Monday, December 12, 2011

Pack Rat

This is still ongoing, but memory serves me that Vash has always been a bit of a pack rat. When he loves something, he doesn't only not want to let it go, but he wants every version of the thing he loves and it has to come with him everywhere. Like the binky. He use to want to carry every binky we owned with him, everywhere. He'd keep them in a plastic bag and trade out the one he was sucking on occasionally. (Truth be told he still wants all the binkies, we just don't let him have them.) For a while it was puzzles. I remember he carried this Farm puzzle with him any where we went when he was 1 year old. It was only three pieces so he could do it easily and he wanted to show everyone. Then he figured out his water creatures puzzle and that had to come too. We'd have a plastic bag full of puzzles and their pieces and he'd bring them along. Once it was all his Pooh things. They also traveled in plastic bags. Then it was his coloring things for a while. All crayons and all papers never left his side. They even came to the grocery store. And for the longest time it was cups! He had to have like ten cups with him at all times! Right now it's his toy cars. He has a Cars backpack that Papa got him and he loads that thing up with cars and carries it all over. Every car he sees has to come along.  No car left behind. Ha ha.

Rhyla is a little more simple. Doesn't care for a binky that much. Only wants a cup if it's filled with gatorade. Blankets are only for bedtime. Yep, just give her the lamb and she's happy.

Sunday, December 4, 2011

Gloves

It's finally getting cold here in the land of unbearable heat. And that means hats, coats, socks, shoes (instead of flip flops), scarfs, and sometimes gloves. Last year, we took walks even more often than usual. We always take walks but when I'm pregnant we marathon walk. I always feel better when I'm moving. So we'd walk the temple grounds because Vash loves the lights, but it was always late and dark and well... cold. So anyhow, we'd bundle Vash up in coat and blanket and hat and gloves. But not just any gloves. I guess they were more like Mittens. You know, where only the thumb is separate? Anyhow, we'd put those on Vash and he'd start doing the crab thing. Opening and closing his hands, watching them with utmost interest. It was funny for some reason. So we started to call them his pincers. "Vash, want your pincers?" He'd smile and do the crab thing, even without the gloves.

Sunday, November 27, 2011

Thanksgivings Past

Our first Thanksgiving, I threw everything up because I was pregnant with Vash. We split the day between our sides of the family. Spent the morning with my side, watching parades and eating a lunch thanksgiving. Then we went to Craig's side for dinner thanksgiving and  a movie. It was the Bond one... Quantum of Solace. Horrible.
The next year, Vash was about four months old and we hosted Thanksgiving. Nana and Papa had to go to New York for a dental conference and my grandparents went to Payson. I Hate Payson. Wont go back. So my parents came over and we had Thanksgiving at our home. That was the first year we went to the Zoo. Just Craig, Vash, and me. He liked riding on Craig's shoulders and seemed to enjoy looking at the animals. It was kinda fun making dinner. Trying some new things, making some old favorites. I look forward to doing that occasionally as the kids get older. Vash, who was toothless, got to try his first mash potatoes and pumpkin pie squares.
Last year, I was pregnant with Rhyla and we spent the day with Craig's side. Vash actually had teeth and was super excited to eat anything he wanted. Spent the morning at the Zoo of course. That was the first year we fed the giraffes. Vash giggled and smiled to no end. Loved those big purple tongues.

Monday, November 21, 2011

Hello, My name is...

Now that Vash can say his name, he loves to throw it in whenever he can. He introduces himself to everyone. Calls everything "Vash's truck" or "Vash's tummy"... It's adorable. Well, we were in the car and Rhyla was talking to Craig. She'd say daddy and he'd say Rhyla. Back and forth, back and forth. Out of nowhere this happens:
"Rhyla"
"dayee"
"Rhyla"
"dayee"
"VASH!" Vash interjects.

Maybe you had to have been there but we couldn't stop laughing.

Sunday, November 13, 2011

Pre Photo Phobia

Two of our three family photos have gone as smoothly and whipped butter. Not always the case but more on that in a minute. Our first year we were married, Craig and I got family pictures taken, via Craig's family's photo. The photographer took a few pictures of us as a couple but because I dont look like barbie, he literally took just one photo of each pose and didn't want to work with us at all. It was actually a horrible experience for me but he did leave me with one nice thing. At the time I was four months pregnant with Vash and not showing at all. Every one kept talking about the baby and wanting us to try and look pregnant so we could do the heart on the belly pose. The photographer finally was told that I was actually almost half way through my pregnancy even if I didn't look it. So he turns to me and says, "Awesome. May you never have more than a tiny basketball bump." And I have to say, it's been true thus far.
Year two, Craig and I took our seven month old Vash to get photos at JCPenney. We had these great t shirts. Craig was the Big Hunk, Vash was the Runts and I was the Dairy queen. I'm having de javu as I write this so I may have told you about this before but oh well. We forgot to get a picture showing the names on the shirt so the joke was lost on all but us. But we got some great pictures.
Last year, was when photo phobia set in. He screamed and cried and Craig had to suck the binky to get even a hint of a smile. But we got the photos. Great Christmas cards. Love JCPenney.

Friday, November 4, 2011

Halloweens Past

Our first Halloween together, I was pregnant with Vash. And SICK. I layed on the couch, watching Hocus Pocus, while Craig, Jen, and Papa took turns handing out candy.
Our second Halloween Vash was four, almost five, months old. He was Winnie the Pooh, I was Piglet, and Craig was 80 year old Christopher Robin. We walked around Craig's parent's neighborhood and just showed him off. There really wasn't any candy involved.
Last Year, Vash was the Tin Man, I was a pregnant Dorothy, and Craig was the Scarecrow. Why was I pregnant? I was trying to repopulate Munchkin Land. Where were the rubies on my slippers? Well, I scraped them off and sold them to pay for Scarecrow's college education so that he'd stop complaining about not having a brain. Haha.... We went to our ward truck or treat, then visited Nana at work. Afterwards, Vash fell asleep and we passed out candy at our home.

