Neb and I are up to our ears with Elmo. It is all B-Boy talks about.

Well, that and Applesauce. He digs himself some applesauce.

So when Neb came home with a new DVD and the words "I saw this and thought we could try something new. Plus, we'll like it!", it peaked my curiosity.

In his hands, he held a two DVD set of classic Looney Tunes. Whoo-Hoo!


We unwrapped the DVD and started up the DVD player. B-Boy and I sat on the floor while a cartoon about Tweety Bird and Sylvester started.

B-Boy really liked it. So did I until I realized…


Tweety Bird and Sylvester are much more violent than I remember. Ok, yes, Sylvester is trying to eat the bird. You know he never succeeds… but the methods that they both go to were surprisingly violent. At one point, Sylvester tries climbing up the inside of the drain spout to get to Tweety. Tweety gets a bowling ball and drops it down the spout, which Sylvester proceeds to swallow and plop out of the spout.

He then rolled down the hill, where a bowling alley sat waiting. He goes through the door, and then you hear pins fall. From the sound of it, Sylvester made a strike!

And right on cue, B-Boy says “YAY!” and claps.

Hmmm, I guess he followed that more than I thought he would.


After Neb stopped laughing at B-Boy’s getting the joke, we promptly stopped the DVD.

Needless to say, we are back to Elmo. Sigh. Elmo Elmo Elmo.

Thank goodness for Willa’s Wild Life- the only other show that B-Boy will watch without saying “Elmo! Elmo! Elmo!”.

The Looney Tunes DVDs will just have to wait!

Bye-Bye Paci!

Thanks to ChiggerButt, I have some really good news! I am sorry it has taken so long to write this for you, but we had some significant delay in getting our internet installed.

Wow, there is so much to tell you, I better back up. As I mentioned previously, we bought a new house. B-Boy did really well with the move and change, better than any of us expected. He really likes the new house, and has a lot of fun running down the hall to his play room.

The play room is amazingly large, and has lots of fun nooks and crannies for B-Boy to play in. In addition, his bedroom is much bigger than his old one, with much higher ceilings!

Before the move, Neb and I discussed when might be a good time to remove B-Boy's paci completely. You might recall I had posted earlier that we had gotten B-Boy down to only one pacifier in his crib. Neb and I were watching closely, and thought it was time to remove the pacifier entirely.

And then we bought the new house... and B-Boy was going to be sleeping in a new space. That didn't seem the right time to remove his coping mechanism. So, we let it remain as we moved into the new space.

And then on Sunday, Neb and I had tickets to go see Huey Lewis and the News. We were really looking forward to getting our 80's fix on, and since the concert was Sunday evening, we needed someone to watch B-Boy.

Enter ChiggerButt.

Man, we are so lucky to have ChiggerButt. She claims that B-Boy is so easy, but what she doesn't know is that he is only that way for her! :)

ChiggerButt watched B-Boy when we moved into the new home, and was so great to come back  We were really excited to know he was in her hands, especially since he was still napping when she arrived and we had to leave.

When we got home from the concert, I noticed that B-Boy's single pacifier was on the kitchen island.

Yes, ChiggerButt managed to put B-Boy to sleep without it!

When I asked her about it, she said she realized when she was rocking him to put him to sleep that she forgot it downstairs... and he went to sleep without it.

Last night, he went to sleep without the pacifier... and it happened again tonight.

So ChiggerButt is owed a big thank you, and is so very appreciated.

Whoo-hoo, B-Boy has moved on from his paci! (We hope!)

A funny move-in story

I was telling this story to a co-worker the other day, and realized that I should share this with you.

After we closed on the house (but before we moved in), B-Boy, Neb and I picked up Mema and we all went to the new house so she could see it.

We were all in the kitchen admiring the cabinets when my mom opened the drawer below the oven. In the old house, this was a metal drawer and part of the oven. In the new house, it is a very deep cabinet drawer.

My mom asked "What are you thinking will go in here?".

"I am thinking cookie sheets and baking pans. Yeah, pans.", I said.

And then B-Boy did something very silly, and it took us a few minutes to process what he did.

He leaned over, pulled down his shorts and removed them. And then, he put them in the drawer, closed it and looked up at all of us with a big grin.

We all stood there looking at him- searching our brains for why he just did what he did... we were surprised that he could remove his shorts, as he had not done that before.

And then it hit me... "Pans B-Boy! Not pants!"

Ha!

Moving in

Well, we moved in! (Halfway, at least.)

Half of our things are still at the old house so we can stage it to sell. Next up, painting and minor repairs to get it ready for market. (Or so we think!)

The move was a bit of an adventure as the movers were supposed to arrive in the afternoon, which to me means they would be there around 3. We were told they would call 1 hour prior to arrival, which actually happened! We were optimistic, and boy were we in for a surprise.

The movers didn't show up until 6:30 pm! The good news with that was that it gave Neb and I an opportunity to carry a bunch of stuff out to the driveway, which meant once they did arrive, they didn't take as much time as they would have. But the bad news was that by it was done, Neb and I were completely worn out.

