Newsletter 3.5

Dear Rory -
Well son, here I am, finally writing a newsletter that is waaaaay overdue. I know that I have skipped the last three or four months, but to be honest, it really feels as though we've ALL skipped the last few months. Seriously, where the heck does the time go? It seems like summer is just getting started, and yet, somehow it's already the first of August and I feel like I'm suffering from some sort of time-warp whip lash.

I don't even know where to start when it comes to you, Ro. Since spring, you have been growing like crazy, and I mean that both physically AND mentally. You're over 38 inches tall now (and yes, once again, NONE of your clothes fit!), almost a solid 40 pounds, and you're an unbelievably smart little dude. A little too smart, actually. You have an astounding vocabulary for a three year old, but the scary part is how you use it.

You have become the ultimate little negotiator and you've learned how to play your dad and I like an expert. For example, when you sense that I'm about to ask you to do something you don't want to do (ie. clean up your toys, brush your teeth, etc.), you look at me with those big beautiful eyes of yours and say as sweetly as possible, "Mommy, come here and snuggle with me. I want to give you big hugs!" And because you are still a TOTAL daddy's boy, and you rarely pay attention to me when your father is around, this makes me melt into a big pool of mommy jello. AND YOU KNOW IT, you little stinker. Or when you are doing something you're not supposed to do when your father isn't home (like try and grab knives out of the butcher block for example) and I tell you NO, you look at me very seriously and say, "Calm down Mom. Daddy let's me do this ALL the time."

Oh yes, you are a force to be reckoned with. There are times - plenty of them - when you've pushed my buttons beyond belief and it takes all of my will power not to put you in the first box I can find and FedEx you to Antartica. You are TRULY lucky, my friend, that you are so damn cute. But then there are times when you sit on my lap and laugh with me at Curious George over a shared bowl of Cheerios or when you jump into the pool and swim over to me with your chest puffed up with pride, and I think, how could I want anything other than this?

ALL OF IT.

Love,
Mama

Newsletter 3.0 (Happy 3rd Birthday, Rory!)

Okay, so I’m a little late writing this (two weeks late, to be exact), but there was so much going on around the time of your birthday that, quite honestly, this is the first real chance I’ve had to catch my breath.

Inhale.
Exhale.
Ahhhh – that’s much better! Now let’s get down to business.

You, my friend, had what I will now always refer to as “The Endless Birthday.” It started on the Thursday before your actual birth date when you had a party at your preschool to celebrate your Hebrew birthday. Because apparently, since the Hebrew calendar is different than the standard calendar that we all use (because there is that little matter of B.C. and A.D. that understandably doesn’t figure into the Jewish way of thinking), your Hebrew birthday doesn’t always fall on the same day as what the rest of the world considers your birthday. So you, being the lucky little devil that you are, got TWO birthdays.

Your father and I went to your school to see you celebrate with all of your classmates and the Rabbi by wearing a birthday crown and eating a nice kosher birthday cake.



You loved the special attention and the fact that you got to lick honey off of a picture of the Hebrew alphabet to signify that learning Hebrew (which you officially get to start when you turn three) is a sweet privilege. And so the enormous intake of sugar began…



That night, your Grandma Judy and your Granny Dudley came into town and with them came loads of fun, and of course, more sugar. By the time your birthday party on Sunday began, I don’t think a single nutritious item had passed through your lips in almost 72 hours. But isn’t that part of what birthdays are all about?

Your OTHER party this year was at a place called Playsource, which is basically an indoor play place that has tons of stuff to keep little people like you busy. This year, we planned your party with your buddy, Paxton, who was not only born on the same day as you, he was also born at the very same hospital. It was a bit on the crazy side, because between the two of you, we were expecting 35 kids (12 from us, 23 from them), not to mention, all of their parents. THAT IS A LOT OF PEOPLE. I have to admit that I was a bit overwhelmed by the thought of it, and I was more than a little worried that you weren’t going to feel like it was your special day. But, as usual, I worried for nothing and you had a terrific time. The only thing that bothered you about sharing your party was that when everyone sang Happy Birthday, they sang, “Happy Birthday to Paxton and Rory! Happy Birthday to you!” and afterwards you said to me, “Mamma, I didn’t like the ‘Paxton and Rory’ song, I wanted them to say, ‘Just Rory’!” So, note to self, if we ever have a shared party again (which is highly unlikely!) make sure that we sing a separate birthday song for each kid. Sheesh!



As with any party, we ended up having a ton of food left over, especially cupcakes (Paxton’s mom and I made all 85 of them ourselves, by the way!). So for every night after your party that we still had cupcakes left, you made us put a candle in one for you and sing, “Happy Birthday to JUST RORY! Happy Birthday to YOU!”. This went on for at least four nights (hence the “Endless Birthday” theme), so I think that MORE than made up for the song transgression, don’t you?



I can’t talk about your birthday, of course, without mentioning some of your favorite presents. Your Nana and Poppi gave you a “big boy bicycle” with training wheels, and you were so excited that you immediately jumped on it and started pedaling your little heart out. We are so impressed by how fast you got the hang of it, and now I spend at least part of every day huffing and puffing as I chase you around the neighborhood. Good exercise for both of us! I get such a kick out of watching you (for those of you with kids, it kinda reminds me a bit of what Elmo looks like when he rides a bike on Sesame Street!), it’s so darn cute to see your little legs going round and round! And sometimes, my chest puffs up with so much pride that I can’t even breathe – but somehow I still manage to have a silly grin on my face anyway…





Your other favorite gifts are High School Musical related (are you surprised?), especially the new Wii game that your father and I bought you that lets you sing along to all of your favorite HSM songs karaoke style with your very own microphone. For you, it just doesn’t get any better than that! And even though we probably wouldn’t admit this in public, your father and I think it’s pretty cool, too. Where else is our vast knowledge of High School Musical songs going to come in handy? And now we will have an endless source of entertainment at our fingertips that looks a little something like this:



Happy Birthday, big guy!