Ah.... that boy loves to dress up. You can tell that he knows how cute he looks. (Rhyla is always told how cute she is so I'm not sure that she registered Halloween as being any different.)

Monday, October 24, 2011

Figure Eight

When I was pregnant with Vash, Craig and I used to do a lot of walking. Especially towards the end of my pregnancy. We would literally walk for hours. We'd walk after dinner. Come home, use the restroom, grab a drink, and go out for another walk. We'd come home, watch a movie, then walk again. It's be like 10pm and we'd be out there, walking and walking and walking. We had this stretch of neighborhood that we liked to trek. And just to change it up sometimes, we'd walk it like it was a figure eight. Hours of walking. Never induced labor. And that's a true story.

*We walked a lot when I was pregnant with Rhyla too. We'd walk around temple lights every night. We had to talk loudly just to hear each other over the crowds and we'd go around several times. Every now and then, if Vash seemed interested, we'd stop and listen to whomever was performing. It was great to bundle him up in gloves, a hat, and a coat. He'd just sit in his stroller and look around, amazed by the hundreds of thousands of lights. *

Monday, October 17, 2011

Reaching

This is another non memory, current thing. But it was so cute I felt it needed it's own post. We take family walks almost every night. We like the exercise, the temple, and the opportunity to talk. But mine and Craig's favorite thing about our walks, is the kids reaction to the bushes at the Fairbanks home. They have bushes with flowers and the bushes usually grow very far out onto the sidewalks. This used to annoy us but as of late, it has become a rather endearing area. I'm not sure who started it, (I want to say Rhyla because I don't recall Vash doing this before) but every time we pass the house and those bushes, they reach their little hands out and try to touch a flower. It's amazing to us. They're little kids. Especially Rhyla. But they remember that the bushes are coming, that they want to touch them, and they know that they wont be hurt if they manage to reach one. It's the most adorable view. Pushing the stroller and looking down to see two arms, one so baby chubby she still has fat sleeves, and one still tiny but almost big boyish, just ... reaching.

Sunday, October 9, 2011

Watch Watch Evolution

First off, do you get it? The title? Instead of Dance Dance Revolution it's... well anyway. Vash likes movies. Here is a list of movies in the order of which he fell in and out of obsession with:
1.) Winnie the Pooh
2.) Monster's Inc.
3.) Toy Story, Toy Story 2, Toy Story 3. (It came out right in the middle of his love for the franchise and he was thrilled to see more Buzz and Woody.
4.) Finding Nemo
5.) Wall-E
6.) UP! and Ratatouille ( both of which he enjoyed but didn't ask for.)
7.) Snow White
8.) Jungle Book
9.) Tangled
10.) Cars and Little Mermaid (Current)

With that being said, I would like to proclaim that I am not a terrible mother and Vash does do things besides watching movies, but their are many days in a year, and sometimes, I just need him to sit and be happy for five minutes while I eat something or pick up the kitchen. Anyone who knows how busy Vash is will understand that he never just sits still unless he's very distracted. Love that boy though. With all my heart.
Rhyla even seemed to enjoy the movies now too. She can play and not have things ripped out of her hands. LOL

Monday, October 3, 2011

Pouty Mouth

When Vash was only a few weeks old, maybe eight or nine weeks at the most, he went through this phase where he wanted me to nurse him in this particular chair, in his dimly lit room, holding him a certain way, and it always had to be right before bedtime. He would eat and eat and eat, until his little tummy was rock solid and couldn't possibly hold more. He would then pout out his little lips and refuse even his precious binky. Those little pursed lips were the cutest thing I had ever seen. I would just stare at him, completely asleep, serene, and extremely full, pushing out those little lips as far as they would go. I imagine he dreamed something like, "Not another thing will pass these pouty lips."

Monday, September 19, 2011

Kermit

If Vash were Katy Perry and he were to write a song about kissing, it would say "I kissed a frog and I liked it!"
Vash's very first, full and complete sentence was "I kissed it!" My mom was holding a Kermit the frog puppet and making it talk and sing to Vash. Craig and I were snuggling on the couch and we must have kissed because Vash leaned over and planted one on the puppet. "I kissed it!" he joyfully yelled. So cute.

Monday, September 12, 2011

Vash Lexicon

People are always asking us, "What's he saying?" "What does that mean?" and "Come again?" Well, the answer is sometimes he's saying nothing, and sometimes what he is saying changes meaning depending on how he's using is. So, for your reading pleasure, here is a Vash Lexicon:

Family:
Ya- Ya = Rhyla

Da-yee = daddy
Mamamamama = Mom
A-you = Me or Vash

Dan's mom = Kristen
Don = All the cousin brothers



Meal Time:
Fook = Fork
A-pie-ya = Spoon
A-coo coo = a cookie or cooking
A- mook = Milk
wa- yee = water or soda
A- jew = Juice (Not the people)
Ap-poe = Apple, or any other round fruit

Animals:

Woof woof = doggy
A-weet weet = a piggy or the noise a piggy makes
Fishy = Fishes or (For some reason) sun glasses.
 A-poo = Pooh bear or any bear in general
Raaaaaa!!!! = lion or tiger or something that growl
A-hibbo = Hippo (Can also be Raaaa! though)

 A- wall = Whale (also know as "Oh No!")
A- shock = Shark
A- turl = turtle



Things you do:
Pee Poo or Pee Pee or Poo Poo = Pee, Poop, and all that other nasty stuff
 Poo- yee = Pooter or Fart
A-Pay = play
Swim -me = swimming

Phrases:
Tee Too =  Thank you
Pees = (can mean ) Please, peas in a pod or that you eat, but mostly he just signs it by rubbing his chest
OK= Ok or yes I can have what I asked for, E.G. " a bee pee? ok."
Sum = more or some
A- Pwee = Pretty
A-hot = Hot or A hat, or something he doesn't want to eat as in Too hot

A-hop= Help or up
Dow = down


Things:

Bee bee = baby
Bee Pee = binky

A-yucky = is a booger or something gross that he touched
A-ki-ya = car
A- pa-yee = Potty (He doesn't do well with his "R's" yet.)
A-pock-ee = pocket
Punky = Pumpkin

Places:
Aside = Outside
A- go = go as in "Vash do you want to go to Nana and Papa's house?" "A- go?"

