Spring Sledding

Stan B wasn't sure if he liked the sled when it was in the snow. I thought he would have loved it but he was more so-so about it than anything. Now that there is no snow on the ground he loves it. Sometimes he puts balls in it, sometimes pine cones and one day he collected litter with it that was lying along the street. Here he is giving his soccer ball a sled ride (watch 'til the end for how we finish up the last leg of the trip around the block):

spring soccer ball sled from erin kawamata on Vimeo.

I like how he goes into the neighbors driveway and when I say something like, "That's where Simba lives." He puts his hands up to his chest as if to say, "Where?" (Simba is their dog.) We also run into our friend Jane a lot and her three dogs. (Jane was one of our witnesses at our wedding here in Chappy.) One day (not this particular video) we ran into her and Stan B said, "Jane!" when he saw her from afar. I couldn't get him to repeat it in front of her but here he is saying it:


jane from erin kawamata on Vimeo.

Play Fridge

Our friends Suganya and Bobby lent us their daughter Kavi's play kitchen while they would be away for a year and a half in Kenya. Stanley loves it. He plays with it often. The other day I heard all of this rummaging in his room. When I went in there all of his kitchen toys were on the floor and there was no Bear in sight but I could hear what seemed like a little mouse inside of the fridge. So, I went and got the camera:
fridge from erin kawamata on Vimeo.

All Done!

I'm so glad we taught the Bear how to use signs to communicate. It's really amazing and it sure does help him express what he wants rather than crying or whining and us having to guess what he is trying to say. Here he is playing with our next door neighbors. They are very funny kids and verrrry social. In the video below, the boy yells out to our neighbor across the street to say hi, louder than necessary. He is also the neighbor that said to me one day when I was changing the Bear's diaper, "I didn't know girls could have penises." To which I replied, "Stanley is a boy." And the neighborboy said, "Oh, o.k. Wow, these are some cool toys." Anyhoo, here they are pushing the Bear on a tricycle. Towards the end you can see the Bear clearly raising an arm, signing, "All done!" He does this when he is done eating, done with the swing, done on the trike. It's a good sign to teach.
 
all done from erin kawamata on Vimeo.

Bucket o' Bear

Yep, that's a bobby pin in his hair.

Aki B used to go in the bathroom closet and grab the bucket that I would use to mop the floors with. It had residue in it from the cleanser that I use. He would carry it around and wanted to put toys in there but I would always take it away because his toys would get the floor cleaner residue on them. So, I got a bucket just for him. He doesn't tote stuff around in it as much anymore but lately he has really gotten into climbing inside and rocking back and forth:


bucket from erin kawamata on Vimeo.

It cracks me up that he hits the bucket after he falls as if it is the buckets fault that he tipped over. He does this with the floor, chair, wall or whatever it is that he falls on or runs into. He points at it and then smacks it as if to say, "Bad wall! No hitting Stan B!" It is very amusing.

Eczema

Our pediatrician said that the rash around Stan B's mouth is eczema. You can see it fairly well in the pic below:

If his cuteness is too distracting I made this ugly, saturated image with arrows pointing at the reddest parts of the rash so that you can see it better:

Some days it's worse than others, I don't know why. They say (the interwebs) that it could be due to an allergic reaction or simply the change in the weather. It started in the middle of winter so, I'm thinking it has to do with the weather and all of his runny noses. I think we could get him steroids to help get rid of it but it doesn't seem to bother him at all. I have been putting All Good Goop by Elemental Herbs(which we also use as a diaper ointment) and coconut oil on it to see if either of those help. I really hope it's not an allergic reaction to something. Hopefully the weather will warm up and stay consistent (come on Mother Nature!!!) so we can see if it's due to the wintery weather.

Daredevil Dives

Happy Monday!
Watch him fearlessly dive/fall onto his big blue ball:


dives from erin kawamata on Vimeo.

At the Farm

In the sunlit seedhouse.

We went to our friend's family farm again with the Birth Center boys and families! It was fun!

Collecting eggs. L to R: Tavner, Zak and Stan B

Going on a cart ride.

Smelling the flowers in the hoophouse. L to R: Zak, Sebastian and Stan B

In the hoophouse. The flowers in here were stunning. She sells these at the farmer's market.

Family portrait

Petting the cow.

Feeding the chickens with gusto.

Tractor ride

In the tent.  L to R: Roxanne, Lauren, Zak, Stan B, Tavner, Sebastian, Naima and Erin.

At the campfire. Stan B is putting his hand out to feel the heat and saying, "Hot!"

We were planning on camping before Lauren gives birth to baby #2 but the date kept getting pushed back. So, Roxanne invited us to her family's farm again but this time to have a campfire, make s'mores, play in the tent and sleep inside (in the house.) Slumber party! We couldn't spend the night due to next day plans but we would have loved to have woken up the next day at this magical farm and played in the river and played with the dogs and chickens. Hopefully they'll invite us another time.

