First Trip to the Movies

Eddie has been watching Woody and Buzz (Toy Story 1 & 2) a lot lately, so Kristen and I had been pondering if we should take him to see Toy Story 3. Having never taken him to the theater before, we weren't quite sure what to expect. We kinda figured it would either be too "noisy" and scare him, or he wouldn't want to sit still for 2 hours, or he would be totally mesmerized by it. It turned out to be a combination of all three.

Since Kristen was working, I volunteered to accompany him solo to a Friday matinee. The showing started right at lunch time, so I packed him a peanut butter sandwich, goldfish crackers and a big bottle of water, plus three emergency bags of fruit snacks and some lemonade. I put a few cloaking diapers at the top of his bag to get around the "no outside food or drink" policy, but they didn't even bother to check.

As the previews started Eddie was clearly overwhelmed. I had to hold him in my lap, and he would alternate burying his head in my chest and peaking at the screen. With rapid fire images and surround sound assaulting him from every angle, he asked me if I could turn the "big TV" off. Once the actual movie started he stayed on my lap, but settled down at the welcome sight of Woody and Buzz. He watched intently between bites of sandwich and goldfish, and after about 45 minutes he let me put him in his own seat.

However, once we got past the hour mark he started to get antsy. He wouldn't stay in his seat, and didn't want me to hold him on my lap. I eventually took him down to the hallway where you enter the theater and let him run around a little bit. After a few minutes I remembered the emergency supply of fruit snacks and lemonade and was able to convince him to return to his seat.

This final snack reserve nearly got us to the end of the movie, but just as it was reaching the finale, Eddie once again refused to sit still. So we adjourned to the hallway to watch the last few minutes. Quite out of character, he hasn't really said much about it since then, so I'm not sure if he enjoyed the experience or not.

It's Eddie's

In true 2-year old fashion, Eddie has concluded that as long as something belongs to him, there are no restrictions. Of course in his mind, this means that anything and everything belongs to Eddie, as long as he says so. Here are a few examples of the outrageous things Eddie has claimed ownership of in the last few weeks:

Eddie's river.

This means he can dump as much water as he wants on the dry banks where we are sitting.

Eddie's temple.

He thinks he can hold it. Luckily he seems to understand what "too big" means and that generally satisfies him until the next time we drive by.

Eddie's couch.

He feels he can draw on it with a pen, dump entire cups of water on it, smash goldfish into its crevices, jump on it, and climb up onto the back of it in order to look in the mirror.

Eddie's cart.

Eddie's toy.

Eddie is not a fan of sharing. Luckily, according to Eddie's rules, he can just claim a toy as "Eddie's" and then he'll never have to share again. This includes toys that are not his by any normal societal standards.

Eddie's lake.

Unfortunately Daybreak does not agree that the lake is Eddie's and, therefore, still will not let him swim in it.

Eddie's Daddy.

Yes, this one is partially true. Dave is Eddie's Daddy, but he says it likes he owns Dave and can, therefore, climb up and sit on his head in the middle of sacrament meeting.

Eddie's Sarah Sue's house.

Sure, he visits nearly every day and acts like he owns the place, but to claim dual ownership is quite the advanced concept for a 2-year old brain, if you ask me.

"I hereby proclaim this post property of Eddie."

Holy Marathon, Batman!

Last month Eddie watched Batman: The Movie so many days in a row that he was starting to draw DiMaggio comparisons. Needless to say, Kristen and I were getting pretty tired of the United Underworld and their dehydrating hijinks.

Things finally changed when I got a Blu-ray player for my birthday, allowing us to watch all sorts of streaming online video services on our TV. I soon discovered every episode of the '60s Batman TV series on YouTube in six part increments, thus giving Batman: The Movie a much appreciated respite.

So, most evenings after I pick Eddie up from daycare, we tune in at the same bat-time to the same bat-channel for another episode. The video quality isn't the greatest, but he doesn't really care.

It's fun for me to recall certain moments from when I watched the show as a kid, such as Batman doing the batusi, or Robin catching a batarang with his teeth to avoid plummeting to his death. Eddie's favorite part is unquestionably singing along (and bouncing) during the opening credits, which I have captured in the following video.

