Bath Time Fun

Chance has a new trick, he can climb in and out of the bath tub at will so the other day while I was filling the bathtub up he just hopped in. I stepped out of the bathroom to grab his towel and by the time I got back he had one leg in so I just let him go and he just kept on going. He did not want the opportunity to go by either so he just lay down and got everything wet. Then he played and played. I also want to update you all on the gym and childcare. I am working out 3 - 4 times a week and then Chance and I are going swimming together one day a week too. I wrote in the beginning that Chance did really well in childcare, after the first three days he got smart and realized I was leaving him so he cried and cried when I left. For two day I had to go get him early then the next time I dropped him off we came early and I hung out with him in the childcare area for about 15 minutes that day he barely cried at all, the next day I did the same thing and the ladies there said he was much better again then today we went to the gym and he did not cry at all when I left and he was great throughout his whole stay. I was worried for a few days but turns out he just needed a little extra time to get used to the whole idea.

New uses for his truck

Over the last week or so Chance has found some new uses for his big truck. Originally we had taped down the dumper part but when the tape came off he tipped it up and started pushing it around. Another fun thing he has discovered when it is tipped up he can sit in the middle and ride around on it, which is kind of funny since he still does not ride around on his actual ride-on toys very much. It is fun to see him find a new life for something he has been playing with for months. Now that the dumper works he has also started dumping Deedle and other things out of the truck when he wants to sit on it.

Trains

Chance has recently figured out the difference between cars and trains. Before everything with the wheels were the same but now they are getting differences. We have been reading a lot of train books Freight Train and The Little Red Caboose are popular. He brings books out for us to read all throughout the day. Yesterday while on our way home from the Children's Museum we say a train up close. It passed by just about 15 feet from us. Chance kept pointing and asking "what's this" When the type of car would change.

Cool wall art

Over the last few weeks there has been an interesting graffiti artist around town. I say interesting because they are thought provoking and they are so good. Today Chance and I were walking to the streetcar stop when we passed this one. I couldn't help but stop to take pictures. This one was painted over one of the X's still from Hurricane Katrina. There are a few more around that are just as cool as this one. We had a big day today, this morning we went to the Children's museum with our playgroup and then we rode the street car back home took a nap and then went out to the gym in the afternoon.

21 Months Old

Chance is 21 months old today. He has been changing and learning so much over the last month it is going to be hard to document it all. First of all as I have said he started crawling out of his crib so we took the side off and are still waiting for the part to come in to make a little railing for him. He isn't rolling out of the bed but he is choosing to sleep on the floor almost every night. When we go to bed I pick him up and put him back in his bed. He also just spotted airplanes for the first time a few days ago pointing up to the sky. He doesn't quite say 'airplane' yet but he is working on it. One thing he does say all the time is "What's That?" He is so curious today we went to the park and he pointed at the trees and the water and the squirrels and people and dogs and repeated "what's that?" He is learning a lot.

He definitely isn't saying 5 new words per day but he asks "what's that?" way more than 5 time per day so he is probably learning at least that many a day. He can walk up and down stairs by himself holding onto the railing. He makes towers next to each other and I guess that is a structure. He throws balls overhand with no problem and has been getting a lot of practice with that since we got Deedle because we have been teaching Chance to throw toys for Deedle to fetch. He also opens and closes doors. Every morning he wakes up and opens the door between the two bedrooms then comes on into our bedroom to say hi. During the day sometimes he closes the door to his room usually when he gets mad because he can't have something or do something he goes to his room and shuts the door, which is kind of funny but we try not to laugh. He does recognize people he knows in a picture but doesn't really name them very well yet.

When we dropped Scott off at the airport today Chance was sad and even though he will be back on Friday no matter how long he is gone it always seems a lifetime away. Scott will be in Nashville on Monday and Cape Girardeau Tuesday - Friday. Chance and I are going to do our best to stay busy while he is gone.

Most toddlers should be able to . . .

Start to learn up to 5 or more words per day

Walk up stairs with some assistance

Make structures out of toys or blocks

Some toddlers will probably be able to . . .

Start to learn up to 10 or more words per day

Show good signs of bladder control

Throw balls overhand

Open doors

Some toddlers could possibly be able to . . .

Name people and pets when shown a picture

Form short but complete and understandable sentences

Walk down stairs with some assistance

Open and close doors

Blu Blockers

I can not remember if I posted pictures of Chance in these sunglasses or not yet but he still likes to wear them so here are some new ones. These are the old Blu Blocker type sunglasses. When my friends from Florida were here and we went kayaking two of us had forgot to bring sunglasses so we stopped at a Walgreens to get cheap ones and we both got Blu Blockers. They now pretty much belong to Chance and he enjoyed wearing them around the house. These are just a few pictures I took yesterday. Today we just hung out at the house all day, it was raining most of the day. These few pictures at the bottom are here because I thought they looked like paparazzi pictures up close and a little washed out and then the glasses sell it.

