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Bobby from 24 to 35 months old
Here are a few random notes from the months following Bobby's 2nd birthday on April 21, 2001:
24 months
• Nothing but net: Mary tells that she heard Bobby crying in his bedroom one morning. He had apparently tried to climb up his new basketball hoop and the small plastic support beam toppled over, so his head was caught under the hoop netting. He wasn't hurt.
• Pretending: Just as he has turned 2, Bobby has begun exercising his power of imagination. On a few occasions this month he would pretend to cook waffles in Tassie's water dish, then bring over his invisible dish and serve us. And he's also pretending to be a dog or a cat at various times. He gets down on all fours and makes little "Arf! Arf!" and "Meow!" sounds. The best, though, is when he pretends to have a tail and says, "Waggle waggle waggle."
• Bubbles galore: The boy loves his bubbles. We blow bubbles on the back deck and he just goes nuts, chasing after them with glee. Lately he's even begun blowing a few, though mostly he exhales with little puffy blows and nothing happens.
• The power of Yes: Until now, Bobby would nod his affirmation and grunt out an "Unh" when we asked if he wanted something, like his baba (bottle). But he's just added "Yes" to his lexicon. We ask him a question and he gleefully answers, "Oh, yes!" Sometimes even, "Yes, peez."
• Go fly a kite: We went to the kite festival in Dublin today. Bobby had a blast watching all the kids fly all kinds of cool-looking kites shaped like birds, dragons and pirate ships.
• Bird-watching: Bobby's picked up the habit of occasionally closing his fingers into a circle and putting them in front of his eyes, as if peering through binoculars.
• Sibling rivalry: The competition between the kids — Bobby and our border collie, Tassie — is getting fierce. They always try to be the first to enter a room, and when jockeying for the doorway Tassie almost always comes out ahead, much to Bobby's loud dismay.
25 months
• TV overlord: Bobby is increasingly making his opinion known when it comes to our TV watching habits. I'll flip on HBO's "Sex & the City" and he shouts out "No sex!" We put on PBS' "NewsHour" and he yells, "No news!" Instead, he'd prefer all "Kipper" and "Blue's Clues," all the time. The Bobby network.
• Subliminal Boo: Bobby knows how to put on the moves. He'll sometimes grasp Mary's face with his little hands and say earnestly, "Watch 'Blue'!"
• Water fiend: Bobby just loves going into the back yard to water. He's got a little purple plastic watering can and yellow pail and now a tiny water gun, and all need to be filled to the brim. But the best part is when Daddy takes the hose to the back yard lawn and Bobby gets in the middle of an instant rain shower. It's a great way to cool off when the temperature hits the 90s.
• How old? We play a game with Bobby now, because he's in denial about his age. "You're two!" we exclaim. "You're two!" he retorts. "You're two!" we reply, and so on. Finally we ask, "How old are you?" "Three!" They grow up fast, don't they?
• Fadder's Day!: On Father's Day, Bobby (with a little coaching) came running down the hallway shouting, "Fadder Day! Fadder Day!" We spent a great day going to the park and doing a barbecue in the evening, though Bobby demanded to be seated the moment Mary put out the dinnerware, and he got bored by the time dinner was actually ready.
26 months
• Pool party: We put up a little pool for Bobby in our back yard on June 30. Bobby's still afraid to swim, so we filled it only with about 4 inches of water so he can splash around in it. (He likes to stomp in Tassie's water dish.) He didn't want to go in at first, but then we told him if he didn't want it we'd give the pool to Tassie — that changed his mind. And he loved it. Next day, all he could talk about was his pool.
• Scary: Sunday mornings Bobby sometimes slides down my legs from the bed to my chest as I'm doing situps. This morning he hesitated, and Mary said, "Too scary, right?" He got up and started dancing around the bed, saying, "Cirky cirky cirky!," happy to add another word to his growing vocabulary.
• Interpretive speech: Mary told him he was talking gibberish, and he looked up, uncomprehending, and said, "chicken bits?"
• Night fears: Bobby has been waking up at 2 and 3 a.m. during the past week, crying terribly, and we suspect the onset of nightmares and night fears. Mary bought a nightlight that we now put on next to his crib, and it seems to be helping.
• No jammies: Bobby has refused to wear the new pajamas that Fred and Ellen had gotten him for his 2nd birthday. So Mary told him it was a "Magic suit." That did the trick — he now wears his jammies.
• Some imagination: Bobby was sitting next to me in his high chair on July 18, watching TV and playing with his raisin bread. He'd chewed off part of it, leaving a round part on the top intact. Then he held it up and said, "Look, Dad, I made basketball hoop!" And, by gosh, it did look like a basketball hoop.
