Thursday, September 30, 2010

The Zoo with Josh

Today, we met Anh and Josh at the zoo to take advantage of the gorgeous weather we have been having lately. We have to bask in the cooler weather as much as we can. I had bought the wagon so both boys could sit together thinking it might be more fun for them than their strollers.

After a quick visit to the sea lions, the boys had fun going through the tunnel in Natural Encounters. Then, we went to see the elephants, tiger, and lions. We later went to the Children's Zoo where Andrew saw the carousel and asked to ride it. Josh wasn't too big on riding on it, but he agreed to go with Andrew. And Josh even rode an animal for the first time instead of sitting in the chariot (like someone else used to do).

Afterwards, Andrew and Josh ventured to go play on the playgorund. But before long, Andrew saw the petting zoo and wanted to go. Josh isn't too into petting zoos so I said they could say at the playground if they wanted. But Josh sweetly wanted to go follow Andrew. And Josh never liked brushing the animals, but was willing to try it. He did a great job!! But he didn't want to do it for too long. So, we left and headed for the train.

As we boarded, Josh and Andrew wanted to sit together and not with their moms. Already getting dissed for friends!! Then, we had a little picnic at Little Bigz again and afterwards, we headed for home for naps for the boys!

It was a great morning with great friends; and we had such amazing weather! Andrew and I both loved it!









Wednesday, September 29, 2010

A Final Farewell

Tonight, we stopped by Jean's and Emily's apartment for one more final farewell and to drop of a CD that I had promised Jean of some kiddie music that Emily might enjoy. It was hard to say goodbye, but I am glad we got to see them one more time. I feel bad for Andrew because I don't think he really understands the concept of them moving away and that he might be see them for a long, long time. Makes me even sadder.

Jean and Emily, we are going to miss you so much!! We are so grateful that we met you and became friends. Thank you for all the play dates and memories! So, until we meet again, love you lots.



School Update: Week #5

Monday, September 27, 2010

Andrew was a little apprehensive about going to school today, but only said "no school" once. He didn't give me any grief while we got ready or while we were driving over. He walked to his classroom just fine too. But when another boy started crying, Andrew started to cry too. But when I picked him up, the teachers said he did great all day! Hopefully, it was a fluke because he hadn't been to school in a few days and he was out of sync with going to school.

Tuesday, September 28, 2010

Andrew got ready this morning with no problems and no crying, but did get a little sad when we walked into the classroom. But I gave him a goodbye hug and kiss and told him to go wash his hands. I thought that if he just did what he is supposed to and not to make a big deal of his sadness that maybe Andrew would just go along with it. Well, he walked over to Ms. Quiroz. And she rolled with the punches and asked him about his airplane shirt. So, another drop off without tears! Yeah hoo!!

When I picked up him, he ran right over to me. Ms. Quiroz laughed and said it's funny how Andrew's face goes from happy to sad when I come to pick him up. And she reassured me that he had been happy all day.

I read on the bullentin board they had music class today. And Ms. Quiroz said he loved it and had a great time. As we drove to speech therapy, he told me that they read a train book with a yellow train in it. I am not really sure what this is about, but good enough for me. He also said they stood up, clapped hands, and held hands. I asked him who he held hands with and he told me "Scarlett".

This evening, we met Ms. Andi, Gavin, and Shane at Mission Burritos for dinner. Ms. Robin and Jack were able to meet us too (Jack also attends St. Luke's too, but in one of the three year old classes). The boys had lots of fun on the playground before and after eating including picking up tons of acorns on the ground.


























Wednesday, September 29, 2010

Nothing special occurred during our morning routine getting ready and driving to school. When we walked into class, he looked at Ms. Faruolo and said "Mama?" She just calmly said that I would be back to pick him up. Apparently, that was good enough for him and he said goodbye to me.

After I picked him up, he also asked for more school and was more hesitant to leave school. In the car, I asked about his day to which his favorite part seems to be going to the playground. He told me that today, he played with Gray and went down the slides.

