse and Little Einsteins. He calls Mickey Mouse "Mow", but he won't say it out loud, he whispers it.  Little Einsteins is "ship", and he keeps telling me about the "Mmmmmbop" (translation: Robot) that we saw on the show last week.

10. He is in the midst of his first ever ear infection.  Poor little bubby.

And that is enough for now. :)

Greatness

#17- What is the thing you most wish you were great at?

We are sleep training in our house right now.  For awhile T-Bone awesome sleeper that would take 2 naps a day, and still do a straight 12 hour stretch at night.  It was heaven.  And then about a month ago he started waking up at night.  For the life of us we couldn't figure out why. We tried everything we could think of the make it stop.  We rocked, we snuggled, we gave him a snack at bedtime, there were nights I finally just brought him into bed with me so I wouldn't have to get up every 20 minutes.

So, about a week ago I got this hare-brained idea that it was time to take away the binky.  I thought to myself, "If he doesn't use it anymore, he won't freak out at 3 in the morning when he wakes up and can't find it."  We'd done some sleep training with him before, and it had generally gone fairly well.  Usually by night three he was settled into the new routine. Anyway, back to taking away the binks...

After his first birthday we took them away except for when he was going to sleep (naps and bedtime). We originally planned to take the binkies away completely at a year, but I chickened out.  So, we decided that a good time to stop would be when I had several nights in a row off work so I could be the one dealing with it.  Let's just say that it's not going well.

I fully blame myself.  I'm an enormous pushover when it comes to my child, first of all.  When he's laying there screaming I want nothing more than to go and snuggle him and love on him.  It is also quite self-centered. I like my sleep.  As a full time mom working full time (mostly) night shifts, I live in a constant state of sleep deprivation. Any more missed sleep makes for a not-so-happy mama.

Which all brings me to the thing I most wish I was great at.  I wish I was great at patience.  When I decide I want something, I want it right now.  When I think it's time for my baby to be done with the binky, I think it should just go away with no problems. And he should sleep through the night. And I should have endless patience with the messes, the whining, the endless readings of "Edwina the Emu" and "Jamberry".

Most of the time my emotions are treading on the thin ice of my patience. If I could be great at one thing it would be patience with my child, my husband, my family, my friends, my coworkers, my patients, and everyone else around me.

Days 11-16

Feb. 11th: Makes you happy

How could this face blowing you kisses not bring happiness?

Feb. 12th: Inside your closet

Yep, this lovely mess is the inside of my closet. Anyone want to come remodel and organize it for me?

Feb. 13th: Blue

This disgusting pile of blue is my new work uniform come July 1st.

Feb. 14th: Heart

This little heartbreaker has stolen my heart 100%

Feb. 15th: Phone

I straight up didn't do this one.

Feb. 16th: Something New

Tommy's new haircut.

We Made It!!

My Sweet Little Man,
It's your first birthday and I can hardly believe it. What a year this has been. You have changed my life in ways that I can't even begin to describe. This year has simultaneously been the most fun and the hardest year of my life. I hoped, dreamed, and prayed for you, but nothing could have prepared me for what, and who, you really are.
My handsome boy, you have such a little personality. Already you think you are hilariously funny. You know how to say "Mama", but anytime we ask you to say it you very clearly go, "Daddy. Huh huh huh." You think that game is a lot of fun. You also have quite a fascination with faces. You know where to find eyes, noses, teeth, tongues, ears, and hair. However, you're not terribly gentle. You also know fingers and toes.
You still love story time. Once you've had your bath and are all dressed for bed you will crawl over to the rocking chair in your bedroom and just wait to read stories. Bedtime is my favorite time of day with you. I love holding you on my lap in the rocking chair, smelling your sweet little head, and cuddling while we read stories and you drink your milk. I feel like that is "our" time everyday and I miss it on the nights I'm at work.
You are getting so big and strong. You love to walk, but only if you're holding onto something or someone. You have 6 teeth with a 7th on it's way in. For your birthday I made you a bucket with some bean bags so you can put things in and take things out to your heart's content. You also love to be doing whatever Mom and Dad are doing. If we're in the kitchen, you want to be playing in the kitchen. If we're outside, you are one happy kid. If I'm in the bathroom getting ready, you want to be right there with me.
You love to talk nonsense sounds to me. We can carry on conversations like that all day. You give the sweetest little slobbery open-mouthed kisses. I love watching your little hands sign things to me to show me what you need. You can sign food, milk, more, finished, play, water, and shoes. You also know how to give high 5 and bones.
My sweet, sweet baby... I can hardly call you a baby anymore. Everyday you turn into more of a little boy. Everyday you learn and grow so much, and everyday I learn and grow right along with you. I love you for everything you are. I love you for everything you will someday become. I love you for everything you have taught me about myself. I love you all the way up to your toes, to the moon and back. I love you with everything I have inside of me.
So, on your first birthday, I am overflowing with the love and joy you bring to my life. Thank you, handsome boy, for this past year. Here's to many more to come.
I love Monkey!
Love,
Mama