Fortunately, ChiggerButt was watching B-Boy, who napped most of the time she was there. She fed him dinner, gave him a bath, and he was asleep by the time we arrived with the movers.

We pulled out of the old house at 8pm, and unloaded until 10:30pm. WHEW!

The MacFamily came to help, which gave them an opportunity to get the tour of the new place before we got there. All who see it are shocked at how big the place is, including us!

B-Boy did great going down for ChiggerButt, but at midnight he woke up really upset. Not that I blame him. He had not seen us since I put him down for his nap, and then he went to bed in a strange place without his Mommy or Daddy.

But after I rocked him for 10 minutes, he went back to sleep without any issues. YAY!

He loves the new house, especially the play room which is huge, and has lots of room to run around. It is also Neb's favorite room, and we usually retire there for the night after putting B-Boy to sleep. We rarely used our old bonus room, and so it is nice to see that TV again! It's just a nice, big room with a cozy feeling, and you can still hear B-Boy singing to himself as he goes to sleep.

Happy Birthday Neb!

Yesterday, Neb celebrated a milestone birthday. He hates surprises, and I knew he would rather have it be low key than a huge celebration.

I decided he should feel appreciated, but that the world didn't need to know it- which he preferred.

So, we started the day with his birthday cards, and a yummy breakfast at home. Then, we all went to the park for some fun. B-Boy made sure to wear his "My Daddy Rocks" t-shirt so that everyone would know how cool his Daddy is... in Ole Miss colors no less!

It's my Daddy's Birthday!

He's a big kid, and we are playing here at the park!

Fun was had by all of us, and we went home for some yummy birthday cake!

Then tonight, we went to Bali Hai for Mongolian barbeque, which is one of our favorite restaurants. The MacFamily met us there, and had decorated the table with a bright blue table cloth and Happy Birthday centerpieces. Too cute, in a very subtle way. They even brought him another birthday cake. Yum!

B-Boy loved it because he could play with ChiggerButt. All in all, a good birthday for Neb!

B-Boy goes to the Dentist

While we were on vacation, GranE expressed concern over B-Boy's front teeth. One of his big front teeth is not down as far as the other, and she was worried that it might be an issue with his future teeth. To give her peace of mind, and to be sure he was okay, I promised to take him to the dentist.

A coworker recommended her kids' dentist very highly and I scheduled an appointment for 7:30 am- so that he could keep his normal routine with daycare. (B-Boy likes his routine and we are all happier when he sticks to that routine.) I was told the woman who was going to help examine him was referred to as "The Baby Whisperer". It sounded promising,

I decided to embrace the day, and dressed him in a Shark Shirt with his shorts that have sharks embroidered on them. CHOMP!

The dentist office was quite nice, with a TV over a fireplace which was playing Finding Nemo. B-Boy liked seeing the fishies, but told me he was ready to go as soon as we sat down.

"The Baby Whisperer" came out and was very sweet with B-Boy. Unfortunately, he wasn't having any of it and kept saying he wanted to "GO!". As we started to walk back, she crouched down to a basket in a tooth shape full of toys for the kids. I spotted a sticker, and told her he really likes stickers.

He scored two, but was still looking at her with suspicion.

We sat down in the chair, and B-Boy got a bit clingy. I sat with him in the chair while "The Baby Whisperer" took a wand with a camera on it and tried to take a photo of B-Boy's front teeth.

I say "tried" because anytime she came near him with it, he would freak. To be honest, I didn't really blame him... I would have too if I didn't understand what was going on. Since he had no idea what it was, or why it was coming near him, I could understand why he was upset.

We did the best we could, and she was able to get a few snaps for the dentist. To help him calm down, I let him watch Elmo on my iPhone. It seemed to help, and "The Baby Whisperer" took some photos for you (with my camera, not the wand!) while we waited for the dentist, aka Dr. Tooth.

I am hoping if I look pathetic enough, I'll be able to leave.

Do you think that will work?

Then Dr. Tooth arrived, and it all went downhill. B-Boy freaked out, and when he needed to touch his mouth, it was not pretty. But the dentist is a dad, and he was able to finally see what he needed to see.

The good news is that there was nothing to be alarmed about. He said we were there a little early age wise, but he would like to see B-Boy back in six months. Since there had not been any trauma - like B-Boy falling and hitting his tooth, that it was most probably not a problem. If it is still like this in 6 months, he would propose further investigation and treatment.

B-Boy was happy to be leaving, and was thrilled to get two more stickers on the way out! He got a big Spiderman sticker, which he wore on his back all day.

All in all a good appointment, and I am sure GranE will be happy to hear the outcome!

E is for Elmo

I have heard other parents talk about the power of the puppet. I did not believe it was true. Boy was I wrong!

Elmo is now all B-Boy talks about, and although he doesn't say many words, Elmo is one he has mastered and says often.