So, he seems to be starting to like it more. He loves to hugs his teachers and classmates goodbye when I pick him up. He will still say "no school" and "more school." But where he used to "no school" more than "more school", it seems to be the opposite now.

Andrew's been able to nap at school very well since that second week of school and continues to do so. He usually sleeps an hour and a half and has to be woken up at 2pm to get ready for pick up. Today, he even asked me for "more night night". I guess he likes sleeping at school.
Here's Andrew's artwork from today--the blots are supposed to be germs, which they learned about today and how can prevent the passing of them.

Monday, September 27, 2010

Max & Ruby

A while back during one of our play dates, Aunt Anh and I were discussing things that our boys were into lately and I told her of how Andrew has been liking Max & Ruby more and more. She then mentioned to me that she thought she had heard that the author who created Max & Ruby, Rosemary Wells, coming to Houston for a book signing. I did some research online and found out all the information about her coming to Blue Willow Bookshop today on the west side of town.

I had mentioned to Andrew about meeting the woman who made Max & Ruby and he said he wanted to. He then would say each time that he wanted to hug her. I told him that I wasn't sure if that would be allowed, but we could ask. I also wasn't sure if he would understand the concept of authors of books, but I think he understood it had something to do with Max & Rudy and that was good enough.

Unfortunately, Anh and Josh weren't able to join us because Josh normally naps in the late afternoon. So, after Andrew woke up after 330pm, we got ready and left the house. The festivities had started at 4pm, but when we arrived about 415pm, the place was already packed. We picked out a few books and paid for them. Then, we went to find a seat for the book reading. The book store had put out stickers, coloring pages, and crayons for the kids to keep them entertained until Ms. Wells came out. They also had lots of other goodies for us to take home like Max & Ruby posters and pins. Andrew colored, but soon enough was done coloring. Then, I read him some of our new books; and we made some friends who were sitting close to us. It was pretty crazy with all the kids and adults. But I have to say that Andrew behaved very well and patiently sat with me and waited. He kept asking for Ms. Wells over and over again; and I tried to tell him that the wait wasn't much longer.

Finally, it was 5 o'clock; and the time was upon us. Ms. Wells was introduced and walked out. She read some stories including the ones from her new book and also answered questions from the audience. Andrew kept saying "Ms. Wells. Ms. Wells."

Afterwards, she was going to sign books according to the numbers we received when we purchased our books. Andrew and I were 29. Not too bad. They also had a special surprise while people waited to get their books signed. Max was en route to the bookstore; and the kids would be able to meet him and get their pictures taken with him! Andrew was much more excited about seeing Max, but it would be another five or ten minutes before he arrived.

It was our time to get into line for the book signing. Andrew again was very well behaved; and we passed the time while in line by reading more books. It was finally our time to meet her. Andrew was very sweet. I wasn't sure if he was going to become shy. But he walked up to the table. I told Ms. Wells that Andrew wanted to hug her and asked if it would be okay. She agreed and Andrew went over to hug her. She was very nice and sweet to Andrew. Sadly, she was so attentive to us, she didn't realize that she signed one of the books with Andrew's name and not Josh's as I wanted to get it for him as a gift.

Once our books were signed, we started to make our way out the door to see Max when Daddy found us. There was a short line to meet Max so we didn't have to wait too long. Andrew walked up to him and hugged him too.

I wanted to get another book to be signed for Josh so I went back into the store; and Daddy was going to head to a restaurant with Andrew. The clerk was very nice and said she would take me to the front of the line to get it signed. Just let me say that everyone at Blue Willow was nice and helpful. They did a great job getting things very organized and executed.

Anyways, Andrew told Daddy that he wanted to wait for me so they did. Thankfully, he didn't have to wait too long with the extra help from the store clerk. As we were walking out of the store again, Andrew saw Max in front of the store and said he wanted to go see him again. There wasn't much a line so Andrew got to go hug him again.

Then, we drove to Rudi Lechners, a German restaurant nearby where Andrew ate lots of bread, sausage, and schnitzel. Daddy and Mommy also ordered some delicious schweinshaxe. It wasn't the best German restaurant that we have been to, but it was good and filled the German food void that we had been feeling.