Ice Cream Playdate

Yesterday Chance and I went to a cute little ice cream shop for a playdate. We had all been there once before but that time Chance didn't really want any ice cream he tasted it and then didn't want any more. Not this time! They have tons of flavors so I got a sampler where you can get mini scoops of four different flavors. Well, one of them, I think it was Malted Buttercream, was his favorite he kept going back for more of it. There were four other little kids there with us and one of them made friends with Chance and started feeding him ice cream which was just fine with Chance. It was also super cute so all the moms took pictures.

cool enough for a walk

Yesterday we went outside and found that the

temperature had dropped. It isn't cold but it is finally comfortable outside and not so hot you fear heat stroke every time you step out the door. So, we went for a walk. It was too nice not to. We decided not to take the stroller and see if Chance could make it. He did a really good job we walked about 6 blocks to a coffee shop where we hung out had a drink and then walked back to the house. Chance gave out about two blocks away from the house on the way back. Which was really good and really he didn't give up he just started playing around a lot and not walking which we think means he was tired. Today we went on a walk again but in the other direction toward the park but it was closed for cleaning after the hurricanes. Chance was not happy about that and so was slow the whole way back tot he house but again made it until we got about 2 blocks away. He is very funny because when he really starts to get tired he just climbs up random people's stairs and sits down.

Gym update: we have got to the gym the last three days. The first day I took Chance into childcare he wasn't really sure but as soon as he started playing he was off and never looked back, when I picked him up the ladies said he played well, was quiet and he could come back anytime. All three days when I walked into the room he was happily playing with toys and didn't even see me until I started talking to him. When he saw me he ran over and I gave him a hug but as soon as I picked him up he wanted back down to play so I guess that means he likes childcare at the gym. I have learned a lot and today really worked out for the first time after we left I was so hungry and tired and now my whole body is tired.

What's going on...

I am writing this to you on my new laptop. While Scott was in Albany, NY last week he found a great deal on a laptop and so he purchased it for me. I have missed having my own computer very much so I am excited to learn the ins and outs of this new one. Chance has been doing all sorts of funny things recently. This box was sitting around the house so he found it, placed it on the couch and then crawled inside to watch some television. Then later the same day he found these lips and wore them around the house making funny noises. He also has a few more words the most impressive one is 'laptop' he surprised us both with that one but now all computers are laptops. It is funny the words they learn after mama and dada those two are pretty universal but all the rest are based on their surroundings and what they find interesting. Another thing we did last week is join a gym. Scott and I toured the gym a few months ago but did not join right away. They have classes and all the usual machines as well as indoor and outdoor pools, they also have a spa, salon, cafe and computers with internet but what seals the deal for this gym is for $20 per month Chance can go everywhere I can go and there is a seperate children's area too we also gets 2 hours of daycare per day where I can drop him off and I can go workout or check my email or whatever and Chance will be in the children's area just a few steps away. I think this will be a good thing for both of us for many reasons. On Thursday we went back to the gym and went swimming in one of the indoor pools, Chance had a really good time. Tomorrow we will be going back and Chance will be staying in the daycare for the first time since Scott will be working at home. I am sure Chance will be fine but I am still a little nervous it will be his first time in a daycare setting with other kids without someone he knows close by but in reality I will be close by and they can come get me if he needs me. I will give you an update on how it went tomorrow.

Squeaky 2

I have a stuffed cat, his name is Squeaky and he used to be white. I say used to be because from about the age of 3 till well...now I carried him around with me everywhere. He slept with me and much more right now he is sitting on a shelf in my closet but not to far in the back because he can't breath that way and I am working on a design for a little house/shelf to put on the wall near the bed so he can be close all the time. I want a sort of shadow box without a glass door because as I mentioned before I want him to be able to breath easily. Now I know this is a little bit fantasy but I don't care I love my Squeaky. When Chance was born my Mom bought him a little stuffed white cat and until yesterday he could have cared less about it or any other stuffed animal for that matter. But yesterday he spotted him and pointed so I took him down from his perch and introduced him to Chance. Chance smiled and proceeded to carry him around for a long time not wanting to let him go. Pointing to his nose and eyes and petting his soft fur. Now he lives in Chance's bed and Chance takes him out and carries him around then puts him safely back in bed. It is sooooo cute, I have named him Squeaky 2. Also today Chance talked on the phone to Scott but this time he actually answered the phone. I was in the bathroom and he got to it before I did so he answered it. That was a first, by the time I got there he was talking to Daddy on the phone. They had a very nice conversation and when he was done talking he handed the phone to me, just like I asked him to. It seems like we had a big day but really we just hung out at the house all morning, this afternoon though we went to Zoolibation at the local Zoo. It is an after hours event for members only. They had music and all the extras were free so we rode the train which we usually don't do because it costs extra, Chance likes that. They also had a lot of animals out that we could touch, so we did, a rooster, a parrot, a hedgehog and a tortoise, Chance did not want to touch the bugs which was fine with me, he really liked the tortoise and the birds though. It was a fun trip to the Zoo and since it was late in the afternoon the weather was much cooler than when we usually go to the zoo.

