Monkey

Every little person needs a lovey, right?  For a baby shower gift, we received a flat monkey with a little stuffed head.

Monkey!

I thought it would make a great lovey, as it is not too big, but very soft, and, most importantly, it is MACHINE WASHABLE! (This is a very important feature for a lovey!  Since it goes everywhere, you need to be able to throw it in the washer and dryer and not worry that it will fall apart!)  So, since it was a gift from Grandma A, we asked her where she got it, so we could have a "backup."  This was advice from some mommy friends!

Well, Grandma sent us not one, not two, but three more!  Let me tell you, it is great having 4 loveys.   Little Guy is now at the point where he takes Monkey with him, especially to daycare and naps.  I keep the extra loveys in a drawer in his room, so if we accidentally leave monkey downstairs at nap time, Mommy just opens the drawer and pulls out another!

4 little monkeys!

Now, this may not work so well when Little Guy realizes for what is going on, but for now, it is great!  The other day Monkey accidentally got left at daycare.  If there had been no extra loveys, we could have had a catastrophe on our hands.  Luckily, we had 3 other Monkeys at home, waiting for their turn to be cuddled!

Little Guy with Monkey at his 9 month pictures!  He is so much bigger now!

Someone's in the kitchen...

During the day, Little Guy and I spend a chunk of time in the kitchen. Being as that he is only 14 months old, he is not quite big enough to help mama cook or unload the dishwasher (although he does try). That means he has to be busy while I am working.

We have a bank of drawers, and the bottom drawer is his. We keep his cups, spoons, and bowls in there. Inevitably he will open that drawer and begin pulling things out. Lately, he has had a fascination with having a spoon in his mouth and will walk around with it.

However, sometimes mama gets tired of stepping around bowls and so I try to give Little Guy some alternate activities to do, usually reusing some household materials. One such activity uses an empty Puffs container. It has a little flip-top lid, which is fun in and of itself. Originally, I had several plastic baby spoons that Little Guy could drop into the container, then we would dump it out and he would do it again. This was fun for a while, but after too many times of using it, Little Guy became bored with this activity!

We have now changed the activity. I recently emptied a small cylindrical container (think oatmeal container but smaller). I put several small wiffle balls into the container for Little Guy to take out of the cylinder and put into the Puffs container. This is pretty fun! The balls add the extra challenge of rolling away if he doesn't quite get them in the hole. Little Guy also made it into a new activity by putting one ball into the Puffs container, closing the lid, and shaking it! These activities can keep him occupied in the kitchen for up to a half hour!

Look! I can open the lid!

Putting the ball into the container!

This morning we tried another activity.  I buy the little containers of mandarin oranges for him to eat, and then I save the containers. The containers are a perfect size for him!  Anyway, I got out a bag of bowtie pasta and he went to town, putting the pasta into the bowls!

Ohhhh! I love to get the pasta out of the bag!

The pasta goes in there!

Back to school

So Monday I started back at work. The first day of school is always very exciting! It is one of my favorite days of the school year.

This year, I was delighted to meet 11 (yes, you read that right, 11!) kindergartners ready and excited to spend the morning with me! I am amazed at how excited and sad the parents are to leave their children in my care. It is a bittersweet day for them, watching their child venture into the world of school. Several of my students are the oldest in their family, so this is their first experience. In the past, I never quite understood quite what the parents were going through. Last year, I TOTALLY GOT IT!!!!  It was so hard for me to leave Little Guy for the first time!

Anyway, we had a great first day, and all the kindergartners returned on Tuesday!  No casualties!

I thought I would give you a peak at my "home" away from home.

This is the view of the room when you walk in the door.  It has a very open feel to the room.

This is at the front of the classroom rug. I just added the rocking chair this year!

What kindergarten classroom would be complete without dress-up and blocks?

What about Little Guy, you may ask. Well, Little Guy has had the pleasure of staying home and playing with Grandma B! His daycare is closed this week, so Grandma B flew up here to play with him! They have had a great time watching the school buses on our street, playing outside, snuggling, and just playing together. We are so lucky that Grandma B could come up here!

Food

I am trying to make lots of food for Little Guy to eat. He is really a great eater, but I am also strategic in the order I feed him. Veggies get served first, then other foods except bread. Sometimes I hold cheese back too, because he loves to eat bread and cheese and will pick them out of the other things. Recently this recipe for broccoli bites was shared with me. I made these up and Little Guy seems to like them! I think they will be great for taking to school.

I tried another new recipe yesterday.  This was for Veggie Muffins. I figure if I can get Little Guy to eat a few extra veggies, its worth the try. Who knows, maybe even Daddy will like them!

Here they are, fresh out of the oven!

I made shallow muffins, so they would be just the right size for Little Guy.
And the verdict is...

Mmmmm!

He liked them!