Busy days for a lil' guy

I rarely feel like weeks escape me, but this past week FLEW by. Ricardo has been extremely busy at work and Diego has been busy at play. He did well at school this week and was excited to go on Wednesday, which made me happy. On the days that he doesn't go to school I now make more of an effort to have a bit of structure to our day and to do fun things with him. On Tuesday morning we went to the library for the first time and would have had a better time if it hadn't been so close to his nap time. He did ok for a little while, but then was acting up a bit so we had to leave. We checked out a few books and I'm really looking forward to going back in order to get a better stock of books. There are so many other things that keep him busy around home that he hasn't been reading as much lately and I want to get that habit back. He also seems to think that there are more important things to be doing than eating so he hasn't been eating much either. We can't believe how quickly his rolls are fading from his arms and legs! We are hoping this is just a stage he's going through and will be back with a hefty appetite in a few weeks so he can maintain some of that baby chub that we all love.
Last Saturday we went to dinner at Jana, Kane and Mara Kate's house (good friends from church) and had a great time. Diego and Mara Kate had a BLAST playing together and were so silly. I took at least 10 pictures of them sitting on the couch and the one below is one of the only ones in which they're both smiling.

I found a great little gift for Diego last week and he loves it - a watering can just his size. He has always enjoyed helping Papi take care of the plants and used to fill up small tupperware containers with water to pour in the planters. Well now he has his very own watering can and can't get enough of it. I refilled it with water this afternoon at least 15 times!

Having fun with Mara Kate

The few seconds of good behavior at the library

He is a pro at watering plants and makes sure to evenly distribute the water around the whole planter

Creative Corner

We decided to set Diego up with a little Creative Corner in the living room and he loves it! So far, his favorite thing is to sit in the chair and play with his cars. I bought him 4 mini cars this week and they are his new fascination. He won't play with anything else! This morning he was happily eating his waffle & peanut butter when he suddenly picked up his plate, passed it to me and said "all done" "all done." He had spotted the cars on the red table! There was no way he was wasting any more time eating his breakfast - he had to have those cars! He then carried them all in to the bathroom so that he could chat with Papi while he got ready for work.
You will notice two projects hanging on the window - these are his masterpieces from Monday morning. He was sooo excited to show them to me and to tell me all about them. He showed me where the whole family is "mami", "papa", "digo" and "bebe." He even said "bebe cry" when he showed it to me. Now he loves to recount the members of his family and always remembers to include the "bebe." The yellow paper has a tree that has his green hand prints and each hand print represents a member of the family which he also loves to talk about.

Yesterday we went to the salon, yet again. He loved it and was such a champ, as always!

When he realized today was a school day (because he saw me preparing his lunch), he got very sad and clung to me like a little koala. I felt so bad and kept telling him how much fun school was going to be today. When we arrived he went right into Ms April's arms so that put me at ease.






I've lost count, but I think this was haircut #8

Family Fun Day

Today we attended a "Family Fun Day" with Ricardo's company. They set up a HUGE field with a bunch of activities, tents, food, contests, etc. We arrived late so we missed the softball tournament, but we made it just in time for Ricardo to take part in the "Executive hoola-hoop contest" (see picture below). Diego enjoyed his first snow cone, played with all different kinds of balls, ate yummy bbq chicken, chased doggies and ran wild for over an hour.

He had a 20-minute snooze on our way there so when we returned home at nap time, he refused to sleep. I was resting so Papi took him to the pool and they had a blast. I met them there and when I arrived Diego was standing at the edge the pool, with his head between his legs watching the water drip off his shorts - silly boy! We walked back home, showered and headed out to have pizza. Diego has been on a cheese-strike so we weren't sure if he'd enjoy it, but he LOVED it - he ate soooo much. He was so exhausted from the busy day that he fell fast asleep on the way home and didn't even wake up when we changed him into his jammies.


He chased this frisbee everywhere it went






Trying to imitate papi in the hoola-hoop


Slurping up his very first snow cone



"Uh-oh." He hates getting his hands dirty and was very concerned here that he had water on his hand.



Had WE been the judges, Papi would have won!