Sunday, September 26, 2010

Sunday in San Antonio

This morning, we woke up and headed to 930am mass. I asked Andrew a few times this morning if he wanted to sit in the back with us or go back to the nursery and play with the other kids and toys. Each time, he chose the nursery.

When I walked in to drop him off, he didn't cry nor was he joyfully running off to go play either. He was definitely unsure of things. When I walked out, he didn't cry either, but he did watch sadly.

When Daddy and Nonna went to take communion, I went to go check on Andrew and get him. I watched a little bit and he was doing okay playing with some trucks. I walked into the nursery and he finally saw me after one of the nursery workers told him to look who was there. She said he cried a little bit while asking for me, but not very much. I didn't ask for clarification as to if he was crying or just a little whining. I told him he didn't need to cry because I would pick him up just like at school.

I took him back to the back of the church thinking mass was close to being over, but there was a little more left to go. Andrew kept yelling to go inside to find Daddy. I hadn't planned on going to go sit back with him and Nonna, but there was a little break that I quickly walked in and sat down in the pew in front of them. Andrew immediately went into his daddy's arms.

Afterwards, we met up with Janine and her family who were at mass too, but we didn't see until we had found our seats initially. We all headed back to Nonna's where we were going to cook a farewell Korean lunch for the Gonzaleses since they are leaving for Pennsylvania for Uncle Mike's new job.

After lunch, we hung out a little more. But eventually, it was time for them to head out since Uncle Mike and Thomas had a function to attend. It was nice getting to spend some more time with them. We are really sad they are moving away; it's been really nice to have them in San Antonio and closer to us. But hopefully, we will get to see them again soon. Andrew was tuckered out and ended up taking a three hour nap!! Daddy and Mommy both snuck in a little nap too while watching some football.

Then after Andrew woke up, we all drove down to Kiddie Park. Andrew's eyes filled with excitement once we got arrived and he saw everything. We bought tickets and asked Andrew what he wanted to ride first. Of course, he had immediately saw a ride with some train cars and he couldn't wait to ride it. He chose a red train and sat in it well for the entire duration of the ride. Afterwards, he picked to ride the boat next. I wasn't sure if he would let the employees help him into the boat and if he would be able to step in the boat okay, but he did both.

Then, Andrew chose to ride the bus (that happened to be on tracks) and sat with a few other kids. The bus went faster than I thought and I was worried Andrew might get scared, but he was fine. He did try to change seats for some reason in the middle of the ride, but I guess he realized how hard it was and went back to his original seat. Next was an airplane ride. Andrew chose a green plane and pretty much hopped in it by himself before the employee could help him in.

Next, Andrew and I rode the carousel with him choosing a gray horse to ride. He even managed to wave to Daddy and Nonna a few times. He's come a long way since not even wanting to ride an animal! Lastly, he and Daddy rode a helicopter. We actually had to wait another turn because there were no helicopters left and Andrew apparently really wanted one.

When Andrew was on the boat ride, he noticed a coin-operated train ride and just kept on talking about riding it. So, we went over there and he ended up riding it twice. There was a fire truck one that we let him get one and he rode it for a short time before they turned the electricity as the park was closed.

Then, we headed home to eat dinner--Nonna's ravoli, which Andrew loves and brajole, which Daddy loves (Mommy loves them both lots). Andrew ate very well. Then, we chilled a little bit and packed our things. We wanted to let Andrew digest his dinner some before hitting the road back to Houston.

We had a wonderful time with family and friends!! It meant a lot to us to see Jason and Shimul while they were here and to see Aunt Janine and her family one last time before they leave for Pennsylvania. Everything worked out very well and we were glad we got to do all the things we wanted, which doesn't always happens on the weekends.



































Saturday, September 25, 2010

Horns in Helotes

Go figure, Andrew ended up waking up a little late from his nap (guess he was worn out from our morning excursion at Sea World and also not sleeping like normal last night). We all (including Nonna) were due over at Uncle Brad's house in Helotes. The Buchhorns were hosting the UT v. UCLA game with two very special guests of honor--Uncle Jason and Aunt Shimul who were visiting from Washington D.C., which was the primary reason for our visit for our trip to San Antonio this weekend.

