Dylan develops fear

Posted on September 23, 2008 by cvc

Well, not so long ago (maybe 2 or 3 weeks ago), Dylan and Taliana had great fun, running around the house pretending there was a monster chasing them. This was the first time we’d ever heard any mention of “monster” from Dylan. Then, a couple of weeks ago at Costco, we saw a skeleton that made creepy sounds and climbed in and out of his grave. Dylan wanted to see it over and over again and he even noted how brown the monster’s teeth were and how he needed to brush and floss. It was great fun and so cute when he made monster sounds…up until last week, that is!

While we were out eating dinner at Sri, Dylan noticed some masks hanging on the wall. We were told the masks were to keep the demons away, but at some point during dinner, Dylan got convinced that the monsters were s-c-a-r-y!

We could not convince him otherwise and we actually had to leave as quickly as we possibly could to get him away from them!!!

Poor guy. We were hoping we could stave off scary monsters for a bit longer, but I guess that’s not to be. Halloween this year should be interesting (or maybe this is a passing phase, who knows??)…!


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Day 192: watching the Alaskan pig races at the County Fair

Posted on September 16, 2008 by cvc

watching the Alaskan pig races
Originally uploaded by coffywoman.

Another year, another county fair! This time, Dylan had a blast watching little baby piglets nurse and Alaskan pigs race; he fed some carrots to some goats and a pony; and he took another pony ride. We didn’t stay as long as we did last year, mostly because Dylan got so very tired — I don’t know how he mustered up the energy to stay awake all last year!

He was already fading fast by the time the pigs were racing (12:30pm) and, although he enjoyed the pony ride, he was clearly ready to sleep as soon as he got off the pony!

Overall, it’s continued to be very busy here. We added Friday PMs to Dylan’s school schedule at the beginning of this month (owing to my work schedule just getting too insane what with Dylan’s late bed time!). He’s adjusted to it just fine and, although, it’s been great for my work load, I miss having fun Fridays with him!

Posted in county_fairs, excursions, weekly_fun | 1 Comment

chatting with auntie

Posted on September 16, 2008 by cvc

I don’t know how my little sister manages it, but she always seems so prepared with her camera! These next few videos are from yesterday (Sunday).

Posted in aunts, talking, vids | 2 Comments

thumbs up!

Posted on September 3, 2008 by cvc

He clearly thinks he’s doing it right, and that’s the cutest thing about it!


Posted in daily_dylan | 1 Comment

Dylan’s first camping trip

Posted on August 27, 2008 by cvc
snack time
snack time
Originally uploaded by coffywoman.

This past weekend, we went on Dylan’s first camping trip! We didn’t want to go to far afield or stay too long (in case of any “crises” with sleeping outside in the cold, etc., etc.), so the trip was a short 2-nighter/3-dayer at nearby Big Basin.

As it turns out, the kids (Taliana and Dylan) had so much fun (and so did we!)!

It was hectic getting there — I ended up going into the office all Friday afternoon (scheduled camp-prep time) and Tom, of course, was at his office, too — so much of the prep was done last-minute, but it was well worth every effort it took to get us there and back.

I’m convinced we got the best campsite there. It was at a dead-end and there was a huge open space adjacent to our campsite where the kids could (and did!) run around!


making vegan ice cream!
making vegan ice cream!
Originally uploaded by coffywoman.

The first night there, we made couscous with almonds, foul (black beans with parsley, lemon juice, tomatoes, bell peppers), roasted corn (that Assaf bought fresh from the farmer’s market earlier in the day) and roasted potatoes for dinner. Later in the evening, we made a vegan mint chocolate chip ice cream with a Mega Ball that Tom and I had picked up from REI. Everything was f-a-n-t-a-s-t-i-c and, naturally, the kids were totally excited about making ice cream — they helped by rolling the ball back and forth to one another!


picking huckleberries - a favorite activity!
picking huckleberries
Originally uploaded by coffywoman.

The next day, we went on a short hike where we discovered huckleberry bushes in full berry production! We collected 2 Tupperware containers-full to take back to camp — and ate many more along the way. Dylan loved picking them so much, once back at camp, he traded his obsession with sweeping the tent with looking for more huckleberries to pick!


roasting marshmallows (yes! they are vegan!). We made s'mores, too...yikes
roasting marshmallows
Originally uploaded by coffywoman.

On our second (and last) night, we made more mint chocolate ice cream (this time using a combination of soy creamer and soy milk — better tasting, but a little less creamy in texture due to blending in the lower fat soy milk) AND roasted marshmallows for s’mores! I know this sounds like a lot of sugar, and after a post-hike 3-hour nap taken by both kids (during which we all got to enjoy a nice game of Elasund), we were all a bit worried they wouldn’t sleep. But they did so much running around the campsite — looking for walking sticks, acorns, huckleberries, etc. — that they sacked out right along with us!

It was such a fun trip. As soon as we got home the next day, Dylan wanted to bust out his play tents and he is still talking about camping!

We’re looking forward to taking a more extended camping trip next year!


Posted in big basin, camping, firsts, vacation | 1 Comment

Tyler did turn 5 and we did go and celebrate

Posted on August 27, 2008 by cvc

Yep. I know it’s been a while between the celebration (August 16th) and this post! Work for both Tom and me has been hectic (drama at his workplace, deadlines at mine). But, in between work (work work) and trying to keep up with house-cleaning (a losing battle), we still enjoyed countless moments of fun and giggles with the ever-growing Dylan Pickle.


