He Puts the "Monkey" in Monkeynastix

At the end of class all the kids sit-in and one by one they get a new Monkeynastix sticker. Today all the kids sat in but Declan who walked up behind the teacher and stole a sticker. He stuck it to his shirt before proceeding to run all aver the room while the other kids were waiting patiently for their stickers. The other parents were laughing and commenting on his victory laps. That's my Monkey.

And a cute note: Declan slept over at Gramma and Poppa's last night.  Before bed Poppa had Declan all to himself for the first time.  When I picked him up this morning I heard how when Poppa was heading off to bed he checked in on Declan to make certain the blanket was still on him.

His Mind Amazes Me

He sat quietly on the floor for a 1/2 hour looking through the Mastermind Toy Flyer. He pointed out some Lego to Daddy that he wants. Then he set the booklet on the floor and tried to jump into it.

Walk in the Snow

Before dinner the snow started coming down in big fluffy flakes. Declan wanted to see Christmas lights so I took him out for a little walk around our street to see them. Oh and to enjoy the snow.

After dinner but before bath time Declan took two foam edges off his mats and we were "fighting." He is a lot of fun to sneak up on.

Don't Know

Today was a daycare day. Woke Declan up and he didn't want to get out of bed. He told me "no". He wanted to sleep. To convince him I said if we were fast enough he could take a look at the Gingerbread house before we left.

When he got downstairs I picked up the gingerbread house so he could look at it. He yelled: "ooooooo it's so beautiful!"

He cracks me up.

Other than that I barely saw him today. Really don't know how his day went. Can't wait for the morning so I can see my little Muffin Man.

Gingerbread House

Another great morning with Declan all to myself. The kid really does wake up happy. When he got out of bed we had a little pit stop at his book shelves. It makes me so happy that we're ready "Moo. Baa. La. La. La." again. Such a favourite for me to read Declan when he was a baby. Now he repeats what I'm saying and we make the animal noises together.

After Declan was settled into some toys downstairs I called and registered him for his first swim classes. Starting January 8th Declan will be in a Sea Turtle level swim class with two other toddlers. Mommy and Daddy can watch but this class Declan goes by himself. So nervous and so excited!!

We also went shopping this morning. Picked up a gingerbread house kit and told Declan we could decorated it after his nap. Such a good memory on this one, it was the first thing he wanted when he woke up.

It's pretty simple but Declan likes everything Christmas. He also wants to know when Santa is getting here with "presents."

Wind

After I get Declan up this morning I tell him to come sit with me so he can have some milk and get dressed.

He prefers to run and leap at me.

So he starts by walking away, turning around and then with one hand yanks up his pj pants before running and throwing himself at me. He's got skills.

When we stepped outside I learned how Declan dislikes the wind. Normally he looks in the garden, comments on the squirrel ornament and then when I yell "ready" he runs at me to be picked up. Today he stood by the front door and when I yelled "ready" he ran with a look of fear right to me. He told me he didn't get to see the garden or the squirrel but he couldn't because he was "scared of the wind." 

I think he got it from me.

"Presents?"

Until tonight ours was the only house on our street with Christmas lights up. Of course with the mild weather today there are no less than 10 others with lights up. I got him about 6:20pm from work and the street looked great all lit up. Declan greeted me at the door in his slippers so I asked if I could pick him up and show him something? He said "yes" so I picked him up and went out side to show him all the lights. 

"There's Christmas and there's Christmas and there's Christmas" he said as we looked all around.

I asked if he thought the street was lit up well enough that Santa could see it easily.  He replied "Santa see it?"

I said we want Santa to see our house so he knows where to bring presents.

"BRING PRESENTS!?!"

They do catch on quickly.

He Wanted Who?

All day yesterday Declan kept talking about Hulk and Hawkeye. He was so excited daddy got him Captain America and Iron Man but then he'd go on about The Hulk and Hawkeye.

So I get a picture texted to me while I'm at work today.

Somebody has a new Hulk.

When I got home from work I asked him about his new toy. He ran and got The Hulk and then showed me. Told me that he got Hulk today but no Hawkeye.

Wonder how long before Daddy gets him another superhero.

