The Apple and other quick stories

Zippy heard Baba singing "Old McDonald" (always a favorite) in his room tonight when he was supposed to be sleeping. Zippy went in to check on him and found Baba sitting under his nightlight reading one of his farm books.

I so used to do that. When my sister and I used to share a room, we would take turns reading under the night light. And take turns tattling on the other for reading under the night light when we were supposed to be sleeping. Sometimes, he is so much like me, it scares me.

Baba mentioned tonight that he would like his Bob birthday party, please. I asked who he was inviting to the party - Ma, Pa, Mr. & Mrs. Zooker, Ziz, Zicah, Harvard Zosh, and Wili (the cat). It's going to be one heck of a party!

And, Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer Fionna is still, by far, Baba's favorite name for his baby sister. We have until May to convince him otherwise.

Baba's Rocking Chair

Baba has a rocking chair, which used to be my sister's rocking chair. There is a picture of my sister sitting in what used to be her rocking chair on the wall at my parents house. Baba didn't really notice it until Christmas. And then became obsessed with why Mrs. Zucher was in her rocking chair and "what can we do to get her out my rocking chair?"

The other highlight of Christmas was my handsome little man in his suit (refused to wear the tie - wonder where he gets that from) and him tearing the paper off every present at my parents house and then carrying it over to Great Pa to show him.

Haircuts

Zippy and I had been thinking Baba needed a haircut for a while. But its so hit and miss with that one - he either screams the entire time or is as good as gold, so we put off the hair cut as long as possible (I trim the back when it starts looking mulletish - no child (or husband) of mine is leaving the house with a mullet).

Last Saturday, out of the blue, Baba announced he wanted Mrs. Mooker (he has taken to calling my sister Mrs. Mooker and nothing else) to cut his hair. I called up Mrs. Mooker and told her to bring her clippers.

After a few minutes, Baba decided he no longer wanted Mrs. Mooker to cut his hair. I asked if Pa could cut his hair. He said no. I asked if Ma could cut his hair. He said no. I asked if Mom or Dad or Mr. Mooker or Pudgie (my parent's dog) could cut his hair. He said no to all of the above.

I asked who could cut his hair.

He thought for a while and then said Harvard Zosh.

In the end, he settled for Mrs. Mooker (who's haircutting name is Dalia, by the way. I think she's adopted).

Waiting for Christmas

We put up the Christmas tree at our house Saturday night. We were snowed in and had nothing better to do. Since then, Baba has been trying to convince us it is Christmas and it is time to open his presents. Every night he says, "We porgot to open our presents." We take turns telling he we didn't "porget" and he has to wait until Christmas.

Tonight we were talking about why he needs to learn all the letters in his name - so he can "read" the packages on Christmas and pick out which are his. I told him that he would have presents at Great Ma's house, Ma and Pa's house, Grandmy and Grandpy's house, and Baba's new house.

He said, "Wow."

He paused and then asked, "Will Harvard Zosh have presents for me at his house too?"

I told him he can hop on a plane and find out. :-)

Heartbreaking Woogies

The boy has mom/dad cycles. For a couple weeks Zippy will be his best friend and Dad has to do everything. Best of luck to you if you try to serve him breakfast in the morning and you aren't Dad. "Want Dad to pour my cereal." "Want Dad put me in my car seat"

Currently, he is on his Mom cycle. Which means I can do no wrong and Dad can do nothing. He wakes up in the middle of the night and Zippy, being a good husband/father goes to check on him. Baba yells, "No Dad! Don't want you. Me want Mom!"

There are plus sides of being his current favorite. He literally dances for joy when I come home from work, or down the stairs, or leave a room and come back. And he has an abundance of kisses, hugs, and woogies for me.

My child is the inventor of the Woogie. A woogie is a pinch to the cheek done while saying, "Woogie, woogie, woogie." Not really sure where that came from. But, since woogies are rather painful (especially when his sharp little claws get involved), I like to sic him on Zippy. "Go Woogie Dad, Baba." And, since I'm the current favorite, he complies.

Tonight we were watching "Santa Claus is Coming to Town" for the 97th time this weekend (okay, so realistically, it was only the fifth time (which is 5 hours of Christmas fun) since Saturday morning, but my tolerance for bad late 60's Christmas cartoons is waning. The "classic" Christmas shows are shows you watch once a year, not once an hour, but I digress. At least we've moved on from Frosty the Snowman. That sucker is only 20 minutes long. That's three times an hour. You do the math). Baba turned around and said, "Me want to watch backwards so I can look at you Mom."