Starting Daycare

Now that I have a new job, Eddie gets to go to daycare four afternoons a week. We found a nice in-home daycare in South Jordan that we are taking him to. Last week, Eddie and I visited twice, just to get to know the provider, Brooke, and to introduce Eddie to the other kids. Both times, he had a lot of fun playing with them, so I was hopeful that he would do okay when I actually left him there.

In preparation for this new adventure, we bought Eddie his own Toy Story backpack to keep his stuff in. Here he is all ready for his first day:


I took him into daycare yesterday and he was instantly clingy. He wouldn't let go of me, so when I had to leave, he had a breakdown and tried to climb up my legs. Luckily, Brooke took him off my hands to allow me to escape, even if it was a little disconcerting to leave him screaming my name. I imagined him spending the entire afternoon terrorizing the place and having Brooke tell us that she couldn't handle him. But, apparently he calmed down after a few minutes and did fine... even taking a nap, which I was sure he would not do. Hopefully this means that he will adjust well to the new arrangement. Now let's just hope that I'll adjust well to the new arrangement too!

Big Brother

We have been pondering how to approach the subject of our pregnancy with Eddie. So when I came upon our 2007 Christmas card while looking at his baby book with him the other day, I tried to seize the moment. I pointed to the ultrasound image and the box around Kristen's belly, and we had the following exchange:

Me: Did you know that you used to live in Momma's belly?
Eddie: Tree!
Me: Yeah, that's a tree. But you used to live in Momma's belly.
Eddie: Yeah, tree.

Clearly the concept is still a little above him. Picking a name for the fetus seems to have helped though. Now he will point to Kristen's belly and say "Morsel" (it sounds more like "muh-sow"). Of course he is also under the impression that I have a baby in my belly too. Silly boy, that's an entirely different kind of morsel.

Big Brother is watching you, Morsel.

Naptime Toys

Lately Eddie always wants to take random things to bed with him for his nap. Here are a few of the items he has slept with in recent weeks:

• Empty milk jug
• Sunglasses (on)
• Flashlight
• Sippy cups
• Cereal boxes
• Various toys

Yesterday, it was a rock. He found the rock on our walk home from church and didn't want to give it up, so I just let him take it to bed. When he got up hours later, he was playing normally when suddenly, he rubbed his nose and said "Rock. Nose." So I asked, "Did you put the rock in your nose?" and he replied, "Yeah. Bed." So I tried looking up there, but couldn't see anything, so I took that to mean that he put it in there at one point, but it was no longer in there.

A few minutes later he was rubbing his nose again, so I took another look. Sure enough, there was a rock in there. Luckily for us, it was small enough that it worked its own way down to where we could fish it out. Of course, as soon as I got it out and disposed of it, Eddie cried because he wanted his rock back.

Eddie's Phrases

Since it has been quite a while since I posted about Eddie's words, I think another installment is due. Eddie has now moved on from single words to phrases, some of which are quite amusing. He is getting into the stage where he will repeat weird things that we say, so we have to be careful what he hears. Here are some of our favorite Ed phrases:

Want one.

I suppose this stems from me asking Eddie if he "wants one" of something. So now whenever he wants something, he'll just say "want one!" Generally we try to ask what he wants so that he'll learn how to better express himself, but if he doesn't know the word for something, he'll just get angry and shout "WANT ONE! THIS ONE!" until we figure out what he wants.

See it!

Back before Eddie was so observant, we would point things out to him while driving. We would say "Eddie, there's a temple. Do you see it?" So now, Eddie notices things himself and always yells "TEMPLE! SEE IT! SEE IT!" until we acknowledge that we have also seen it.

So like. Um.

As mentioned in an earlier post, Eddie started saying "so like, um" when Dave and I were making fun of me one day in the car. At first it was just cute and funny. Now it is getting a little out of hand. Eddie will be playing and suddenly will shout "SO LIKE! UM!" I'm not sure how to discourage it, since there is no adequate replacement to teach him.

Blender noisy.

Eddie is very sensitive to noises. Anything that makes any sound at all is quickly dubbed "noisy." The blender and vacuum are the worst ones of all. He has a love/hate relationship with the blender, often asking to see it in the cupboard, but never wanting to be around when it comes out of the cupboard. He is always sure to tell us repeatedly (with a very serious look on his face), "blender... noisy."

Reach it!

