Birthday Pictures

We officially have a two-year-old in the house now.  "No" has become Dominic's default response, so much so, in fact, that I occasionally catch him saying, "no--yes" when he actually does want something.   Recently we've been working on learning numbers and letters, and he is asserting his independent spirit by stubbornly refusing to say both "3" and "K".  I'm almost certainly he does know both of these because one time we were playing a game and he blurted out "3", and then looked very shocked, like he meant to say "2" or "10" but "3" just happened to slip out.  Oh no! He gave away his game!  "K" seems to be the same sort of silly game because he knows all his other letters...but just refuses to even try to say "K".  I guess it gives him some sort of pleasure to withhold something we want. :)  There is a slideshow below of some pictures from his Nemo birthday party.  You can also see my second attempt at cake handiwork. 

A Little Recap

I made a little slideshow/video with some of the better pictures from the time Dominic was born until now, then showed it at his 2nd birthday party. The song is "Forever and Ever" from Winnie the Pooh. I had cut out a lot of great (and significant!) pictures to make it fit the song, and so I chose ones most appropriate for those who were at the party. I'll do a longer one including more people and pictures with video later.

Double the Fun

Strollers are amazing. Currently, we own two (three if you count the umbrella stroller). The Graco Passage single stroller accepts the infant carseat, which snaps securely into it so that you don't have to wake up a sleeping baby. It can also be used as a regular (deluxe) single stroller that fully reclines, has a snack tray for baby, and convenient cup holders for Mom (or Dad...).
But then we outgrew that nice stroller. So now we are in for double the fun and double the money... We splurged on a sweet stroller made by the New Zealand company "Phil and Ted's" for our excellent adventure in Italy this next year. It is a single stroller that converts to a double stroller and is barely larger than a single stroller. Plus, it has HUGE wheels to go over rough cobblestone streets that certainly do not have ramps for the handicapped (a delight with strollers) and are probably sidewalk-less. Aside from the ridiculous instruction manual, which consisted entirely of miniscule pictures and instructions such as "remove the bungs then insert the ... until you hear a resounding click." Yes, a resounding click. I was all paranoid after putting it together because I just wasn't sure if I heard the click resound. Thankfully, the stroller is much easier to take apart than put together, and it folds much smaller/flatter than just about any other double stroller, ever. I've included some pictures so you can see it for yourself.

This is how we will use it when Cate is big enough to sit up. Dominic in front and Cate behind.

And this is how we use it now, while Cate is a newborn. She lies down (securely strapped in, of course) "beneath" Dominic. He thought it was great to see her feet right beneath him. :)



Now if they could just make this stroller motorized...you know, kind of like a moped. Maybe I could get a seat for myself too... Brilliant. I should go consult with Phil and Ted.

Snuggie

Anyone who has ever seen a commercial for the Snuggie, a hands-free blanket, and marveled at the innovation of our great nation, must read this little love letter to Snuggie. Incidentally, this little piece was written by a dear and talented friend from college. Enjoy!