Yeah, just about made me cry. Little stinker makes it so hard for me to leave him.

So my sister will get off my back....

Baba was supposed to be a cow for Halloween, however, Zippy's co-worker failed to locate the costume in time for Halloween. He was a farmer instead. Zicah went as a bumble bee, which oddly enough, Baba had been his first Halloween (I went as a homicidal maniac or a crabby pregnant lady - your choice).

At first, Baba did not want to go trick-or-treating. He wanted to stay home and watch Curious George. But alas, Curious George was done for the night and his other option was going to bed, so off we went.

After the first house he was hooked. Ring the doorbell, say "trick-or-treat," and get candy. Who wouldn't love that?

The Farm: The Happiest Place On Earth

On Saturday morning, after a whole week of listening to Baba say, "Want go Great Ma and Great Pa's house," we gave in. We lost power around 6:30 AM Saturday, so Zippy and I decided to stop at McDonald's for breakfast.

The boy loves McDonalds. We can get him to do almost anything in exchange for a trip to McDonalds. "Sit really still for the doctor and we'll go to McDonalds." "Sleep in your room by yourself for 3 nights and we'll go to McDonalds."

We stopped at McDonalds expecting to hear how Baba wanted French Fries and Apple Dipples. His reaction was quite different. "No want go to McDonald's! Want go Great Ma and Great Pa's house."

Zippy got out of the car to run in and place our order. Baba screamed, "No Dad, get back here!"

I wonder what I could get Baba to do in exchange for a trip to Great Ma and Great Pa's house.

Highlights of Como Zoo

Driving the cars.





Driving the firetrucks.





Driving the dump truck.





Riding on the choo-choo train (not made for anyone over 3 ft. I think I have a scar).





Oh, yeah. And the monkeys. The verbal boy stated that the monkeys were silly, goofy, and funny.

Baba want go Ma and Pa's house.

I wonder why Pa (my father) is Baba's favorite person in the world.

Me want apple

If an apple a day keeps the doctor away, what will 4 to 5 apples a day do for you? Baba is obsessed with eating apples. He wants an apple for a pre-breakfast snack, and apple for the car ride to day-care (its at least a 12 minute drive), an apple at day-care, an apple when he gets home, and an apple before bed.

And, you can't cut it up. He likes to eat it whole and eat the whole thing. Seeds, core, stem, you name it. The first thing he talks about when he wakes up in the morning is eating an apple.

Zippy met us at the clinic for Baba's 2 week post op (the tubes are in and working - hooray!). Baba hadn't napped all day (not so hooray, I desperately needed a nap). He fell asleep in the car and slept through me taking him out of the car, walking to the clinic, getting into the elevator, and pressing the "2" button. When the elevator stopped, Baba woke up and saw Zippy. He said, "Hi Dad, Baba ate apple."

Nursery Rhymes A La Baba

As overheard outside his door while he was singing instead of sleeping.

Dumpty Dumpty sat on a wall. Dumpty Dumpty broke. No horses.

Old McDonald had a farm. Ee-i-o. Horse here. Horse Everywhere. Hee-haw. Horse no say hee-haw. Baba funny. Neigh here.

Baba is funny. I had a very hard time not cracking up.

In a van down by the river....

We went to visit the Mighty Mississippi a couple weeks ago on the way to my aunts house. Baba started screaming, "Baba get out car now. Baba want to walk!" And since he has mastered the doors in Mom's car we took his threats seriously and stopped the car at a park.

Zippy would have been perfectly content viewing the river from afar. Baba and I wanted to get up close and personal with the river (and on the climb up I almost stepped on the dead fish that we had been discussing the smell of since we climbed down the bank to the river).

Baba wasn't content to just look at the river. We had to draw in the sand. Guess what we drew? What's that you say, tractors and wagons? Ding, ding, ding. You are the winner. Baba's tractors and wagons look more like squiggly lines to me, but I'll let it slide. He is only 29 months.

Ever since we moved to Baba's new house by the pond, Baba has been obsessed with fishing (it fits right in between his obsession with going to Ma and Pa's house, tractors, and trucks). So, Baba found a stick by the river and proceeded to "fish". We caught no fish.

The highlight of the journey down to the river (besides the dead fish, of course). Was the airplane that Baba spotted. I'm still not sure how he saw it. I believe the plane was a couple feet below orbit.