Letters Everywhere

Charlie has become fascinated with letters, in a weird way.

When we got into the car this morning he asked for his basketball and once holding it exclaimed: "Oh! All the letters!"

His basketball says "HUFFY SPORTS" in large letters. Charlie pointed to the 'O' in 'SPORT': "Owl!" And then to one of the "F"s in "HUFFY": "Frog!" I cannot for the life of me get him to say the actual letters, as far as he is concerned they are inextricably linked to animals. This leads to conversations like:
CHARLIE: (still holding the basketball) "Where zebra?"
ME: "There aren't any zebras on there, honey."
CHARLIE: "Where hippo?"
ME: "Right there -- H is for Hippo."
CHARLIE: "Where elephant?"
ME: "I don't see an elephant either honey, but there's a snail..."

Thanks for the fudge Grampy & Grampy!

Charlie Spices Up The LIttle Tykes Slide

Gender Confusion?

I have discovered, rather by accident, that Charlie thinks he is a girl. I had really not given it any thought at all as to whether he knew or cared if he was a boy or a girl, until answering a developmental assessment the other week as part of Charlie's early intervention screen. Did he identify himself as a boy? the interviewer wanted to know. Err, no -- he calls hismelf a baby, I answered, and left it at that. But later I asked him: "Charlie are you a boy or a girl?" "A girl!" he promptly replied. I have asked him several more times and he has always ansered the same. This afternoon I attempted to correct him:
ME: "Charlie, are you a boy or a girl?"
CHARLIE: "A girl!"
ME: "You're a boy, not a girl. Devereaux is a girl. Ava is a girl. Tom is a boy. Charlie is a boy."
CHARLIE: "NO! MY GIRL!!!!"
Okay, jeez bud -- you can be a girl. For now.

The Final Cut

The other day a friend of mine was soliciting pictures of two year olds throwing tantrums, for the final project in a graphic design class she is taking. Ah-ha! I thought -- I know a little something about two year olds throwing tantrums, and I may have caught one or two (or a hundred) on camera. Her assignment was to create an ad for a tv show or movie. I am happy to say Charlie made the final cut.

The finished project, by Melanie Wand:

Shelter from the Storm

This afternoon Charlie and I got caught in a torrential downpour on the way home from daycare -- it necessitated a 45 minute interlude in Starbucks to wait until the rain let up.
Here is Charlie mesmerized by the rain:

Unfortunately this fascination did not last very long; he spent most of the rest of the time literally trying to swing from the Starbucks sign in the window, and jumping from the window sill to the couch (in other words, pretty much what he does at home.) This lasted until a Starbucks employee came over and pointedly gave me a stack of little cups for him to play with. Ummpf.

On review, this post could also be called 'Why I Need a New Camera Phone for my Birthday' because the picture quallity is so bad.

Sunday at the Beach

How Hard Could It Be?

A friend of mine made Charlie a cute pair of pajamas for his birthday. She asked me yesterday if she could have a picture of him modeling them for her website, chicbabybeaubaby.com Sure, I said -- no problem. He's wearing them tonight; I'll take a few pics of him in them tomorrow morning.

Take One:
Honey, Can you please stand up for mommy?


Take Two:
Can you please stand still??


Take Three:
About when I gave up.


Really makes me wonder how the folks at Baby Gap do it.

An Elephant? No Wait --

This afternoon as Charlie and I approached the elevator at the subway stop he announced, "Elephant!" Then he corrected himself: "Not elephant, not elephant -- Elevator!"

It's okay bud, I get those two mixed up all the time...

Charlie's Trip to Canobie Lake Park

Yesterday we took Charlie to Canobie Lake Park (this is where if I knew how to insert a link I would.) Initially it was a little hard to explain to Charlie where we were going:

ME: "We're going to the amusement park and we're going to go on lots of fun rides!"
CHARLIE: "Ride horsey?"
ME: "Umm no..."
CHARLIE: "Ride elephant?"
ME: "Uhh no... we're going to ride *rides*...
CHARLIE: "Ride giraffe?"