Love,
Mama

Newsletter 2.11

Dear Rory -
Well, the invitations are out and it's official, in two weeks you are going to be turning three. THREE! I know that I will probably say this almost every time you have a birthday, but where did this year go? I've always heard that time really starts to fly when you have children, but no one told me that it moved at WARP SPEED.

I get dizzy just thinking about.



Although I have to admit that I'm not THAT sad that you are leaving your terrible twos behind (you ARE, right?) because they most definitely have not been all sunshine and roses! But perhaps all the fussiness is a result of the amazing changes that take place between ages two and three - there is no doubt that this year has seen you change from a little toddler to a BOY. It's darn impressive to think of how far you've come in the last twelve months - you think for yourself now, you have the words to tell us just about anything you want to (a skill you certainly practice ALL THE TIME!), and you're constantly telling us that that you want to do everything "all by myself!". You have become our little Mr. Independent.



Some of your quirks of the moment include:
- A sudden, intense dislike of freeways (where on Earth did that come from?) so much so that if we want any peace and quiet in the car, we have to find back roads to everywhere. So if we are late for something these days, you know why!
- Picking your nose and telling me that you are trying to get the "stuffies" out.
- Grabbing your guitar and singing a quick song about whatever activity you are about to do next. (For example, today it was, "I'm gonna take a nap now, a nap now, a nap now. I'm gonna take a nap now, in my bed today! Thank you, everyone! Goodnight!")



- Trying to imitate the dance moves from "High School Musical" because you already have ALL the words to the songs memorized.
- Finding a new favorite stuffed animal (or "buddy" as you call it) to hug for the week that ultimately ends up in your bed. To date, you have Monks, Lili, Baby Bear, Sunny and Dewey all sleeping with you (and I hate to tell you this, but your "big boy bed" really isn't THAT BIG.)
- Talking to your imaginary friends, Doe and Dee, on your phone
- And last but not least - telling us, "Not now, but soon!" everytime we ask you to do something, you little procrastinator!

It's been quite a year, Ro - not an easy one for me by any stretch of the imagination, but I forgive you for your part in that because, well, you can't help that you were a two year old. And you had that whole " terrible twos" image to live up to, right? (Super job with that, by the way!) And although I've heard that year three can sometimes be even harder (HARDER???), I can at least count on the fact that it's going to be interesting. Because with you, Ro, there is NEVER a dull moment.

And honestly, I don't think I'd want it any other way.

Love,
Mama

Newsletter 2.6

Dear Rory -

Well, son, you are now officially two and a half, although sometimes I think you are more like a teenager in a toddler's body! You are so full of defiance and attitude, and it is obvious that you enjoy pushing your boundaries just to see how far you can get. I am constantly saying "No hitting, no spitting, no biting and no kicking!" to the point where you have caught on and you now think its funny to chant it and then fall down on the floor laughing. LAUGHING. AT YOUR MOTHER. Oh , the humanity! But even though you find it amusing to come up with new ways to test my patience, at least I can say that you are one creative little bugger!

The other day I was eating a diet bar for breakfast, and you, the King of Curiosity, were right in my face like you ALWAYS are when I'm eating, asking, "Whatcha eatin', Mama? Can I have some? Can I have a little bite? A little, tiny, tiny bite?" (You can now see why I find it hard to eat breakfast in the morning!) So I told you, "No, you wouldn't like this. It's grown up food. Trust me, it's yucky." (And really, kid, those diet bars, they truly ARE yucky!) A few minutes later, I went to the bathroom and left the bar on the counter. When I came back, there you were, with chocolate all over your face and your hands on your hips, and you looked at me in total defiance and said, "Mama, I TRIED it and I LIKED IT!" Every fiber of your being screamed, "Take THAT, woman!" and I had to bite my lip to keep from laughing out loud. HARD.

Speaking of laughing, have I mentioned how much I love listening to you laugh? We never know exactly what you're going to find amusing, and then all of a sudden, you'll erupt into a fit of adorable giggles. You recently started an infatuation with the t.v. show "America's Funniest Videos," and I've decided that watching you and your father sit on the couch together laughing your heads off is the perfect way to end the day.

It's rare that you are are ever sitting for more than a few minutes though, and it usually isn't long before you're either running off to the park to show off your newly acquired Big Wheel riding skills, talking someone into making you a fort or cave out of blankets, or grabbing your ever-present guitar and belting out a tune.

Add in starting preschool two days a week, attending your beloved Gymboree classes, going to Sunday School and playing with all your friends in the neighborhood and you, my friend, are one busy little dude! But I know that you love all the buzz of activity - you're so much happier when you are out socializing and keeping busy - and so far it never feels like we've taken on too much. Rambunctious children like you need ways to channel their energy without driving their mommies crazy, and trust me, nobody wants to see this mama go crazy.

