Today in Harry's World...

Harry made it home from the hospital around 2 on Sunday. He is adjusting very well. I think we all are. It has certainly helped to have so many good friends and family fly in to assist, swing by to say hi, and share so many wonderful presents. Harry has lots of Play-doh, Aqua-Doodle pages to color, puzzles, paints and even a laptop from Uncle Bryan & Aunt Anna.
Harry did lots of giggling when Hannah and Ledi stopped by yesterday, he played with Aunt Jenn & Uncle Kris, and he spent the day with Mommy and Grandma Patty "jumping" from the sofa to his green balance ball, going for wagon rides and drumming with his plastic tools from Lance's birthday party (that he missed...Happy Birthday Lance!).
Harry was exhausted at the end of the day yesterday...but not from pain! He hasn't had so much as a Bubble Gum flavored Tylenol since 7 AM on Sunday! He's just been partying too hard!
After a few episodes of Dora today I think we will head over to Menike's to visit friends and get out of the house. Lance & Lola are supposed to visit later, and then Grandmom tomorrow. Aunt Meghan may even come for a visit, once she make sit off the Great Wall!
And so...if you have the urge to say "let us know if there is anything I can do" the answer is YES! You can come visit. Even if it is just for ten minutes. It breaks up the day, just like when you see someone you know for two seconds during marathon! The thrill lasts for miles!

Boo-Boo

As some of you already know, Harry broke his leg on Friday and is now in pretty much a body cast.
No. I am not joking.
I got a call on Friday (while in Atlanta!) that he hurt his knee after running into the sofa. Kevin picked him up and took him to his doctor, who sent him downstairs for X-rays, who said he broke his femur and was sent up to Ortho. Ortho shook their heads, apologized and called Children's Hospital in DC.
Kevin held things together and got Harry checked into the ER (through rush hour traffic on a Friday). Harry was pretty calm. I talked to him while at the airport for about half an hour. He said he fell. Possibly slipped.
When I got to Children's at 8PM Harry was waiting for more Xrays. He has a spiral fracture to his femur but no other broken bones and no other scratches or any bruises whatsoever. The doctors said it was very possible he did hit the sofa or maybe jump off of it. His bones are otherwise healthy and it is unlikely that any 2 year would have unhealthy bones.
Harry was checked into the hospital on Friday at midnight and had a cast put on around 1:oo Saturday. The cast is from below his under arms down one leg and to his knee on the other, just to keep everything stable. (There is a small area to diaper him, in case you are wondering.)
He threw up a few times Saturday from the anesthesia but drank orange juice (he was very specific about the type of juice) and soymilk and had a peanut butter sandwich before leaving the hospital in a wagon Sunday at 1:30. Yes, the Britax car seat costs a fortune but guess what? He fit in it with his cast and we didn't have to wait until Monday to come home in an ambulance. He will even be able to go to the OBX in August…not for the beach but for a change of scenery and some company.
He will likely be home for most of the potential 8 weeks he will be in the cast. He is in pretty good spirits and can sit up and play (kind of). The cast is fiberglass and not too heavy. He is positioned so that we can hold him on our hip, actually. When he sleeps on his back his legs are bent up in the air.
It is a big chunk of life for a 2 year old, but the doctors insist he will adjust just fine within 3 days. Most of his problems so far involved the IV being stuck to his hand and the lack of juice allowed post-op. He has yet to ask about the cast. He is sleeping soundly in his bed now and refuses medication, even the chewable Tylenol he loves (bubble gum flavor). He last had morphine at 7 and seems to not have any pain.
So, that's the long of it!
Hopefully it will all be over before we know it!

Out of commission for a while...

For those of you who haven't heard, Harry broke his leg on Friday morning... Femur (big bone - biggest actually) in his left leg. When Last I saw him (ran home to pick up some things for another night's stay in the hospital), he had just come out frlom his anesthesia, and now has a cast from just under the knee of his good leg, across his chest & pelvis, and down his broken leg to the ankle.

