Visiting Santa

Remember last year when I said that I wouldn't set Jett on Santa's knee? I feel the same way this year too, but when a toy store down the street from us announced that your child could eat breakfast with Santa, I thought that might be worth a visit. I also appreciated that there was no standing in line. We actually made an appointment to see Santa - and got our own 15 minute time slot.

So this morning at 10:00, Charlie and I bundle up Jett, and bundle up ourselves, and walk on down to the store. It's picturesque, really, with fresh snow on the ground, Jett bundled up in his stroller, on our way to see Santa. As soon as we walk in the store and hear the first ho, ho, ho, Jett starts shaking his head, "No". But I scooped him up and walked back towards Santa anyway. We only got close enough for me to accept the candy cane that Santa offered Jett, with Jett snug in my arms and shaking his head, "No" throughout the entire exchange.

We hung out in the store for a while afterwards, eating their muffins, drinking their juice, playing with their toys, and tracking snow everywhere. Jett was entranced by two things in the store. One was a pull-toy, (and Charlie, the softie, bought it) and the other was an entire shelving unit of sequined covered ballet slippers (I considered buying him a pair, but didn't). Jett never acknowledged Santa, but I would say that he was entranced by him too. Occasionally Jett would take my hand and slowly walk back towards the room that Santa was waiting in. In fact, he had a whole routine worked out. To be clear, I should explain that the store is three rooms long. We spent our time in the first room, and Santa was in the last room. While there was still an entire room between us and Santa, Jett would take my hand and slowly and carefully walk up to the threshold of the first room, walk over the threshold, point to a piece of fruit (which he then wouldn't eat) on the refreshments table, and then s-l-o-w-l-y back out of the room, still holding my hand. He never acknowledged Santa, who was sitting against the farthest wall, two rooms away from us, but he never turned his back on him either.

I would like to say that Jett's hesitancy suggests that he has already grasped the true meaning of Christmas and has no particular interest in acquiring material goods, but one trip with him through Target tells me that's not true.

Oh well. Happy Holidays!

A safe distance.

Eighteen Months

Dear Jett,

Eighteen months ago
Before we gave you your name
Before you said your first word
Before you ever hugged my head
Or climbed on my back
Or bounced on my belly
Or held my hand
Eighteen months was further than we could think.



Now you are a year and a half old
And we spend more time thinking than we ever have before.
We think about why you don't like to brush your teeth anymore.
Why you're suddenly willing to get out of the bath when we ask.
We think about what to feed you for dinner when all you want is breakfast cereal.
We worry about the safety of plastics and paint and which direction we should face your car seat.
We wonder if your pajamas are warm enough and why you like putting on your coat but not your shirt and whether or not we should do anything about it.



Meanwhile you run to me with open arms.
You dance and spin and flop yourself down on the couch begging us to stop our thinking and just love you up.
So we do.



Happy Birthday, Buddy. We love you.

Healthy Kid

Jett had his 18-month check-up today, and he's still perfect. Well, technically, he's still a bit on the short side and the skinny side, but he keeps growing proportionately, so all is normal. He weighs 21 pounds and 3 ounces now, and is about 32 inches tall. Since we could answer "yes" to all of the doctor's questions, (does he walk backward; does he ever pretend; does he climb up stairs; say any words; enjoy playing with other kids) I guess we can assume he is developing normally. Actually, when I told the doctor he prefers chicken nuggets to all other food, she gave him the nod of successful toddler-hood. I didn't mention yesterday's snack of blueberries and ice cream, which ruined his appetite for the healthy dinner I had prepared for him - tofu dipped in pureed spinach, rolled in homemade breading, and broiled in the toaster oven. But I can't say that I blame him.


What would you want for dinner after a snack of blueberries and ice cream? Just more ice cream, of course!

Crayons

If you want your toddler to have a chance to play with crayons, but you lack the patience of making sure he only draws on the paper, it is a great idea to put your child in a cardboard box and let him draw on that. But it is a better idea to move that box away from the wall first.