But in the midst of all this running around and staying busy, I still try and find time to slow down with you and just savor the little things. Like your newfound love of brushing my hair in the morning for hours while saying, "Nice and gentle, Mama! I'm being very, very, very gentle!" Or how you run around with your camera pretending to take pictures, making me pose my hands or my feet in certain ways and then saying very seriously, "Yeah, that's a good one!" Or how you still reach out to hold my hand when I'm sitting with you in the car, which I secretly hope you'll never stop wanting to do.

We're halfway through those terrible twos which maybe aren't so terrible after all...

Love,
Mama

Newsletter 2.3 and 2.4

Dear Rory,
Okay, so obviously it's been a busy couple of months. So busy in fact that I missed one of your monthly newsletters and didn't even realize it! One minute it's June and then suddenly it's the middle of July and how the HELL did that happen? I've barely gotten into the swing of summer and it's half over already. Sheesh.



For the last month you've been attending "Summer Camp", which has been sort of a trial preschool run twice a week from 9am-12:30pm. We got you warmed up for your first big day by telling you for weeks that camp was a place only for YOU, not for Mommies or for Daddies - and that it was REALLY FUN, but only for YOU (see a theme here?). You seemed pretty excited about it, but I was a nervous wreck that first time I dropped you off. I thought for sure you were going to have a total melt down and that the teacher would look at me and say, "Sorry, Lady, but you're kid is just NOT ready for this." So I was totally surprised when, after a few minutes of initial hesitation, you jumped in and started exploring your new surroundings - and you barely even noticed when I left.

And how strange it was to LEAVE, walk out the door, WITHOUT YOU. I had to fight the urge to duck down behind a window and peek in at you for the rest of the morning. I forced myself to walk out of the school yard, get in my car and drive away. And let me tell you, Ro, as a mom, that's not an easy thing to do. That first day was MUCH harder on ME than it was on you.

The following weeks actually got a bit harder - the drop off at camp became a blur of crying and clinging - but I knew that you loved being there once you got over your tears, so I sucked it up, peeled you off of me, and handed you over to your counselor, even though it broke my heart into a million tiny little pieces. But I would call to check on you ten minutes after I left, and usually I could already hear you laughing in the background having the time of your life. And only then could I finally breathe again. Unfortunately camp just ended for the summer and you're already asking when you get to go back. I guess it's really time for us to start thinking seriously about preschool, eh?

Not only did you have fun at camp, but your imagination absolutely EXPLODED. Suddenly, you're playing "pretend" all the time and I just love to see what you're going to come up with next. Your favorite game right now is to pretend that something is chasing you - a bear, a crocodile, or today I think it was an owl - so you run away shrieking and laughing until you find a hiding place and then you'll pop your head out and scream "I see it! It's coming!" and the whole game starts again. We probably play this about twenty times in a row before you get sick of it, but I don't care a bit. Watching you use your imagination NEVER gets old.



And you know what else has exploded? Your ability to communicate. You finally have the ability to say whatever is on your mind and we can tell that you're enjoying your new found talent. You ALWAYS have something to say, and your father and I hang on your every word. We never know what's going to come out of your mouth. My current favorites are:

1) You rolling down your window and yelling, "Hi Gate Guy!" to the security guard at Nana and Papa's neighborhood (which sounds a lot like "Hi GAY Guy!", so we hope he doesn't hear you that well!)
2) When we yell "How you doin' Rory?" and you yell back "DOING FINE!!"
3) We had a friend stay with us for several days (Hi Wendy!) who lives in Chicago. Once she had gone home, you continued to ask "Where's Wendy", and when I'd say, "She's back in Chicago." you'd respond, "Oh, yeah! Costco! I like Costco, too!"
4) And of course the ever present, "NOOOOOO - I do it all by myself!



Ro, I have to say that you are probably at one of the coolest ages yet. We can play together, talk together, sing together and just be plain silly together. Yeah, you still have your two year old moments (enter fits and tantrums here!), but I'm enjoying our "Mama Roro" time more than ever. And I think it's only going to get better from here.

Love,
Mama

Newsletter 2.2

Dear Rory,

Okay, let's be honest. For once in my life, I'm having a terrible case of writer's block. I've been trying to write your latest newsletter for three days and I just can't seem to do it. There's a lot that I could talk about this month, but unfortunately, I'm not feeling very clever or witty - I'm just feeling wrung out and tired. Some of that is due to all the hours I've been working lately, but most of it is because I have a fiercely defiant two year old living in my house that seems to thrive off testing my patience. If we want you to take a bath, you scream that you don't want to, then once you're in the bath, we can't get you to come out. You refuse to get your clothes on in the morning, then later you won't take them off. You don't want to have your diaper changed, your teeth brushed, or your socks put on, and you most certainly don't want to sit down to eat dinner. You won't go upstairs, you won't come downstairs, you want soy milk, then you want apple juice instead. You can be perfectly content playing and then suddenly you're frustrated and in tears. And ALL of this can happen within the span of FIVE MINUTES. You're wearing me out, kid.

There's also so much you're DOING lately - everyday there's something new that I want to remember to write down, but this list is getting so long that I couldn't possibly put it all in this blog. So how do I choose what to write about? Do I talk about how you've suddenly started jumping off EVERYTHING, just because you can? Or how when you ask us questions, you listen to the answer and then nod and say "Oh!", like you totally understand our explanation? Or how you've taken to crossing your arms in front of you when you're thinking because you saw your papa doing it? And how could I not mention your tendency to throw a tantrum whenever I try to do something that doesn't put you at the utmost center of my attention? Oh, how the list could go on and on.