School Update

I figured yesterday would be a good test to see if school was really a success, but drop-off didn't go so well. Once again, on our ride there he was talking about it and remembering things from Monday ("carro," "ninos," "escuela") and was very excited to go. But once we arrived and I put him down to sign him in, he wanted right back up into my arms. I talked with another mom for a little while and let him stay with me, but within a couple of minutes it was time to go into the classroom and he was very very sad. He cried even more than he had on Monday :( As I left him there I didn't worry too much because I know how he is and figured he would calm down quickly.
I stopped for a leisurely stroll around a local farmer's market near home, went to the gym and came home to a very quiet apartment. I picked Ricardo up at 11:30 and we had an HOUR and A HALF lunch - it was soooo nice! We enjoyed our lunch and then walked to Border's for a coffee and really enjoyed our "date."
Ricardo went along to pick Diego up and he was thrilled to see Papi. We were both anxious to hear how the day had gone and were so happy to receive a positive report. All the teachers said "Oh he's so sweet" "What a wonderful boy" "He had a fabulous day" "He's so good" and on and on. Had had calmed down right away after I left and didn't get sad again. I printed out a list of his most common Spanish words so that they are able to establish basic communication these first couple of weeks and then they can transition into English. Ms Sherrill said that he doesn't talk at all and just seems to be processing the English - it will be interesting to see how much English he is speaking in a few weeks.
Today we went to playgroup at church and he had a blast! There were kids from 2-months old to 5-years old and he enjoyed playing with the big girls the most. Today was the first day that the playgroup started up again after a summer break so it will be great to see all our friends again!


This is Diego's new toy organizer, which he LOVES!


Helping me make his morning smoothie...


...he's too impatient to wait for the smoothie so he likes to munch on a banana while he waits

First day of "school"

Today was the big day and we both survived! Diego was thrilled to put on his new sneakers and head out the door to “escuela.” The whole ride there (which is literally 4 minutes) he said “escuela” “ninos” “escuela” “ninos.” When we arrived he was dying to enter the classroom and went running in...but then he turned around and saw the gate had been closed and mami was on the other side…and he reached his arms up and cried out for me. I quickly told him I loved him and said bye-bye. I hid behind the door and within 45 seconds he had stopped crying and was playing at the train table.
I drove straight to the gym for a great workout. I’ve never been able to have a leisurely workout because I’m always watching the clock in order to pick him up on time in the gym daycare. I came home showered, tidied up and went to the grocery store for the first time by myself in 19 months! I have to say that I missed his company and a buddy to chat with while roaming the aisles, but it was also nice not to worry about keeping him happy while I completed my list. Then I came home, had lunch and it was already time to pick him up again. When I walked in the classroom everybody was outside in the playground. He was inside a car, as happy as can be. When he saw me, he said “MAMI! Uppy!” but as soon as he was two steps away from me he turned around and said “No!” and went back to play with the car. I let him play for awhile longer while I chatted with his teachers. They said that he was really happy and had a great day. They were both busy keeping track of other kids so they didn’t tell me much, but I was relieved to hear that he had had a great day!
Right now he is supposed to be taking a nap, but is chatting up a storm in his crib. He is saying things that I don’t understand so he must be recounting his day at school. He has said “nino” several times, as well as “ding dong.” As we were leaving, the church bells rang so he said “ding dong” over and over.
The real test will come on Wednesday when it’s time to drop him off again. If he really did have fun today, he’ll be happy to be back!

A quick water break before heading out the door. He has mastered drinking out of a bottle and can take several gulps without spilling.

Labor Day Weekend

We had a fun weekend with friends up in the mountains. We rented a cabin with three other couples and were away for two nights. Diego's buddy, Addie went along so the two of them were as happy as can be. They have very different schedules (he sleeps 7pm-7am, she sleeps 10pm-10am), but they were attached at the hip whenever their awake times coincided. As you'll see from the pictures they played ball, read books, enjoyed the view, played on the swing and did a great job at keeping each other entertained so the adults could enjoy "adult time." It was a wonderful break, especially for Ricardo who's had a very busy schedule lately.

Today was orientation at Diego's school. He will be starting a program called Mothers Morning Out next week. It's two days a week, from 9:00 - 1:00. He has a cold so I couldn't let him get out of the stroller, but we went in to see the classroom and to meet his classmates and his teacher, Ms Sherill. I liked her a lot and will feel very comfortable leaving him with her. There are 6 other children in the class and they were all busy bees playing with all the new toys. The first few days will be a huge adjustment (for both of us), but I think he's going to love it. I have to go buy him a lunch box and back pack! This boy is growing up! We'll take lots of pictures on Monday with his backpack and all.



We went on a family hike on Saturday, which Diego LOVED


Enjoying the view (it was beautiful!)


Taking turns rolling to ball to Ricardo


Addie loved cuddling Diego




This is my favorite picture of the two!