Misc:
A-Mickey = Mickey Mouse
Buzz and woo-ee = Buzz and Woody
A fi -ya = Fire or Phineas and Ferb (The TV show)

 Anything else you here is gibberish and usually can't be translated. Of course his favorite word is still "NO!", but this is what we have so far.

Home Alone

I'd just like to begin by saying that we have NEVER EVER EVER EVER left Vash home alone. This story is called home alone because it's about me and Vash being home without Craig there. Now then. Vash was born about a month after Craig's Spring semester ended, and this was the only summer since we've been married that he did not take summer school. So for eight glorious weeks, it was me, Craig, and our new baby boy together almost all day, every day.( Craig still worked but not all week.) Well, obviously Fall eventually came and brought with it another long and grueling semester. (I'm talking he would leave at six in the morning and not come home until ten at night.) Vash and I were very well acquainted at this point but it was still a learning experience to be home with him all by myself at first. After a while though, we settled into a great routine and it was a lot of fun.  We'd eat our breakfast, play for a bit, take a nap. Eat lunch, drive to Wal-Mart and walk around. Some times we'd visit family or friends. Then it'd be nap time again. When we woke up we'd watch movies, eat dinner, and play some more. At seven pm we'd start our bedtime routine. Bath, book, bottle, bed. He'd go down for bed at eight o'clock every night. It was almost like clock work for a while. When he was asleep I would read to myself and check on him every ten minutes until Craig got home. He used to be sad on his extra long days because it meant he wouldn't see Vash awake that day. So he'd sneak in his room at night and just stare at him, stroke his cheek, and lean in to give him kisses. One day, I remember, he missed us so much that he asked me to bring Vash over to Steve's Crazy Subs for lunch so he could hold Vash for a while. Yeah, Vash and I spent a lot of nights home alone together.

Monday, September 5, 2011

Not Vash Approved

You know how food has to be approved by the FDA before it can be sold to people? Well, Vash must think he's on some kind of board for approving people who are allowed to have a binky. (Or who may be Aunt Katie's new "Friend".) Craig and I brought the kids over to Nana and Papa's the other day so that they could say goodbye to Kate before she headed off to school. Jen was there too, along with Katie's "Friend" Kyle. Well,  as mentioned in previous blogs, Vash has supposed to have given up the binky. Honestly, he's like an addict. We take it away, he goes through with-drawls, we give it back because he cries so hard or we're sick of him stealing it from his sister, so we take it away when we find his hiding spots for them, or he wants it gone in exchange for sweets or a toy, we think he's doing well, then we catch him on the front porch taking a "binky" break. (Aka like a cigarette break, LOL.) Anyhow, off topic. Upon Papa's request, we took the binky away from him again and I hid it in my purse. Well, Vash notices it is missing and asks," Beepee?" "I don't know where it is. Does Papa have it?" Vash looks around Papa. Nope. He looks around Nana, then Jen. He asks me to stand up and prove it's not under me. Then he checks Craig and Kate. Still no binky. So, there's Kyle and Vash walks up to him, looks him right in the eye and says "You're not beepee!"
Apparently, Kyle is not allowed to have the "beepee".

Temples

Vash, in my opinion, has been very lucky so far to live so close to a Temple his whole life. We live right around the corner and it's where we take our evening walks. He likes to look at it. Calls it a pretty. He gets excited whenever he sees us getting the stroller out and yells "Walk?!?!" For a little guy who likes to run and scream and is usually more busy than any other kid I know, he's unusually calm and serene when we take our walks. He likes to look at the flowers, the birds, and the Temple. I remember when he was 11 months old and a whole group of us went to see the new Temple in Thatcher. He was such a good boy in the car. On the way there and back, we played in the back seat or he slept. He was so quiet and observant in the Temple. He never once started to whine or make noise while the Guide was explaining the rooms to us. He seemed to be so happy having his Papa carry him whiled he looked at all the pretties. ( I have to admit, the part he probably liked best was the reception afterwards where he got to use his newly grown teeth to enjoy a few cookies.) I'm really glad we were able to take him and that some day I'll be able to tell him about the first time he visited a house of the Lord.

(Oh, and about those new teeth? Vash had zero teeth. ZERO! Until he turned 10 months old and they all came in at once. True story.)

Sunday, August 28, 2011

Kiss the Belly

Even though Vash wasn't very old when I was pregnant with Rhyla, he was still very interested in whatever it was in my tummy. He would come up and stare at my abdomen. It was getting bigger, and rounder, like a ball! He knew it was something special. He knew he couldn't be rough with it. But just what was it in mommy's tummy? We tried to tell him it was a baby. His baby. A baby girl . He would be our helper. He would be sure she was safe and happy. He was going to be her Hero. He must of liked that because he would ask me to show him his sister, (You know, lift the shirt up.) then he would rub his hands over my bump and give her kisses.

Monday, August 22, 2011

He "Aint" Whistling Dixie

We have a great picture (which I will find and add later) of Vash trying to whistle. He was only about seven months old at the time and loved the sound but didn't possess the skill to actually do it. He would stare, entranced, at our mouths, probably trying to figure out how we made that noise. Now that he's older and loves Snow White and the seven dwarfs, his favorite song is "Heigh- ho!" Partially because he can say most of the words and partially because of the whistling. Although he still can't whistle so it comes out more like  he's hyperventilating than anything. It's still adorable though. You should see it. He rocks back and forth between his feet and sings:
"Ha - ho, Ha- ho.... GO!!!!"
*Hyperventilation*
"Ha- ho, Ha-ho, ha-ho, ha- ho!"

