Bobby quotes part two

Last night Bobby woke up in the wee hours and couldn't go back to sleep.  He lay quietly in his crib in the attic, trying so hard, but he just couldn't doze back off.  Lucky for him, neither could I, so finally I conceded and took him down-stay-ahs.  He sat quietly looking at books and watching Praise Baby for a little bit, but then he just had to get out of the big chair and get crazy.  At first I was totally concerned with settling him down and getting us back to bed as soon as possible, but he was just so darn lovable and entertaining that I couldn't help but just enjoy the special stolen middle-of-the-night time with my boy.  Back in the nursing days we were the only ones awake in a dark house a lot, but now it's pretty rare, so in a way (the sort of way that I would not care to repeat regularly) it made me happy.

Couldn't help writing down more bobby quotes while we were hanging out -- just because I wish I could keep the whole episode recorded in my brain forever.  The typed versions don't come out quite as cute as the spoken originals, but i try.

Uh ewephant tan't wide uh bicey-tle.

My bum fawl-in off.
I bettah save me up.
I did puwh me up he-ah.

Mommy writin at night.
Mommy writin on papeh.

I twimb down.  I didn't fawl.  Didn't fawl up he-ah!

What Mom writin now?  Mom usin vis pen.

I tan fix vis bicey-tle.
I might fix vis bicey-tle.
I might fix undah he-ah.

I tan hop at Dwam's!
Ribbit. (hop)
Ribbit. (hop)
Ribbit. (hop)
Ribbit. (hop)
I hopped!

Tan't put vis bicey-tle up he-ah. (pointing at ceiling)

I saw toe-ah-wa be-ah sweepin.  ("I saw koala bear sleeping."  took me a second to get that one.)

Okay, enough's enough.  Have a good weekend!

Bobby quotes

For the past few days I've tried to record some of the sentences that Bobby speaks, because he's just so darn cute, and how will I ever remember the particulars if I don't write them down?

"Mommy is sitting right here on Mom's bum."

Me: "Why is my belly getting bigger?"
Bob: "Why is my baseball bat getting bigger?"

"Football guys have wear helmets!"  Bob does lots of talking about football and guys and helmets.

"These are pretty flowers!  Ohhh, so pretty."

"It's not too sunny.  It's not too hot."

"It's beau-ful sky right now!"

"Vuh mon-tey tan twimb up here by mon-tey's self."  Referring to himself, as he tried to climb the willow.

"She doesn't need it, she wants it."  Referring to himself again; for some reason he thinks he's a she.

"I want any."  Naturally derived from, "Do you want any?"

"Mama beaver zou."  Yeah, this one's hard to explain.  But it was super hilarious.

Me: "What did you do in the nursery today?"

Bob: "I started twyin."

Me: "Why did you start crying?"

Bob: "Mommy tan't find zou!"

"Mommy lay up."   The opposite of lay down.

Me: "What do you want to name our baby?
Bob: "Owen."
Me: "Oh yeah?"
Bob: "Zes, that's fine.  That's fine, honey."
No, we haven't decided on a name yet, so don't bother asking.

"Da-mother gave vis basketball just for me.  It's just my right size."

"I want hang out.  I want stay up so night!"
What Bob kept saying last night, still way too excited about his new basketball to sleep.

Me: "Grandmother gave that to you because she loves you."
Bob: "I love Mommy."
Me: "You love Mommy?"
Bob: "Zes, I do love Mommy."

"I'm not doing this."  Said while he is in fact doing the thing he claims he is not doing.

"I never not play this."

"This is dane-rous for me."

"Not for eating." Said as he handed back a piece of raw spaghetti I gave him to try.


"I want any money.  I want more money."

"Maybe a bunny tan pop out.  I tan pet some bunnies!  May-bee!"

Me: "What should we name our baby?"
Bob: "Bobby."
Me: "We can't.  We already have a baby named Bobby."
Ben: "What other name do you like?"
Bob: "Kittens."
Me: "Kittens?  You want to name our baby Kittens?"
Bob: "O-tay.  [pause and grin]  Bobby silly."

"It's really bouncy for me."

The puppy licked-ed my bum.  Yeah, that didn't happen.

Dear tiny one

I wrote this yesterday afternoon but didn't scan and edit the photos until today.

