His Home

So I'm at work all day but get pictures texted to me from daddy.

Apparently the living room is now a toy store.

Take Two

 

Today was the second Monkeynastix class for Declan. Compared to his first class this one was a success. He listened somewhat, he followed direction a little, he waited his turn and most importantly he had a really good time. Mommy and Daddy were very proud of him. 

His foot still hurts too so he's favoring the other. Surprisingly it isn't really slowing him down too much. In fact, he got so much excercise that he was exhausted by the time we got home. He played with his Lego for a half hour before very calmly eating his lunch. For his nap he fell asleep right away but not before looking right at me and saying "I love you". So awesome.

After his nap it was time to go to auntie T and Uncle Scott's for an early Thankgiving dinner. Declan babbled on for the entire drive over saying "Auntie T, Uncle Scott, Josh, Mad. Auntie T, Uncle Scott, Josh, Mad." Again the sore foot didn't slow him down while he ventured all around and visited. He even got to see Grandma and Poppa who also came for the feast. Happy kid got to stay up past his bedtime getting home for a quick bath and in bed just after 8pm.

His Fans

Declan and Daddy were out to get gas and then groceries. As they were getting gas Daddy noticed his tire was flat. He parked the car over by the air pump then they walked back to the gas station to make change for the machine. While they walked over people were staring at Declan. One lady in particular just smiled and stared at him. While they waited in line other people were laughing at Declan chatting away. The lady who's watched him walk across the parking lot wanted to buy him candy or chocolate but daddy said that Declan didn't need it but thank you. At the cash Daddy asked to get change and the cashier said not to worry about it and then proceeded to explain how to jimmy the air pump so you don't have to pay to use it. 

Declan sure can work a crowd.

Daddy was very proud.

Batman and Boo Boos

When I got Declan up this morning he immediately started talking about Batman and Joker. He just loves them. We know what costume we are on the hunt for for Halloween. Some little man loves his super heros. 

Now this evening in all his play he was jumping on the couch. He landed on his butt and his left foot was underneath him. Not sure if it twisted or if there was just a lot of pressure on the bones but now he's limping. Both Daddy and I have repeatedly kissed it at Declan's request and Daddy put ice on it for a little while. Hopefully it won't be too sore in the morning. Time will tell.

Zoo and the Animals

Declan and I hit the road about 9:20am. Decided I'd wait until we were about 15 minutes from the Toronto Zoo before I actually told him where we were headed. Then for almost the entire 15 minutes I listened to him saying "Going to the Zoo to see Animals? Mommy. We goin' to the Zoo, see animals?! Mommy?"

He was such a good boy. I brought his blue car because it would be too much for him to walk the entire time. He started in the car while we dealt with the lineup to go in. He was great. No complaints. He just ate some snacks and waited patiently.

Here are some things I learned today:

Declan likes Rhinoceros but he thought it was a Hippo. When he did see a Pygmy Hippo he really liked him too. 

He doesn't like bugs, including butterflies and he doesn't like snakes or lizards.

He likes Tigers and the baby gorilla.

Little tiny primates do not impress him. Not even when I told him I thought they were cute. 

He is too young to appreciate how rare the sight of a real panda bear is.

Penguins are awesome. Declan thinks they quack like ducks. He chased them back and forth along the glass when they swam past. 

He could appreciate the otter. 

He can say "wallaby" and he thinks they are sleeping standing up (I think they were actually just stoned).

He can whisper when needed. He was careful not to startle the new tree Kangaroo.

He thinks jelly fish look like squids and gets the look no touch policy.

Declan loves fish and birds. In fact when a beautiful blue tropical bird swooped down and flew but a couple inches over Declan's head twice he didn't mind a bit. Then I realized he was eyeing Declan's cracker and we got out of there fast.

He did walk for about an hour of our Zoo trip. Part of his time on foot included his chasing a poor seagull down the path and up a hill. Declan laughed the entire time but when he turned around and saw the peacock that had snuck up on Mommy he wasn't brave enough to chase that bird.

We had a great time and Declan was such a good kid.

This evening dinner was a bit challenging. Declan was determined to not eat. It was a battle of wills. There were lots of tears. Finally after at least 20 minutes Declan came around. I hope this doesn't become an every meal thing.

Savin'

A day off work and I get Declan for the entire morning. When I get him out of bed he asked where Daddy is and I tell him at work. Declan responds with "Daddy's car." 

Soon as we made our way downstairs he wanted to watch Batman on TV. There is a real super hero obsession right now. We think we know who someone is going to be dressed as for Halloween. 

After breakfast we were upstairs for brushing teeth and washing up and then Declan asked for coins. He's been putting the odd coin he can get into his fire truck piggy bank. My little saver. May only be about $4 but he's off to a good little start.

We were having such a nice morning together so I thought we'd drive down to Daddy's work. Pay him a visit and Declan gets to play with the trains.