Monday, August 15, 2011

The Striped Ghost

So this wasn't that long ago, but seeing as how I can't remember all the other memories I WAS going to write about, you get to hear this story.

Vash hates the sun. Hates it. He's always saying "It's hot!" and telling me "EYE! EYE!" while pointing to his squinting eyes. For those of you who don't speak Vashese that means "It's in my eyes and it hurts!" So, we were given the gift of shade from a woman who works in Papa's office at my baby shower. Yep, she got us these super nice Eddie Bower sun shades that even roll up themselves when tugged on. After a long and grueling drive to Texas, Vash, in either anger, sleepy irrationality, or just plain toddlerdom, broke the sun shades. "Eye! Eye!" he screamed as he pulled them down and to pieces... The poor dead sunshades. Well, that's the back story. So now, we were on our way to Utah and Vash was being tormented by his mortal enemy. He wanted to sleep, but how could he? His eye! His eye! He cried and through a fit and I finally told him to cool it and threw a pink and white striped receiving blanket over his head. He promptly fell asleep. Every time I looked back at him, I couldn't help but laugh. Our little striped Ghost.

Tuesday, August 9, 2011

Monkey Thought Translator

There's a movie called "Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs". It's a great movie about an inventor. He has a pet monkey and one of the inventions is a Monkey Thought Translator. You cant imagine how many times we wished we had a Vash Thought Translator. What did he think about the car? Was it a magical experience to sit in the car seat and suddenly be some where else? What about the toys that make noise? Did he think they were alive? Were the stuffed animals real animals? And the TV. Did he wonder about the magic box on the wall that contained tiny singing cartoon characters? What did he think about solids? And when did he figure out what packages contained cookies and chocolate VS. vegetables or meat? What about the microwave or the oven? Something goes it yucky and comes out yummy. Is that magic? I don't think we'll ever forget those bright interested eyes. (Heck, they're still bright and interested.) Or his curious and observant expressions. But now that he's learning to speak, I guess we wont need a Vash Thought Translator. (We will however still put in an order for a Rhyla Thought Translator. *Joke*)

Sunday, July 31, 2011

Co-Author, Baby Soft, and Baby Mine

Co-Author:
Vash used to love to type on my computer and laugh like a mad scientist while he did it. I never minded and we actually thought it was quite funny, until recently when he pulled a few of the keys off  rendering Charles McGowan (My laptop) unusable. He wont be helping me write books any more, I think.

Baby Soft:
Vash is going through a phase where he wants to have or use whatever I have or use. My food, my shoes, my make up. I out on a hair band and he wants one. He likes to wear a flower clip on his shirt on Sundays and we call it a pretty. I pretend to curl his eye lashes and he wants my blush too. Anyway, he used to want to put lotion on all the time and I couldn't figure it out because I rarely wear lotion. He'd pull out every lotion I have and put a little on. One fragrance on his legs, a different fragrance on his arms, a third on his tummy. Lotion, lotion, lotion. What was going on? Why this addiction? Well, Nana figured it out. She was snuggling him and rubbing his legs when she noticed a few dry patches on them. Psoriasis. It runs it the family. Has haunted Nana for years. Poor little guy wanted the lotion because it made him feel better.

Baby Mine:
When Vash was a new baby, just days old, I had the baby blues and would cry for no reason at all. Well, he had his days and nights mixed up and with Craig having work all day, I often stayed up at night and rocked him. He'd cry unless I sang. I'd sing Colors of the Wind, God Help the Outcasts, to name a few. The song he really liked was Baby Mine from Dumbo, though. Like Father like son, Craig and his daily dose of Dumbo. So there we were. Vash staring intently into my eyes, me staring back, bawling like an idiot, singing Baby Mine at two in the morning.
Baby mine, don't you cry.
Baby mine, dry your eyes.
Lay your head, close to my heart,
never to part,
baby of mine. 

Tuesday, July 26, 2011

Dress up Doll

I didn't play with many dolls when I was little. I guess that's why it took me forever to realize that I could dress Vash up like a life size baby doll. I'm not kidding you! Even though my mother bought him outfits for 4th of July and Christmas and Valentines day, etc., I just kept forgetting and putting him in ordinary clothes. I'm almost surprised I remembered Halloween. *joke* But there was one thing I realized right from the get go. Vash could be used as a message board. When Craig had a hard day at school, he would come home to find Vash wearing an "I Love Daddy" onesie, or if he was ready to do a project Vash would have on a "Daddy's Little Helper" onesies.  Those onesies are  still my favorites.

Monday, July 18, 2011

Let's Get Physical

Vash was ready to crawl at age six months, but we believe that due to the nasty state of the carpet in our first appartment, he saw it fit to just rock back and forth on his knees on a receiving blanket where it was safe. We think he thought that because when he turned seven months, we moved into our current home where the carpet is MUCH cleaner and as soon as he was set down began to crawl. Well, at least he had standards.

Monday, July 11, 2011

Helper

Ever since Vash could walk, he's wanted to be a helper. He wanted to help put his toys away. He wanted to feed himself and he even wanted to help Daddy mop. Craig remembers Vash pushing the water bucket around to wherever Craig was mopping so that he didn't have to do it. Now that he's bigger, he really does help alot. Yes, Vash likes sweeping the back porch with Grandpa, (They call themselves the Busy Broomers.), plugging in the vacuum cleaner, and helping me cook dinner by stirring the pots and randomly adding seasonings. He likes to try and help Rhyla eat and he likes to help carry in groceries. If we're there when he does it, he helps Papa check the mail. He even holds things for Daddy when he's using the grill or changing the AC filter. My favorite, I think, is when he thinks the carpet needs to be mopped and I get shocked by a sopping wet rug beneath my feet. LOL


Doing the dishes.