Another one of Dylan
Another one of Dylan
Originally uploaded by coffywoman.

As you can see, Cindy and Jeff set up a little Spiderman-themed slip ‘n’ slide for the kids. Jason fearlessly went at it…Tyler was a bit more reluctant (he never really made it on to his belly in his first attempt), but Dylan was the most reluctant of all! He clearly was interested, so finally, after several inquiries and some “yeahs”, Tom bowled him down the slip ‘n’ slide!

The kids also did a little swimming, “baking” (with Tyler’s new stand mixer), and a whole lot of playing with Tyler’s new Indiana Jones Lego set (something with crystal skulls).

Of course, Dylan skipped his nap. But, luckily, he did sack out at 10pm-ish on our way home from the party…!


Posted in birthdays, cousins, firsts, tyler | 1 Comment

Day 175: hmmm…can you spell M-E-S-S?

Posted on August 27, 2008 by cvc

Today’s picture.

Conversation from yesterday:

Dylan: It myyyy gym. Daddy-o go and…
Tom:Oh! I can go to your gym?
Me:Can I come, too?
Dylan:Actually, I go to gym with daddy-o. <points to Tom> and mommy-o <points to me>

That’s the first time he’s used the word “actually”! What a little joy he is.

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D.Y.L.A.N and Dylan is his name-o

Posted on August 15, 2008 by cvc
eating nori, saying "cheese" for me
eating nori, saying "cheese"
Originally uploaded by coffywoman.

Dylan’s molars are coming in, but he is such a trooper. Really. He’s such a nice guy, it sometimes stuns me. He likes to joke around, he’s so good at sharing (admittedly, moreso with me and Tom than with other kids), he extends invitations to play with him (“c’mon mommy-o. come back daddy-o. c’mon talinana”) and, so far, he hasn’t displayed any aggressive behaviors towards other kids (physical aggression, anyway; he does sometimes shout “Noooo!” when he wants something they have, and he’ll thrust his little arm out to emphasize his dismay).

Also, he’s getting so good at talking…and getting better at his conversational skills.

Every morning, he surprises me with what’s on his mind (the other day, the first thoughts out were “processors. I have little one. Mommy has big one”; this morning it was “no more sleepin’. I wanna eat”!).

He offers his opinions freely and honestly: Tom made a homemade tomato sauce from our first tomatoes of the season the other night, and when he asked Dylan if the sauce tasted icky (often Dylan prefers plain), he responded with, “It’s not icky. Daddy-o. It tastes fine.”

He’s very bossy and direct: on the way home from daycare just yesterday, he told me he needed to drive…to the office…to work (we wish we had his enthusiasm). He needed to sit in the big seat and I needed to sit “over there”. At night, if I work, he’ll say, “no mommy. Stop working!”

He counts and spells: he’s very reliably counting to 10 and very reliably spelling his name (verbally, thanks to singing the “Bingo” song). He already knows his dad’s name (when asked, he’ll answer “Tom Reisz”), but just recently, he’s learned his mom’s name (it used to be, “my mom…is…mommy”, but now it’s “my mom is “SEAL”).

There’s been so much chatter in such a short span of time!

The other new thing this week is somersaults on his own (though more than half are crooked). And, perhaps the most promising development: he’s requested to sleep in his own bed and has done so for 2 nights this week (he also asked to sleep in his “little bed” last night, but I fell asleep before bed time stories were finished!).

We’re glad the tough “teething” week has ended. He’s such a charmer when he’s content….


Posted in milestones, sleep, talking | Comments Off on D.Y.L.A.N and Dylan is his name-o

molars?

Posted on August 10, 2008 by cvc

It’s been a long, long week! Both Tom and I had hectic work schedules — he wrapped up teaching geometry but gave two presentations on Thursday and Friday, and I had a Friday — which left both of us getting an itty bitty amount of sleep. In the meantime, Dylan spiked a fever which kept him out of daycare (and our usual weekly fun stuff) on Monday, Tuesday AND Wednesday!

Luckily, both Tom and I were able to stay at home with him during the worst of it (Tuesday). On Wednesday, he seemed well enough for me to go into the office for a half day, but he still had enough of a fever (101) to keep him out of school.

After lunching together, Tom and Dylan dropped me off at work where Dylan had so much fun typing on the ‘puter, his laptop, and making important phone calls. He clearly enjoys being at my office far more than I do!

Anyway, we vaguely suspect that the fever is related to more teething (2nd year molars), but when I stuck my finger in his pie-hole, I didn’t feel a thing. Still, he’s been jamming his fingers far back into his mouth and abruptly crying out in pain; his appetite is down and, on Tuesday and Wednesday, he awoke at 1am and didn’t get back to sleep for another hour. If new molars are the cause, we sure hope they come in soon…!


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Dylan sings his ABC’s

Posted on August 1, 2008 by cvc

Dylan really, really loves to sing…and he busts out into song all the time (even when he’s vacuuming!)! Among his current favorites are “Fanga a la Fia” (Mothersong tune), “Twinkle Twinkle” (in English and Spanish), “Old (Mc)Donald,” “Row, Row, Row Your Boat,” and “Bubble Gum, bubble gum in a Dish” (a tune he learned from Taliana). This time, we managed to capture his rendition of the ABC song (sadly, it’s only cameraphone quality!).

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