He didn't learn about Elmo from us... nope, that came from the other kids in his daycare class. I only know this because I distinctly recall walking into the room one day with B-Boy when he was wearing a shirt with Elmo on it that AuntSly had sent us. A boy in the room lit up when he saw it, and he kept chanting "Elmo! Elmo! Elmo!".

I remember thinking "it's a good thing B-Boy doesn't know who Elmo is, that could be really annoying."  Silly Mommy... little did I know what was coming.

I even bought him an Elmo Jack in the Box after he enjoyed playing with my friend Cat's son Jambuca's Curious George one. I didn't buy it because it was Elmo, rather, because it was the only one that didn't have a clown pop up, which I thought might be scary.

I started to notice something was up when B-Boy would say "Elmo!" when he saw the box sitting on his toy chest. He would carry the box over to me and say "Elmo!". Hmmm. Interesting, since we had never said Elmo's name. It was very curious.

It wasn't until later that I discovered that his daycare room had a few board books with Elmo in them. Aha! Mystery solved. Between other kids talking about Elmo and the books in the room, B-Boy was hearing about Elmo quite a bit.

And then we went on vacation. I had found some free Sesame Street videos on iTunes, and had loaded them up on my phone for our trip. B-Boy does not sleep in the car, so I thought letting him watch it would be my last grasp for sanity on the drive down to Pawley's Island. I did use it on the way down, but we needed to use it more so on the drive back.

What I did not know was that one of the episodes I downloaded featured Elmo a lot. B-Boy put two and two together, and when he would accidentally pause the episode, he would say "Elmo? Elmo!". I would ask him "Do you need help?" He then said "Hep!" and would squeal "Elmo!" as the episode started again.

I am still working to break the habit- he now thinks he can watch Elmo whenever he wants. Um- no.

But that's not all... after we got back from our trip, GranE wanted to get B-Boy his own Elmo to play with. I took off from work the last day she was here (Neb had to work, and so he took B-Boy to daycare so that we could play golf. Hee hee.) We decided to stop after 9 holes (it was SO HOT!) and went shopping for an Elmo. GranE picked out a really cute Tickle Me Elmo that we both thought he would like.

When we got home, GranE said she couldn't wait to see B-Boy's reaction to his new toy. She cut Elmo out of the box and placed him back in so that when B-Boy saw him, he could immediately play with him.

When Neb got home with B-Boy, it took perhaps two seconds for him to spot the new toy. He ran over, grabbed the toy while squealing "ELMO! ELMO! ELMO!". We then showed him how to make the toy talk, but he wasn't so sure about that.

Is this for ME?

Look Mommy! GranE got me an ELMO!

YAY! I got an ELMO!

Thank you GranE!

The little guy now says quite often -  "Elmo! Yeah-Yeah!".

Why I haven't been able to write

June was a CRAZY month!

By that I mean, several things have changed, and those changes have caused us to not have ANY time to write. And by us, of course, I mean me. I hope you can forgive me when you hear why.

1. I accepted a new job at my company. I am sad to be leaving the best, most fun job, but this new opportunity came at a time when I needed a change. My new job started officially on July 1st, but I moved to the new building two weeks early. In less than a month, I interviewed, got the offer, accepted and moved all my stuff.
2. We took a family vacation to the beach, and had no internet access in our unit. It was hard to get motivated to write when there was so much fun stuff to do, and no way to share it with you!
3. We bought a new house!!!! 

Ok, the last one is the primary reason why I haven't been able to write. Neb and I have been packing, trying to plan and recover from the process.We are super sad to leave our old house- we have been there for almost 14 years! Living on the golf course with lots of room outside for B-Boy to run around has been wonderful, but the commute is just too much for baby boy. On a good day, he is in the car (one way) for 40 minutes if we don't drop off Neb. And if it is a Friday during beach season, the drive home can take an hour and a half easy.

The new house is 7 minutes from work if I hit all the red lights. Seven minutes!

And it is enormous. B-Boy will have lots of room to run around, Neb gets his Man Cave in the basement below the garage, and I get a sewing room all to myself! (My sewing room was B-Boy's room before he came along, and we moved it all to a corner of the bonus room.) Six bedrooms, five and a half baths, and a great layout- we are SUPER excited.

We plan on moving next weekend, but are leaving a bunch of stuff here to stage the house to help it sell. The good news is that means we don't have to move as much stuff at once, but it also means we have to exert a lot more brain power trying to think about what goes versus what stays.

The house has never been lived in, and we will be the first family to occupy it. In case you wonder what it looks like. here you go!

I am not sure how long it will take us to get life back to normal, but until then, my writing may be a bit sporadic. I am sorry! I have a few posts to share with you for our adventures in June, and will post date them to keep the timeline.

We plan on putting our house on the market at the end of the month, and are hoping it sells soon. Although, I must admit, I will have to try not to cry as we leave- the house holds so many great memories, and it IS where we brought B-Boy home from the hospital. I have seen the most beautiful sunsets ever from our screened porch- and hope the next owner enjoys them as much as I did.

Our current house, last winter.

So please bear with me, and send us happy "your house will sell quickly" thoughts, we would appreciate them!