Playing with Rhyla. (Rhyla is also learning to "help" feed herself. Oh, the sticky mess.)


Showing Rhyla how EXACTLY you play with this toy.

Sunday, July 3, 2011

1+1= A bad photo opportunity

When Vash was one he was such a camera ham. We took him in for his birthday pictures and he was all smiles and posing. He hugged his Pooh bear when we asked him too. He was so cooperative. Then this year, we had to drag him in kicking and screaming. TWICE. The second time we took photo's of him crying until he realized that it wasn't going to hurt him and then he started to smile. Confession: the pictures of him crying were so cute, we had a collage made of him with a caption that reads "It's my party and I'll cry if I want to!"



Tuesday, June 28, 2011

Lights On!

Vash enjoys lights. Now that he's tall enough to turn them on and off by himself, that's what he likes to do instead of taking a nap. But way before he was 37 inches tall and before he could walk, we took him to McKormick railroad park to see the Christmas lights. They have a train at the park and it slowly takes passengers through a man made Light Wonderland. They have Santas and presents galore, "flying" reindeer, elves, and usually some particle board cut outs of a recent popular cartoon. (E.G. they had Shrek that year.) But the thing that makes this ride the most special is all the lights. Hundreds of thousands of light every where. Even though Vash was only about six months old when we took him, he seemed to really enjoy it. For a wiggle worm who never wanted to be held, he sat quietly and still, looking around with wide eyes for the whole ten minutes of the train ride. He looked so cute with his puffy coat and hat, all wrapped in a blanket. His cheeks still got pink, but that's Vash. Ivory skin and pink puffy cheeks. We had to skip last year because I was about 8 1/2 months pregnant and didn't want to risk delivering on a train. We're pretty excited to take both the kids this year.

Monday, June 20, 2011

Extra Special Gift

Vash was only days old on Craig's first father's day. Craig was changing Vash on the automan. It was just after church so Craig was wearing his nice white shirt and tie. Any how, Vash was breast fed and any one who breast feeds knows how.... interesting baby poop is from a breast fed baby. Well, Craig was changing the diaper when all of a sudden... BOOOOOOMMMMMM!!!! Out came bright yellow seedy poop all over Craig, his white shirt, his tie, onto the wall behind him, onto the couch, and even on his face. Craig tried not to throw up, clean himself up, while I cleaned up the baby and the walls the best I could. Craig was sputtering and mumbling something about "Did that on purpose....gross... why on Earth..." I tried to lighten the mood and said, " Well, Craig, just think about this. He's probably saying 'Happy Father's Day!' in the only way he can."

Sunday, June 12, 2011

Two Stories

#1 Driving Home
In honor of Vash's birthday I want to write about when we brought him home from the hospital. It was surreal to think that we had a little person in the car with us. The entire fifteen minutes I kept turning around to be sure he was ok and Craig drove about ten miles below the speed limit to be extra safe. When we got home we set his car seat on the couch and just stared at him for a bit. I remember feeling like, "wow, look what I made!" He was sleeping so peacefully. We touched all his chubby rolls and caressed his cheek until we were ready to take him out of his car seat. It was the official "We have a baby and he's home now" action. That was a great day.

#2 Bink Bink

Papa hates that Vash loves the binky. Every time Vash sucks a binky in front of Papa, Papa asks Vash for the binky, Vash hands it over, then Papa tells him how much better he speaks without it. Anyway, Craig and I were taking the kids for a walk and a man with a hat got out of a car across the street. Vash asked around his binky, "Papa"? "No, that's not Papa," we explained. But Vash was convinced. "Papa! Papa!" He cried. Then he took out his binky and acted like he was going to hand it over, "Papaaaaaaaaaa!" He yelled in tears. I could just imagine what was going on in his head. "If there is a Papa, and thou art Papa, will thou make thyself known unto me? I would give away all my binkies to know thee."

Sunday, June 5, 2011

Ultrasound

As I've said before, Vash is a mover and a shaker. We found that out before he was born. Not just from later in my pregnancy when I could feel all of his energy, but way, way, before. The very first ultrasound we did, I was about ten weeks along and we were yet to even know the gender. The machine was turned on and after taking some measurements, the screen was turned toward us. The first thing we saw was this amazing and tiny beating heart. The ultrasound technician zoomed out then to reveal this very active little baby. Pumping his little fists and legs as fast as he could, Craig and I couldn't help but laugh at the sight of our unborn and very energentic child. Every time I'd laugh Vash could feel it and would freeze, probably wondering what was happening. As soon as I could stop the giggles he's begin his little pumping dance again. I wish we'd have caught it on video, but even though we didn't it's some thing I'll never forget.

(BTW, Rhyla was the complete opposite in her first ultrasound. It was a high tech 3D imagery one with her because they were checking to be sure it wasn't an Ectopic pregnancy. I could see every little move she made. She lay there looking asleep, only occasionally moving her fists in front of her face and trying to snuggle even closer to the uterine wall. Very much like her as we've found out. Snuggly and docile.)

Sunday, May 29, 2011

Tender Loving "Burr"

Nana and Papa bought Vash a standing bouncer when he was a about 4 months old. He loved that thing so much that he's actually having a hard time watching Rhyla enjoy it so much now.  Any way, Vash currently has an affinity for Birds and Air planes. Burr and Pane! He calls them. Well, when Vash used to stand in that bouncer he would stare at the bird and reach his little hand  up so tenderly as if it were a living thing and he wanted it to trust him. Craig and I still vividly remember that chubby little cupped hand trying to charm the little "Burr" down. 
You'd never think such a small child would understand that it was fragile and needed to be treated with care. But that's Vash. Always surprising us and surpassing our expectations.

