Family

Apologies for taking so long to get these pictures up. It has been a crazy week here. Otto is getting two molars at once and the poor kid is not taking it well. Yesterday both of his gums were bleeding. His naps have been quite short and by the time he goes to bed at night I am exhausted. Right now I really should be cleaning but I am posting instead. It will still be dirty later. Anyway, not last weekend, but the weekend before, eric's dad, stepmother and both brothers came for the weekend. It was a blast. Everyone got here on Saturday and we had a big cookout. The weather was wonderful which makes everything better. We did a lot of walking around town looking at all the beautiful plants that are blooming and going to the park with the dude. Sunday we had a surprise tenure party for eric. Here are some pictures from the weekend in no particular order. First is the only photo of Ben I have on the computer. I have to get the rest off the camera, but that involves finding it. Something I am not sure I have time to do before the dude wakes up.

On one trip home from the park we ran into 6 wk. old puppies. Otto was in heaven and loved petting them!

Matt taught Otto how to make engine noises, complete with shifting sounds, he now does it every time he is on the motorcycle.

Mars Mission

Rubber Park

I took the camera with me to the park yesterday in the hopes of getting some great photos of Otto having a blast. Here's what I learned, take eric when you want to get pictures of Otto at the park. The problem is it takes all my concentration and both hands to make sure that Otto doesn't go flying off the top of some big thing he climbed up. Or catch him when he comes barreling down the big kid slides he loves so much. I managed to get a few pictures when I thought he was safe for a minute, but I will have to wait until there are four hands to get better ones.

No surprise Otto loves to play on the big fire truck

Bigger kids don't stop him, he pushes right up to the front to steer

Tunnel Vision

Last month when we went to IKEA I decided not to get Otto a tunnel for the "how much would he really play with it reason". But as time went by I kept thinking about it and was starting to think he might really like one. So I started to look for them online. I couldn't find one that didn't have some disney character on it that was under $30. The one at IKEA was $12. Last week some friends took a trip to IKEA and asked if we wanted anything. At first I said no, but changed my mind and called and asked if they could pick Otto up a tunnel. It is safe to say that it has been a HUGE hit. He loves it, and the cats do too. It has become a permanent fixture in the living room when Otto is around. Luckily it folds up really small and can be put away because nothing says classy like a giant bright blue tunnel in your living room.

still working on which toys are good to take on a tunnel trek and which ones don't fit as well.

Wow, what a weekend

This was one thrill packed and adventure filled weekend here. Saturday was one of the most beautiful days we have had yet, scratch that, THE most beautiful we have had yet. We started with an early morning jaunt to the bakery to get croissants, every other weekend you can feel civilized here in the burg. Once we had all stuffed ourselves full, including Otto, he squeals at the mere sight of them (my kind of boy!) we loaded Otto into the carseat and then loaded the rest of the car with recycling and yard brush to take to the recycling center. Two car trips later and one happy dude who got to run around stomping in puddles and picking up rocks and it was nap time. Nothing like getting all that done before 10. While Otto took a long nap eric worked and I dug up some stumps in the yard and transplanted flowers. I have been really working hard to get the yard looking good and it is really starting to come together.
When Otto woke up we had lunch and headed out to the big rubber park. It was packed with kids and Otto had a blast. He is getting so good at climbing on all the equipment and going down slides. In just a few weeks he is really making that park his own. There were also huge puddles with ducks everywhere which is a huge draw for the Dude. We managed to keep him fairly dry. After the park we hit up the grocery store to get stuff to grill out for the first time of the year. Otto went down for a nap shortly after we got home and I set to getting the grill ready and cleaning the outdoor tables and chairs. He took such a long nap I even got to sit in the sun a read a book for a little.
We got woke up it was time to hit the coffee shop for a little nap in a cup for mom and dad and we were off to campus to take advantage of the sun and big open spaces for Otto to run around in. The Quad was a huge hit, there were even balloons left over from some event that weekend, score! We headed home to fire up the grill and enjoy our first alfresco dining of the year. All in all it was a big day.
Sunday the weather wasn't as nice. Eric and Otto went for a walk in the morning while I hit up the hardware store for project supplies. This week I scraped and spackled the bathroom ceiling, it was time to sand, prime and paint. Eric and Otto had boy time while I kicked the bathroom into shape. I had some help from some students who like some extra cash, they sanded the ceiling, a job I was happy to farm out! I finished the bathroom, all but a few touch-up spots and scrubbing the floor after Otto went to bed last night. Today I am not doing much of anything. Not even laundry. I am watching one of Otto's friends this afternoon which will be fun, but I am taking the day off after such a big weekend. Plus my arms are so sore from digging up those stumps that I don't think I could carry the laundry down to the basement anyway!
The weather this week is supposed to be beautiful so hopefully we will get to spend most of it outside. Otto really loves playing outside, who wouldn't!

