Open this and give it to me when I'm done pooping.

(Title quote is the first thing Jasper said to me when I arrived in London--he handed me an orange, with those specific instructions)

~JANUARY 2009~

JASPER (4 1/2) and I had a rough start to the month! With the 3 weeks of traveling we all did, we were at each other's throats by the end. And when I say me I mean Jasper and I. It was BAD. There was a lot of "I hate yous", and even ongs about how much he hated me. There was "Sarah is the Worst Nanny in the World" (to the tune of Mary had a little Lamb), and "I Hate Sarah" (to the tune of a Music Together bye, bye song). I had to continuously remind myself that the day would come when I would back and laugh. The day has come, but it took a lot of teeth gritting and restraint to get there! He tried out a few "shut-ups" which didn't last long because I warned him the first time he said it (to his Mom) that I'd wash his mouth out with soap if he said it again. He said it a week later (to April) and was screaming and crying "I'm Sorry!!!!!" the second I looked at him. Soap was used and he hasn't said it again. :) He's in the phase of wanting to do whatever Hayden does and vice versa. They have to have the same things at the same times and taking turns is a real fight. This is fairly easily resolved and comes with the age, but that doesn't make it any less annoying to deal with 15 times a day. By mid-January the tantrums and acting out were really wearing on both of us and we were not friends. It was rough. I was really frustrated, and so was he. So to curb the lashing out I decided to make Jasper a Special Box. Inside the box are individually wrapped puzzles. I made them out of pictures of special things he loves/wants to do (Children's Museum, Movie, Baking, Carriage Ride in Central Park, etc.). On Monday he chooses a bag with a puzzle inside, glues it together to see what it is, and works on nice words and actions to earn that special thing on Friday. We use a magnet to move along a board that lists the days of the week so he can see he's getting closer each day. It's only Jasper's box and it's only special things he gets to do with me. Worked like a CHARM. He turned around immediately and we have been having soooo much fun together! He's back to running into my arms when I pick him up from school and giving the biggest hugs. He's been so great with Hayden, too, and says a lot of "I love you"s now. I haven't heard "hate" in 3 weeks! I think we both just needed a reminder that we love each other.

He's been doing tons of sticker books and is really good at matching them to the correct outlines. Once he's done that he'll have me read what the purpose of that sticker is for (in Space Books it tells all about the various planets/comets/etc) and loves learning about different subjects. Another favorite, his new Puppet Theatre! While we were in London his parents found him this really cool theatre and had shipped back. I got him some puppets for Christmas (a princess and a pirate) and he made one at F.A.O. Schwartz (very muppet like) and has been putting on lots of shows. He even wrote out a schedule of when he'd be performing so we would stop asking. Ha! I taught him how to play one of my favorite childhood card games "War". He loves it. When we turn over the same card and have "War" he screams "Tag of War!!!!!" Sometimes he thinks 9 and 6 are the same. It's especially confusing because the bottom of the 6 card does match the 9, but when he turns it over to show me it of course flips into a 6 which frustrates him to no end. We have a lot of fun playing it.

On MLK Day we met up with my NYC nieces Addie & Maebe to honor Obama's request to make it a day of service. We went to a local High School that was hosting tons of kid appropriate service projects and they made scarves, doggie bandanas, and decorated bags. They had a really good time and it made the day leading up to the Inauguration very special.
Rice Cake Creations: Peanut Butter, String Cheese and Raisins. It was actually pretty good!
HAYDEN (21 months) is attempting more complex words daily so we really have to be on top of our "Hayden Language" skills! Hot Chocolate, Tea, Coffee, Lunch, Door, Ouch, Necklace, Tomorrow, On/Off (while flipping buttons and saying on/off), bath, Oh No, Here We Are, Yes, Yeah, Buttons, Baby and Hurts are all regulars now. My favorites are Here We Are and Yes (which he says Yesh) and also "Ummm" with his head cocked to the side when he's thinking of how to answer a question. He can say four and six now but refuses to start counting with one. He always starts with two but will hold up one finger first. So it goes "silent one with finger, then says two, three, four, (skips five), six!" He needs prompting but he says em all.

He recognizes colors pretty well and can repeat them but hasn't been saying them on his own as much anymore. He likes to say everything is Red. He's adamant about sitting on his own at story times or activities and will sit the entire time without getting up or running around. He sings and sings and sings. ABCs and Twinkle Twinkle--same tune but clear difference. It's adorable. He enjoys not only locking the puppy in his crate but also climbing in with him (or on his own) and playing inside contentedly. So much for thinking about using it as a punishment! His best baby friend Pearce is spoken to in french by his nanny (my good friend Karine) so Hayden is also picking up words. He says Au Revoir (Goodbye), Pied (Toes), and Merci (Thank You). He answers "Good" if you ask him how he is or how his nap was and always dreams about ducks.

Moving right along into toddler-hood comes the whining, grunting, and tantrums but nothing over the top. He's SUCH a good kid. He understands everything, including jokes, and is almost always laughing. He has the BEST laugh in the world. The other day in the car (on the way home from Dr.) he pointed to my bag and said "Snack". To which I replied, "Sorry buddy, I don't have any snacks in there" and he exclaimed "Oh NO!!!!" and started crying. I burst out laughing (his Mom had the snacks) and then he started laughing and quickly recovered as his Mom found him a snack. I just love his reactions. He sleeps with a blanket and small stuffed goat now. It's the cutest thing ever. So big!
The 3 Musketeers: Pearce, Hayden, and Kiera (all 21 months)
Crated
I'm not gonna mess with a good thing. ;P