We'll be like this for the next 6-8 weeks.

Heading back to Children's hospital in DC now with Pop-po, and grandma Patty is on her way in from Chicago as we speak.

More updates to come I'm sure.

Thanks very much for all of the calls and offers of support... we'll be getting back to everyone shortly!

Disconnect

I think I have figured out why I don’t feel like “a mom” – or at least, why I didn’t. I think the answer is that my life is segmented. When I am with Harry, I am focused on Harry. When I am at work, I am (in theory) focused on work. I take care of chores and personal matters at separate times as well. Harry doesn’t run errands with me. But, now that he is getting older, I find I am better equipped to take him to places like Baja Fresh to pick up Tacos, or to the food store, or on a business trip (to Philly). I think I feel like a mom now. At least, I seem to dress like one. ANd my purse is full of crayons, dinosaurs and pint sized paper money.

Insight

While sitting on the sofa with me and Babynoodleblankie last night during our July 4th BBQ, Harry tells me he's shy. It was all very matter of fact. He had had his full of partying and was now content to hang out on the sofa with his security items and chill. I can't say whether or not he is shy. He is often the center of attention, but he also can take a while to warm up to new things. Regardless, at that point in time, I think his assessment was accurate.
He also decided fireworks are too loud. He tried several times to give it a go and take in the noise, but he thinks he will like them better next year.
Harry knows the difference between fireworks and fireflies. Fireflies are "orange." He wants to start catching them soon.
Harry still wants to drive my car and he also wants to go home. Hmmm. Home seems to be at the beach, and I t hink Dominic is there. That is all of the insight I have at the moment.

Why is it that days "off" tend to be so much more hectic & busier (albeit more productive) than most?

Yesterday's in-week holiday began with continued hacking at the leftovers from Sunday's "micro-burst" storm, with some significant help from Sully's chainsaw. We made relatively quick work of things to get rid of the big stuff, but not without discovering a massive infestation of the biggest carpenter ants I've ever seen, who were none too happy that we were interrupting their morning.

Plenty of sawdust later, and the back patio is back to its own state of normalcy, however with even less shade than before. Harry then helped with the hose & scrub brush to clean off the extra seats for the evening barbeque, and then promptly went down for a 2 hour nap (!?!).

Too hot to even go to the pool, instead we prepped for the evening festivities with some serious Play-Doh and water coloring (rudely interrupted by said water all over the floor instead of remaining neatly in its bowl), and the rest of the afternoon spent on the couch appreciating the merits of conditioned air.

Sure enough, as the first guests arrived, so did another thunderstorm. Good thing we got the yard cleaned up in time… got the chairs hosed off… got the seat-cushions dried in the sun… take your pick. That said, we finally got some serious use out of the front porch, as everyone enjoyed the lightning show and cooler breeze. With a pair of fraternal, curly-haired, Harry-aged twins, and expectant moms nearly outnumbering those not (Jenn woulda put them over the top), a slightly different vibe at the party, but great fun for everyone nonetheless.

Admittedly a late night for Harry, he did very well sharing toys, and refraining from meltdown… Bailey even managed to convert a few new friends to allow her the use of their laps!

We didn't actually make it out for any fireworks, but in retrospect, probably had a better time with everyone without.

Crazy storm blew in out of nowhere at about 6pm last night... Very high winds & horizontal rain.

Lots of limbs down in the neighborhood, inlcuding 2 rather large ones in our backyard, but somehow both missed the house, and everything ele for that matter (including coming about 6 inches shy of the neighbor's jacuzzi!).

No power for about 5 or 6 hours, but all's well now.

No real damage to speak of, and no injuries.

Interestingly enough, Harry was still up, so he got to see the entire thing (save for the limbs actually falling), including me running in the rain to move the cars across the street just in case more of the big tree decided to come down, and even went outside to splash barefoot in the puddles afterwards.

The whole thing lasted only about 30 or 40 minutes, but it was certainly a strange feeling. Usually safe & dry inside your home is THE place to be during a storm, but with the big tree in the back moving in ways that it really ought not to be, we're all very lucky all that came down were 2 pieces.