Soon as we were in the parking lot Declan started yelling "TRAINS". Then after pushing the button himself to open the door to Chapters he proceeded to run across the store all the way to the back corner where the train table is.  

My kid was happy.

After a few minutes of play and recognition by Daddy's co-workers Daddy found us. Declan was so excited. He was bouncing and yelling "Daddy! Daddy! Daddy!" 

I'm certain it was a proud Daddy moment. Declan even got a back room tour and saw where Daddy's desk is.

So much excitement and my little man was so tired when nap time came. Sadly I had to head out for an oil change appointment and wasn't home when Daddy got Declan up from his nap. He said that he walked in to find Declan sitting up in bed. When he saw that only Daddy was there he said "Mommy at work?" 

Daddy explained that I was getting my car fixed and would be home soon.

Makes me both sad that he misses me and so happy just the same.

New Name

When I got home from work yesterday I was greeted by a very happy little kid. He ran to me and gave hugs then babbled on about his day and what he and Daddy were doing. I had a hard time understanding the entire story.

Then daddy says "Guess what Declan called me today? Twice. On his own."

I had no idea and couldn't guess.

"He called me 'Dad'. Not Daddy. Just 'Dad'. I was getting him into his car seat and he said 'Thanks Dad'."

Too fast.

1st Monkeynastix Class

I was so excited for Declan. On the drive there he said we were going to "go see kids." I think the expectation level was pretty high.

When we arrived the under 2 class was just finishing up. Declan was curious. Then they left and the 2-3 yr old class was permitted to enter. 

Right then...Declan became...the worst. Can he sit? Nope. Can he listen? Nope. Can he take turns. Not really. Is he loud? For sure. Can he run all around and touch stuff? You bet. Was this an emotionally tiring experience? It was. Does we need to keep trying this? Of course. It will be good for him.

But let's be clear. This was no fun for us.

Simple Fun

Nothing special to do today so we visited the mall I work at. Being an open air center we were sure to get fresh air but I could let him run around safely. 

He noticed the Lacoste sign and yelled "Look a crocodile!"

He was staring at The Gap saying "a min-on." Took me a minute to realize he'd seen the reflection of a Minion in the window. Hot Topic was across the hall and has movie t-shirts hanging in the window, one was of a Minion. When I showed him he got all excited because there were also Spider-Man and Marvel comics t-shirts.

Then he found a puddle. He spent some time running back and forth acros the hallway running through the puddle. I laughed a lot. Simple fun. I love it.

Neighbourhood Friends

Declan was outside this afternoon to help me with the front garden. A few of the neighbourhood kids were riding their bikes and then scooters back and forth in front of our house. Declan ran to the side of the street to see them. Initially they stopped to talk to him but soon discovered he's just a little guy (so tall he looks older) and they went on playing around without him. They'd still say hi back to him when he yelled "Hi" and waved. It was sweet watching how intrigued he was with them. Finally it was time to head inside. He looked around for them all to yell "goodbye"!

He loves the older kids. It will be amazing seeing him make friends in the neighbourhood as he gets older.

In Declan's Eyes

We made the long drive back from Ottawa today with a little visit through Carleton Place so Daddy could reminisce. Declan was tired and needed a little sleep along the way but there were a few sweet times where I was treated to the view out the window through Declan's eyes.

We were stopped for some construction on highway 15. There were two very large old trees with purple/red leaves on the right side of the road. I hear Declan saying "They're bee-ewe-tah-ful Mommy. The trees are bee-ewe-tah-ful." He was right though I'm certain to have missed them if he hadn't pointed them out.

Then later along the 401 the blue sky was full of clouds. Declan tells me he sees a "ladder" (and it did look like a long ladder), an "elephant" and a "hippo". I've shared the sight of clouds with Declan before but I think this is the first time I've experienced his seeing things in the clouds before. So cool.

What a Brat ;)

Brought home Purdy's chocolate smiles. Gave one to Alex. Then watched my child literally chase his cousin around trying to get a bite of his chocolate. 

So at 7:20pm my 2 1/2 year old got his own chocolate smile pop to eat all for himself so Alex could finish his in piece. 

Poor Grandma, Declan wouldn't even share.

Fun at Grandparents

Ottawa Again

My wee Declan was a trooper for the long drive to Ottawa again. On the road just after 6pm and we made it to Grandma and Grandpa's just before 11pm. There was zero nap time. Kid was up the entire drive. Didn't make it to bed until about 11:30pm and he still woke up at 7:30am this morning. Can't help it. There's a train table in the house!

He was very good on the drive and pretty good today as well. So precious watching Declan and his cousin Holden playing this evening. They are so great together. They seem to share so well. They sat side by side on the couch to play with Grandpa's iPad, they ran around the train table for hours and sat together at the kiddie table for dinner. Great friends. I'm so happy that they get to hang out together.

Boys and Trains

It was a tag team day. I was home with Declan until 12:35pm when Daddy got home and then I was off to work. 

Here is how cute the switch went down.

