sick day.

The mystery fever has returned and Nate has been hanging out with me for the last two days instead of going to school. I know it's not strep or an ear infection, because we went to the doctor. What I don't know is what he has. The "probably a virus" diagnosis of a mystery illness is so frustrating -- especially since antibiotics are not an option.

We're making the best of it by spending a lot of time watching old cartoons like Looney Toons and Animaniacs, playing with toys, and taking it easy. Today we made a blanket fort and I think that will be a daily activity moving forward...he loved it!

manners.

I've been working with Nathan on manners a lot lately. Let me tell you, consistency is hard work. Nate gets aggravated with me when I make him repeat and correct what he has said, but the diligence is starting to show. He is pretty consistently saying please, thank you, and yes ma'am/sir.

Tonight Nathan was playing with his pirate ship, narrating for his little people, and did a little Manners101 with them:

Pirate1: Do you want to watch the movie?
Parrot: What?
Pirate 1: You say "yes ma'am"
Parrot: Yes ma'am
Pirate1: Do you want to watch the movie?
Parrot: Yes ma'am
Pirate2: Me too! Me too!

typical day.

I tell people that I live in a madhouse, but sometimes I don't think that the idea sinks in. Here is my day (and it's not over yet):

• 6:30 a.m. - Wake up, hit the snooze and try to sneak in ten more minutes 
• 6:38 a.m. - Nate wakes up, two minutes before the alarm goes off 
• 6:39 a.m. - Demands for cereal, Peter Pan, and juice begin. I pacify Nate with Disney Jr.
• 6:45 a.m. - Start getting myself ready, thank goodness it is a work from home day! 
• 6:50 a.m. - More demands for cereal and juice and then Nate gets sidetracked by flushing the toilet and banging the lid closed 
• 6:53 a.m. - I ask Nate if he wants to use his new Elmo potty. He tells me "no". I ask why and he said "I don't care". He may go to kindergarten in diapers at this rate! 
• 7:00 a.m. - A new show comes on and Nate has a mini dance party
• 7:05 a.m. - Start trying to get Nate ready. He wants to wear pajamas to school...mini meltdown ensues. 
• 7:15 a.m. - Successfully have dressed myself and Nate. 
• 7:16 a.m. - Nate jumps on the dogs and starts all manner of barking and screaming 
• 7:18 a.m. - We go downstairs and I try to move things towards the door
• 7:19 a.m. - Nate wants to tell all of the pirates in his pirate ship good morning
• 7:22 a.m. - I try to put Nate's coat on him. He screams bloody murder and demands cereal. I remind him that his teacher will have breakfast for him at school. More screaming.
• 7:25 a.m. - The coat is on, the child is screaming, and I am watching the clock. 
• 7:26 a.m. - I break out the animal crackers to lure Nate to the car 
• 7:30 a.m. - Chris helps me wrangle Nate into the car, more crying. 
• 7:31 a.m. - Nate is happy, eating cookies, and singing "Old McDonald Had a Farm" 
• 7:36 a.m. - We arrive at daycare. Nate runs inside and shows off his pictures of the dogs (it is pet week). Such a happy boy now. 
• 7:40 a.m. - Jump back in the car and head home. LOVE working from home.
• 7:45 a.m. - Make myself and instant breakfast and a coffee to start my day. 
• 7:46 a.m. - Realize that the milk carton has a hole and is leaking everywhere. Clean up and search everywhere for our glass pitcher.
• 7:55 a.m. - Admit that the glass pitcher is a lost cause, so resort to dumping the entire gallon of milk into 2 pots (with lids). Lovely.
• 8:00 a.m. - Start my work day, full of conference calls and spreadsheets
• 4:30 p.m. - Finish my work day
• 4:16 p.m. - Do the dishes, clean up the clutter, walk the dogs (who try to poop and chase cars simultaneously), put out the trash cans, check the bank, get a car snack ready for Nate
• 5:30 p.m. - Leave the house to go pick up little man 
• 5:35 p.m. - Arrive at daycare. His teacher said how much fun Nate had telling his friends about his dogs and how much loves them
• 5:40 p.m. - Get home. Ask Nate if he would like to play outside and he said "no"...every answer is a no lately. 
• 5:41 p.m. - Go inside, take off coats and put everything away. 
• 5:42 p.m. - Nate asks to go outside. Bundle up, again. 
• 5:45 p.m. - Nate asks to come back inside. He said it was "too dark". Picky boy! 
• 5:47 p.m. - Nate dumps out his bins of toys and rolls around in them. 
• 5:48 p.m. - Little man brings me a book to read, but quickly is agitated by the number of pages and takes it away.
• 5:50 p.m. - Demands for dinner begin. Nate asks for chicken and apple sauce, which is an easy fix. 
• 6:00 p.m. - Nate climbs into his high chair by himself. He's much too big for it, but loves it so much. Dinner starts. 
• 6:15 p.m. - Nate is done with his dinner and I wipe him off. He says that he doesn't want to get down. I ask him what he would like and he asks for peaches, changes his mind, and asks for a bowl of cereal. 
• 6:17 p.m. - The next course of dinner is served. Nate looks at me like I am crazy, ladling milk out of a pot.
• 6:32 p.m. - All of the cereal is done. Nate asks to clean up and then play. 
• 6:34 p.m. - Nate starts playing. Mind you, the bin of toys is still strewn around the living room. Nate begins inspecting the movie collection inside of the t.v. stand. 
• 7:00 p.m. - The nightly request for Peter Pan, which is Nate's favorite movie as of late. I multitask between paying bills, reading for my class, and cleaning.
• 8:30 p.m. - Are we there yet?! Nope, not quite bed time. Nate asks for yet another bowl of cereal. Request granted
• 8:40 p.m. - Request for another bowl of cereal. This is the last one, buddy!

 Okay, so maybe madhouse may not be quite exactly the right word, but things are never dull (or quiet) around here for long....and chances are, if it is quiet, then either we're not home or Nate is being mischievous. 

party, party.

Nate was invited to a friend's birthday party this weekend at a local toddler-only recreation place. Nate didn't exactly understand where we were going, so I kept chanting "party, party". I have heard him hoot that ever since, complete with toddler fist pumps. HA!

Question: Is it strange to dress your child to match the party theme? Nate has a Thomas the Tank Engine shirt, so I thought it was appropriate.  Right?

There were lots of familiar faces from daycare at the party, so it was nice to spend time with other kids (and adults) that we know. The party was an absolute blast, full of play time and games. Chris and I even got to participate a lot, which was a lot of fun!  Here are a few of my little goofball :)

 

I also took a few random shots of Nate the other day and put them all together like a mini-collage. I am loving this new lens for my camera :)