Monday, May 23, 2011

Eating Solids

Rhyla's begun eating solids and it reminded me of when Vash first started baby food. He wasn't one of those babies that needed help learning to keep the food in his mouth. No, from the first time he tried it he was able to eat with out making a mess and loved eating "big boy" food. He probably didn't even need a bib, but we put one on him for principal. His favorites were apple sauce and yogurt, and he quickly picked up on feeding himself. Then he loved eating the puffs and biter biscuits. It took him a bit to get used to a sippy cup because he so entirely loved his bottle, but once he started drinking juice he liked the cup because it was faster. Oh, my hungry boy. Born to eat and going to be 6'4, 200lbs. Just a guess.

Sunday, May 15, 2011

Kidnapped

 In our last ward, Craig and I used to teach Sunday school to the 13 year olds. They liked us because we were young and used their colloquial language, but they also liked us because of Vash. Even the 13 year old boys wanted to hold him and help him play with his toys. Any way, we had to go to a meeting for Sunday school teachers and it was held at the home of one of our students. Vash was happily sitting on my lap when about five minutes into the meeting, a women moving so quickly I hardly recognized her came in, took him right off my lap, and exited the room. Everyone had stopped talking and was looking at me with shocked expressions. I could tell they were wondering what had happened exactly, if I knew it was going to happen, and what should their response be? All of a sudden the leader of the meeting breaks the silence by asking, "Did we just witness a kidnapping?" Everyone laughed and the meeting continued. Afterwards, I went to find the "kidnapper." It turns out it was the wife of the leader and the mother of one of our students. She explained that her daughter just loved our son and was bragging him up before the meeting. She had told her mother that if we came with the baby, she was to come and take him from us so she could play with him for the duration of the meeting. "My daughter just loves Vash. She's always saying how good he is. I've just never seen a baby so content! He plays with his toys, he's happy with a stranger. I just never knew babies existed like this in real life. I had to see for myself." She apologized for scaring me, but I told her it was funny and we'd be happy to laugh about it later. Which is what we're doing right now.

Sunday, May 8, 2011

The Big Bear

This isn't a memory. This is a story from today but it was too funny to put in the regular blog. Nana and Papa bought a stuffed bear. Not just any bear. A 53 inch tall bear. It's big, fluffy and almost three times bigger than Vash. So anyway, Vash loves this bear and it was in the living room. Well, all of the adults were gathered in the sitting room about 17 feet away. Vash was being  a little too interested in the glass vase on the table so Nana suggested he go get the bear. Ha ha, OK. The bear is way to heavy for him, it'll never happen, right? Wrong. Vash walks into the living room and three minutes later the bear is in the sitting room. He's sweating, panting and tugging the bear by his nose. How he did it all by himself I'll never understand. But he did so now we're debating putting him into the baby Mr. Universe competition. LOL *joke*

Sunday, May 1, 2011

Energizer

Vash has a lot of energy. I know I've said that before but I don't know if I've ever described exactly how much energy he has. He has SO much energy and is still pretty little as far as bodies go that when he got excited about something he would literally shake all over. He'd bunch his fists up, bend his arms at the elbow so that his hands were by his face, completely stretch his legs and just vibrate from head to toe. It was like he had an electric shock going off inside him and no outlet to expel it from. Once, we were taking a walk, and he starting shaking with excitement about being let out of his stroller. Another couple passed and asked us if he was having a seizure because he was shaking so violently. We just explained that he was happy and didn't know how else to show it.

Sunday, April 24, 2011

Easter Bubs

I remember Vash's first Easter.He got a farm puzzle in his basket and it was his favorite puzzle for the longest time. We had to take it with us every where because he wanted to show every one how well he could put it together.( It was recently surpassed by a Winnie the Pooh puzzle.) He was cruising but not full out walking yet so we decided to line the eggs up on the edge of the sofa instead of hiding them. He was pretty excited when he saw them, only because they were brightly colored I think, and went right after them. He crawled over to the sofa and pulled himself up. He grabbed an egg and examined it. We told him to toss it into the basket. He did so and then happily went along grabbing eggs and tossing them. Mostly into the basket, but some just onto the floor. That's how he found out there were treats inside. One busted open revealing rainbow goldfish. He smiled and laughed and crawled as quick as he could over to the treats where he sat and began eating them. He tried to get to all the eggs pretty quickly after that. We didn't do an egg hunt this year because Vash found the basket holding the eggs before we COULD hide them and ate most of the treats before we could stop him. Not mad. Just noting. Nothing comes between that kid and food.

Tuesday, April 19, 2011

Fasten Your Safety Belt Please

Vash has always been obsessed with fastening latches and buckles of every style and kind every since he had the   dexterity to do so. Craig would come home and put his back pack on a kitchen chair, come back a moment later only to find that Vash had buckled it TO the kitchen chair. And every time we go for a walk, the second he's out of the stroller he turns around and buckles his safety belt even though no ones it in. It's always fun to place Rhyla in her car seat and then realize I have to take her out to undo the restraints Vash has buckled for me.  The kid is smart. And terribly worried about safety. This of course is a good thing but I feel awful about how this obsession started. Vash was only about 7 weeks old and I often had to put him in his bouncy seat so I could eat some cereal or something. This bouncy seat was particularly layed back and he wasn't rolling yet so I figured he would be ok unrestrained for a few minutes. Well, I must have fallen asleep while laying down eating my cereal, because the next thing I hear is Vash cooing wildly and with great enthusiasm. I opened my eyes to see he had bounced himself out of the bouncy and onto the floor. He was probably glad to be free and moving, but shocked by the slight drop to the floor. He must remember that because now EVERYTHING has to be buckled.

