FIGHT!

The combination of living in NY and becoming a mom has made me a more aggressive person. I don't think it's necessarily bad, it's just that I'm more willing to stand up for myself or Aaron when I feel like people are overstepping their boundaries. Usually, this is limited to children. I've yelled "No!" at other children on occasion - but only if it's a major offense, like if another child purposefully pushes Aaron for no reason. I get annoyed that their nannies or caretakers aren't watching more carefully and teaching them, but I understand - it's tiring to watch kids and sometimes your attention wanders and things happen. Kids sometimes don't know better, and sometimes they're just like that.

But Adults! They should know better and have more control over their behavior, right? Well, apparently not. Aaron had tumbling class today, and afterwards, he wanted to sit on one of those 25 cent rides (now 75 cents!) that are usually outside supermarkets. There are like 5 different rides there, but he wanted the boat. We waited for the kids before him to get off, and he sat down. I think he's too young to appreciate the ride, and he just enjoys sitting there, so I don't put money in. So Aaron had been sitting there for about 2 minutes, just enjoying himself, when a nanny and her charge came running out of the building. I heard the nanny say, "Just get on. He'll get off." Next thing I knew, this boy who looked about 4 years old climbed onto the ride, OVER Aaron and sat next to him. (It's a two seater). The nanny walked over and said, "He's going to ride now." I was appalled! We had a little back and forth which went something like this,

Me: Well, he (Aaron) was here first. He's enjoying it too.
Nanny: Well, he (her kid) wants to have a ride.
Me: Ok, well, he's already sitting here.
Nanny: Are you going to give him a ride?
Me: No, but he's just enjoying himself. He'll be done in a minute. Can you just wait?
Nanny: No, I'm in a rush!
Me: Well, so am I! He's just going to be another minute or so.
Nanny: Are you going to give him a ride?
Me: No, he's enjoying himself.
Nanny: He wants to ride now!
Me: He's only going to be another minute or two.

So the nanny gave me the evil eye and finally huffed off. She got on a carousel ride with another nanny that was already in progress. Aaron sat for another minute and then I brought him down and walked over to the nanny and said "He's done now. Your kid can ride now." She completely ignored me (I don't blame her - our conversation was pretty heated)

I saw red all the way home, and I was doubting myself - I mean, we weren't paying for the ride, right? Maybe I should have given in. But then I thought about how that 4 year old boy climbed over Aaron and how they didn't have the common courtesy to ask first. If either the nanny or the boy had asked, I think we would've given up the ride with no problem, but I was just so offended by the entitlement displayed by the nanny. And then I felt annoyed because that boy she's watching is not going to learn how to behave politely. I think a 4 year old should know to wait his turn, or at least ask first. And if he doesn't, his caretaker should be teaching him these things. Ugh. And I'll probably run into them next week too!

Since it's been raining like Seattle out here, we've been stuck indoors a lot more often than we expected this summer, so we finally broke down and got Aaron his own mini Thomas set. He's sick of all the toys he has and just wants to read the same 8 books about trucks 10 times a day. It's not mind numbingly repetitive AT ALL. (Ok, it is kinda cute to see him light up when he sees the ZAMBONI or STREET SWEEPER in the "Big Trucks with Little Jobs" book that we borrowed from the library. But still.)

Anyway, Aaron loved the train set. He was so happy with it. See for yourself. Please excuse the pantslessness. It was really hot in here.

dear zoo

Aaron is obsessed with any and all vehicles. In the course of any given walk outside, he'll point and shout "BUH!!!"(bus) "CAHH!!"(car) "GUK!!"(truck) or "UPPEH!!"('up there' or 'airplane'). Occasionally, "Gou Gous" (dogs) are a subject of interest as well, but he really loves his modes of transportation. It follows naturally that his favorite toys are his cars, trucks and trains, and he only enjoys books that feature one of those subjects. (Side note: Sometimes books that have small pictures of cars or trucks in the background are also acceptable, or even favored, as they provide an element of fun to the pointing and identifying.)

I was getting a little tired of only reading TRUCKS and PLANES and TRAINS and BOATS, so the other night I pulled out an old favorite, "Dear Zoo".


We read it through once and he seemed okay with it, in that he wasn't actively pushing it away, protesting "No-No-No-No", so we decided to read it again. This time I decided to spice it up with some animal noises, and when we got the lion page, I let out a loud "ROOOOOOOOOOOAAAAAR". Aaron, who had been contentedly drinking his milk, burst out laughing in surprise and sprayed his mouthful of milk all over our bed.

