Winter weekends

When it comes to activities, it's safe to say that we've been hibernating. Since we got back from California the temperature has ranged from "very cold" to "bitter cold," so there hasn't been a huge incentive to get outside and play. We did go down to the canal once so Tom and Henry could try their new skates, but conditions that afternoon were bitter cold, and it was too much for Dexter. He's at an awkward age for outdoor play this winter: too small to skate or understand that he needs to keep his annoying mittens on if he wants to play in the snow, yet too big to spend an hour being towed in a sled, immobilized by multiple layers of snow gear, while we play on the ice. Tom and Henry do get bundled up once a week to go to Henry's skating lesson at the local outdoor rink, while I stay home with Dexter, keeping warm.

D and I have also started our music class, so we do get out of the house at least once on the weekend. So far, Dexter hasn't been as enthusiastic about the class as I was expecting. I attribute this to two things: 1) He's not used to being in a room full of kids. At his age, Henry had spent almost an entire year in group daycare, and I remember being surprised at how socialized he was to a quasi-classroom environment with lots of kids when we stared music classes. In contrast, Dexter has spent his days at home, first with me, then with a nanny. It makes a difference. 2) I'm not sure if Dexter recognizes the cacophony of tuneless singing and off-time hand-clapping produced by the parents in the class as "music." At home we usually listen to CDs, and/or his nanny sings to him in tune. Once he realizes that yes, you can dance to noise, maybe he'll warm up to it.

Post-inaguration special

Travelling with small children

Here's what happens when you're stuck at an airport with small children for 9 hours.



Things get messy. And expensive!

Dexter at 17 months

Our little monkey is closing in on the year and a half mark. Time for an update.

Some chit-chat
It's official: his first word is "moon." Interesting choice, no? When he says it he puckers his lips out and pronounces it like, "mewoon." He's very proud of himself for managing to make this word and always smiles after saying it. He also says "up", "hi", "mu-ma" and "da-da," but he often needs to be prompted to use words at all. Instead he listens to us and responds with head nods, gestures and the occasional sign to let us know what's on his mind. Being able to nod "yes" has really opened up his ability to communicate. When that doesn't work, he's not averse to screaming and whining a bit.

Lord of the dance
Dexter loves, loves, loves music. Whenever I ask him if he wants to listen to music, he nods enthusiastically, heads towards the speakers and gets down as soon as the tunes start. Henry enjoyed music at this age, but not to the same degree. I can't wait for our baby music class to start next week!

Monkey see, monkey do
Dexter really seems to enjoy his big brother's company, and likes to do a lot of the things Henry enjoys. For example, he really likes playing with Henry's dinosaurs. He copies Henry's play patterns by picking up a dinosaur figure and making it fight other dinos, or attacking us with it while imitating Henry's "dino" roars and growls. Henry was all about trucks at this age, but Dexter is fairly indifferent to them right now. He'll play with them, but we're definitely not running to the front window when a snowplow drives by.

For the most part, Henry is very good (by 4 year-old standards) about including his little brother in the action, but he does get annoyed when Dexter acts too toddlerish and interferes in his fun. Dexter can also be quite physical with Henry; luckily he usually thinks its funny when his baby brother dogpiles him. I really love watching them interact. It's remarkable to see them developing a relationship as two individuals, rather than as our sons, if that makes sense.

Skinny Minny
Size-wise, Dexter is definitely petite. At his last checkup he was in the 50th percentile for height, but the 10th for weight (in December he weighed about the same as his cousin Stella, who is 6.5 months younger). He can still wear 6 month size pants comfortably. He definitely seems small for his age to me, but I'm not worried about it. He has a healthy appetite and has yet to have a significant illness, so small clearly is working for him. Besides, someone has to be the 10th percentile, right?

The sweetness
Now, as his mother, I can't claim to be an objective commentator on the topic, but I have to say it: Dexter is totally adorable. Big blue eyes, long, curly eyelashes, peachy skin and rosy cheeks, smiles for everyone, funny mannerisms and an outgoing, affectionate personality--he's got the whole "cute baby" thing down pat. So he's a pretty sweet little guy to be around, when he's not throwing food in my hair.

In general, I've felt like we've been in a sweet spot with both kids these last few months. At this time last year there were days when I felt like sending Henry to live at the zoo, but he seems to have outgrown many of the challenging, toddlerish behaviors that drove me nuts (just don't ask about mealtimes). And Dexter hasn't moved into that stage yet. So life at home is busy, but really fun. Good times.

Happy New Year

We're back home in icy, snowy, transit-strikey Ottawa after a fun but exhausting trip to the Bay Area. I don't want to get too deep into travel details (I'll just say it took us a full 24 hours to get to California, and around 12 hours to get back); instead I will emphasize just how fantastic it was to get out the frozen tundra for awhile. The boys had a blast with their grandparents and Uncle Jon, and weather was beautiful the entire time we were in Cali--sunny, temps in the mid-50s--and walking around without a coat on was a genuine treat. Now, a question I often ask myself almost daily during the winter is, "how did marrying a guy from California (
California!!!! And not just California--San Francisco!!!) somehow lead to me living in Ottawa?" and I'm still waiting for a good answer to that one. But at least I get to visit every couple of years.

I'm disappointed in myself for my anemic Christmas card effort this year, but coordinating photos, addresses and stamps was just a little beyond me. So let me take this opportunity to say Happy Holidays and wish you the best in 2009.