Christmas Lights

My little Muffin Man is pretty excited for Christmas. This afternoon he helped Daddy hang the Christmas lights.

And he tried to shovel the walk.

And my favourite part of the day, just before bed, Declan and I read his nursery rhyme book together. I read each line slowly so he could repeat my words. He especially loves "Humpty Dumpty".

Emptied Belly

Got a call from Daycare while at work to tell me that Declan threw up. Poor kid. Now Kelly said he had been fine. He even ate a good lunch (grilled cheese, tomatoe soup and some fruit). Then around 2:45pm he threw up all over the floor. He's got skills though and he didn't get any on himself. Poor guy. 

Daddy went right over and brought him home while I left work early and got home an hour later. Declan was in a good mood. Not running around but he had an excellent appetite. I'm guessing since he lost all of his lunch he was starving. He kept dinner down, had a bath and was off to bed. Fell asleep pretty quick. 

Guess I'll go sneak in and see how he's doing.

Bring Declan to Work Day

My kid:

When he got up this morning he just laid in bed waiting for me and saying "weeeeeeeeee".

While he was sitting up in bed I bent down to put his slippers on. He said to me "you're so beautiful."

And then once we had come downstairs he asked for his toy boat, his computer and his phones all at once to which I said "Let me do one thing at a time."

His response: "oh Fuck it!"

What a kid.

I was getting ready for work since I had to leave just as Daddy would get home. Declan kept saying "I go to work." Which was cute but sad when I finally had to actually leave and he didn't want me to leave. Broke my heart.

He had a great afternoon though as Daddy took him shopping. Declan has two new Superheros: Captain America and Iron Man.

He Loves The Snow

I love sneaking into his room before he wakes up. I got to see him sound asleep, both arms up and hands behind his head. He looked so cozy. Then I turned on a lights and started getting his things ready which gently wakes him up. Declan sat up. Eyes barely open but a huge grin on his face.

"Did you have a good sleep?"

"Yes."

"Did you have any dreams?"

"Yes."

"Well what did you dream about?"

"Kelly house."

"That's right. You're going to Kelly's house today."

"Noooo. Kelly house parade."

"Oh that's right Declan. Kelly was in the parade."

So sweet. He dreamt of the Santa Claus Parade.

Declan was in such a great mood in the morning. I told him that it snowed overnight and there was snow outside. He was pretty excited to get his boots and coat on. When I opened the front door so he could see he said "Look! Look! Mommy. Look!"

He walked through the snow before getting in the car. Then he asked toget out and walk on our drive to Kellys, and finally he walked up Kellys lawn so he could step in the snow.

Now if only we'd get enough to build a snowman.

Santa Claus Parade

So we were supposed to have a sleepover at Chelsey's yesterday but she had a bad cold so we visited Molly and MacGregor instead. Declan had a great time. They have a tone of toys and Declan wouldn't leave them alone for anything. Not even dinner. After many tears Nancy have Declan two Legos to play with at the table. He stopped crying. Still didn't eat dinner. When he finally went to bed an hour after bedtime he took two of MacGregors toys figures with him.

In the morning he still had them in his hands and the first thing he wanted to do was go upstairs and keep playing with their toys. Thankfully he was excited about Monkeynastix and the Santa Claus Parade so we were able to pull him away.

Monkeynastix was great this morning. He pays attention and can follow the teachers lead. He was able to balance the monkey on his head and would run on the spot while I gave him a five count. They kids even got to play with a parachute today. Declan was squealing and giggle so loud in excitement.

Once it came time for the Santa Parade Declan was well behaved. 

Sat in his stroller for the first time in nearly a year. Now he didn't want to wear his mitts (he couldn't hold onto monkey with his mitts on). I had to strategically find little opportunities to hold his hands to keep them warm. Early on in the parade someone from CHCH walked over and handed Declan a giant shortbread cookie with a thick layer of chocolate on it. Of course he wanted to eat it. He spent half the parade knawing on it. 