Eleven

My Dearest Monkey-face,

Happy Christmas Eve! Today is your 11 month birthday. I know I say this every month, but I truly can't believe how much you are growing and changing.

You never cease to amaze me with how smart and funny you are. You can always get a giggle out of Mama, without even trying most of the time. You have been extra silly this month, and are quick to giggle at pretty much anything.

You love to be on the move. If you're not crawling, you're pulling up on the furniture and shakin' your booty. You love to dance. You also love Elmo. You get so excited anytime you see Elmo and can even say his name (Eh-mo). This month you've learned the sign for food and you've made up your own sign for soft. We're not sure where you learned it, but if we say the word soft you pat your hand on your chest. You've also learned how to blow kisses. It's very cute. You also have a mild obsession with Santa. You think it's pretty fun to say "Ho ho ho."

You now have 5 teeth, and I think we're going to see more any day now. You are growing like a weed and wearing mostly 18 month clothes. I can't keep clothes that fit you in circulation long enough for you to wear anything more than a few times.

This month Mommy and Daddy decided it was time for you to learn how to sleep through the night. You picked it up so quickly! Within a week you were going right to bed and down for naps and sleeping through the night for 11 or 12 hours. It's been great for all of us to get more sleep.

You also got to try some new foods this month that you like a whole lot. You love grilled cheese sandwiches, hot dogs, goldfish, yogurt, and cheerios.

Well, my sweet monkey, only one more month until you turn 1. I can't believe we've been on this crazy journey for almost a year. I love you so much and can't wait for all of the new adventures we get to have together.

Hugs and kisses!
Mama

And then there were 10

My most wonderful munchkin,

Today is your first Thanksgiving, and I can't begin to express how grateful I am for you and the joy you bring me everyday. On this day you hit your 10 month mark. I can't believe how much you've grown and changed in the past few weeks.

You have hit a ton of milestones recently. You are crawling all over the place. You can pull up on furniture, but haven't figured out how to walk along it yet. You can go up stairs, but not down. You wave bye-bye anytime someone opens or closes a door. You know the signs for "more", "finished", and we're working on "thank you." You now say dog (a-da), Ruby (woo-wee), uh-oh (uh uh), dad (dada), mom (ma), num (dum), and all done (a-dun). You love to sing songs with mommy in the car. You especially love the song Skid-a-ma-rink.

This week you slept your longest stretch yet, a whole 13 hours. It was a great night for both of us. You still love stories. Your favorite right now is "Moo, Baa, La, La, La". You love it when we make the pig snort for you. You also love noses. You think it's the funniest thing in the world when you grab Daddy's nose and he makes a noise like a siren.

You seem to have a thing for feet, and socks especially. We can't keep socks on you to save our lives. Anytime we leave you unattended you take them off your feet to play with them. You love to chew on Mama's toes, too. You also love your knit blankies. You get angry if we leave the house without one. You want to have it in the car, in the stroller, near you when you play on the floor, and just in general reach.