Or perhaps I should just talk about your amazing vocabulary that continues to multiply by the minute. Sometimes it actually freaks me out that you can not only say phrases, but use them in the correct context, like when you say, "Duck your head, Mama" as I try and cram myself into your playhouse, or how you like to yell, "Thank you!" to cars when they stop to let us cross the street. Or like yesterday when you asked where your friend Mikey was, and when I answered that he wasn't home, you shrugged your shoulders and told me, "Yeah, he's probably at preschool." I mean, we're practically having coherent CONVERSATIONS, for goodness sake! Of course, that also means that you're getting good at trying to manipulate us, like when we're trying to get you to do something you don't want to, and you suddenly tell us that you "have to go to potty now" because you know we'll drop everything to rush you to the nearest toilet. Works every time, too, you sneaky little devil.

Although we've got our hands full with just you alone, we've also had plenty of other things going on around here. This month's activities kicked off with a visit from your great-grandfather. Your "GG Pop," as you call him, is still able to travel by himself all the way from Florida, even though he's 95 years old, which is pretty damn impressive. Unfortunately, he broke his hearing aide right before he came to visit, which made communicating a wee bit difficult for everyone, but somehow the two of you managed to get along just fine. You loved how loud he was, and he couldn't hear how loud you were, so it worked out perfectly. And I know it meant a lot to your Papa to see the two of you laughing together.





Another big thing that we did this month was go to the Santa Barbara Zoo on the train with both your grandparents and your best buddies, the twins Yash and Neil from across the street. You had all of your favorite people in one place AND you got to ride a train - talk about Nirvana for a two year old! And there was no doubt that you loved every minute of it. Your smile was so big when that train pulled into the station - it made watching the "Polar Express" movie 5 trillion times totally worth it. It was definitely one of our best Saturdays ever.





Probably one of the only things better than seeing you smile is hearing you laugh. Have I mentioned lately how much I LOVE your laugh? That sound is one of the best sounds in the whole world. It's so cool to watch as your developing your own sense of humor, and I get a big kick out of seeing what makes you laugh. The most random things on a TV commercial or in an episode of Dora can leave you rolling on the floor in a fit of giggles and I almost want to cry sometimes because it makes me so darn happy. It's moments like those that I can forget about all the whining, the tantrums, and the tears, and I just revel in how amazing you are. And I actually start thinking that maybe, just maybe, you might like a little brother or a sister to laugh with you...

Love,
Mama

Newsletter 2.1

Dear Rory -
Along with your new two year old status, I decided that I needed to change the title of your monthly newsletters a bit. I can't very well continue to title them according to how many months old you are (ie. 25 months now!) since that is certain to annoy the crap out of everyone who doesn't have a toddler at home, so instead I've decided to roll out the newsletter 2.0 title system. Basically, this month will be Newsletter 2.1, next month 2.2 and so forth until your next birthday when we upgrade to 3.0 ... but I shouldn't get ahead of myself - the terrible twos are FAR from over!

So now that I have that out of the way, what can I say about the last month? Actually, I don't feel like I've been saying much of anything lately since I can hardly get a word in now that you've turned into an unstoppable chatterbox. I swear that the second your eyes pop open in morning, your mouth pops open too with an endless stream of dialogue that doesn't stop until we put you to bed. I may not understand everything you are saying, but you have no problem repeating a word or phrase over and over again until we get it right. And I mean OVER AND OVER AND OVER AGAIN.

Speaking of repetition, you are also very into listening to your favorite three songs ("Up and Down", "Spin Around", and "Big House" - all titled as such by you) until your father and I end up walking around all day at our various places of employment singing these songs under our breath and driving our co-workers crazy. But watching you sing along to these songs word for word while making up silly little dances to them is totally worth the death glares from my fellow baristas. And because your singing is so damn cute, I'll continue to press the repeat button when you scream, "AGAIN, MAMA, AGAINNNNN!", even though every fiber of my being wants to rip the disc out of the cd player and chuck it out the window into oncoming traffic. I love you THAT MUCH.

And as if there isn't enough repetition in our lives already, I couldn't get through this newsletter without mentioning the word we hear constantly throughout the day, EVERY DAY - the ever popular, "NOOOOOOOOO!". Whether I'm asking you to be still for a diaper change, trying to get you dressed in the morning, or attempting to get you to follow any sort direction whatsoever, it's inevitable that it's going to be met with a very loud "NO!". I get that this is a normal thing for two year olds, but boy, does it get old. Really, really, really old. I have to admit though that lately I find myself saying it just as much as you do - so perhaps it's something we BOTH can work on, okay?

Aside from the repetition torture you're inflicting upon us, I have to say that everything else is going fairly well. Your vocabulary continues to wow us on a daily basis - it never fails to amaze us with how much that brain of yours can hold. You love playing pretend these days, especially in your new play kitchen, and I can't even put into words how cool it is to watch you imitate me when you pretend to cook. Like seeing you grab a dish towel and use it to pull something out of your "oven", or watching you pour "tea" into a cup and then blow on it just like I do. They say that imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, but nothing prepared me for the way my insides would turn to mush while watching you try to act "just like Mama." It's moments like those that make me forget all about the "No, No, No's" and the little tantrums and just make me happy to be a mom.

Even the mom of a two year old.




I love you, Ro Ro Monkey!

