MIA

Wow, how time flies when you're having fun. Since we last blogged (interesting that this word is now ingrained in our vocabulary, eh?), we've had several very interesting adventures. C finished preschool. On the last day, E took pictures of C w/ his "buddies", J, M, and A (the boys). Here they are invoking their inner Spidermen and Supermen:

When looking at the pictures, it was interesting to note that E even was able to include a picture of the "big truck" which was the subject of many conversations (pretty much on a daily basis) after preschool. After naptime, C and J (sitting next to C) would race to the playground - the winner receiving the spoils of playing w/ the big truck (instead of the small truck). C let us know each day who won the race (either being elated from his victory or upset that J did not share the big truck).

It's amazing to realize how much C has grown (both physically and developmentally) since August. Language skills alone are astounding. Many thanks to Ms. Janice and Ms. Melanie (yes, *gasp* names are included) for all they did to help C grow as a preschooler. He'll miss you when he starts class in the "green school" in August!

Here's Ms. Janice and C:

and Ms. Melanie and C:


In addition to finishing his first year of preschool, C enjoyed his first beach vacation. Opa and Oma joined us as we traveled to one of the beaches in SC. We stayed in a very nice location (think timeshare in a hotel) with a private beach and pool. C was fascinated by the tide and most enjoyed the puddles of oceanwater that formed when the tide rolled away (but, alas, we weren't sittin' at the dock of the bay). C pretended to swim and wanted us to call him "turtle." Let's just say we've created a beach bum! He also unleashed his inner Tiger Woods and had several hole-in-ones on the local miniature golf courses. C was most fascinated by the "big sharks" and "turtle" at Ripley's Aquarium in Myrtle Beach (alas, Mum-mum was not able to convince C that the turtle was a female named "Gabrielle" - according to C, it was a boy turtle like in Nemo...). Toward the end of the week, we had dinner at an excellent restaurant named "Pacino's Mediterranean Grille." The owners took C under their wing, had him draw a picture, sign his name, and place it in the kitchen - oh, yes, and the food was absolutely FABULOUS!


We've also had our fair share of doctor visits. After his hospitalization, C had two flare ups of respiratory symptoms (wheezing and fever), so we've visited a pulmonologist (lung doctor) and allergist (Dr. Maeve O'Connor - we highly recommend her!). C survivied his PFT (pulmonary function test) and allergy testing (ouchies which earned him a trip to Ben & Jerry's for "brown ice cream on a BIG cone"). So, C is now a seasoned pro in using his inhaler w/ spacer and taking his "yummy medicine" (aka Zyrtec). Oh, yes, let's not forget his visit to the optometrist - C will soon be the proud owner of glasses that will need to be worn when he's watching TV or reading books ("Just like Ba." C stated).

Just like any good big brother, C has started using "baby sister" as a patsy when he's caught committing infractions ("I no do it. Baby sister do it.").

On the bright side, C loves giving kisses and hugs at bedtime (and will let you know if he hasn't been able to do so). Just in the past week, C has independently begun saying "Yes sir" and "Yes ma'am" (with prompting from Mum-mum to help him understand when sir and ma'am should be used - and no, I can't receive any credit for this one...he started this on his own).

Our neighbor S finished painting C's bathroom. I'll post pictures once I discover the location of my camera (MIA or AWOL at the moment - waiting for the ranson note to appear). As for the "theme" - let's just say we brought a little bit of the beach home to Charlotte.

On a final note, we've begun the wonderful joy of nighttime potty training (no more diapers for our big boy). On a positive note, we have had a few (stress the word few) treasured dry-sheet and jammies nights (thanks to a nighttime wake up and emptying of the bladder). On the flip side, this means we've had a many days of waking up to the sounds of "I wet" and even more laundry cycles for Ba.