Monday, April 11, 2011

Favorite Friend

Vash went to a birthday party a few weeks ago. He was the only boy at a Princess party, but what can I say? The birthday girl was turning three. Her Uncle came in to wish her a happy birthday and she says to him, "Uncle so and so, that's baby Vash!" She was so proud of him. "What about your other friends Sam?" Her mother asks her pointing to the table full of little girls. "Oh... these are my friends," she says dryly.  It was hilarious. Who knew he was Everyone's favorite?

Sunday, April 3, 2011

Driving

Vash, being 100% male, loves cars. He likes sitting in the driver's seat and pushing every button and knob he can reach. Then he pretends to turn the wheel around while he smiles and looks out the windows. He's been doing this since he was seven months old. We came to look at the house we're currently in and got here before the landlord did. We waited in the car and Craig held Vash on his lap. He was thrilled to be in the front seat and even more thrilled to be behind the wheel.It's one of his favorite games. I worry about when he turns sixteen that we'll never get to run errands for ourselves again. He'll volunteer at every opportunity so he can be out and about in his "Little Duce Coupe". (I know I have a picture somewhere. I'll add it when I find it...)

Monday, March 28, 2011

Baby Butt Cheeks, Rhythm Machine

Vash is one musical maniac. The boy loves rhythm. His new favorite movie, Yes Toy Story has been dethroned, is Finding Nemo. Wanna guess why?

HA WHO WA HE HA HO HO HO!!!!! Remember the chanting around Mount Wanna Hock A Loogy? He just dances and dances and asks us to sing it for him so he can dance more. And he loves shouting out HOO! at the end of the chant. He's pretty much a dancing machine.
 But before he had so much coordination he used to be a marcher. He'd march around the room to any music. This brings me to the Butt Cheeks. One time when I was cleaning the house, I had on the sound track to Buzz Lightyear's Astro Blasters (Yes the Disney Ride.... I am hopeless).  Vash was marching around with an animal from his Noah's Ark in each hand. Well, he had a poopy diaper and I stopped to change him. After he was clean, but before I could get the new diaper on, he was up and marching again. Imagine it. Little Vash, lion in one hand, sheep in the other, arms straight out in front of him, pounding in time to the music, t-shirt on, bare bum, marching around the living room. I laughed so hard I nearly cried. It's one of my favorite memories to this day.

Sunday, March 20, 2011

Movies


When Vash was super little, I'm talking 8 weeks old, Craig and I started taking him to the movies. You have to understand. He was little and it was summer in Mesa. Over 100 degrees everyday. We couldn't just take him for walks outside or anything like that. So we'd walk around the Superstition Springs Mall until we were bored and then go to the dollar theatre. He actually seemed to like it. He would just lay in mine or Craig's arms and look distantly at the screen. Probably watching the changing shapes and colors. He'd whine a bit and we'd give him a bottle that he would happily eat while still looking at the movie. We even took him to late night, special event at a Harkins Theatre once. We could hear people groaning when we came in holding a baby, but they'd see soon enough. Vash didn't make a peep the entire time. Slept through the whole thing. At the end a couple came up to us and told us that we had the best baby in the world. "We were worried when we saw you bringing that baby in here, but he was excellent." "Thanks", we'd say. Even a teenager made a point of coming up to us and saying Awesome baby as he was leaving. Once he started crawling though, we had to start getting a baby sitter because Mr. Vash has never been much for sitting around. In a way, I miss having him along.

Sunday, March 13, 2011

Swimmy Swimmy Boy

Vash was really disappointed when the water at the Hampton was too cold to swim in. This reminded me how much he loves swimming. We used to take him swimming at Nana and Papa's pool, and at the pool in Grandma and Grandpa's apartment complex. This last summer we even put him in swim lessons at Aqua Tots. I took the class with him and he seemed to really like it. We practiced putting our face in the water to blow bubbles and grab rings. We learned to float and swim on our backs under a hippo bridge. We learned to monkey walk and Vash learned to be passed under water while holding his breath. I remember how cute he looked when he'd come up, water streaming down his face, blinking his eyes wildly, and taking in a big gulp of air. And I loved his big padded bottom. Not just wearing a swim diaper, but also a washable second (Just to be safe) diaper, and his   pooh bear swim shorts. My little super white, easily burned, chubby cheek bubbas, covered in sun screen, and a sun cap. Those were the days. At the end of swim lessons he even earned two ribbons. Expert Monkey Walker and Junior Bubble Blower. (I'll post pictures of them when we get home.) Despite the ridiculous heat of living in Mesa, I'm very excited about summer coming again, just so that Vash can be swimmy swimmy boy again.

Sunday, March 6, 2011

Mr. Independent

Vash came out of the womb declaring his independence. The nurses lay him down to weigh and measure him and he instantly began lifting his torso off the table. They couldn't believe how strong he was. Looking back now, and knowing him as well as I do, I see that he wasn't trying to display his strength. He was trying to prove his independence. I can imagine, all too well, his baby thoughts screaming out, "I don't need your help. I'll weigh and measure myself. I'll clean myself off AND get myself to my mom. Oh, and I don't need her help to eat either. I'll latch all by myself." Yep, and he weaned himself too once he realized he could hold a bottle by himself. Loved that. Sitting in his bouncy seat, feeding himself. And when he learned how to crawl and then walk? That boy was in hog heaven. "You mean I don't need Mom and Dad to get from here to there? This is AWESOME!" Relatives   used to say trying to snuggle Vash was like trying to cuddle a board. He did NOT want to lean into you or have any help supporting his head. And he really didn't like anyone trying to interfere with his sleeping habits. "No way am I sleeping in my crib. You're going to hold me Mom, so I know I'm not missing anything while I take my nap." I remember rocking him to sleep, the deep sleep where you can lift up and drop an arm and they don't budge, but the second I set him in his crib, his eyes would flash open and he'd wail till I picked him up again. (Found out later that was because he had Reflux and laying flat in the crib hurt his tummy.) No one could tell him when to go to sleep either. Even when I was pregnant with him, if we went for a walk, I could feel him inside trying to brace himself to stop me from rocking him to sleep. Couldn't win that battle though. He only had so much room to fight. So on and so on, Mr. Independent about everything from insisting on feeding himself solids and with big boy utensils to trying to change his own diapers now. I love that little guy. And all his stubborn energy. Deep down inside, I know he's a love bug. I know this because now that he's getting big enough to have a real amount of independence, he wants me to hold him when I read his bedtime story, and rests his head on Daddy's shoulder when he's ready for a nap, and gives baby sister big kisses when  he's sorry for stealing her binky. 