When the first marching band came byword their kilts and bagpipes Declan asked "is that Christmas Mommy? Look it's Christmas." He was amazed. His other favourite moments:

He saw Elmo. Then he saw Cookie Monster. Now Elmo didn't come too close but Cookie Monster came right over and put his hand out. Declan was a little timid so the handshake didn't happen but Declan's eyes were aglow. He just loved it.

There was a pirate ship. Real live pirates and a big ship with a canon. He just loves pirates-this was a hit!

I've never seen a Kermit the Frog so big. The size of a house. Declan's eyes bugged out when he saw him. Probably my favourite reaction from him today.

There were cheerleaders from Queens University. They stopped right in front of us and formed a three person tall pyramid. When the girl got to the top and stood up Declan yelled "Ta-Dah!!" Them she fell backward into the arms of her teammates. He was impressed.

And finally Santa Claus. He saw him. He just starred. I think it's so cool how interested in Santa he is already.

Soon as Santa came by we spin the stiller around and took off. Poor Declan started crying. I stopped the stroller and leaned down. I just had to explain that Santa was the end of the parade and he wasn't missing anything. Poor little guy. Guys we didn't fill him in on how that all wraps up.

And with the parade Declan didn't get his usually 2 1/2 hour nap. He was great though and was exhausted so in bed a half hour early and asleep almost instantly. What a great day!

All Mine

What a great day. Today I pretty much had Declan to myself the entire day. We watched cartoons this morning for about an hour then out on the Lego Movie. Just relaxed and hung out until about 10am.

When I got him dressed he wanted to know where "Captain 33" was. The sweatshirt he wore yesterday. It's a hand-me-down and apparently a hit. "It's in the laundry Declan." 

Next we drive to Poppa's house to drop off Declan's old Jolly Jumper and pick up some Christmas light for the house. As we were leaving Declan said "Bye Poppa!" And I said "Bye Dad." Declan got cross with me and said "Not Dad! Poppa!" So I said "Bye Poppa" and laughed.

After Poppa's we drove to Canadian Tire to see Christmas. As we stepped in side Declan could immediately see the trees and giant outdoor decorations. He ran! Ran right over and started shouting "There's a red one and a green one and over there and that one...!" He was thrilled. Declan spent about 10 minutes opening and closing the little numbered doors of a traditional style Advent Calendar. Then he discovered the toy isle. He listed all the super heros he could find and kept going back to the Rescue Bot Dinosaur Transformer. He'd run away into the next isle, then come right back and find it again. Another customer in the store kept laughing at him and his excitement. 

As fun as he was having he didn't cooperate with me at all in looking for decorations for the house so all we got was a snow shovel for the house and a matching Spider-Man snow shovel for Declan. He better help good!!

Some lunch and then it was time for home and his nap. He slep soundly and for the full 2 1/2 hours. All the Canadian tire excitement wore him out.

After his nap Daddy gave him a present: the Phineus and Ferb Star Wars Movie. 

First he came running when we told him Daddy had a surprise for him. Then he wanted the movie on right away.

Really cute was watching him play with his Phineus and Ferb figurines while he watched the new movie.

Overall it was such a fun day. Can't wait until he gets up tomorrow morning!

"More?"

This picture cracks me up. Look closely and you can see that Declan is actually looking out of the side of his eye at The Hulk. It's like he doesn't trust him or something.

Then...blam! Sneak attack and Spider-Man beats on The Hulk.

He's so fun.

Our new game is where Declan and I sit at opposite ends of the hallway. He has one truck and I have the other. Then we roll them towards the other person at the same time to see if they crash. Sometimes they do. The best part is when they do crash and the truck is a bit out of my reach. Sometimes he tells me to "get it!" Other times he crawls towards me to get it himself. When he gets within my reach I grab him and slide him toward me, then I lift one of his arms and commence tickling. He laughs so hard. It's pretty awesome. When I finally free him he then looks at me and says "Tickle more?" Just the best.

Here Comes Santa Claus

Now that Halloween is officially behind us we have begun to talk about Christmas at our house. Declan has taken to it right away. He comments when he sees Christmas commercials on TV and he asks every so often about the Santa Claus parade I said we were taking him to. He's paying close attention. A couple days ago I brought our singing snowman head upstairs. Declan wanted to know where the baby snowman was. How does he remember from a year ago, before he was two, that there was a small snowman too?!? Well he does. So today I found it in the basement and brought it upstairs. Declan made the baby snowman kiss the bigger snowman. He's a nut.