Caped Crusader

Chance has discovered that tying a blanket or as seen in these pictures one of Mommy's shirts around his neck to form a cape is both fun and more fun. He first started putting my shirt over his head a week or so ago. So I tied it around his neck. Since then he has brought his blanket to have tied around his neck many times, he has also pulled this shirt down out of the closet a few times to be tied around his neck too. He finds it tons of fun to run around as Super Chance and we find it tons of fun to watch him run around as Super Chance so it all works out.

check it out

On this website I was picked as a poem of the month in May 2008 I am the last one in that month.

Park in Troy

Pictures at last! We dropped Scott off at the airport this morning, he is going to Albany, NY but he will be back on Friday. While staying at the Hampton Inn in Troy, AL we went to a few different parks. One was right down the road, It was a park dedicated to the memory of Veterans. There was a Helicopter on display as well as other monuments, a Trojan soldier sculpture and a gazebo. We went to this park twice while we were there. It had lots of space to run around too. We also went to a Lake that was not too far from the hotel. It did not have tons of room and was mostly for fishing but looks like it would be pretty cool to take a boat out on especially since it only cost $6 to rent a boat but we found this place on our last day so there was no time for renting a boat. Now we have something to do next time. We also went to a state park twice while we were there as well. It was about 30 miles away but the countryside was pretty and the park we nice. There is a river running through the park and another lake for fishing but this park has plenty of room to run around and that's what we did. Both Chance and Deedle enjoyed running around in the grass watching the river flow. This would be a nice park for a picnic. Blue Springs State Park was the name of the park. These are just a few pictures I put them all up on Flickr. This last picture is when Chance decided to take the road less traveled and head out of his own, he is an explorer.

Still too lazy

to unpack the camera and cords so still no pictures but I wanted to update everyone anyway. We left the hotel Thursday morning, there was a bit of traffic on the way home but nothing really bad and we made it home in a little over 5 hours. We saw some fences that had blown over and some missing street signs along with tree damage but nothing major. Our house is perfectly fine. No damage to report. All the items in our fridge/freezer are good too which means the power was not off for very long either. about half of stores are open right now but we don't need groceries right now so we don't have to fight off the crowds in the stores for a few more days and hopefully by then there won't be a crowd.

Other than tree damage we have not see anything major in our neighborhood either. Thank you to everyone for all the good thoughts.

Latest Update

We are still in the hotel. We just heard that they are letting people back into the city at midnight so we are planning to leave in the morning and head back home. We will let you know if anything changes.


We went to a state park today with a river and to another park with a lake. Chance was able to run around. We also walked around the little downtown area of Troy. We went to a cool little Antiques place in Brundidge, Al just a few miles from here. They had nice furniture and it was inexpensive but with no way to get it home we did not get anything but we might have to come back. Brundidge is also home to the P-Nut Butter Festival just in case you are ever coming this way. The towns here are so small they are Home to strange little festivals like another place we drove through Clio, AL is home to the Pork Chitlin Jamboree

Update

we are still hanging on here in Troy, Al hopefully they will let us in the city soon and we can go home for now all we can tell is they are turning people away from the city so it would be pointless to drive all the way there and end up sleeping in the car by the side of the road waiting to get home.

We extended our stay here in the hotel until Thursday so we will probably be here until then or whenever they let us go home.

We have been spending out time going to local parks and drives on the local roads. It is very pretty country here rolling hills and farm houses. I have pictures that I will upload when we get home.

We have talked to one of our neighbors and he says our house is fine and that the electric is on. I imagine it is spotty since it was off and on for months after Katrina. We heard today in a FEMA press conference on C-Span that New Orleans is seperated from the electric grid and although their is power in a lot of the area if it becomes overloaded before it gets reconnected to the state grid it will effectively trip the circuit and all power to the area will be lost. Hopefully they get that fixed soon.

Doing fine

Still hanging out in the hotel trying not to watch too much tv. Looks like things are ok at home but in my opinion it is still too early to tell since with Katrina the flooding started a full day after the hurricane passed over. Everyone thought we were out of the clear then too.

We are now debating when to go home. We have the hotel for one more night, but Scott wants to go home tomorrow morning. We will let you know.