Speaking of chewing, you have 3 and a half teeth. Two on the bottom, one on the top, and a second on the top getting ready to poke through any day now.

I am so excited to see what the next month will bring for us, Monkey. I love you to the moon and back.

Love,

Mommy

Feelin' fine at 9

My Sweetest Monkey-faced Munchkin,

You are 9 months old today. I honestly think this has been the fastest 9 months of my life. You change and grow so much everyday. You are such a sweet boy and I love getting to spend so much time with you.

You love to be outside. Anytime I open the front door you get so excited. You love to sit on the grass and watch everything going on around you. You also love dogs. In fact, "dog" is your new favorite word to say. The other night I was getting you ready for bed and you heard the dogs next door barking. You looked at me, smiled, and in your sweet little voice said, "Dah." (That's Tommy-speak for dog).

You love to eat, especially from Mom and Dads' plates. You still prefer fruits to vegetables, but you're a pretty big fan of broccoli and asparagus. Just last night you discovered how much you like turkey.

You still love to read stories, too. Your favorite right now is "Dear Zoo". You like to open up the flaps to see the animals. You also like "The Little Mouse, the Red Ripe Strawberry, and the Big Hungry Bear".

Just this week you showed off that you actually do know how to crawl. You only do it when you think no one is watching and when there's something you really want to reach. You don't like to be held too much, but you love to play on the floor where you can see people around you.

I love you more and more each day, my sweet little man. You are such a sweet and smart boy and I love watching you grow, explore, and learn each day.

XOXO,

Mama

Fall Favorites

Guess what... I just blogged for 30 days straight! In celebration I'd like to share with you a few of my favorite things right now.

First and foremost, this little guy:

How can you not love that face? Oh man, this kid lights up my world. He is definitely my favorite right now.

Next is this album:

I am incredibly, disproportionately, excited for the new muppet movie (I can't help it, I love Jason Segel). Anyway, I figured I'd check out the album and I am o-b-s-e-s-s-e-d. I listen to it every time I'm in the car.

Next up are a couple of websites:

Trust me, if you haven't discovered these yet, go!! (If you need a pinterest invite, let me know, I've got some!) And polyvore lets me build outfits from clothing/shoes/jewelry I find all over the web. Awesome.

So, I still haven't found time to decorate for Halloween. It actually makes me kind of sad, because I really love Halloween a lot. But between work, school, and being a wife and mommy it's a little low on the priority list. I don't know how some women do it all...

I am looking forward to Witches Night at Gardner Village next weekend. My costume is going to be pretty legen-waitforit-dary. The Sharkbaby isn't actually going to be a shark... he's going to be a bat. Pictures will be coming soon!

8 is great

A break from the book challenge (it will continue later today) for Sharkbaby's 8 month letter.

My Sweet Monkey,

Would you please stop growing already? I can't believe it has already been 8 months. You are getting so big!

This was a big month for you. You've become much more mobile. You're still not crawling, or rolling over from your back to your tummy, but you can backward scoot on the floor and you can get from sitting up onto your tummy.

You have two teeth now, both on the bottom. It took a little while for you to get them in, but you're a happy boy now that you have them.

You picked up a few new skills this month. You've been clapping your hands for awhile now, but you love to sing the song "If you're happy and you know it". You've also learned what to do when Mommy and Daddy say, "bang, bang, bang". You proceed to take whatever toy you're holding, or sometimes just your hand, and bang it on the nearest surface. We've heard a few words from you this month, too. You'll say "dadadada" and just today started "uh-oh".

Your daddy is still your favorite person in the whole world. Anytime he comes around you get so excited. You start to clap, giggle, squeal, and get very happy. You love getting to spend time with your grandparents. You love that you get spoiled by them.

Well, my sweet baby, I love you more and more each day. I love that we're learning all of these new things together. I love you to the moon and back!

Love,

Mama