Love,
Mama

24 Month Newsletter (or Rory's 2nd Birthday Blog)

Dear Rory,

Well, I am now officially the mother of a two year old! You had a WONDERFUL time at your birthday party - we had it at Gymboree, which is your favorite place in whole world at the moment - and 8 of your little friends came to celebrate with you. You loved being the center of attention and I just wanted to burst watching you prance around with a big huge smile on your face. It was worth every last penny.

Here are your twin buddies, Yash and Neil:


Here is your girlfriend, Avery:


Here you are main-lining sugar in the form of apple juice before stuffing your face with pizza:


Yup, it truly was an awesome party.

Now, as your mama, I know that it's important for you to learn that birthdays are not supposed to be all about the presents, but my God, child! You made out like a bandit! You even got your own house!





You also got a cool little scooter that came with knee pads, elbow pads and a toddler helmet (which barely fits your above average sized noggin, but it sure looks cute!).



(Notice in the picture above that even though you are now the ripe old age of two, your shirt is still covered in drool...)

And don't forget your Dora Backpack and Video Camera (yes, you are a Dora fanatic, and no amount of coaxing from your father can get you to start watching Diego instead!)



Little man, I'm so happy that you enjoyed your birthday - watching you live it up with your pals is definitely one of the perks of parenthood.

Have I mentioned lately how glad I am to be your mama?



Love,
Mom

23 Month Newsletter

Dear Rory -
Today I sat writing out the invitations to your 2nd birthday party, and it wasn't until I was halfway through them that I realized exactly what I was doing - WRITING OUT INVITATIONS TO YOUR SECOND BIRTHDAY PARTY! - Holy cow! Obviously I've been in complete denial over the fact that you are turning two, even though I've planned your party and have everything ready to go. Everything, that is, except ME.

I'M NOT READY.

But apparently what I think is not important, because the truth of the matter is that March 10th is coming quickly, and I'm going to have to come to terms with the fact that I will soon be the mother of a two year old child. A very fiesty, opinionated, fast-moving child, but a two year old, none the less. Oye.

But enough about me. Let's talk about YOU.

This month I can honestly say that I'm seeing your true personality come to life. There's no doubt that you know EXACTLY what you do and don't like - and you aren't afraid of expressing it - EVERY CHANCE YOU GET. Here are some examples:

- DISLIKE: Getting your diaper changed - My GOD, child, can't you just hold still for a second? I'm pretty sure that I'm one of the quickest diaper-changers on the planet right now, and it STILL isn't fast enough for you. And your displeasure comes with kicking. Which makes it one of Mama's least favorite things to do, too.

- DISLIKE: Drinking anything but apple juice - Repeat after me. "Hello. My Name is Rory, and I am a juice-aholic." It may only be 1/3 juice and 2/3 water, but heaven help me if I don't get the ratio EXACTLY RIGHT.

- DISLIKE: Being left in the church nursery - we're able to leave you with babysitters at home now (hurray!), but we have yet to conquer leaving you in child care on Sundays. Five weeks in counting and you are still crying as though we're leaving you FOREVER. I wish we could make you understand that Mama and Dada ALWAYS come back.

- LIKE: Dora the Explorer- Okay, so it's kind of the same show over and over again, but watching you sing along and wave your arms to the "I Did It" song at the end makes the repetitiveness worth it.

- LIKE: Eating - Apples, apple bars, apple juice (seeing a trend here?), not to mention whatever someone ELSE is eating. I haven't been able to eat anything lately without seeing your head pop up over the plate and hearing you say "Hey, Roro eat that!" or "Little Bite, Pleeeeeese!" No wonder I'm losing weight.

- LIKE: Going to Gymboree classes - Let me tell you, people, Gymboree may be pricey, but it's been worth every single penny. You absolutely LOVE it, and therefore, so do we! And you plays so hard while you're there that you nap for at least 2-3 hours afterwards, and that in itself is PRICELESS.

- LIKE: Music - Your love of music has absolutely exploded, and during a rare time when you're not rocking out on your guitar or banging on your drums, you are singing and dancing all over place. And I LOVE IT. Watching you shake your groove thing and wave your arms around makes your dad and I dizzy with pride and joy. It's truly one of the best things ever.



The other best thing ever is finally being able to put you down to sleep with a kiss and then walking out the door. No more sitting on the floor waiting for you to fall asleep, no more tip-toeing out while trying to avoid the creaks in the floor. We just say goodnight and LEAVE. And amazingly, you are OKAY WITH THAT. How this happened, I'm not sure, but why question a good thing, right?

Speaking of good things, have I mentioned how much I've been enjoying being your mama this month? You and I have spent A LOT of time together these last few weeks since Nana and Papa were out of town, and although it took some tinkering, we finally found our rhthymn together. It may have taken almost TWO YEARS, but I think we're starting to get the hang of this mother-son thing. And it's WONDERFUL.

Happy 23 months, little man.

Love,
Mama

Month 21 and Month 22 Newsletter PLUS A Mariposa Christmas 2006

Dear Rory -

Okay, so I'm running a little behind on your monthly newsletters, but since you've been the one keeping me so busy, I'm hoping that you'll let it slide. These last few months have been a whirlwind of holiday activity in our festive interfaith household - and it's only made it more crazy having a Mama that works in retail during the biggest shopping season of the year. But although it's been a bit exhausting, it's been wonderful watching you take it all in with that enormous sponge brain of yours. You have loved reading about the 8 nights of Hanukkah, especially pretending to spin the dreidal and eat latkes (you like pretending to feed all of your stuffed animals some latkes, too!) You also became OBSESSED with your very first DVD, The Polar Express, which taught you about the North Pole and Santa Claus, as well as one of your new favorite sayings "Watch the MOOOOOVIE!".