27 months
• First live concert: On July 29, as part of my birthday weekend, we took Bobby to his first live concert: the Latin jazz group Ralph Irizarry & Timbalaye at Yoshi's, the country's sleekest jazz club. Bobby loved it. When the band appeared, they almost blew the roof off, and Bobby momentarily covered his ears but then excitedly jumped up and down in his seat and clapped his hands. He applauded when the crowd did, and ran around a bit on the dance floor. We'll do it again.
• The human slide: I like this: Some mornings, especially Sundays, Bobby climbs on the bed when I'm doing my crunches and he slides down my legs onto my stomach.
• First pizza: Another first! Bobby had his first slice of pizza on Aug. 6 — pepperoni with extra oregano. He liked it.
• Name game: A few hours earlier, I was digging up a stump in the back yard and Bobby was watching me through the screen of his bedroom window. Mary says he called out, "Joey ... Joey!" When that didn't work, "JD! JD!" And finally, "Daddy! Daddy!" I had moved to the garage so didn't hear him. Mary has but a single name: Mommy.
• Monster watch: Bobby keeps asking about monsters. (They keep forever popping up on kids' shows.) Tonight he scampered into the family room and said, "I saw a monster!" Where? "In the spa!" What color was it? "Dark gray!" No monsters, Bobby, it's just make-believe, we tell him.
• Bobby the builder: Two days ago, on Aug. 8, 2001, we got Bobby a Big Builders set of cardboard blocks that resemble red, green, yellow and blue bricks. He absolutely loves playing with them — erecting tall buildings and toppling them over, Godzilla-like. Future architect?
• Binkie-less: Bobby has pretty much stopped using his binkie (or "choochie") in the past month, all on his own.
• Down the hall: His new favorite expression is, "You go down the hall!" Which means, he's bored watching kids shows on our bed and wants Mary or me to join him on the bed or under the covers, so he comes into the living room to fetch us by saying, "You go down the hall, Mom!" And when one of us joins him, he starts running and saying, "We go down the hall, yay!"
28 months
• Bobby Undercover: The last two days Bobby has taken to hiding under the bedspread on our bed. He's absolutely adorable when he does it, laughing hysterically as he hides from us and we tickle him. Yesterday, a Daddy Day, he comes up to me and says, "I hide, I hide. I go under cubbers, Dad!"
• Pre-school: Our regular daycare provider, Janet Contois, was hospitalized and had to shut down her daycare facility for a month, which left us scrambling. I stayed home with Bobby some days while Mary worked from home about twice a week. Finally, Mary enrolled Bobby in St. Clare's, the pre-school we were going to place him in come December. He's doing quite well, happily playing with other kids and eating a healthy lunch that Mom packs in his plastic Pokemon lunch box (cucumbers, strawberries and other healthy snacks; he still doesn't care for juice). About three weeks after his admission, he got a class picture taken.
• Sept. 11, 2001: We were absolutely devastated watching the terrorist attack on New York and Washington. Mary woke me up that morning, saying, "You've got to come see this. Something terrible is happening." We sat transfixed by the TV for two hours, and then I had to go to work -- it happened to be my first day on the job as a contract editor at PeopleSoft. I came home in the mid-afternoon and found Bobby playing happily on the bed. Mary had stayed home with him all day, playing games and reading.
• Needy Bobby: Whenever he sees something he wants, on a commercial, or whenever he has a hankering for a chocolate cookie, he says, "I need that" or "I need a cookie." Want isn't in his vocabulary yet.
• Working boy: When I went off to work again this morning, ending a string of Daddy days with Bobby, Bobby started to cry a little and said, "No go work, Daddy. I love you!" When I explained that I had to leave but I'd be back, he grabbed my hand and said, "Daddy, I go work, too!" Really endearing.
29 months
• Tumblesaults: Our acrobatic boy has taken to doing little tumblesault flips on the bed. We sometimes help, but he likes to do them by himself.
• Whoa, Nelly!: We were watching the New York Giants on their second game of the year when the crowd went wild as someone scored a touchdown. Before I could react, Bobby pumped his fists up and exclaimed, "Whoa! Omigod!" We've got to start watching our language.
• Sense of accomplishment: One of the things he seems to be picking up at school is a sense of accomplishment. Three times this week he performed a task at home -- like, turning on the stereo or strapping himself into his highchair -- and declared, "I did it all by myself!"
• Mixing it up: Bobby has gotten into a couple of scrapes at pre-school, shoving or scratching other kids (usually when provoked, and often they're older and bigger kids, including a 4-year-old). So we've decided to no longer let him watch his favorite show, "The Power Puff Girls," about three superhero girls who beat up on the bad guys. He still watches "Blue's Clues" on occasion, and another new favorite is "Oswald," about a friendly octopus. But he usually will no longer watch his previous favorite show, "Kipper."
