Too Cutsy?

I have been given a nickname, or at least a term of endearment!

Ian has been saying the following to me while we cuddle before his bed time: "I yuv you, Mommy Mommy Cookie Pie."

If I try to reciprocate with "I love you too, Ian Ian Honey Bunny," he protests, "No, I just Ian."

The Empty Nest

Ian's first day at school was an unqualified success.

Was it because we've been prepping him for a while, was it because he is sick-n-tired of hanging out with his parents, was it the cute backpack that "MyAjji" (as he calls her) gave him for his birthday, was it the treats we sent or that "Baby Jaguar" went with him?

Whatever it was, Ian's teacher said she had never had a transition that went as smoothly as it did with Ian.

We walked him to his locker and then to his classroom.

When I asked him to give me a kiss, he instead asked where the juice boxes were (we had sent cupcakes and juice boxes for his class). Then he was off to join his class without looking back. Dadzilla and I were pleased, a little stunned and somewhat nostalgic knowing that once Ian stepped through those doors, everything would be different.

We came back two hours later for our caterpillar and brought home an ecstatic preschooler. There were also positive reports from the teacher; in addition to not missing us at all, Ian was gregarious, helpful, obedient and playful. He also liked using glue sticks, apparently several at a time.

Sigh!

"I Three, I Big!"

That's what Ian says if you ask him how old he is, "I three. I big!" And he certainly is!

Three seems to be a major threshold for all sorts of activities that involve other children. He was old enough to enroll in soccer, he starts "school" at Early Childhood Education, and he's big enough to play in "Smaland" at Ikea.



We had a low-key birthday for Ian because of H1N1 concerns. At this point, Ian thinks of birthdays as mainly involving Happy Birthday Ian Cake. He helped me make his and was very excited to watch its progress from batter to iced wonder. He ate all his favorite foods (meatballs, fries, strawberries, pancakes, bacon...). He played with all his new toys and even went for a spin at his favorite playground. And he had lots of well-wishes by phone, even from as far away as a beach in Hawaii!

Soccer!

Ian's birthday weekend started with his first "organized" soccer game... which was more like pandemonium organized by the YMCA.

Ian was the youngest there, and he's never had to do anything involving teams, sports, or other adults telling him what to do. This is what I say to console myself....

There were 7 kids on Ian's team, 2 girls and 5 boys. The girls were by far the most precocious and able to follow direction.

When the game started, the little girls took off and did most of the scoring. The boys did pretty much what Ian did, which was wander distractedly in the sidelines, run in circles or stay close to the parents.


At one point, Ian grabbed the soccer ball and ran off with it. This was in the middle of a game. He was soon surrounded by players and referees and coaches, coaxing him to give up the ball. He wouldn't. So they made him the goalie. He was pretty grumpy about that. As you can see in the final picture, he's lying down on the job.

Biking in November

After an unseasonably cold October with snow and sleet, we are having a reprieve in November.

It has been perfect autumn weather to finish yard clean up and to go biking!

Ian and Horsie really enjoyed riding in the bike trailer to the park, especially since they didn't have to do any work.

Halloween 2009

We thought Halloween would be a total bust this year, between fears of H1N1 and the cold temperatures. Hardly any trick-or-treaters came by. Ian refused to wear his costume. When I asked him to please put it on, his response was, "Another day." He couldn't be lured outside to go trick-or-treating even though there was candy involved. He ran away from the few neighbor kids who showed up in costume. Things were looking bleak.

But then Gramma Betty found a cute and not scary decoration with a black cat and a pumpkin and Ian consented to have it pinned to his fleece. He put "Pirat" into a pumpkin and agreed to come collect candy from strangers.

It was a beautiful night with an almost full moon and Ian went to three houses before he'd had enough. He got a pretty decent haul which he was nice enough to share with his parents and Gramma.