I did bring Stan Bs p.j.s as I knew we'd be on the road late and it'd be easy to plop his sleepyhead straight into the crib without having to change him when we got home. Before we left we all had the wild idea to put all 4 of them in the bath together. We ended up doing 2 shifts of 2. They are so big now. Stan B was pouring water over his head and flopping around and it was cracking Tavner up. Here they are in the bath together:

Cloth Diapering Update

We totally fell off the cloth diapering wagon. It was either right before or right after our trip to Idaho last summer when we started using the cloth dipes less frequently. It was mainly due to his really bad diaper rash and also because our daycare doesn't do cloth diapers so we were actually buying disposables and having them so close made it that much more convenient.

Here is his tush in a cloth diaper.

While my parents were in town in January of this year I asked my Mom to help us get back on the cloth diapering wagon since I know she is an advocate. I was given hand me down cloth dipes in a larger size from a friend (she used them with her three babies and they are still holding up.) Yeah, that might gross some people out but a) everyone poops b) Stan B wears diapers that he previously pooped in c) we wash the diapers in between each use. So, it's actually not that gross. I even had my Mom re-wash them as they had been sitting in a box for almost a year.

Besides being green, cloth diapers are like pocket squares for babies...they add a nice pizzazz to any outfit. Here is Stan B watching our neighbor using the shovel near our pine tree.

So we tried him once again in some cloth dipes and lo and behold a diaper rash. BOO HISS.  So we washed the dipes in hot water again (we may have put vinegar in there too, I don't remember). Meanwhile we had him in disposables and treated the rash successfully. It took a couple of days for it to look better but it finally did. Diaper rashes are terrible terrible things. 

Here are the dynamic duo fighting over foot/paw space on the stool and looking out the side door on a warm winter day. Notice the too small pants and the very large diaper.

Two months later we are in cloth diapers full time on the weekends (that's when he's in my care). Daycare and nights he is in disposables and Mike is still in disposable land (I think). But I feel better about it and I think cloth diapers are supposed to help with potty training because the child can feel when they are wet more easily. (I've been reading a lot about potty training...I will take any suggestions!)

Mimicking a teenager's style.

The downfall of cloth diapers is that most pants don't fit over them. Stan B has to wear 2T sized pants in order to be comfortable with a cloth diaper on.

Underwater Audio Sensations

More bathtime underwater audio sensations:


underwater from erin kawamata on Vimeo.

Being Sick and Drinking Tea

Drinking "tea"

Stan B has had probably about 6 (or more) viruses so far this winter. Basically, he's been sick in some way since November. We seem to be in good health now (knock on wood). Kids under 4 (I think some say 6) are not supposed to take cough medicine because there is an ingredient in there that some children are unable to metabolize which would cause a fatal overdose (scary!) So, a cold with a cough lasts on for 12 days or so...and the cough lingers on for weeks after that. UGH. Because I hate seeing the Bear miserable I often look up alternatives for a youngin like him to take. I use a humidifier to help soothe his throat and sinuses while he sleeps at night. If he has congestion I put drops of tea tree oil and rosemary in his bathwater before bed. I made this natural vapor rub out of almond oil, rosemary oil, tea tree oil and beeswax that I rub on the bottom of his feet and chest before bed - this really helps with that horrible cough at night (it works on me too!) If he has head congestion a saline solution (that they sell premade in the children's section) that I squirt up his nose and then use the bulb to suck out the snot (Mike and I call this snorking..."Hey Stan B, let's snork your nose!") Lemon and honey are supposed to be good for soothing a sore throat so I mix that in with some warm water and put it in one of my mugs...Stan B LOVES drinking out of the grown up mug and he calls it "tea" because that's what I normally drink my tea out of. It's pretty darn cute:

tea from erin kawamata on Vimeo.

And here is a picture of him drinking "tea" and eating nori. He wouldn't eat his oatmeal this morning and he pointed at the shelf. I said, "crackers?" Noooo. "Cereal?" Noooo. "Pasta?" Noooo. "Nori?" Excitement noises...so, he had "tea" and nori for breakfast. Between that and really getting excited seeing the picture of the island Molokini on our calendar I swear he's my Tutu(Paternal Grandpa) reincarnated.

The Explorer

When it's a Mommy or Daddy Daycare Day and the weather isn't too miserable we tend to spend a lot of time outside. (It seems his energy cannot be contained in the house). So off we go...usually with no big plans. Here he is in typical frontyard/neighborhood explorer mode:


Typical Outside Exploring from erin kawamata on Vimeo.

Playing with Food

Here is Stan B playing with his food. Normally I would end mealtime if he started playing with his food but he was doing it with such purpose and concentration that I couldn't help but let him play. It's long but I enjoyed watching him:


bowl stacking from erin kawamata on Vimeo.

Bath Noises

Stan B was blowing bubbles in the bath tub which reminded me of this video from way back when. He is now a bubble pro. Here in this vid he is also showing off his tongue rolling sounds and tongue clicking sounds:

bath noises from erin kawamata on Vimeo.

