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April 16, 2003
4.16.03:
Mitchell, 18 months old…
It’s hard to believe that Mitch is 18 months old, but he is. In many ways he is such a big boy now, but he’s still my baby. Last Friday was Mitchell’s 18-month checkup. After dropping Rachel off at school that morning, Mitch & I headed across town to the pediatrician’s office. Our appointment was at 9 a.m. We arrived a few minutes late and the waiting room was packed. The nurse called out Mitchell’s name 5 minutes later and we followed her down the hallway to the exam room. Mitch doesn’t seem to like the doctor’s office. I think it’s a combination of unhappy memories of prior ear exams and shots and a little stranger-anxiety. Against his will, he was weighed (29 lb) and measured (34 ½ inches). We walked up and down the hall pointing and looking at the Disney lithographs on the wall. He played with some trucks in the exam room until the doctor knocked on the door. Then he hightailed it to my lap. The doctor reviewed his chart and told him what a big boy he is. The good news was that he did not need any shots this time. The doctor let him play with the ear flashlight and Mitch seemed to warm up a bit after this. He let the doctor examine both ears without protesting. He has 16 teeth now. After receiving a good bill of health, we were sent on our way with a sticker, a lollipop, and an appointment for his 2-year checkup in October.
We pulled out of the parking lot at 10 a.m. I think that’s the fastest in-and-out appointment we’ve ever had. We drove to the Galleria and parked near the new wing, where Nordstrom’s and Foley’s are located. It was a nice day to stroll through the mall and explore the new stores. Two steps into the Nordstrom store and we were stopped by security and told that the store was being evacuated. A fire alarm had sounded, but it was a false alarm. We eventually were allowed into the store and browsed through the upper level, took the escalator down to the first floor and strolled through cosmetics. I stopped at the MAC counter, but there was only one person manning the cosmetics counter and she was busy chewing gum and talking on the phone. So, we decided to pass. I will make an appointment to go back. We went on to Ann Taylor Loft, Foley’s, Pottery Barn Kids, and then stopped in front of the water fountain. Boy, did Mitch get a kick out of the water show. The fountain falls from the ceiling of the second level all the way to the floor of the first level. The water comes down in different patterns, and you never know when it will start and stop. He really enjoyed it, saying “wheeeeee!” and holding his arms up in the air as if to touch the water. We went over to Galleria I to shop at the Disney Store. Mitch really likes Pooh right now. He grabbed one from the shelf and gave him a big hug and squeeze.
Rachel’s first crush:
It seems Rachel has developed a (mutual) crush on a boy at school named James. One day last week, I picked Rachel up from school and the kids were playing outside on the swings and slides. Rachel ran up to me and handed me a yellow dragonfly barrette. She said is was a present from her friend. I didn’t think much of it at the time. Since then, she talks nonstop about her friends at school: Avery, Megan, Darian (grin), James & Lauren. She will tell us who she played with, who she sat with at lunch, who was line leader of the day, and so on. She is really keen on Avery, as they take dance lessons together and lie down beside each other for naps. But, the past few nights she has started talking about James and asking where her dragonfly barrette is. I showed it to her, and she said that James gave it to her, and we teased her a bit. She told us that James is in the older class (the 5-year-olds) and he plays on the bigger playground. So apparently she has caught the interest and attentions of an older gentleman. This morning, when I brushed her hair back into a ponytail, she asked if I would pin her dragonfly barrette to her hair so James would see it. How cute! Wonder if James will notice? She has been busy making Easter crafts (eggs, baskets and decorations) for the Easter egg hunt and party tomorrow.
Chuck E. Cheese…
Mitch needed another hair cut last week. I took him to his appointment while Jerry took Rachel over to Chuck E. Cheese for some indoor fun. It’s in the same shopping area, so we joined them afterwards. Mitch really came alive! He climbed all over the sliding board and rides. He rode the carousel, the Barney ride, the Telly Tubby ride, and Chuck E. Cheese jeep. He ran from one station to the next throwing the balls and hitting the pop-up mice with the mallet. He had no interest in eating pizza with us. He squirmed down from the booth and ran back to play. He scrambled up the slide and slid down about 50 times while we sat eating, watching Mitch slide and Rachel play in the tunnels overhead. Rachel wanted to take him up through the tunnel station in the ceiling, and we said no. We figured he’d get stuck up there and neither of us wanted to be the one to crawl up there to get him. In a few more months, he’ll be on his own.