KristKindle Mart

Two years ago, when I was pregnant with Jett, Charlie and I strolled through the KristKindle Mart downtown. We went at night when all of the Christmas lights were twinkling. We sat in the heated beergarten and drank hot cocoa, we visited the booths, I spoke German with the shop keepers, and we bought the first baby toy of Jett's collection, all when we were still getting used to the idea of having a baby. This year it seemed fitting to go again, with Jett.

So we bundle up and head out late Saturday morning. We're on a schedule now, squeezing this adventure in between his lunch and his nap. In fact, we're running late, and instead of giving Jett lunch at home (and being later), we add some Carnation Instant Breakfast into his milk, pour it into his sippy cup, and get in the car. (Carnation Instant Breakfast is on the list of things we can add to his food to increase his calorie intake - although it is supposed to be a supplement not his entire lunch). Anyway. We park at an el stop, snag a prime parking spot, and get on the train. This is Jett's first time on the el by the way, and he acts like a pro, flirting with all of the cute girls.

We get to the Mart and it is packed. We strap Jett in his stroller and discover he has a perfect view of everyone's winter-coat-covered butt. But it's hard to carry a kid when you both have winter coats on, so we keep him strapped in. We can't even get close to any of the shops because the lines in front of them are too long. We wade into the sea of people, trying to avoid running the stroller over anyone's feet, and find a spot that is kind of out of the wind. Of course there are no available seats inside, so Charlie scrounges up a chair for me and I go about giving Jett his lunch. His lunch is completely unglamorous: a cold grilled-cheese sandwich I made at home, which he eats off of his stroller tray. He has to take off his mittens to pick up the sandwich, and it's freezing, but he doesn't complain. Charlie buys a brat, and I get in to the spirit and go for a wienerschnitzel, despite the fact that it isn't even 11:30 am yet. The wienerschnitzel costs $7 and is cold. Jett looks completely bored.

But, but! He saw a real live horse up close and personal - and he almost petted it.


And even though we didn't stand in line to sit on Santa's lap, we caught a glimpse of him through the window.


The best thing of all? We were home by 12:30, Jett was asleep by 1:00, and Charlie and I were feeling pretty satisfied that we had made it out of the house at all.

Persuasion

I served on a federal jury this past week. When it came time for deliberations, I was the only juror who thought the defendant should not be convicted. I spent two days locked in a tiny room arguing my case to the other eleven jurors. I never persuaded them to change their minds, but I held my ground. The judge called us a hung jury and declared a mistrial. The defendant wasn't convicted.

You'd think then, that I could stand my ground and not give Jett graham crackers for breakfast, but you'd be wrong. Jett is the most persuasive person I know.

Saving it for Later

Wheels

I can not tell you how many magazines I've read sitting in the stairwell of our condo building while Jett plays with the wheels on the strollers. I don't know why we even bother going outside.

Don't Forget to Brush!

He Can Play Air Guitar Too

Have a rockin' Thanksgiving!

Winter Wear

What's the best thing about cold weather? Bundling your baby up cute and snuggly, and holding back the laughs when he can't bend over because his belly is covered up in too many layers.

It's a European Carry-All

And yes, he may be rushing out the door to go shopping.

Crocs are Not Winter Shoes

Jett likes to put on our shoes and walk around the house. This is a demanding activity. One of us has to hold his hands while he walks so he doesn't trip. Usually his feet slip right out of the shoes, which completely frustrates him. So to solve this problem I bought him a pair of crocs in the next size up. He can slip his feet in and out by himself, and they don't come off when he walks. Plus, since they are too big, I think they capture some of the novelty of walking around in my shoes, but require no effort from me. I keep them in his toy box, so he knows they are toys, not real shoes.



But he still wants to wear them outside. This kid is constantly outsmarting me.

Shampoo

He said he didn't want to take a bath, but we knew he'd come around. He even had fun getting his hair washed.

Before shampooing.

During shampooing.

All done!
Compare this picture to last month's picture and look at how nice and plump my baby is.
Yum!

Seventeen Months

Happy Birthday, Jett! Yesterday you turned seventeen months old. Seventeen months!

Our main goal this month has been to bring back your baby fat. You gained three pounds last month - nice job. We've gotten pretty good at adding more calories to your diet without actually asking you to eat more food. For example, we stir ranch dressing in to your peas, dip your chicken nuggets in honey, spread strawberry cream cheese on your graham crackers, and add carnation instant breakfast to your milk. We also treat you to the occasional bowl of ice cream which somehow still comes in second to rice krispies.