Happy and safe 4th to everyone...

Beach Bug

So, we are staying home for the 4th. We are all working on Monday. Grrr. Normally we would go to the beach. Harry must have picked up on this, because he has been packing and planning for the past 3 days! He packs a bag and some toys, hops in the car and heads "to the beach." If he has a friend with him, Renee for instance, he even passes snacks back to her. Wow. I really need to stop cursing in the car and eating french fries, and instead start helping Harry pack for OBX!

CONGRATS TO MEG & IAN!!!

So I get this call from Harry's Aunt Meghan yesterday morning, that immediately jumps to the chase…

"How do you feel about a new brother-in-law?"

WOO HOO!!!!

They both claim that this is a blatant obligation for her to come back from China (she was on her way to the airport when we spoke), but hopefully it's a bit more than just that…

Congratulations to you both!

Boy Genius

At teh tender age of 26 months old, Master Harrison can write his own name! I kid you not. He is very proud of this. He says "My name" and, it is chicken scratch of course, but he puts it in the right spot and it takes up the right amount of space. He is very careful when writing it. WHen aske dif this is just his first name or his whole name he will tell you "First Name." Amazing.

My Little Genius

While perusing the book store yesterday for a Mickey Mouse book (would you believe there are NONE? As in, NONE?) I came across a selection of books labelled by age. In the 3-5 category, I came across 2 of Harry's favorite books: Hooray for Harry and Fox Makes Friends. Harry love sthese books. In Hooray for Harry, he notes "No blankie!" and soon follows it up with "Outside!" which is proof to me that he follows the story line. In Fox Makes Friends Harry is very focused on the Mommy Fox, but he also notes that the friend fox makes is not big. I think it is wonderful if Harry is at a 3 year old "reading level" but I al so suspect that most age labels are inaccurate. By teh tiem Harry and most of his freinds catch up to teh age of something, he is long bored with it (think Baby Einstein).
Back to books, Harry still likes Good Night Moon and also Brown Bear . When he sees teh kids at the end of Brown Bear, he asks where Harry is. He is looking at the animals, too, so surely he must be there. Without fail, he always chooses teh little dark skinned boy with the afro to be him. Mommy and Daddy get to be two of the kids, usually Lance, and last night "Lance's Mommy" was a little yellow haired boy. Obviously the child thinks outside of the box. After all of his books, Harry says "The End."

I thought there'd be more time....

When most other parents of 2 year olds, and some older kids, seem to be blogging about how they can't get their kids to sleep...well, we did that. And now we are beyond it. Now, I feel like we are at what I guess is the 5-8 year old level, where the child gets in bed, etc. but then launches a litany of questions at you. Harry says "nigh nigh" but as the door closes he questions "Mommy?" followed by some very calm and well thought out questions...though I am at a loss as to what most of them are about. They tend to long winded. There is a cute little smile attached. A request for another book, which instead of reading to him I leave in his crib. He reads to Baby. Then he sings. Then he suggests his ears hurt. Then his eyes (Duh! It's an hour past bedtime! My eyes hurt, too!). Then he wants to know if I am working. Then he asks about the pool, and Lance, and pauses to think of some others. And yet, I find it all amazing! This is a conscious process for him. He pulls out all kinds of stuff. Eventually he nods off. Sometimes, if the windows are open, thunder or a motorcycle may wake him. "Too loud!" he will say, but he drifts off again. Before you know it, it is morning. He is standing in his crib with Baby, Snoedel and Blankie all wrapped up (not an easy task). I am rewarded with a "DORA-MIMO!". I'l take it!

In a Turtle House

Looks like Kevin beat me to the punch in his blog about our Terp hunt, but I spent my AM hours documenting Harry's life, so I am going to post it! Glad he added all of the cool links I was too lazy to look up though! Oh, and I am up in Boston, where I've been hearing the other side of the Len Bias story. Freaky!