I am desperate for a nap right now.  Had to get up early to drive dad to work and then the lady at the lab took about 25 thingies full of my blood... so there are my excuses.  But I really don't even need any... because I'm pregnant.  Pregnant ladies can nap whenever they want to.  All that to say, as badly as I want to close my eyes right now I want to tell you something even more, and this might be the only quiet moment I have today.

I want to tell you:  I love you.  So bad right now, as your brother would say.

Today I saw you for the first time!  I heard your heartbeat for the first time.  Your big brother smiled at your image and patted my belly while he sat next to me on the "bed" and we got to spy in on you and see you yawn and stick your hand in your mouth and stretch your arms above your head.  We saw your right ear, we saw your nose, we saw all ten of your toes.  And we saw your weenie clear as day and learned that you are a boy -- a brother!  And even though I tried to say beforehand that I really didn't care what gender you were, I really did hope you would be my second son.

All the details aside, though, it was most wonderful just to get to see you for a while, check in on you and make sure you're doing swell, even though I already knew in my body and in my heart that you were.

I am just so excited that you are YOU, and I cannot wait to meet you come January, tiny one, and watch you grow bigger and learn all about the person you are.

Looks like you have the same curly-cue hair as your brother.

Now I'm off to rest... hopefully Bobby will give me an hour.

Love,
Your Mama

1971 Unforgettable Trip

Okay, this trip did not take place in 1971.  Obviously.  I wasn't even born then.

It was two weeks ago.  "1971 Unforgettable Trip" is the name of the preset I used to edit all of these bike ride photos.  Just to mix it up a little.  Give our vacation a little vintage flare.

On Labor Day we met up with Ben's buddy Ryan in Hermosa Beach (how smart is he to live in southern california?  why don't we all?), rented bikes and rode six miles up the beach and six miles back.

Bobby loves bikes and helmets.  This day was literally a dream come true for him.  The look on his face below is one of pondering the gravity of what is transpiring.  And his hands on the chin strap have nothing to do with discomfort, he is simply feeling with his own hands to make sure the buckle is really real, like pinching himself to be sure he's not dreaming.  Seriously.

"I am so cool right now."

"Schu-eet" bikes (sorry my watermark covered part of the Schu-eet logo).

Bob loved his helmet so much that he insisted on wearing it to lunch.

Bobby chose the spot we stopped to play on the beach by freaking out and crying and insisting that he  needed to swim right that instant.  It wasn't a crowded spot, I'll give him that -- but I'm pretty sure the peace was due to the fact that we had planted ourselves directly between the oil rigs and the refinery.

Ben and Ryan swam.  Bob got his feet wet and decided that was enough.  I felt the same.  Even though it's so much warmer than our Atlantic, it was pretty darn chilly.  I know, I'm a wimp.  But someone had to supervise Bobby...

I buried Bob in the sand.  Couldn't resist myself.  He's old enough that I don't really feel that bad torturing him, yet so tiny that I was able to dig a hole big enough for him in five minutes flat.  Or less.  I didn't time myself.  I've included here the photo in which Bobby looks least miserable, so that one day I can convince him that he really didn't mind.  Which he did.  (Just kidding, Buddy -- you loved it!)

Fortunately we went straight to Ryan's place afterward, where I was able to rinse the sand out of Bob's crevices: no harm done.

Bob met a new friend there, too.  He's a great pal and was totally willing to share the joy of helmet-wearing with Gus.

Ryan is one of those cool people that will say, "Do you want me to take a picture of all of you?" to which I'll almost always say, "Sure!"

On the ride home the sun was nice and low so I got some cool shadow self-portraits too.

Bobby was barely able to keep his eyes open at this point, but somehow he held on.

We made it back to Hermosa just in time to return the bikes before the shop closed and just as the festival was ending.  Hence all the trash littered behind me below.  Or maybe it's always like that.  I wouldn't know.  Hennesse's Tavern is where we ate lunch on the roof earlier that day.  I've been looking forward to going back there ever since we went when I was pregnant with Bob... because drinking virgin beverages while the guys have the real thing gets old pretty quick, unless the bar you're at is on a roof by the ocean and you're being served fresh squeezed super pulpy delicious grapefruit juice.  Mmm soooo good.  I need to get me an old fashioned citrus juicer.

I snapped some pictures of some of the fabulous beach houses as we bicycled by (lucky I didn't bust a tooth because I'm rather out of practice)...