Swimming…
On Sunday, the kids wanted to get out the pool. It was in the high 80s. They put on their swimsuits. We filled up the pool and got out the Elmo sprinkler. It doesn’t take much to make those kids happy. It was fun to see them enjoy the water, run through the sprinklers, and take turns spraying each other and being sprayed. Rachel snuck a cup of sand in the pool and we said, no, no, no! No sand in the pool! Speaking of sand, I caught our cat Angus peeing in the sandbox. Oh, was I mad! I tried scooping it out, but I just couldn’t be sure that I’d gotten it all out. Considering that Mitch eats sand while playing with it, we dumped all of the sand into the garbage can. Jerry hosed and scrubbed down the sand box. We let it dry overnight upside-down and then refilled it the next morning. We will be more watchful of the sandbox while the lid is off and take better care to keep the cover on when not in use. That darn cat! Next time, I’m taking the water hose after his little behind!
Mitch & the remotes…
Most kids are fascinated with the remote control. Rachel went through her phase of remote control fascination. But, I think Mitch has some innate remote control radar. We make the effort to keep the remotes high and out of reach (on the mantel or on top of the TV), but Mitch doesn’t miss an opportunity. He will pull a chair over to the fireplace and climb up to snatch the remote. He knows he’s not supposed to have it, and when we catch him, he runs off as if wanting to be chased. Usually he gives up by throwing the remote down (and hard!) and for some reason the lid pops off and the batteries fall out. We marvel over this, as we’ve tried to intentionally drop the remote and the batteries rarely ever fall out, but they fall out each time Mitch throws it down. All of a sudden the remote control for our favorite TV was nowhere to be found. It went missing for nearly two weeks. It was a pain to get up and change the channel or adjust the volume (boy are we lazy or what?). And we knew, without a doubt, that Mitch had something to do with it, but where did he put it? We thought we had looked everywhere, and of course, eventually we found it (you always do). It was inside the electric fry pan with lid on, inside the kitchen cabinet. Doesn’t this makes perfect sense? The only time we use the fry pan is when Jerry makes pancakes on weekends. So, perhaps this was a subtle message to dad to make some pancakes for Mitch?
Snicky Snack…
Just before bedtime, we have a snack time ritual called Snicky Snack. Usually Rachel gets to pick the snack, as Mitch will eat just about anything. The only time I veto the snack is (1) if it’s too close to bedtime; or (2) the request is too sugary; or (3) we had the same snack for the past 17 nights. One of the strangest but most popular snack requests lately is cookie dough. Namely, chocolate chip cookie dough. Does anyone else let their child eat this goo? It’s really hard for me to refuse because her main partner-in-crime is none other than her Dad! And he doesn’t even like sweets, but I guess this is his weakness and one he has passed on to his daughter. I can remember arguing with my brothers and sister over the bowl and beaters after my mom baked a cake or made brownies, but I think I outgrew that stage about 20 years ago. Some of the neighborhood kids have been selling cookie dough as a fundraiser. For $10, you can get a bucket of raw cookie dough, and it never sees the cookie sheet or oven. It goes straight from bucket to bowl to tummies. Happy faces for Rachel & Jerry.
Easter Bunny…
The Easter Bunny has changed over the years. When we were kids, this is how it worked. You left your empty basket out on the sofa the night before Easter. The Easter Bunny would come in the middle of the night, fill up the basket with Easter grass & candy and then hide it in the house. No toys, no books, just grass & candy. The typical hiding places were the bath tub, behind the living room curtains, behind the recliner, under the kitchen table. As we got older, the Easter Bunny would try a little harder, but not much. We usually sat and stuffed our faces with chocolate crosses, chocolate bunnies, malted milk balls, and peanut butter eggs. We have changed the Easter basket tradition slightly, adding one toy and not giving as much candy. We put M&Ms inside plastic eggs and hide them in the back yard. This gives us time to videotape the kids while they find the eggs under bushes, in trees, and so on. We will do the same this year. We (I mean the Easter Bunny) will hide the baskets for the kids in the house. Rachel seems to be stuck on the idea of having a pink scooter. She is expecting the Easter Bunny to bring her this terrific toy. Now, we have seen the neighborhood kids riding scooters, but they are usually older kids, riding slick silver scooters. I’ve never seen a pink scooter. Until last Sunday, that is. I had the idea of a pink scooter in my mind, but I really thought I’d have to find something else and Rachel would be so disappointed. But, as I flipped through the Toys R Us catalog from the Sunday paper, I couldn’t believe my eyes. There was a pink Disney princess scooter for ages 3+. This is exactly what we wanted, and it was 50% off. She already has a helmet, so we will have to buy the elbow and knee pads, but I think I am more excited over this pink scooter than she will be. I can’t believe it’s a Disney princess scooter too. (I know, I know, Gag! But she will love it, and that’s all that matters to us.)
Happy Easter!
Warmly!
Megan
I’ve added new pictures to the web site and will post swimming pictures from this past weekend soon.
http://www.babiesonline.com/babies/m/millimaki/
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