Anyway, here is what I wrote:

At the end of a 95 degree Terp hunt through College Park, followed by a car tour of our old abodes, Harry states the following: Mee Live In Turtle House. As in, I want to live in one olf these college houses. How cute is he? College bound at age 2!

Though yet to donate much to our alma mater, we still somehow receive the Terp alumni magazine. This month (as Kevin already explained) it featured 50 Fear the Turtle statues depicting everything from Kermit the Frog (Kertle) to LAX Terp to a tuxedo clad Testudo. I thought it might be fun to go on a turtle hunt around campus, let Harry run across the mall, up stairs – that sort of thing. Kevin decided that is what he wanted to do for Father’s Day. We had fun. While Harry was initially a little bit worried by the idea of 6 foot statues and has been pre-occupied lately with everything from Swiper to Big Bird eating him, he soon mellowed to the idea and set out chasing them across campus. It helped that they were more like 4 feet tall.

Harry also received a personal tour of Cole Field House, had a photo op by the big floral M, rubbed Testudo’s nose and danced around on the sun dial.
Since it was, indeed, 95 degrees, we didn’t last too long and only captured about 15 of the said turtles. We headed home and hit the pool (after the nudie sprinkler dance, of course).

The pool. One of Harry’s favorite places to be. Of course, he is completely oblivious to the fact that he cannot swim. He slides off the side, jumps in cannonball style, Nestea plunges…He has no fear whatsoever. Luckily, I think he may start swimming soon. Yes, I know he is not 4 but I swam before I was 4 and so do a lot of other kids. Harry likes to put his face in the water. He can even lay flat in the water and lift his head up after a few seconds. I am going to keep at it, and also work on directing his arm motions and leg kicks. He may have been 1 before he walked, and he’s still not reading books on his own (though he does take a few to bed with him) but he is definitely swimming! I just hope nothing traumatizes him during this process. That would SUCK!

I have been busy with work lately so I have been lagging behind other updates. We’ve also been busy with leisure activities. Harry went to Sesame Place last week with Dominic, Isabella, a little boy named Joseph whose mom works with my dad and a whole slew of mini-Deckers. Harry's favorite part of teh day was hanging out with Dominic and his least favorite part was Oscar.
“Big Bird No Eat Me!” was the phrase of the day. It has a range from almost panic to matter-of-fact. Harry was okay with the monsters generally existing, he just didn’t want to be up close and personal. Instead, we hung out in the wave pool and floated on the lazy river, which Harry fully volunteered was "A River."

The weekend before we went to a birthday party at Frying Pan Park for Ashton’s 2nd birthday. He is a friend from The Little Gym. Alana from gym was also there. Harry had fun running with balloons, helping open gifts, and enjoying a big wagon ride where he sat calmly with his hands clasped. He is still very much into transportation. He also liked the piggies on the farm.

Harry also enjoyed his flight to Chicago (flight there, not back!). He hung out with Grandma Patty and enjoyed playing with Grandpa Les’s toy cars. He wheeled a little wooden train all over the house. And he played tag (or something!) with “MEG-GIN!” I was able to see some friends and check out the King Tut exhibit at the Field museum while Harry hit the zoo with family. We met up again by “The Bean” and enjoyed the rest of the weekend together. We waited for Kevin's mom to get her car so we could follow her. When we told Harry we were waiting for her so we could follow her because we didn't know where we were going, he suggested "A Map!"

Oh- and Menike is back! Harry still prefers “No work!” but he is once again in very capable hands…and eating a range of wholesome foods!

P.S. Was on the phone and also watching Failure to Launch when I editted this. It may be chaotic but such is life. Anyway, the movie...looks liek you can be a great parent. So great your kids never leave home. Hmmmm. Something to think about.

Going on a Terp hunt!

Bleated Happy Father's Day to the newest members of the ranks, as well as to those of you who've been doing this for as long as you can remember (or perhaps even longer).