I suppose all parents will be familiar with this situation -- Eddie drops all his toys while we're in the car, then demands that I get them for him. If I'm riding in the passenger seat, I can usually retrieve them. However, if it is just he and I, I have to tell him no, which infuriates him. So I tell him I can't reach it. Then he'll try to reach it and grunt and groan and say "REACH IT!" until something distracts him.

Geet down.

It seems like ever since Eddie started talking, we have been trying to get him to say "up." He can say the word. I think he knows what it means. But whenever he wants to be carried, he always says "GEET DOWN!"

My goodness!

Since Eddie's favorite cousin, Sarah Sue, has older brothers, she now says things like, "Oh geez!" Since I don't particularly like the word "geez," I have opted to teach Eddie to say "my goodness" instead. I love when he says it spontaneously after something happens.


Sharkbait, oo ha ha!

Eddie's favorite movie is Finding Nemo. He will repeat many of the lines from the movie, but his favorite is this one. He struggles with the "oo ha ha" part, so it usually comes out sound like, "shark bait ha!"

Yummy good.

We probably should stop encouraging this one, but it cracks us up every time. When Ed is eating something, he used to always say it was yummy. Then I started asking him if things were good. So now he says things are "yummy good." Now, he was started adding "licious" into the mix, so often things are "yummy good. licious."

Good job.

I believe in the power of positive reinforcement, so I generally try to tell Eddie "good job" when he does something that was hard for him or when he does what I ask. But now he tells me good job... and he tells himself good job. I'm not sure if I should be concerned about him ending up with some sort of complex.

Help you!

Apparently Ed needs help with pronouns. We have been working on getting him to stop calling people "it," but he doesn't know the word "me," yet either. So when he wants help with something, he always says "help you!" He also says "to you" when he wants us to read stories to him.

More Daddy please.

This is the newest phrase that Eddie started saying over the weekend. We have been trying to get him to say "please" for a long, long time, and now he suddenly will... but only in certain cases. Just to clarify, he's not asking for more Daddy... he's asking Daddy to get him more of something.

Ten Things...

...I Have Learned From Having a Toddler

1. Out of sight, out of mind
The person who came up with this saying must have been a parent. We have found that one of the most effective ways to reduce tantrums and conflicts is to avoid letting Eddie see or hear anything about something which could make him upset. For example: We now have a habit of laying a kitchen towel over the cookie container so he can't see what is inside. Eddie's trike stays in the closet when not in use. One of us distracts Eddie upstairs or outside while the other uses the blender. We spell words that we do not dare say out loud, like "park" and "snacks" and "cookie."

2. Shoes and socks should not be worn in the car
Every car ride (no matter how short) involves the removal of Eddie's shoes. If the ride is long enough, his socks go too. I have considered removing them before we even start to save him the trouble, but he would probably be upset about that and demand to have "shoe shon" just so he could take them off himself.

3. If Momma suggests it, it must be a bad idea
90% of the suggestions I make to Eddie are swiftly answered with a "NO!" Then if I suggest the complete opposite, he replies "NO!" For example: The other day I was eating some cheese. Eddie walks in. I say, "Eddie, do you want some cheese?" He yells "NO!" I say, "Okay, you don't have to have any." Eddie then yells "CHEESE!" like he wants some. This goes back and forth for a good 5 minutes before I finally say "You can't have any cheese," which is when Eddie breaks down into hysterics. Then I give him a piece of cheese, which he promptly throws on the floor and stomps on in tears.

4. Hills are made for running down
This makes for long walks around the block, since we inevitably have to go downhill, then back uphill. He can't simply walk up the hill. He must walk part way up, then charge back down, over and over. This would go on all day if I didn't finally pick him up amidst writhing screams and carry him home. Maybe one of these days I'll let him keep going until he stops on his own... just to see how long it would take.

5. If you're going to eat fruit snacks, you should be able to eat as many as you want
I do what I can to regulate Eddie's sugar intake. I am not sure if it does or does not affect his mood, however, I am keen on helping prevent diabetes if possible. So I try not to let him eat sugary things like fruit snacks every day. Then when I let him eat them, I will let him have one package. This fills Eddie with rage. It is almost better to have no fruit snacks because as soon as he horks them down in 2.4 seconds, he is angrily demanding more "nacks!" Upon being informed that there are no more snacks, he continues demanding them until I either give in or find some way to distract him.