I knew Daddy was almost home so I opened the front door so Declan would notice when his car pulled up. Soon as he saw the car he yelled "DADDY! DADDY! DADDY" and began to jump up and down. While he waited for Daddy to get to the front door he ran around the hallway until Daddy opened the door. There was the hug. Then Daddy presented Declan with a bag and said there was a present inside.

Declan was so excited, he couldn't get into the bag fast enough.

Inside was a brand new train: Hiro. When Declan saw what it was he yelled "Yeay!"

Just adorable. I got it out of the package fast as I could and right away Declan ran over to his other trains and started to play with them all together.

Daddy was so happy.

Good Sniffer

Yesterday afternoon during Declan's nap Daddy ate some Harvet Cheddar Sunchips. Then at 4pm he had to wake Declan up from his 2 1/2 hr nap. Daddy leaned in to wake him up. Declan was He all groggy and with his eyes barely open he says to Daddy "We have chips?"

Priorities.

You Can't See Me

Declan was sitting at the kitchen table. He doesn't want to finish everything on his plate but I keep telling him to eat more. Then I can't help but laugh because he looks up at the ceiling (to attract my attention to the ceiling) while he smoothly slides the plate over towards me. 

Of course he gives it all away when he can't help but laugh out loud at what he's just done. 

Beaming, Breaking Heart

It's a battle. My chest is about to explode. At the same time my heart swells with pride and aches for the baby that's gone.

There was a time, feels like forever ago, when he had no words.

As I'm leaving Kelly's this morning and telling Declan goodbye and that I love him he smiles and says loudly and clearly "See you later Mommy!" He's a person.

When I got home from work today I got the usual two arm, leg wrap hug. Then I picked him up. He looks me in the eye and pushes on my arms with both hands and says "Squeeze Mommy. Squeeze tight!" When I set him back down I asked him how his day was at Kelly's. He mumbled something "Kelly's house" and then I asked if he played with his friends. He replied by happily running through a list of the kids names. That was when Daddy told me that when Declan left Kelly's today he said goodbye to all the kids and called them by name. 

Oh my heart, it hurts.

Impressing The Grandparents

After a wonderful visit with Grandma and Grandpa in Ottawa Declan got to sleepover at Gramma and Poppa's house Saturday night. 

I told them how impressed with Declan's behavior and intelligence Grandma and Grandpa had been. This morning as soon as we got there to pick Declan up Poppa says "Well I know why Mary and Andrew were so impressed because I'm impressed. What a smart kid he is!" Then he delighted in sharing how you identified your letters and talked about all the colours. Then you counted the ducks "One quack. Two quacks". Then the sucks on the other side of the table: "One quack. Two quacks. That's four quacks." So he counts and now he can ADD!?! 

And yes they told us how wonderful Declan's behavior was. No problems. He protested bedtime for about a minute and then cooperated. 

I'm so proud and so overwhelmed with how much this kid has added to our lives.

Freckle Face

Somebody had to say goodbye to Grandma and Grandpa this morning after a great visit. I'm so happy Declan got some alone time with his Grandparents as he doesn't get the chance normally beig so far away. He loved it. He was very happy. We will find another opportunity soon Declan, I promise.

We were on the road mid-morning but it wasn't log before Declan dozed off. He slept from 10:45am until just after noon. Grandma really tired the little guy out yesterday. He woke in time for some lunch and then the last half of our drive. I am so lucky. He simply played quietly with his toys before finding a Lego Movie on his cell phone and got caught up in it for about a half hour. It really couldn't have been any easier making this work trip with him. So lucky and so proud.

Soon as we pulled in the driveway Daddy was waiting to great Declan. Of course he got in every minute he could with him until bedtime finally rolled around.

And here he is...look closely and you can see the start of his little freckle face:

Grandma-Declan Day

Declan, who normally sleeps past 7am woke at 6am this morning to discover me in the same room.

"Mommy in the bed" he said as he then proceeded to climb up from his bed into mine. Then he said "let's go get Daddy". Sorry buddy but Daddy's not here.

Tried to get him to come back to bed but he was wide awake. I then have him my cell phone so he could play a game until I was ready to get up. Just then Grandma knocked on the door and Grandma-Declan Day began.

I was gone to work his entire day and when I got back he was sound asleep. Grandma loved her day. She shared stories of their full day and adventures. They were so busy he little guys was nearly falling asleep in a chair as his afternoon nap approached.

My little prince, I'm so proud listening to Grandma tell me how smart her and Grandpa think you are and how well behaved and fun you were. You sure are loved my monkey.

Business Trip

A busy couple days led us here to Declan's first business trip. We hit the road this morning and headed to Ottawa. Declan will spend all day Thursday with Grandma while Mommy works in Kanata. Lucky little guy, the train table was set up in the kitchen. Play started immediately.

I'm lucky too. Declan was such a good little guy the entire drive. He even slept for over an hour. 

Now it's our first Mommy - Declan sleepover: I'm in the bed and he's sleeping on the pull-out trundle.