For our outing this year, compliments of the University of Maryland Alumni magazine TERP, we found out that there are about 50 Fear the Turtle statues all over the College Park area, and even more all over the state. We decided that it'd be fun for Harry to see how many he could find, and at the same time give him his first tour of our campus.

We started off in venerable Cole Field House. Ironic perhaps, that the first Terp to write about was the Basketball Legends one outside of Cole, and writing about it on the 20th anniversary of Len Bias' death… didn't know that yesterday, so hopefully not too morbid. Luckily we managed to find an open door to Cole (prominently marked outside "Closed Saturdays & Sundays"), the wows began while we were still in the lobby… not even the main one, just the student entrance by the pool!

When we got inside, it was amazing. Of course there's an Astroturf floor now replacing the old hardwood (something about a new building sponsored by a cable TV outfit), but it still looked, smelled and felt like the gym I knew and loved. We took a walk down to where I used to make a fool of myself with the guys with our face paint & red wigs… walked around in the seats, and then half a lap around the concourse back to Mommy upstairs. It was nice that we went here first. Harry seemed to appreciate it… you could see it in his eyes.

We then hit several other landmarks around campus, I waxed poetic about what used to be here, and that this used to be a that (especially in the Student Union), Harry sat in the M for his portrait while drivers-by giggled and waved. Saw a wedding party shooting candid's on the steps of the Administration building, ran around the fountains on the mall, and generally realized how long it had been since we'd been there on a regular basis (also noting that the LAST time we were there was for our engagement photos!?!?!).



All of the heat and sun and running eventually had their way, and Harry fell asleep in his stroller. Perfect time for a walk down to Route 1 only to find that only a few of the establishments remain. After a quick lunch, we came back around thru the new South Campus. However, right in the middle of it all, remains the old South Campus Surge building (now Susquehanna Hall), with my "KPMCD" still written in the concrete.

We made it back in to the car, took one last spin around campus, past several previous residences, including 4803 Norwich… the "scene of the crime."

Back home to a few nekkid runs though the sprinkler for Harry, and then we decided it was time for a proper trip to the pool. Case in point that Harry's absolute non-fear of the water continues… he loves going under (especially when he's supposed to be sitting on the side for "adult swim"), loves putting his face in the water, and even more so, watching others go under, only to come back up on the other side of the pool! But as soon as it started, he was ready to leave. No need to drag things out.

Dinner on the patio, and soapy escapade of sponge-cleaning his new picnic table, and Harry was off to bed.

A great family outing day, perfect for Father's day!

When we last left Harry...
He was seated on the sofa in his dark green race car pajamas, Snoedel on his lap, Sippy Cup in one hand and his Elmo balloon in the other. Elmo visor on his head. Dora on TV. His only words as I left the house at 5:40 AM this morning, locking the door behind me, were "No window." Nope. No anxiety about my going to work today. I prefer it that way.
-Kim. 6/15/06
P.S. Kevin was upstairs taking a 2 minute shower.

Bert-day to you. Bert-day to you.
Instead of Here Comes the Bride, the tune I hear most frequently these days is Happy Birthday To You. I’m not complaining, really. I just find it interesting.I realized the other day that this is the first year in the past 15 that I don’t have 1 single wedding to attend – at least none that I am aware of this late in the game. There were some years that we woudl attend 3 weddings in one weekend. 1 day we attended two weddings in two different states...and I was in one of them! But now they seem to have been replaced.What I have now is a schedule full of toddler birthdays and birth announcements. They are fun. A social outlet, at least. I do miss cake that doesn’t turn my teeth dark green (Ninja Turtles) and sitting down to enjoy a meal. And dancing with my husband. But bouncing around the room with my toddler can be a blast...and don't you kind of wish everyone still lit up at the site of a balloon? It would make business meetings a whole lot more interesting!

Why is it that everyone else seems to know what is and isn't okay for your child, regardless of what you, as daily parent of said child, tell them?