Sunday, February 27, 2011

Vash's Fashion Sense

Vash has always had his own sense of fashion. Not that he wants to look good or anything, but he gets very attached to something and then sticks with it. For a while he only wanted to wear Camouflage clothing, he liked pincer/crab/gloves when it was cold, and now it's hats.  
Buzz Light Year ball cap at Disneyland

Puffy hat that pushes out his cheeks when it's cold

Newsies hat on special occasions like Christmas

And ball caps now.

Monday, February 21, 2011

Boo Boos and Owies

Since everyone is sick this week, it made me remember all the times Vash has been hurt. But unlike when he's sick, a kiss will make it all better. While I cried every time he took a hit or tripped, had bled or bruised,  he has come out ok and I keep telling myself he always will. Like the time he ran and stepped on a baseball bat, which sent him flying head first onto the concrete patio. Or the time he got a black eye on the brick fireplace when he was learning to crawl.  The first time he ever got hurt REALLY badly was when he was about seven months old. He was playing with his crawl through/sing song/ kitchen thing he had gotten for Christmas. He had opened the fridge door and was currently playing with the stove. Since he wasn't fully standing without support I was right there with my hands on his waist. In a moment of pure chance, I took ONE hand off to push my bangs out of my face. In that ONE second he reach for something in the fridge, lost his balance, and his head smashed into the fridge door... Right on the pointy edge. He screamed of course, and I cried as I realized he had a dent in his head. A big one, that turned red, then blue, then swelled to the size of a golf ball. He had stopped crying in the ten minutes it took Daddy to get home, but I cried for almost an hour. Craig assured me again and again that he was ok and didn't need to go to the hospital. The swelling went down and he was all smiles and laughter in no time. But I still cry on the inside when I kiss him good night and see where there is still just the tiniest indentation on the side of his head.

Sunday, February 13, 2011

Disneyland

Last 4th of July weekend Craig surprised us and took us to Disneyland. Vash was very calm the whole day, sucking his binky and occasionally sleeping in his stroller. He loved Winnie the Pooh, the boat rides, getting soaked at Dot's Puddle Park, running around Brother Bear Trail, and drinking so much pink lemonade he threw up. It was an awesome trip and we can't wait to go again.
Sorry it's sideways. Not scared of the Haunted Mansion.

Sitting on a Bear Rock.

Loving the Pooh Bear twice his size.

Meeting his Hero

Still in Love at Disneyland

Too tired to watch Fantasmic.

Sunday, February 6, 2011

Bubbas the Hungry Hungry Hippo

Vash has always been independent. And hungry. When he was just a newborn he didn't even want help latching on to nurse. He would nuzzle me and make this snarling sound. "Har, har...." Like a hippo, until he got it on his own. And he ate all the time!!!! So we affectionately nicknamed him Bubbas the Hungry Hungry Hippo. It sticks to this day.

Sunday, January 30, 2011

The Binky

Vash loves the binky. Really really really loves the binky. He wants, not only to suck a binky, but to hold as many binkies in his hands as he possibly can while sucking the binky. (Now that we have Rhyla, he's always trying to steal her binky. I guess it's more appealing because it's forbidden.) We always try to tell him, "Vash you only have one mouth. You can only suck one binky at a time." Well, he proved us wrong. 

Thursday, January 27, 2011

Eggs and Summer School

Craig has been in school non stop for over a year now. Yeah, he even took summer school. But he has fond memories of it because of breakfast time. Every morning he would wake up and get Vash out of bed. Then he'd cook up a big plate of scrambled eggs and cover it with ketchup. Vash would be in his highchair and Craig would just pull up a chair, sharing Vash's tray, and together they'd eat the plate of eggs.

Sunday, January 23, 2011

Sleeping Habits

We have a lot of funny stories about Vash sleeping. Most of them since he's been in his big boy bed.  When he was in the crib we just used to laugh because he'd sleep with his butt in the air or we'd laugh because he looked so huge in the crib. But since he's been in the big bed, things have gotten  a lot funnier. For example, before we had the rails up to keep him in the bed at night, he used to  turn on the light, hop down and we'd hear him playing with his kitchen set. Then when it got quiet we'd look in and he was sleeping on the floor next to his bed. One night, scared me to death, I barely opened the door and since the light was off thought he was asleep. But I couldn't see him in his bed. So I opened the door further and felt a thud. My heart stopped. I slipped in and looked around the door on the floor. There, fast asleep, was Vash. He had gotten down before turning on the light, then couldn't get back up to turn it on, so he probably went to the door where he could see the light from the living room and lay on the floor till he passed out. Craig just laughed when he saw.
Or there was the time when we had then bed near the light switch and the book shelve. We'd put him down for bed and he'd turn the light on, grab a book, and "Read" to himself until midnight. He needed to sleep! But how can you yell at a kid for reading? Or during the day when I'd put him down for a nap and he didn't want to sleep, he'd just pull every book he could reach off the shelve and throw it across the room. Then he's do the same with his blankets, diapers, shoes, and hats. All of which we keep in boxes on the bookshelf. It was a mess like no other so we had to rearrange his room. ( He can still reach the blankets box unfortunately. )