I think I could get used to some of those places.  Yeppers, I could.

Missing California

Suddenly it's cold here!  Like, all out of nowhere summer just abruptly ended and fall rushed in.  And I was not at all ready.

Just a week ago we were here...

... eating watermelon and swimming...

... and watching sunsets like these...

... and eating huge lemons straight from the tree...

... and just being totally cute.

I think I need to go back already!

Home

We're home from vacation.  And, you know, as wonderful as the trip was, being home afterwards is actually one of the best parts.  Especially for Bobby.

Bubbs slept part of the way home from the airport but when we got here at 9:30 he was far too excited to go to bed.  After a couple of failed attempts at putting him to sleep I finally gave in and he stayed up playing like a crazy person until 1am.

Vacation across the country means lots of travel, lots of people, lots of places, and after all that it is oh so good to be back to the familiar and back to just the three of us.

Bob took the late-night opportunity to burst out of the little shell he'd been carrying to hide in occasionally... and to dust off his bat and ball and practice his baseball swing.

Wanna hang out with I'm-home-and-I-need-sports-so-bad Bobby for a little while?  This video is rather lengthy, but the other one I had to choose from was twice as long and I was too lazy to trim, so... whatever, just don't watch the whole thing if you don't want to.




A couple notes...

1.  Please excuse the filth in our home; we had just returned from vaca like 2 hours earlier.  Not that the place is usually super neat or anything.
2.  Apparently Bob had just picked up the word "means" and hasn't quite figured out how to use it properly.
3.  Not sure where the whole tee/TV/mitt confusion came from... maybe the 11:30pm hour?
4.  I love this tiny voice and I know someday I'll be so happy to have the long sample of Bob's precious 22-month language.

Random end of August

I uploaded a bunch of photos before we left for vacation and haven't had a chance to do anything with them (because we're in Cali and naturally there are much better things to do!)  But this morning Bob was up super early and gave me some extra time after breakfast but before we need to leave the hotel... so here we are.  Last night was his 22-month birthday and in the bustle of vacation I totally forgot.  But I'm still just as proud and happy and in love as always.

Here's a look at the rest of our August though lots of random photos...

touchdown!

working out on the junky playset in our backyard

"i tan swing!"

ballin

more workout time

"work out way up high"

over and over again

cutest basketball player ever

swing!

fih-fie!  (i finally snuck him into the trash)

soggy brown feet

potty practice time

exploring the reading courtyard at the library

little goofball

little goofball again

mmmm!  cookies and milk

bunny snuggle in the grass

pinwheels are fascinating

"i'm cooking right now"

sniffing cauliflower

let's go, mom

jump!

jeepin

fuzzy wuzzy caterpillar

sweet pumas

family walk in the woods

huge fallen tree

stuck!

in serious need of haircut

shower

running around like a kid

little goof

playing with his pals josh and andrew

swimming by himself

come back, mom

drying off

football guy

not sharing

eyes still sad after crying for football time

flip flop feet

on to baseball

and back to football

i'm pretty cool i guess

little people time

muddy puddle feet

serious badminton "power tool"

hi, mom

every now and then you've got to let the boy play in the rain

i'm eatin twah-twer in my mouth right now

sneaking some Cheerios

pajama top, diaper, and sneakers.  cool outfit, cool pose.

running down ramps is super fun

soccer basketball

so close

cutest soccer player ever

lip injury (stuck out the wrong lip for the photo)

foot dunk

banana bench

wet feet on the front porch steps

zay-hoo!

cool guy sneakers

poppers!

throwing rocks

tiny motorcycle

brown eyes

workin out

walking the mall

testing out dad's new kicks

begged for a haircut, then cried throughout

that's all i could cut off... but i think it looks a little better

swimming in the tub

one of bob's favorite kitty toys

rainy day. tiny backpack.

sand on nose

chillaxin

tiny wagon blankie suckie tv time

balls make me oh so happy

in the willow tree

cutie bailey

pop-pop snuggle

first ever lollipop

i think he likes it!

(and he's feeling pretty cool)

sitting in the "big chair"

peaches!

favorite breakfast of the summer: yogurt with crunchy nut cereal and fruit

Look forward to lots of Cali pics when we get home next week!  (We're having a fabulous time.  Of course.)