As usual, Andrew was shy when we first got there, but quickly opened up. Andrew loved playing with all of Caroline's and Rebecca's toys and quickly made friends with Brad's and Laura's niece, Abby (Brad's brother, Brian's daughter). And then, there was no stopping him. He was playing with all the kids, including Tyler and another Abby who are the son and daughter of Josh and Amber who are friends from UT whom we haven't seen in years. It was funny to see him chase after all the other kids being the youngest one (Abby Buchhorn is actually younger, but had left by this time).

It was so good to see all our old friends and catching up with everyone! We never get to see each other as much as we would like. But when we do, it's just an amazing time. And even though the Horns lost, we still had a wonderful time. Thanks so much to the Buchhorns for hosting the party!!




















Saturday at Sea World

Daddy and I had hoped we could fit in another trip to Sea World especially since we didn't have time on our last trip into San Antonio. So after we all woke up, Nonna made us a delicious breakfast of waffles and sausage. Then, we got dressed, got our things ready and drove to Sea World. Upon entering the park, we come to find out the water park was closed for the season (guess we missed that little tidbit of information on the website). We were so disappointed, especially Andrew, but luckily, he didn't fuss about it at all.

We had some time before the shows started so we had to find something to pass the time where Andrew would have fun and not get too bummed out about the water park. We walked to a playground where Andrew had fun climbing and sliding. Before we knew it, it was time to head over to the first show.

We walked over to watch A Sea Lion Story. Andrew liked seeing the sea lions and other animals. I wish I could have listened more and found out why sea lions and seals are different, but only heard a few of the facts since I was paying more attention to Andrew and making sure he stayed hydrated. We actually left the show to make our way to Shamu Stadium since the show was starting soon. Lots of other people had the same idea too.

When we arrived at the stadium, it was pretty packed and there wasn't a whole of room left except for lots in the splash zones. I hadn't really wanted to sit there because I didn't want to get wet, but also because I didn't know how Andrew would handle it. We warned him that we would probably get wet and I gave him our beach towel just in case (might as well use it since we had it already). I was also worried about my camera, but just put it away when the time came for us to get splashed. Anyways, Andrew loved the show. He even waved his arms up and down like the trainers told us too. He even started to chant "Shamu! Shamu!" It was so cute!! He ended up a tad wet and Daddy a little more and Mommy barely any at all. ;) And he was totally cool with it. We made it seem fun to have gotten wet and he thought it was too!

So, we decided to call it a day and headed home for lunch and a nap. We had a great time even though it was a short trip and without a visit to the water park. Oh well, just means we will have to come back another day!! Andrew so wants to come back!





















Friday, September 24, 2010

Happy 31st Month Birthday

Andrew continues to grow up faster than I want at time. I miss my little baby, but then again, love how much he has grown into a little boy.

Andrew is still very big into his Thomas and Geotrax trains. And sometimes, he will even play with them on the hardwood floors rather than the tracks. He loves his emergency vehicles and garbage truck diecast cars too. Drew still thoroughly enjoys reading books especially at night time. Some of his current favorites are the Berenstein Bears All Aboard book and any of the Max and Ruby books. His favorite shows are Max and Ruby and more recently, Team Umizoomi .

Andrew's speech continues to improve and we are so proud of him and how far he's come along. He will say words on his own that we might not have said recently. He says lots of sentences now and is speaking more intelligibly. He is also getting much better at singing songs and will often sing to himself in the bathtub and car seat. Usually it's Happy Birthday to you. He also sings I've Been Working on the Railroad, which is probably his favorite song to sing in the car. Drew is also starting to sing his ABCs. We sing it with him when he brushes his teeth or when applying his temporary tattoos. Andrew also likes I Like Trucks that we heard in Gymboree and we try to do the accompanying dance at home (I have tried to record it, but Andrew will usually just stop whatever he is doing when I pull out the camcorder).