Question

I have a serious question, one that I would like some answers to. When they say " a little dirt never hurt anyone", how much do they mean by "little". Do they mean a few toddler sized handfuls a week (I had day in there but then I thought about rainy or too cold days and switched to week). Do they mean less (oh boy, I hope not), more (please, please, this is the one I am hoping for). How about the other sayings, "God made dirt and it don't hurt" or "they have to eat a pound of dirt a year". I also heard that as a pound of dirt in your life but I don't want to believe that so I am not counting that. Were those saying made up by moms like me who may have to deal with some dirt eating everyday? Did their children grow up big and strong with immune systems of steel as my friend Rachel always says Otto will have?
Why do you ask and I worried about this....Oh, no reason...

Certain adorable someones who love to help mommy do yard work happen to think that dirt is delicious. I am trying really hard to not let him eat whole handfuls, but let me tell you, this little bugger is sneaky!

But when he discovers the first daffodil in the yard that is blooming it is the most adorable thing and makes you not care how much dirt he eats. Letting him explore the yard all afternoon is worth every bit of dirt he can eat... right?

look ma, no clothes!

a certain someone, and I am not naming names, thought it would be fun to poop up to their shoulder blades this morning. I was not aware of the extent of the mess when I thought it would be easier to change him downstairs. I ended up having to strip him down and go upstairs to get new clothes. Otto was having so much fun being naked it took me a while to catch him to get him dressed again. He stayed a good 5 feet away from me laughing the whole time. Amazingly he managed not to pee on anything, not that I have found yet. These are the only PG-13 photos I could post without eric thinking I am crazy. Let's just say this was one of Otto's favorite mornings to date. Once it gets warm enough for him to be naked more he is going to be in heaven!

what we have been up to

Under the kitchen table is a wonderful place to play, of course. Otto likes to see how many ways he can get stuck. I must admit though, he is quite good at getting himself out too.

Here he is working on opening the back door. We now keep that door locked. So far we haven't locked ourselves out, but I am sure that is only a matter of time.

sleep

as you all know, it took Otto a long time to get the hang of sleeping. Who would have thought you would need to learn how to do that. Well, he has it down now. His naps are hit and miss right now, sometimes they are very long, sometimes short, sometimes there are two, sometimes one, but he seems to be in a good mood regardless so it is fine by me. However, he has really been sleeping at night. He goes to bed around 7:15 with very little drama. In fact he has almost always gone to bed well, it was staying asleep we had to work on. For a long time he was waking up between 6 and 6:30. That was fine, esp. compared to him waking up at 5 which he did for quite some time. This past weekend and this morning he has slept until 7 or 7:15!! I am sure it won't last, but it is awesome everyday it happens. Eric and I actually get to talk to each other in bed, without one of us having to jump up and change Otto's diaper and get breakfast going. Two of the mornings he woke up at 5:20 and made some noise but was soon calmed down and we were all back to sleep. If that is the price to pay for sleeping in later than I have in years, I'll take it!!