6. All statements must be properly acknowledged before we can move on
This has become a habit for me. I simply repeat what he says back to him so that he'll stop yelling it. Occasionally, though, Dave and I will be having a conversation and Eddie will be repeatedly shouting something at increasing volume until one of us breaks off mid-sentence to acknowledge it. Then Eddie will happily move on to the next thing. For example, when we are driving in the car and see a church and/or temple, Eddie feels compelled to shout "SEE TEMPLE! SEE IT!" until we tell him that yes, we also see the temple.

7. Sand is yummy; chicken is not
No matter how many different forms we try to feed to him, Eddie will not eat chicken. We have occasionally gotten him to eat other types of meat, but with chicken, he is stubborn. Sometimes he will even put it in his mouth, chew it up, then spit it out. Sand, on the other hand, is one of Eddie's staples. This grosses me out because I have seen dogs root around in the same sand that Eddie likes to eat. I am somewhat worried that he is going to end up with ringworm or some other parasite from eating park sand. He insists on eating it so much that I have considered buying a bag of sandbox sand just so I know the sand he is eating is reasonably clean.

8. If something is worth doing once, it is worth doing over and over and over and over and over and over
Unfortunately for me, during our recent ride home from Cedar City, Eddie suddenly wanted me to do "piggies" on his toes. We were about 10 minutes outside of Nephi, where we were planning on stopping for dinner. So I did 10 minutes of "this little piggy..." on Eddie's feet, all while twisted around uncomfortably in the seat so I could reach said feet. After every "wee wee wee," Eddie immediately said, "gain." I was trapped.

9. Having the sun shine on you in the car is like having your eyes boiled out with acid
This is why we own hats and sunglasses. Now if only Eddie would realize the wisdom of putting on his hat and glasses when the sun shines on him. Instead, he writhes. He shrieks. He yells "SUN ON YOU! GO WAY!" This makes for some miserable car rides... especially when it is just the two of us and there is nothing I can do to get the sun off of his face. Or when he simply refuses to be comforted despite Dave's attempts to shield him from the sun.

10. Getting all wet is always fun
It doesn't matter if it is winter. It doesn't matter if the water temperature is 40 degrees. It doesn't matter where we are or what we are doing... if Eddie can get wet, he will. He will splash until he is turning blue and shivering, and then he'll splash some more. I have now learned that I should always pack a change of clothes when we go somewhere with a fountain.

Zoology

I included a shot from our recent trip to the zoo on the main blog, but since when have I only taken one photo? Here are a few more.

Ed was more interested in this little watefall than most of the animals.

Love this shot. Neil is clearly not enjoying himself on the rhino.

We got the boys to leave the gorilla's "chest muscles" alone for just long enough to get this one.

The aftermath of the ball fountain incident.

Two Year Stats

Lucky Eddie got to visit the doctor for his 2-year well check on Tuesday. Eddie has come to dread the doctor's office. I don't think it has anything to do with shots, but I think he just doesn't like being prodded and examined. He started crying as soon as we pulled into the parking lot. Then we had to take the elevator (there was no way I was carrying him up to the 4th floor), which terrifies him.

Apparently now that he is two, he is no longer considered a baby and gets to stand on the scale and stand up to be measured. They didn't make me strip him down to be weighed, which was nice. Then when they asked me to strip him down, they provided a lovely Looney Tunes hospital gown for him to wear. Apparently modesty is important once you turn two.

We had to wait just long enough for the doctor that I was able to get Ed calmed down. We read stories and he clung desperately to his Diego figurine. Then the doctor came in. He seemed to like her as long as she wasn't touching him. She made sure to give Diego a check-up, too, so that Eddie could see that he didn't need to be afraid. Of course, as soon as she tried looking in his ears, that was all over. The doctor was impressed by Eddie's words, even taking him out into the main office to show off his most famous trick of shouting "BATMAN!" after someone says "na na na na." She was cracking up at some of the things he said, including the word "salami," which she described as awesome (which Eddie then repeated). All in all, he appears to be healthy and reasonably normal.

He weighed in at a whopping 27.8 pounds (48th percentile) and is 34.1 inches tall (50th percentile). That was a pleasant surprise after he slipped to the 8th percentile on weight at his 18 month check-up. It's good to know that he is growing despite his picky eating.