Hiking in His Carrier

I hiked the Eno River on a weekly basis while pregnant with the Bear. We even took the grandparents there when Stan B was extra wee. I haven't been going on a regular basis since before Stan B was born but we (Auntie C, Stan B and I) decided to give it a go. Christina and I switched off the carrying of the Bear because he gets very very heavy. In the picture above I have him in my Ergo which we have used when he was a newborn and we still use with him at 20 months. He is in a hiking backpack on Christina, below. That one is great because he gets to sit up high and can look over your shoulder.

We stopped at the river and tossed rocks and bark in. Just across from the river here is where Stan B had his first birthday party.

He ended up falling asleep in the carrier on this hike. It coincided with nap time. But I think he had fun during the awake portions!

Papa Bear

I was going through photos and came upon these cute selfies:

We love you Papa Bear!

Car Entertainment

On our way home from a birthday party Stan B was enjoying playing with a balloon. At the end he is playing peek-a-boo, which he plays a lot lately by smacking his hands over his eyes.


car ride from erin kawamata on Vimeo.

Chasing Bubbles

We went to Sy's first birthday party (he makes an appearance around the 40th second...his Mama works with Mike) and there were bubbles! Stan B really enjoyed chasing them. It was such a beautiful day too, no jackets! (It is currently sleeting as I type this...come on Spring!!)
chasing bubbles from erin kawamata on Vimeo.

Piano Concert

The Bear's piano skills are improving by leaps and bounds. Here he was in March 2013 playing piano (and other instruments).  Here he was just 7 months later refining his technique:


piano play from erin kawamata on Vimeo.

Hair Brushing

If you ask my Mom what she would indulge in were she to have all the money in the world she would say, "To have someone brush my hair every day." She finds it very relaxing. She probably would be a good professional hair-brusher too as Stan B enjoyed having his hair brushed by her:

He doesn't always love having his hair brushed by me. I must not have good hair brushing skills because he stood still for Nana:

It's so nice to see his eyes too!

First Signs of Empathy

If I haven't already told you, Stan B loves trucks. LOVES them. He has sat in a fire truck twice and a dump truck once (the perks of my job). He also enjoys a bus. We rode the bus from downtown to our house one evening. He was transfixed during the entire ride. Now when he sees buses he says, very enthusiastically with finger pointing and arm extended, "BUH!" He used to call trucks that too but now he can say, "TRUH!" just as enthusiastically. He has this little dump truck that he enjoys pushing around outside and filling it up with pine cones, leaves, balls or muddy water. So, of course this means that his favorite reading material is automobile related. He likes a book called, can you guess it? Yes, "Trucks" Oh, yeah, and he likes trains too because he loves the book "The Little Red Caboose" which he calls "Choo Choo" which are the two sweetest sounds that come from his mouth. "Choo Choo?", he says, with palms up, while looking for that book. It's truly adorable. His current favorite is "Richard Scarry's First Little Learners Cars and Trucks". I think I read that to him 10 times in a row last night. (UGH.) Here we are on the construction page:

When we got to that page there is a dump truck emptying a load of dirt and it is falling on top of Mr. Pig:

Stan B saw this and furrowed his brow. All serious and concerned. It was my first "Ah, crap" moment as a parent. As in, "Ah, crap, how do I explain this to a 19 month old?" I chose to be honest. I said something like, "This seems to concern you. It looks like the driver of the dump truck is not paying attention to where he dumps the dirt and it also looks like Mr. Pig wasn't paying attention to where he was standing." Stan B still with a concerned look on his face says, "Uh oh!" So I repeat myself and then add, "The dump truck is accidentally dumping dirt on Mr. Pig. Should we tell the driver to stop?" and so I pointed at the driver and said, "Hey! You're dumping dirt on Mr. Pig!" Stan B looked at me and smiled. I'm thinking to myself, "Pheeewww! I think I getting through to him!" Then he looks at the picture again and says "uh oh" again. I say, "We can offer Mr. Pig our help. Mr. Pig do you need a hand getting up?" and I put my hand out. I explain to Stan B that Mr. Pig will probably need a bath afterwards but that pigs actually enjoy the mud. Then Stan B does this:

He puts his hand  out to Mr. Pig as if to give him a helping hand. How sweet is that? When I tried to turn the page he wouldn't let me and said, "Uh oh!" and put his hand out to Mr. Pig again. He really wanted to help him out of the dirt!

It was sweet and made me think that perhaps he does have empathy because boy, oh, boy, the way he smacks poor Dickie the Cat and looks at her with that devious grin makes me think he's a bit crazy sometimes. So this was a nice little window into his empathetic soul! Mr. Pig would say thank you, I'm sure!

Short Attention Span

From tickles, to peek-a-boo, to reading a book:


leg chub reads a book from erin kawamata on Vimeo.