For example… Harry gets up every morning between 5:55 and 6:20. Regardless of what time he goes to bed, that's when he gets up. Regardless of what day of the week, that's when he gets up. Only time this may change is a) travel to a different time zone (evidenced 2 weeks ago on his maiden voyage to Grandma Patty's in Chicago), or b) due to the ever-popular adjustment for Daylight Savings.

Something Kim and I know for a fact doesn't change his wakeup time, is his bedtime. If he goes to bed at 7:30 or 10:30, he's going to wake up around 6. There's really no debate to this. However, direct effect of adjusting bedtime obviously, is quantity of sleep (you can do the math at home). Normal bedtime is around 7:30. Therefore, Harry goes to bed at 7:30, and gets up around 6.

This is a fact of life for us and not up for negotiation… from our perspective. From other's perspective, it seems perfectly legitimate to keep him up until he literally starts into a typical 2YO tirade, at which point he's typically handed back to one of us, and it's duly pointed out that "he must be getting tired." Getting??? It's 11 o'clock!?!?!

For future reference, if you don't have kids yet, or yours are beyond the age of your immediate supervision, take the parents' word for it… bedtime is bedtime for a good reason… COLLECTIVE SANITY.

Another example… Harry's very much a creature of habit (some might note that it's to a fault, but it's early - we may be able to overcome that). When we travel, whether it's to daycare in the morning, or a taxi ride to the airport, everyone has their place to be and job to do. Daycare: always go in Daddy's car, he drives, Mommy waves from the window. Very cut & dry. Gym Class: Mommy drives her car, Daddy drinks coffee in the front seat. Again, not up for negotiation. Deviate from this, and suffer the consequences. That said, a daytrip in someone else's car whilst Mommy & Daddy are at work, not a very good idea. He will be the first to let you know that it doesn't work that way. Trust us.

Another example… Being such a creature of habit, there are plenty of things that he's perfectly content with doing. Matchbox cars. Blocks. Play-doh. Dora the Explorer reruns. Thomas the Train table. Simple pleasures that will keep him happily occupied for hours. Harry's already got quite the burgeoning imagination. He's very good at solitary play, as well as playing with others. Therefore, running all over to see all kinds of things isn't really necessary. The Bear exhibit at the zoo for 45 minutes is perfectly acceptable… sure there's an entire zoo to explore, but these bears are really cool, and look there's a tunnel to crawl through (another 20 minutes down). Mind you, this is one that I'm certainly guilty of, but remember, he's 2. Less is more.

While we certainly aren't the end-all of do-good parents, though sometimes we may espouse to be, please take these and other recommendations under advisement when in Harry's company. Of course friends & relatives want to be the ones having all the fun, and bringing said fun to Harry's attention, and we're hardly wet blankets (okay… maybe I am, but Kim certainly isn't), but its all for the greater good. Our own sanity, Harry's well-being, and just as importantly, for you to be able to enjoy your time with him, while minimizing the 2YO tirades.

138 pics

No, not of Harry, but of Ella Grace. Congratulations Greg & Barbara! And Missy & Todd on their new baby boy (who we have not seen picture sof yet and it's been about 3 days already!). I also had a happy email from another friend, Donna, who was just offered a well-deserved new job and recently T. was as well. After some family stress, it is so wonderful to have so many happy photos and happy emails to come home to!

Sick Sucks.

Apparently Harry and I got sick within about 15 minutes of each other yesterday. As I was in the men's room at work haveing a subtle converation with the porcelain fellow in the corner, my phone rang... daycare. Crap. Harry has a fever and just got sick all over the place... he's sleeping on the couch now.

Wouldn't I love to be sleeping on the couch... long story short, we both made our respective ways home yesterday, Harry after Kim turning around in the midst of a work visit to Baltimore, myself at the hands of an overly helpful co-worker, only to spend the rest of the day on said couch.

Harry has bounced back to his normal self, however I still feel like I got hit by Thomas the Tank Engine.

Trying to keep him occupied whilst still in the throes of nauseaous grog is a bit of a challenge.

Ah... Fridays.