His vocabulary continues to grow. Both eric and I are convinced that he started pointing to things this weekend and saying "what is it?". That sure is what it sounds like at least. He also discovered this morning that he really likes marmalade, my kind of boy! It is best if you lick it off you toast before eating the toast. Of course.

crap

Otto discovered how to open the backdoor. Just walked over and said "oh, this old thing, you just work it like this...". For those of you who know our ability, or lack thereof, to have, find and use keys will find this particularly funny. Schmelig knew if he just put up with him long enough eventually his day would come.

Planes, Trains and Trucks

Otto officially has his first obsession. I think it really boils down to a love of wheels and loud noises. He comes by that quite honestly from his dad's side of the family. Lately all he wants to do is look at truck and train books over and over and over and over again. We have been hitting up the library for all their good book on the subject. It is so funny. They really are just pictures of trucks and trains with a poor excuse for narrative, but he loves them and wants to read them all the time. I don't mind at all, reading books together is one of my favorite pass times, I just think the lack of any part to read is kind of funny. He doesn't really have any truck toys so I ordered him two trucks which should arrive next week. Tonka is celebrating 60 years and have reissued wooden trucks. Couldn't resist them so they are on the way. A few weeks ago at IKEA we got him a small train set. The kind where the trains link together with magnets. He loves them. If you ask him where his trains are he is off and running to find one. Not a hard task since it seems like no matter where I look lately there is one in sight. I guess I should get used to that, I have a feeling it will be like that for a while.
He knows the sign for airplane which he does every time he hears one. The other morning he heard one while eating breakfast and he was signing away telling us all about it.
Yesterday we went to the park and there was a little boy who was older but had brought all these cool trucks to play with in the mulch. Otto was in heaven. I am not sure the other little boy was as pleased that Otto was obsessing over his trucks, and carrying them around. I made sure to thank him a whole lot. Fortunately I knew the mom from the restaurant and she was happy to share the trucks. He even had a front loader that you could sit on and dig with that when you pressed a button made a big truck noise. He got off it for one second which was all it took for Otto to climb up on. He made sure not to do that again. Not surprising Otto thought that was the coolest thing ever.
He also made a great discovery at the park. Over by the mud pit there are small rocks just the right size to bring to Mommy. Lucky me. He has mastered climbing up the small ladder and going down one of the slides on his own. How did it happen that he is growing up so fast?!

Fun in the Sand

I have been wanting to get Otto a sandbox for a while. I looked at our downtown hardware store last week but they didn't have any. I was searching on the internet and found one I liked. It was plastic which I wasn't crazy about, but the color was more neutral and it looked big enough that a friend could join him and there would be enough room for two of them. Today when running errands I went to the hardware store again. Leaning up against a post out front was exactly the sandbox I was looking at online with a sold sign on it. I inquired about it inside to see if they could order me one like that. Turns out it was just returned that morning and I could have that very one if I wanted. So I paid for it and a few bags of sand and said I would return later with the car (I was there on foot with Otto in the stroller). During naptime when I had help over to be there if Otto woke up I went and picked up the sandbox. The weather was beautiful today which made it perfect for Otto's first sandbox experience.

Frustrating

Want to know what frustrates me these days, I will tell you anyway. When I finally get Otto down for a morning nap and I give up the opportunity to take a shower to get things done. Today I cooked off tofu for him and made him some veggies. Then he keeps on sleeping so I catch up on email thinking he will be up any minute. Now he has been asleep for an hour and I could have taken a shower, but didn't. Now it is too late to get one in... Don't you feel sorry for me. He he, if only that was the biggest thing to worry about in life.
The saddest part of today, somehow I managed to ruin to pots of coffee while trying to get breakfast this morning. Eric kindly made me an espresso with the last of the coffee but as soon as Otto wakes up we are off to the coffee shop so I can get a latte.
Now that Otto sleeps through the night eric and I are trading morning duty. Usually he makes the coffee and I come down to a full pot of delicious java. He never makes the coffee machine go into self-clean mode like I did today. You would think I would be better at making coffee than I am.