• Meow!: His favorite thing now is to pretend he's a kitty. He gets down on all fours and smiles, then starts meowing, and sometimes licks us. We call him "Bobcat" when he's in kitty mode.
• Night fears: Bobby sleeps with a night light now, but it's not always enough. Mary was out of town on a business trip Oct. 10, 2001, and at 6 a.m. the next morning I awoke to Bobby crying out, "Momma! Momma!" I went to his room and he lay in his bed, crying, then pointed to the ceiling and said, "Shadows!" Scary stuff for a 2-year-old.
• Nuts!: Mary tells me this: She was bathing Bobby in the bathtub Thursday and he began pulling on his penis and laughing. She began cautioning him not to pull so hard, and he exclaimed, "It's my peanuts, Mommy! My peanuts!"
• Bedtime routine: We've been a bit lax in letting Bobby stay up with us till 10 or 11 p.m. and nodding off in our bed while watching TV (the Food Channel always does it). No more. Mary has started putting him into his crib at 9 p.m. but taking off the edge off this harsh action by reading him two or three books. He's got veto power over which ones we read; he's got a couple of dozen books scattered about, along with three new library books every other week.
30 months
• Halloween: Two years ago we dressed Bobby in a peapod outfit. Last year, he was a "cow boy." And this year, he was a bumblebee. Like last year, I took him to just a few of the neighbors' houses, since he's not seriously into candy yet.
• Class picture: Bobby had his first school photo taken! We ordered a few shots of him alone and with his classmates at St. Clare's. Will post after they're scanned in. He looks quite handsome.
• Fever: Bobby gave us a scare with a 101.5-degree fever and coughing spells that wouldn't quit. Mary took him to the hospital for a few hours on Tuesday morning. Diagnosis? Something called "bronchi spasms." He was put on antibiotics and was back to his chipper self after a couple of days.
• Treat your doggie well: Bobby was watching a TV show where a boy's dog ran away because it wasn't being treated well. Bobby then petted Tassie and said, "I need to give Tassie a treat." He found a box of treats in the pantry and pulled out a dog biscuit for her. She was thrilled.
• Dancing fool: He was also quite upset Thursday night when the theme to "Friends" came on and his was stuck in his highchair, unable to get down and dance. He really likes to dance to the themes of "Friends" and "Malcolm in the Middle." Kid knows how to busta move.
• Future Olympian: Our little action figure's newest trick is a quick dismount from the bed by going to the edge of the bed, bouncing once on his butt and then reaching the floor in one seamless motion.
31 months
• Thanksgiving: We drove up to Sacramento for Thanksgiving at Mary's parents. Kevin and Kathy Moynihan and their two kids, Kris and Karyn (15 1/2) joined us for dinner. Bobby was on his best behavior and let Karyn read him stories and play with him. He also watered the vegetable garden outside.
• Hocka hocka: Bobby's name for helicopters.
• Why? We didn't think we'd get this till he was 3, but Bobby's now asking "Why?" all the time. "Why, Mommy? Why, Daddy?" Then he listens patiently and usually seems satisfied with the explanation.
• Foot action Mary got Bobby a new pair of suede boots, with little lights that glow when he walks. He's up to size 9 1/2 already.
• Christmas tree We got a 5-foot Christmas tree, a bit smaller than usual, since we're flying East for Christmas this year. Bobby helped decorate it on Dec. 8, and we took some video of him in a pair of musical reindeer antlers with glowing red lights.
• Future Elway? We got him a mini football, and we're amazed by his arm -- he can throw it halfway across a big room with a killer spiral. Can't catch long-distance yet, but we're talking great throwing accuracy and good zip, especially for a 2-year-old!
32 months
• Christmas: We flew back East (connecting flight through Houston) on Continental for Christmas. Bobby was a bit antsy, especially on the second leg, but didn't cry. (He slept half the way on the return flight.) The family gatherings were terrific: cousin Nicholas' first birthday on Dec. 23, and Christmas Eve and Day. Bobby was a bit surprised to see Grandma Lasica on his arrival, since we'd been telling him we'd see "Grandma," and he's used to seeing Grandma Schrader.
On Dec. 22 we drove to our friend Norm's house in Great Neck, NY, and Bobby was thrilled at the yellow parakeet, Tweetie, who flew around the room and almost made a nest on Daddy's head. Another highlight: Christmas morning, when Mary had left three cookies and a small glass of milk on top of the TV set the night before. The milk and two and a half cookies were gone when Bobby awoke. "Santa left half a cookie!" he observed.
The relatives in New Jersey -- and, two days later, in Sacramento -- spoiled Bobby with toys galore. Our final surprise of the trip came upon our return home, when we learned Grandma had been questioned by the FBI.