He is also getting much better at counting to ten, but will sometimes forget the number five. He will go from four to eight. But if he can remember five, he will remember six and seven. He has also learned the colors yellow, orange, and purple. He almost has black and white down too.

With regards with his sleeping, he has been sleeping very well considering. He usually get about ten hours of sleep at night. For naps, his average is an hour and a half, but we do get some two hours nap. Woo hoo!!

And with regards to the vomiting, unfortunately, we haven't made any headway here. We still don't know what's causing Andrew to throw up as much as he does. It's very irregular in that he won't throw up for a week, but then throw up every other day the next week. We are still talking to the GI specialist about what to do next, but are also looking into seeing about whether Andrew might have allergies, which might be attributing to some of the vomiting. Andrew has been coughing after waking up in the morning or after naps and at other times, sporadically. We thought this might be more of a GI issue, but now we are thinking, it might be related to Andrew having allergies. Anyways, we pray everyday that we figure these issues out soon. It's been very frustrating dealing with this for so long. We so badly want an answer so we can figure out a solution and try to get Andrew better.

In regards to potty training, we haven't pushed the subject much since we didn't want to put too much onto Andrew with us trying to get him adjusted to school first. He will go pee in the potty probably once a day usually before bath time. And there have been a few times when he will tell us when he needs to pee versus us asking him and then saying yes or no. And instead of toys as rewards, he gets temporary tattoos. Toys were just getting too expensive so we are saving them for pooping in the potty for which he still has no inclination to going poo poo in the potty though even with bribery. One day, he was really wanting this Cars ramp that I had bought a while back, but I had said he could get only for pooing in the potty. So, he sat on the toilet and tried to push some poo out, but couldn't. He must have sat there for at least fifteen minutes. I even told him not too worry about it and he could try again later, but he was persistent. Unfortunately, nothing happened. I almost wanted to give him the toy for effort! We will revisit potty training more when he is fully adjusted to school.

One of his new favorite snacks are Nutter Butters, but his favorites are still the Welch's Fruit Snacks, which he still likes to eat for his night night snack most nights. Andrew has been willingly eating broccoli because of the Berenstein Bears Going Out to Eat Book. Andrew also loves to eat scrambled eggs. He will even pick them out in fried rice. He also loves to eat ham, egg, and cheese tacos especially the shredded cheese. He will sometimes like to eat the taco rolled up, but usually, he will have the tortilla open and eat out of it. His favorite above all else is still cheese though!

Andrew is definitely becoming more independent. For example, he likes to walk by himself without holding hands. But we are adamant about being precautious at intersections and streets and make him hold hands, which he abides by. We do play the red light, green light game with him trying to make it more fun. We will let him run a little loose when we say "green light" and he is supposed to stop when we say "red light". We also say that he's supposed to slow down when we say "yellow light", which basically means for him to walk instead of run. He plays along with sometimes, but not always unfortunately. We definitely want to cultivate Andrew's independence, but it's definitely hard to let go sometimes. Andrew is able and very much into getting his own water from refrigerator. He will use the step stool usually, but is able to tippy toe and get it without the use of the step stool. He also knows how to change the settings from water and ice.

Our little sous chef still loves to help in the kitchen. Lately, on the weekends, we will make waffles and Andrew is such a willing sous chef. He pours in the flour, milk, and vanilla, but knows that Daddy or Mommy are the only ones to crack the eggs. And then, he will help to stir sometimes making a little mess, but not too bad. He also loves to add blueberries or chocolate chips too.

Andrew is more aware of sizes and quantity. When we get him a drink in a cup, we would just put a little in there so we wouldn't spill too much. But now, he asks for "big water" or when he gets his own water at the fridge, he says "big water" and will fill the cup up to pretty much full or full. There are some instances when we are eating where Andrew examines the size of the food and will keep the bigger piece for himself and give us the smaller piece. He is still very social and enjoys with playing with his friends. He really likes to follow the other kids and imitate them. He loves to play pretend trains with him though they don't always follow suit. He doesn't understand that people wouldn't want to play trains all day everyday. Shocker, right?!