As you can tell from the pic he did eventually get the idea.

Hoop Dreams

Just not quite tall enough yet...

But Daddy to the rescue keeps the dream alive:

Reciprocal Potty Training

This evening as I did my business in the bathroom I heard the pitter patter of little feet and then Charlie busted through the door.

"Yay! Yay Mommy!" he shrieked and clapped his hands, "Pee-pee in the potty!"

Thanks kiddo -- where's my treat?

Innate Behavior?

I did not teach Charlie this, lending support to the theory that this behavior is innate to all 2 yr olds, and not learned. (Yes, it has been a slow day.)

Charlie's Day

Every time I pick Charlie up from school I ask him the same question: "What did you do today?" I am always greeted with the same answer: silence. He completely ignores me, his short term memory apparently not developed enough to answer this question. Until today.

I start with the usual, "Did you have fun today, Charlie?" as I get him buckled into his stroller. To my surprise, he answers with an enthusiastic "Yeah!" So I press on: "What did you do?"
"Stomp bugs!"
I look at him blankly for a minute, thinking I misunderstood him. "You did what?"
"Stomp bugs -- ants!" He demonstrates with his foot.
Nice. The first time my kid actually remembers his day enough to tell me about it, it was because he was snuffing out the lives of innocent creatures. Maybe I should go back to calling him Charlie Manson after all.

Missing Daddy?

Mike is in New Hampshire for the night, taking a much deserved break from Daddy-dom since I worked much of the holiday weekend.

He just called me a few minutes ago wanting to know why, when he pulled out of the driveway, was I laughing as I held a sobbing Charlie in my arms?

It was because Charlie was bawling, pointing after not Daddy, but the car: "My car! My car! Waaant myyyy caaaaar!"

Marathon Hair Appintment

Have you ever scheduled an upcoming hair appointment and been told by your hairdresser to pack a lunch?

I now have.

Saturday August 16th I will be arriving at my salon bright and early at 10am and will be done by 5pm.

Why, why you ask? Other than the fact that I am completely crazy?

Because, in addition to the 3 hour process of dyeing and highlighting my hair that I will be undergoing, I will also be trying something new and exciting: the Coppola Keratin hair straightening technique thingy. Which the brochure swears will allow me to shower at night, let my hair air dry, and then roll out of bed every morning for the next 4 to 6 months with perfect hair. In addition, the keratin protein that they use to achieve this miraculous event will seal in the just-colored-highlights and leave me with long lasting shiny color.

How much will this life altering event cost?

I didn't even ask.

Happy 4th of July!!

My Diet

Breakfast: Cream of wheat with skim milk.

Lunch: Low fat string cheese, an apple, a 4 oz organic yogurt, exactly one serving of mixed nuts, and a diet Coke.

Afternoon Snack: A banana.

Dinner: A big Mac and french fries.

Hmmm I am thinking dinner needs a little work. So does the Ben & Jerry's ice cream I am about to have for dessert.

Charlie's Ideal Pet

The other day Mike asked Charlie, "Charlie, do you want a doggy?"
Charlie replied, "No doggy -- No doggy -- Elephant!"
I thought kids were supposed to dream about having a horse.

The Kindness of Strangers

This afternoon while taking the train home from daycare, Charlie kicked me.
ME: No kicking, Charlie.
CHARLIE: Haha! (Kicks me again.)
ME: (sternly) NO kicking. You do not kick people, understand me?
CHARLIE: Hahaha! (Kicks me again.)
ME: (yet more sternly) Stop -- you do not kick. Are you all done with Baxter? Mommy is going to take Baxter away if you kick one more time.
CHARLIE: Noooo! (clutching Baxter the bunny to his chest.)

At this point the train arrives at our stop and I mercifully don't have to carry out my threat. As I lug Charlie off the train a woman approaches me on the platform.
WOMAN: How old is he?
ME: He's two.
WOMAN: I have a 13 month old and it is just starting with him.

Thanks, lady, for letting me know that I and my unruly child were the center of attention on the train...