I'm so excited. 

Christmas is going to be awesome!!

Big Slides and a Friend

My first day of my mini vacation and Declan and I visited skedaddle Kids with Keri and Clayton. The two boys played nicely. Clayton was all over the apparatus right away while Declan discovered various baby and toddler toys. For the last half hour though they both climbed and went down the big slides. 

Later in the day, after Declan's nap I asked if he had a good nap and he said "no." I asked if he was having fun with his toys to which he said "no." Then finally I asked if he had fun with Clayton and he responded with "the balls and the toys and the big slides and climbing up and go down......." It turns out he must have had a great time!

New Skills and Tired Out

Monkeynastix is really a lot of fun now. I remember the first couple times and how Declan didn't want to listen but now he's great. He's so enthusiastic about it, clapping, jumping, running on the spot! Today he practiced pinging or squeezing clothes pegs and placing them on the edges of a flat rubber circle. Then after placing them all he had to unclip them. I love it. I never thought before about the little skills you have to learn, that don't just happen naturally. He also learned how to crawl with his hands and feet only along a ladder raised off the floor. Raised about two inches only but still took balance, coordination and courage. He had three tries and each time was better than before. I was very proud of Declan. He also held my hands and we practiced lunges together. Form is not great but it was honestly the best bit of excercise I've ever been a part of.

And lastly they tried putting a golf ball into a little ring. Declan was able to swing the putter and (kept letting go with one hand but) he did hit the ball. He got his new sticker for the week and as soon as he got home he put it on the fridge. 

Can't wait for tomorrow morning since I'm off all day...and the rest of the week too.

Personality Developing

I'm so enjoying the development of my little guy into his own person. At nearly three years old every day still brings development and new experiences.

Today Daddy brought Declan to visit his work (because what kid doesn't want to hang out at Chapters for an hour or two).

Declan was so excited to visit the toy store he had a poop five minutes after getting there (this always happens when he visits there).

Playing at the train table a little girl approached Declan and said "My name is Katie." To which Declan replied "My name is Declan." Awwwe so cute. And also WHAT? Why doesn't he just say his name when I ask him to. Geeeeezz.

He has finally taken to saying he loves us too. I'll keep telling him over and over "I love you Declan" just because he replies with a sweet "love you Mommy". Just the best.

Soft, Sad Voice

Declan is a pretty happy kid. I get home from work to smiles and hugs and often a hyper little boy. Tonight was no exception. Declan was running around and playing with his toys. Daddy and I were catching up and talking about our days when I hear a little voice about 10 feet behind me.

"What was that Declan?"

He speaks again, so softly and he looks sad too.

"I can't hear you Declan. What is it?"

And finally I understand.

"I lost monkey." He says so sad.

A quick scan of the room and Daddy says "He's right here Declan. Come get him."

Giggles.

And we're back!

Stickers Everywhere

Not exactly a fashion statement but he sures loves it-Declan puts stickers all over himself. This evening I gave him my old sticker book and packages of stickers. He had Hello Kitty stickers all over his jeans and smiley faces and cats on his shirt and his slippers. He loved it. I think a sticker even made it's way to Thomas The Tank Engine.

I find his so amusing.

This evening while I was in the kitchen washing dishes Declan runs in and says "I'm Batman!"

So.

That's cute.

Costco

When I walked in Declan's room this morning he was tryin to pull up the zipper on his footie pajamas. While waiting in bed to get up he'd unzipped his pjs and then unfastened his diaper. Soon as he saw me he said "fix it Mommy, fix it please". 

And I did.

I also told him many times that I loved him. Now he's tells me he loves me back so I can't resist.

Declan was running again. It's a funny, still favoring the good foot run but it was a run! I brought him shopping at Costco. He was really great. Looked at Toys but always put them back/away. As we neared the cash a man walked past with a big hat on. Declan yelled "look Mommy, a cowboy!"

LOL