The holidays also meant our annual Christmas trip up to Mariposa to visit with your grandparents on the Pearce side, which is ALWAYS an adventure. (For those of you who are not familiar with Mariposa, a tiny, rural town just outside of Yosemite, you should check out a more descriptive post here.) It's the kind of place where people have wood burning stoves that they actually chop their own wood for (see your Papa Stan below) and people have bumper stickers on their cars that read "Man + Woman = Marriage."



As always, you had your fair share of soda pop from Grandma Judy and watched your five year old cousin Joaquin play with pocket knives, but this year, instead of being given a BB gun as a gift, you and your cousin were actually given your very own machetes. REAL ONES. But yours came with a leather carrying case that could be strapped onto your little leg because as your Uncle Dubby said, you "might be a bit too young to just carry it around on your own". Thanks, Uncle Dubby...

Actually, aside from the machete, you got some pretty terrific, more, um, age-appropriate gifts, including your own little vacuum cleaner and a little motor bike from your grandparents that is sure to make you the envy of all the other boys on our block. I think your face would have split in half if you had smiled any bigger:



You also got to spend some quality time with your cousins and grandparents, and that, in itself, is priceless.





Speaking of priceless, now that you are practically speaking in sentences, some of the things that come out of your mouth are definitely noteworthy enough to be mentioned here:

- "BATCHIPOSA" - your way of saying "Mariposa"
- "CARRY YOU" - which means, carry me
- "ELMO-ZOE-ROCCO!" - your demand for a specific episode of Sesame Street
- "MORE BOOTY PLEEEZ" - Now, now, it's not what you think! This is your way of asking for more Pirates Booty from Trader Joes aka crack for toddlers.
- "MAMA ALL DONE!" - The new way you ask to get out of your high chair since I always say that you can't get down until I'm done eating. (You sneaky devil, you!)
- "WAITING...CHANGE!!!" - The endless demand that we hear in the car for your favorite song by John Mayor, "Waiting for the World to Change".
- "STARBUCKS - VANILLA MILK! - Well, this one is pretty self explanatory, and I guess a hazard of your Mama's job, eh?

I'm sure I'll think of more, but these are the gems for now. You amaze us everyday with the new words that you're picking up - it's one of the highlights of my day to see what's going to come out of your mouth next.

I have to say that in these last two months, I really feel like we are beginning to find our rhythm as mother and son. As other kids your age start heading towards their "terrible twos", and scaring their parents with sudden personality changes, it seems to me like you are just getting better and better. Yes, you have your melt downs and your tantrums, but we're able to communicate so much more now and usually we are able to resolve things fairly quickly and get back to having fun. And I love that. I love playing "boo" with you and watching your eyes light up when you help me vacuum the house or we read your favorite book. I am SO PROUD of you, Rory - you are unbelievably smart (sometimes almost TOO smart for your own good!), and I wonder if you know how much I beam when people tell me how impressed they are with your ever growing vocabulary. "He's not even TWO?!" they always say and I think to myself, "I KNOW! Isn't he AMAZING?" And you are. You REALLY are. In EVERY way.

Happy 22 Months, little man.

Love,
Mama

20 Month Newsletter

Dear Rory -

Recently you turned twenty months old - that's TWO ZERO, people! - and it's such a BIG number that I've been considering just calling you a year and a half when people ask because saying that you're "twenty months" just sounds awkward (doesn't it?). Although it's kinda sad to think that you're so old now that I'm actually going to stop referring to your age in terms of months. WOW.

You've become such a little PERSON this past month, Ro, and you're so full of personality that you little body can barely contain it all. You're talking up a storm - I swear you say at least three new words a day - and you're even starting to put together some short sentences and sing bits of songs, which never fails to surprise me. When I realized that I could begin humming something and you would chime in with the words (like "RO RO RO BOOOOAT" or "SHINKLE SHINKLE ITTLE STARRR"), well, my mouth just dropped open in amazement. And you totally looked at me like, "Geez - I've known these songs for AGES! Duh, Mom!" I guess I slightly underestimated how much information that brain of yours could hold. And if your off-the-charts head circumference is any indication, I'm sure you'll keep on wowing me with your brain powers for years to come.

I've also noticed lately that not only are you smart, but sometimes you're actually TOO smart for your own good. For instance, you can now open every child safety latch in the house, you've figured out how to use our car keys to get into and START our cars, and most recently, you've realized that you can open and close the automatic windows in the car from your car seat with your toes. And these are just the highlights of a long list of things that keep your father and I busy 24/7. I realize that the word "NO" has taken over my vocabulary lately and I apologize for that, but try to understand that I love you and I want you to be safe. I hate being the "Mean Mama" and giving you time-outs, so give me a break every once in awhile and surprise me by actually listening the FIRST time I tell you to do something. Let me feel like I'm the boss sometimes, okay?

But even though there has been a battle of wills going on at our house lately, you've still had plenty of time to indulge in your obsession with Elmo. I have a hard time denying you your furry red monster because I think your rapidly expanding vocabulary is in large part due to him. And it's the only time of day that you sit still for longer than five minutes. You've now figured out how to work the TiVo remote so you can turn on the T.V., find an episode of Sesame Street, and then fast forward to the part with Elmo in it. It's a little scary, actually. And yes, I know how bad T.V. is supposed to be for kids and all, but you've learned so much from Sesame Street and there are definitely worse things you could be watching. (Like BARNEY! Ugh!)