Ups & Downs

He may not be as big as he would like (struggles of late have been about who gets to drive) but I think it is safe to say Harry is officially a big kid. This kid has wanted to be big since he was born, and 2 year molars, scabby feet, a bottle of Motrin and some sun block in his eyes are not going to deter him from swimming underwater, following after “Dom-nic”, fishing with PopPop, jumping ocean waves, driving a golf cart or reciting Good Night, Moon from memory. To be honest, I don’t know which of his antics are the most amazing.
Harry has just a touch of stranger anxiety, but once he warms up there is no turning him off. He would prefer to have Snoedel and Baby with him at all times, but losing one of them has become Kevin and my biggest fear. If they leave the house, we become lovey bodyguards. Some may argue we take better care of those two than our own son, but it is because we fear the repercussions of misplacing one of them, and we also really don’t want Harry to go to bed with a peanut butter covered doll! Needless to say, the two made the trek with us to Cape May this past holiday weekend. “Snoedel here?” is the phrase we often hear, followed up with “Where’d Snoedel go?” (Snoedel is often right next to him).
Since Isabella and Dominic did not have their bikes with them, Harry’s never left the van. He spent lots of time with Baby’s stroller, yelling “Car coming!” and scampering to the side of the gravel roads whenever an SUV would show itself…often three blocks away. He has learned patience.
Harry also spent his non-bike time begging whoever was in site to get him the key for the golf cart. Didn’t matter if anyone we knew owned the golf cart- he climbed in anyway and said "Where's the key?" or "No key." Didn’t matter that he couldn’t reach the pedals, he was determined to drive. PopPop and Uncle Dom each let him steer, and he was welcome to spend hours on end sitting behind the wheel…he just couldn’t get enough of it! And after somehow ending up behind the wheel of my car while we loaded up, he has decided that he can now drive that, too. Again, doesn’t matter that he can’t reach the pedals. That he doesn’t have a license. That his car seat is meant for the back seat. That he is 2! Every time we get in “Me drive.” Very matter-of-fact. After I try to explain Virginia driving laws to him, he eventually gives up.
So, in Harry’s world, Snoedel comes first, then driving, then “Dom-nic.” Apparently cousin Dominic is the coolest kid in the cosmos. If Harry wasn’t yelling after him one of the other little boys was. He is the sweetest boy. He loves Harry and he is so patient, but even a saint has limits! It is funny, though, to remember that Dominic used to be the same way with Kayla. And it is neat to see, once again, how much Harry responds to big kids. That is not to say he and Isabella don’t get along swimmingly. She seems to have just the right personality to get along with Harry: Harry plays with all of her toys and she observes him like a lab rat, as if to say “Hmmm….fascinating.”
Kevin suspects it was the hero worship that got Harry to step foot on sand. Maybe. I think it is his love of the water. He has never liked sand. He hated it at our Disney hotel this year and last. I was concerned before we left (since I LOVE the beach), but luckily his love of the water won out. He isn’t an idiot. He has a respect for the water. He likes to know that I am nearby (an inch away with my hand open to grab him) when the waves come. He doesn’t seem quite as concerned about whether I am next to him when he jumps into the pool though! And he seems okay with it if I am not! He doesn’t mind being underwater and he not only jumps under, he will stand there, squat down and put his head in for 10 seconds. It is amazing! Even though we practiced, this is a giant leap. He actually seemed to want to swim underwater, too. He moved his arms and began to float…but there is a fine line between letting him learn on his own and the trauma of being under just a little too long. We have Josh’s pool pass for the summer, so we will keep practicing.
Practice certainly pays off with Harry. After regular readings of Good Night, Moon, I decided to see if he had been paying attention. Often, he would rather ask about the pictures than pay attention to the story, but I guess he absorbed a little after all. He knows what words come next. He likes to refer to the bowl of mush as oatmeal, but he knows it is “mush!” He also knows when the old lady says “hush,” she really means “Night night.” He seems very proud of himself and happy to play along. I just think he is awesome!