Of course, after all that sugary food we have to brush your teeth. You are really starting to embrace the concept, thank goodness. Maybe it's because you brush your teeth while Daddy shaves and that's pretty entertaining. Maybe it's because it finally occurred to me to buy you two toothbrushes - one for us to start brushing your teeth with, and one for you to hold at the same time. Either way, it's going fairly well. You only try to escape from the bathroom, toothbrush in hand, a few times a week. That's not so bad.

Mostly, Jett, you are on the move. You are like a spinning top that never stops, bouncing from the couch to the floor to the fridge to the chair. It's hard to get you to sit in my lap and read books anymore. Instead you play with your cars, driving them over the couch, on the trash can, and up the walls. Or you bounce your balls, chasing after them yourself and then throwing them again. Or you want me to spin anything that will spin on our wood floor. Very fitting!

rare moment of standing still

You should know though, that we are making an effort to encourage you to play with more than just cars, balls, and things that spin. I've been getting your stuffed animals and dolls out lately, trying to introduce you to your nurturing side. I also bought you a toy stroller. You love Ellie's so much, I figured for $7 you could have your own. You love it, and I loved watching your smile as you figured out what it was. The downside is that more often than not, you want us to push you in it. That is not the idea. It is the opposite of the idea.

Of course, we'd do almost anything to see your smile. Thank goodness it pops up so often.

Happy Birthday, sweet baby. We love you.

Sunday Conversation

Halloween

Since trick-or-treating in our neighborhood ends practically at the time I get home from work, I called our nanny when I got off the bus and asked her to start putting Jett in his Halloween costume, so we could scoot out the door and start trick-or-treating right away. When I walked in the house Jett was all dressed up and the cutest little bear I ever saw.

We left right away and when we got outside I put him down on the sidewalk, thinking that he would walk with me to the houses that were handing out candy. But he didn't get it. He didn't mind being outside in his bear costume, he just didn't know that he was supposed to walk anywhere.

A sweet neighbor, who was sitting on her front porch with a bowl of candy came out of her gate and handed Jett a small Nestle Crunch. Jett took it, but with a serious, silent face. Eventually he reached out to take the whole bowl, but was too shy to put up much of a fight.

Charlie arrived a few minutes later, and we put Jett in the stroller, since we wouldn't get anywhere if we left him to his own devices. We strolled him through the neighborhood, stopping at homes and stores and picking up a few pieces of chocolate along the way. Jett never cracked a smile or made a peep. I know he was having a good time though, because he kept every piece of candy clutched to his little bear chest during our entire 30 minute walk.

Here he is, eating his Crunch bar in his serious way. (No, we didn't let him eat the Snickers).


Later that evening we went to his cousin Ellie's house and they played together in their costumes.


That was fun, but for Jett the best part of the night was the walk home, when Charlie lifted him up to touch the branches of the trees.


And then off to bed in his Halloween pajamas.

Cincinnati

Ah, vacation. Four days of family, fun, and animal crackers for breakfast in the hotel room. Ten people, ten hours in the car, four states, four uncles, two grandparents, two babies, one children's museum, one aquarium, and one $20 sandwich from room service.





Did I mention the beautiful weather? The parks? The usual Johnson fun? The wonderful, exhausting Johnson fun?

Perhaps the best thing about the fun is that Jett is still wiped out from it. Last night he slept 12 hours and today he still took a 2 1/2 hour nap. Tonight he was so tired he asked us to put him to bed a half hour early. (At least that's what I think the whining and crying meant).

So we did. We tried to bathe him first, but he would have none of it. So we ignored the ice cream that was stuck to his stomach, changed his diaper, put him in pajamas, carried him over to his crib, and laid him down. He arranged his blanket under his head, looked up at us with his serious little face, and waved bye-bye.

Did he just tell us to leave his room so he could go to sleep?

Woo-hoo! What a weekend!

Farmer's Market

We make it to the farmer's market nearly every Sunday. Jett takes his job very seriously.

The Artist

The artistic process can be so frustrating.