There are other things you love besides Elmo, like:
- Eating Pirates Booty from Trader Joes
- Doing ollies on Dada's skateboard (on carpet, of course!)
- Pushing down sprinkler heads (it's a long story...)
- Drinking vanilla milks at Starbucks
- Sipping Dada's beer and coffee
- Removing your socks - you LOVE to be barefoot just like your hippie mama
- Scrubbing the blinds with your tooth brush (don't ask.)
- Shoving whole bananas in your mouth
- Dancing to almost any music (your favorite right now is the "Fruit Dance" from Sesame Street
- and last but not least, washing your hands after pretending to use your training potty

I know that we butt heads a lot lately, Buddy, but I want you to know that no matter how exasperated I may seem to get, I love you unconditionally. You are my baby boy and you make me so proud of you EVERY DAY. I'll get the hang of this toddler parenting thing eventually - I promise. Just hang in there with me until then, okay?

Love,
Mama

18 and 19 Month Newsletter

Dear Rory,
Today you turn 19 months old. Somehow you’re 19th month managed to sneak up on me so fast that I never even had a chance to write your 18 month newsletter. We’ve had a busy couple of months, you and I, so you’ll have to forgive me for not being on top of things like writing in my blog or having time for little things, like BREATHING.

You’ve always been a handful, son, but now that you’ve begun to process what goes on around you and you’re able to somewhat verbally express what you want, you’ve become a bossy little dictator. You walk around the house barking orders at us like “UP!”, “DOWN!”, “OFF!”, and “ON!”. And when all else fails, you point at things and grunt things that sound like commands, and amazingly, your father and I always seem to end up doing whatever it is you want us to. There’s no question that you’ve got us wrapped around your little finger.

Luckily this past month has seen the “Daddy” phase begin to disappear and as your Mommy, I have to say that I am unbelievably relieved. You still put up a fuss when Dada leaves in the morning, but it’s nothing like it was before and I can usually distract you with a book or by letting you pick out your own shirt to wear for the day. All I can say is THANK YOU for finally getting through this phase. Instead of feeling like your babysitter, I’m starting to feel like your MAMA again.

These past two months have also come with an explosion of words. At the very least, your vocabulary has quadrupled. I don’t think I can continue to keep a list of all your new words because there are just too many. But here are a couple of my favorites:

- Aubrey, Autumn, Avery, Amy, and Julia (names of your friends that you love to repeat over and over!)
- Suitcase (pronounced “Boot- Case”)
- Apple (used for EVERY piece of fruit, not just apples”)
- Outside (heard ALL THE TIME! You love to be outdoors!)
- Drive (pronounced “DWIVE” and used to describe one of your favorite activities, which is pretending to drive Dada’s car in the driveway)
- Whoa (used to point out spiders and spider webs outside)
- NanaPapaMamaDaddaRoro – (a verbal run down of the people you know are eating out of the palm of your hand)
- Tutu – (our word for your, um, wee wee, right next to the “BOYS”)

Speaking of your “Tutu”, we were watching a baseball game the other day and you heard the announcer say “and it’s 2-2” and you immediately grabbed your crotch and yelled “TUTU!” I could see that you were thinking, “Hey, how cool that they talk about THAT on T.V., Mama!” There’s no question about it, Rory, you are a boy, through and through!

I also could not write about these past couple of months without mentioning your love of music. Your Papa Stan gave you a set of small conga drums and along with a couple of wooden spoons, you go at them with wild abandon. And while it may not have been my first choice for you (a nice quiet acoustic guitar, perhaps?), there is no doubt that you love drumming and that you’re actually pretty darn good at it. I mean, how many other 19 month olds can actually keep a beat? So I plan to foster your talent in whatever way I can, even if that means that I will be eating aspirin like candy for the rest of my life. You also love to go crazy on the ukulele that we got you in Hawaii, you even sing like a little rock star. Rock on, Roro.




And while I may be busy running after you as you see how fast your little legs can carry you, or trying to get you to eat something that I swear you loved just yesterday, I want you to know that although I can seem frustrated sometimes, I’m truly enjoying the fact that you are becoming your own person. Someone said to me today that you no longer look like a baby, that you’ve suddenly become a little boy and I realized that it’s more than just looks. You’re growing up, Rory, and I’m so glad that I’m able to be home with you as much as I am so that I don’t miss a step.



I love you, little man.

Love,
Mama

17 Month Newsletter

Dear Rory,

Summers have always gone by quickly, but this year August snuck up on me out of no where. I'd swear that I just wrote your last newsletter a week ago - where DOES the time go?

But as fast as the days have been speeding by, you are unfortunately still stuck in this mind-numbing phase of "ALL DADDY, ALL THE TIME." Everything is "Dada this" and "Dada that", and when he's home, you cling to him like a little monkey on a tree. He can't be out of your sight for even a minute or all hell breaks loose. And heaven forbid that your father should try and hug or kiss me! You get ridiculously jeolous and squeal like a little pig. It's like you're shouting "He's MY DADA! HANDS OFF, LADY!" I must say, child, this is getting REALLY OLD. Everyone keeps telling me that this is just a phase so GET ON WITH IT ALREADY! Just once I'd like you to call for ME when you first wake up in the morning, and it would be nice if you'd show just a teensy bit of interest when I leave for work, especially since I have usually just spent an hour consoling you over the fact that your Dada has left for the day. So, just in case I haven't made myself clear before, ANYTIME you want to move out of this phase would be just fine by me.