I've since learned that the ROAR is handy for guaranteeing a laugh when I'm trying to get him to open his mouth so I can brush his teeth. And he's usually so delighted afterwards that he doesn't even mind the toothbrush.

bedtime meltdown

Last month we took a family trip to San Francisco where we got to spend time with Isaac's extended family as well as some old friends. Isaac's aunt and uncle generously opened up their home to all 8 of us, and their kids kindly shared their old Thomas trains with Aaron. He had a fabulous time running the trains around the track.



Problem is, he was having so much fun that he didn't want to stop. He flipped out when we told him it was bedtime. It was one of those instances as a parent when I know I need to be firm, but I can barely contain myself. It was also hard not to provoke him. (I only did it once!)

i feel like a real city mom now

A few days ago, Aaron had a playdate with a kid in our neighborhood. I'd never been to their apartment before, but I knew they lived on the fifth floor, and I'd cased the building from the outside beforehand so I knew where to go and so I could decide whether or not to bring our stroller (faster and easier, but difficult without an elevator) or to walk/carry him (more exercise, but easier if no elevator). The building was pretty big, and it looked elevator friendly, so I figured it would be fine to go either way. They live a block away so either option would've been fine, but I was running late the morning of the playdate, so I opted for the stroller. When I entered the building, I spotted the elevator right away (yes!) and there was a sign on it, indicating that it was out of order (no!). Some buildings in the city are really strict about personal items in public spaces, so I didn't know if it would be okay to leave my stroller in the lobby, but more importantly, I'm a bit paranoid about leaving my stuff in semi-public spaces. So I made Snap Decision #1 and pulled the diaper off the stroller, slung it over my shoulder, pulled Aaron out of his comfy seat, collapsed and folded the stroller, and we began to make our way up the stairs. Now Aaron is pretty good with stairs - he's been proficient at climbing up and down for a long time now, but these stairs were fairly steep and I was worried that I wouldn't be able to spot him if he stumbled, so I made Snap Decision #2 and scooped him up under my right arm, mannequin-style. That's right! I carried a 15 lb stroller, a 20 lb toddler, and a diaper bag up 5 flights of stairs by myself! I NEVER thought I'd be able to do that, and I'm still pretty surprised that I did. But at least now I can kinda imagine taking the subway with him by myself. But I'd still prefer a cab.

GUK! Guk! Guk!

Aaron has been walking for a month now. He never really went through that stage of wanting to walk and needing us to help support him. He just kind went straight from crawling to cruising to walking. His personality is starting to reveal itself. He seems to be a fairly easygoing, independent and curious toddler (already?!). His favorite toys are our phones, remotes, thermometers, and empty bottles. He's a very busy, busy, baby. He had a sleepover with his grandparents recently and they kept remarking on how busy he was the whole time. He doesn't enjoy sitting still..which worries me because we have a long plane ride coming up as we head to Asia to visit extended family. But we'll see.

Lately he's gotten really into trucks. We think it's his first word, because he consistently identifies them correctly as "GUK! guk! guk!" everytime he sees a picture or hears a siren. His second and third words may be "ma-ma-ma" or "da-da-da" or possibly, "cop-cop-cop" for helicopter. It's kinda hard to differentiate between "gukgukguk" and "copcopcop". Anyway, here are two videos - one where he's really enjoying his trucks and the other is a little slice of what he does when he's home during the day.


.

1 year! and a quick recap

Sorry, I haven't had much time to write lately, so here's a quick recap:

- We went to Mexico with Isaac's family over New Year's. It was a nice, relaxing trip and Aaron got to show off his standing skills for everyone.






- Aaron turned 1 last month! We celebrated with Isaac's family in Mexico, and then we had a small party with my family here.





- He's taken a few steps here and there, but mostly seems unaware that he's walking. Anytime I try to record him doing this, he drops to his knees and zooms toward me to grab the camera, so no video yet. Generally, he seems to prefer crawling because it's faster.

- He refuses to let us feed him, but he enjoys feeding himself and making a huge mess. He mostly uses his hands, but occasionally, he'll use a spoon.



- Sometime since the last post, he seems to transformed from a baby to a toddler (minus the toddling). This hit home for me when I found him in the bathroom transferring his dirty diapers from the garbage can to the toilet. Sadly, I forgot to take a picture at the time, but it was both gross and hilarious. He's been getting into everything lately.




hmm..he needs a haircut!