• Quite contrary: Bobby really likes to argue these days. Tell him he's a cute little boy and he'll loudly beg to differ. Today I let him down from his highchair and told him, "And now you're off!" To which he replied: "I'm not off! I'm a baby!"
• Must-see TV: Far and away his favorite TV show is now "Rugrats." "Blue's Clues" is still cool, as is "Oswald," and "Bob the Builder" has also joined the ranks of faves, but "Dora the Explorer" is fading and "Kipper" is right out.
• Horsie: In the past couple of weeks, Bobby has really taken to riding around the house on JD's back. He giggles hysterically during his horsie rides.
• First dream: Bobby had his first dream last night (Jan. 18,2002) — or, rather, the first dream he remembered and told us about. He told Mary when he woke up that he dreamt that he'd gone camping, and that he was counting out three marshmallows. That's pretty good, considering we haven't taken him camping yet!
33 months
• Potty victory!: Today, on Jan. 21, 2002, at 6:49 p.m. — at 2 3/4 years old — Bobby used his little plastic potty seat for the first time. A round of cheers went up in the Lasica household.
• Outer space kitty: We got a tiny library book about kids who grow up to be astronauts, which captivated Bobby. I asked him as he was going to sleep if he wanted to be an astronaut, and he said, "No, a outer space kitty!"
• Valentine's Day: Bobby — with a little help from his teacher at St. Clare's preschool — made this cool Valentine's Day card for Daddy. We had a nice sit-down dinner in the dining room, where we had roast chicken and Bobby had 'matoes followed by peanut butter on Ritz crackers.
• Still growing: Bobby moved up to size 9½ Clifford tennies on Feb. 4, 2002.
• TV faves: His favorite TV shows these days are "Dragon Tales," "Rug Rats" and the Amy Tan cartoon about royal kittens, "Sagwa."
34 months
• Best buds: Bobby was a bit wistful this morning, playing by himself, and finally leaned over, petted our border collie, and said, "Will you play with me, Tassie?"
• Astronomer in the making: Bobby likes looking at the moon. Tonight was a half moon, and when he looked up he said ruefully, "The moon is broken!"
• First hike: When Bobby was very young we trooped up to the top of a tall hill all the time in Orinda, pushing him in his stroller or carrying him in a Snugli. But on Saturday, March 2, 2002, Bobby did his first real hike (at 2 years old, remember!), accompanying Mary and JD up a fairly steep set of hills along the Pleasanton Ridge. We probably walked nearly 3 miles on this beautiful sunny afternoon. Bobby kept wanting to go into the pastures to pet the cows.
• Fish fan: Bobby's just become entranced by sharks. I recorded the Discovery Channel's "Blue Planet," a four-part series about life in the ocean, and in the past week it's become his favorite show. He watches, mesmerized, as tuna, dolphins, whales and especially sharks glide by. "I wanna watch the fish show!" he tells us, after he's done playing or watching "Thomas the Train" on video or "Rugrats" on cable.
• Clouds: Bobby and I were playing in the park Saturday. Standing atop a slide, he looked up at the clouds and said, "I can see elephant." He spotted another and said, "I can see doggie." Pretty fun.
• Hide 'n' seek: Bobby's really getting a kick out of hide and seek. We played last night and he kept making me and Mary hide in different parts of the house and laughed uproariously when he found us. He didn't want to hide, though.
• First vocations: It's a bit early for Bobby to settle definitively on a career path, but he's leaning toward aerospace. The past three days he's declared he wants to be "a rocketship builder," "a hocka-hocka (helicopter) driver" and a "blimp driver" (after we passed a blimp taking off in a field). Kid's got ambitions.
35 months
• Working it: After I picked him up at Janet's and brought him home, Bobby greeted Mary at the door with, "Hi, Momma. Did you have fun at work?"
• Pizza!: About once every three weeks on Sunday evening we have pizza, and Bobby gets very excited about this ritual, yelling, "Pizza! Pizza!" and nibbling on one piece.
• New car: We bought a new car for Mary, a 2002 VW Passat, on March 29, and Bobby did pretty well at the dealership, considering we were there for 5½ hours.
• Dog piles: Our newest fun thing to do on the bed: dog piles! (We jump on top of each other, though Tassie's not much into this.) Bobby loves it.
• Hurling competition: Germ warfare has hit the Lasica household. Bobby came down with the flu bug first. I've been luck in that Bobby had never upchucked on me since he was born. Well, that streak is over. He was up most of the night with Mary. Next night, Mary came down with the bug. And the next night, JD and Tassie did, too.
GO TO: | Bobby from 19 to 24 months
GO TO: | First page of Bobby: A New Life series
GO TO: | Bobby's home page
GO TO: | Bobby's photo gallery, age 2-2½
GO TO: | Bobby's photo gallery, age 2½-3
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