But amazingly, even though it may seem like almost every word out of your mouth is Dada, I am starting to hear a lot of new words creep into your vocabulary this month. I'm sure this isn't a complete list, but here are some of the latest:

- Pool
- Cheese
- Pita (Pronounced "PEE TAA")
- Boys (unfortunately used in reference to what we are cleaning when we are changing your diaper!Oops!)
- Off (Pronounced "AWWWFFFFF" and used most often when you want out of something, like a stroller, car seat, etc.)
- Papa and Nana
- Slide (pronounced "IDE")
- I Do (pronounced "EYE DEEEWWWWW, which is your way of saying YES and my personal favorite!)

This month has also seen you get excited about reading, and although I've read you "Knuffle Bunny" approximately 5 million times, I'm still overjoyed that you'll finally sit still long enough for a story. And it's pretty damn cute when you wake us up by carrying your book into our room and saying "PEEEEZ". Luckily, your obsession with the Teletubbies has died down considerably (THANK GOD!), but you've now found Barney, that ridiculous purple dinasour, and I'm beginning to think that maybe the Tubbies weren't ALL that bad. When you get older, you'll understand how painful it is to sit through an episode featuring child actors who are exaggerating every word they say. It is THE WORST ACTING EVER. Truly. But because your eyes light up when you watch it and you dance when they sing songs, I'll sit through it. I'll even Tivo it. Just for you.

Now, I couldn't report on this month's activities without mentioning the whole sleep issue. In my last blog entry, we were doing the bedtime routine and it was going amazingly well... for a while. Apparently the world has become just too interesting of a place for you to close your eyes and miss a minute of it. So while we are still sticking to the rountine, it's certainly not working like it did. Most nights it takes at least a half an hour to get you down to sleep, and then you don't stay asleep all night. You don't make things easy on us, kid. It's a good thing that you're DAMN cute.



But as much as you may drive me crazy, Rory, you still manage to do something every day that makes me melt into a pool of mommy-jello. Like when you come over and play with my hair. Or the way you love to hold my hand in the car. Or how you've FINALLY started to give me little hugs and you always pat me on the back while you're doing it like you're saying, "It's okay, Mommy. It's okay." And you're right, Ro, it IS okay. It's better than okay.

It's WONDERFUL.

Love,
Mama

16 Month Newsletter

Dear Rory -
Well, I know that I'm a little overdo with this newsletter, but I've had a hard time figuring out what to say. Honestly, it's been a rough month for me, kid. You've been going through this new phase where the only person you want is your Daddy, and if he even steps out of your sight for a nano-second, you launch yourself into a full blown fit, complete with endless wailing and a river of tears. Apparently, I, your mother, the woman who carried you for nine long months in her belly, the one who comforts you when you wake up in the middle of the night and makes sure that you are well taken care of in every way... well, I just don't really count for much in your eyes right now. And that kinda hurts. I know this is just a phase, but it's still a bit hard to take sometimes. I'm really hoping that you move through this quickly and start being "my" little boy again soon.

But even though you've been throwing a lot of Daddy-oriented tantrums lately, you're still finding plenty of time to learn new things. You've got quite the handful of new words and signs this month, including:

• On
• Off (pronounced AWWWFFFFF)
• Tree
• Dog (pronounced DAAWG)
• Elmo
• Please (pronounced PEEEZ)
• Cheese (accompanied but an exaggerated smile and squished-up face for the camera that totally ruins the picture!)
• Water (pronounced WAWA)
• Yuck (pronounced ACHHHHH with a good phlem sound in the back of your throat - it almost like you're speaking Hebrew!)
• Sun (signed)
• Book (signed)
• Open and Close (signed)
• And of course, LALA and POE from the Teletubbies (which you are totally obsessed with and we watch at least 10 times a day! But look how much you love it!)

You've also started to learn the parts of the body, ( a total surprise to me because I don't remember ever teaching them to you!), and you love it when I ask you to point to something, like your belly or your nose - you point with such glee and then you are SO darn proud of yourself. And I have to admit that I like to show off your new basic anatomy knowledge when we're out and about because I just can't get over how smart you are. Hey, a mom's allowed to brag a little, right?

And how can I possibly write this month's newsletter without mentioning your obesession with water? If you even hear water running somewhere, you won't rest until you've found out where it is and then of course you must play with it! You love to work the faucet handles and turn the water on and off over and over again. We made the mistake of letting you play in the kitchen sink the other night while we got dinner ready, and then when it came time to get you out - WHOA! The screams of your displeasure could be heard around the block and you were inconsolable for at least a half hour.

But lucky for us, your neighborhood harem of girls came by and distracted you. On any given night, we'll have at least two or three little girls knocking on our door to come and play with you, which you LOVE (and what boy wouldn't love a whole gaggle of girls cooing over him?). Anytime you hear our doorbell ring, you get a big smile on your face and then you rush your way over to the door to see which of your "girlfriends" will be there to visit you. And thank goodness for them! It's like having a bunch of little babysitters-in-training!

I know I probably write this all the time, but every month, it never fails to amaze me how much you grow and change. I was folding some of your laundry tonight and I realized how big your shirts have gotten and how you're so beyond being a baby now - and it made me a little sad to think of how quickly you are growing up right before my eyes. Now I understand why my father always used to say that he wanted to bottle me up in a hermetically sealed mayonaise jar and keep me his little girl forever...

Happy 15 months to my favorite tempermental butterball,

Love,

Mama