Drew is still very big on togetherness. He wants everyone to play together, everyone to go wherever together, everyone to eat together, etc. He will even give a little roll call just to make sure. For example, he will tell us who he would like to sit where at the table or where we sat the night before especially if we had guests. He will also tell us who went with him to certain places such as who rode the Metro Rail with him. Funny kid.

Along with this, Andrew is also a little dictator as to who needs to sit where, who should play with what toy, who will read what book, who is going to put him night night, etc. Sometimes, we can sway him, but other times, he's pretty adamant. And sometimes, we don't care so we just oblige him. We do have a little punk on our hands. Daddy and Mommy alternate nights to put Andrew down after night night books. And whomever's turn it may be that night, Andrew will want the other parent to stay upstairs. We obliged him one night, but then changed his mind again. We learned our lesson and tell him there are no refunds or exchanges!

Our little boy is also very much a procrastinator, or rather a staller. He will plead to us for "two more minutes". And even then after the two minutes, he will want another two minutes. We have started to use the timer on the microwave and my cell phone. Apparently, the beeping makes it more official sometimes making Andrew more compliant.

Andrew's temper and whining is still very prevalent. But when we ignore the tantrums, he will stop faster. We will also tell him to stop crying and talk like a big boy, which sometimes works. But all in all, we totally expect Andrew to throw fits and be irrational--it's part of the Terribles 2s, right?! But thankfully, he's not too crazy with them. Hopefully, they get better with time.

And for all the frustrations we may feel, we know we are blessed to have Andrew. For all the tantrums, there are so much more laughs and smiles. He is still a very happy kid who likes to play and is very sweet. I love that he is so affectionate, loving, and caring.

Andrew, you make your daddy and mommy so happy. We love you more each day and are so lucky to be your parents. We have loved watching you every day since you came into our lifes and we look forward to watching you every day hereafter. Happy Birthday, loves!

Here are two videos of Andrew from the past month that show his love of trucks.




Monkey Joe's

This morning, I told Andrew we were going to Monkey Joe's with Ms. Jean and Emily. He was very excited and kept asking for "Monkey Joe's" the whole car ride over. It was going to be our last official playdate. :(

We got just right before it opened and were actually the first ones in the place. We got the logistics of the place, paid, and took Andrew's shoes off. He started to run around looking at all the bouncers, including a farm one and Dora and Diego one. Sure enough, he found a train one in the back. He went in, but was too scared to go all the way in the back of the bouncers, or rather the train cars. Then, he ran around some more and went in a few of them for a little bit.

Emily arrived shortly thereafter and Andrew ran straight for her. They played, ran around, and jumped lots. Later, we went to one of the slides that the smaller kids could do. I wasn't sure if Andrew would do it because he would have to climb up the steps himself and I thought he might be scared too. But he proved me wrong once again. I showed him the steps and told him to climb up and then he would be able to slide down. And he did it and he loved it! Sadly, Emily wasn't too keen on the slide and didn't want to go on it. But after Andrew did it a few times, he was ready to move on again. So, they ran around some more and ended up back in the arcade. Emily really enjoys the coin-operated machines and wanted to ride them. Andrew is usually pretty complacent with just sitting in them and doesn't want them to actually go. But since Emily wanted to ride them, Andrew sat along and ended up enjoying them quite a bit. I think we pretty much did all of them in the joint.

By then, Emily had an appetite so Jean started to feed her. Andrew said he wanted to eat too so I got him a slice of pizza and juice box. He ate the whole thing quickly so I guess he had worked up an appetite too!

After the kids finished their lunches, we let them run around and play for a little while longer. Then, we left to go meet Jenny and Palmer at Paciugo for some gelato since they weren't able to meet up with us earlier. The kids had a good time eating gelato and running around. Then, it was getting close to the kids' naptimes so we said our reluctant goodbyes. Even though it was really nice to have been with everyone, it was a little sad though too. We have had so many wonderful playdates and memories and to come to realize that this was our last one makes me very sad. But luckily, I am going to try to sneak one more visit in before they actually leave for Brazil.