Dentist

I took Casey to the dentist on Friday for his first cleaning. He has no cavities. As you can see, he did not put up much of a fight while the dentist did her thing.

Casey ate the Easter dinner of champions...polska kielbasa (the real kind, we're spoiled & don't eat the supermarket version).

We met Carol, Lainie, Samantha, and Jack and some of Lainie's friends in Mount Laurel at Kid Junction today. Casey & the other kids had lots and lots of fun. After we played for many hours, We headed to Friday's with Carol, Lainie, Samantha, and Jack for dinner. While Casey was well behaved, it is still much easier to dine at home or in a restaurant without him.

The Easter Bunny came early for Matt this year.   We got Fi.os yesterday.  It only took TEN HOURS to get it up and running.  Ten. Hours.  And the Ti.vo isn't working.  I will say, however, that the picture looks nice and on demand is included for Nickelodeon, which really means we'll have On Demand Carly. 

We got a call this morning that Casey fell & scraped his face on the playground. He didn't cry, and when they asked him what happened he said, "I fell down." I assessed the damage when I arrived for his Easter Party/Egg Hunt. It was not that bad, and he doesn't seem bothered by it at all. After his Easter egg hunt/party at school, Casey came back to tie up some loose ends at my office. While he visited he somehow managed to get a Munchkin from someone down the hall & a bottle of water from my boss. I quickly accomplished a few things, we went to pick up Daddy & headed to the grandparents Rubin for Passover dinner.

We've been busy. We had some out of town guests staying with us at the end of March. They included Caroline, Aunt Cheryl & our favorite Georgian, Jody. They were all here for Aunt Cristen's Surprise Bridal Shower & Bachelorette Party on Saturday, March 28th. Both were very much fun. Aunt Cristen was surprised, the shower food was tasty, and we all of the Bachelorette Party attendees had fun. Casey spent the whole weekend either playing with or talking about Caroline. We went to the park on Sunday, and Uncle Matt got Casey & Caroline treats from the ice cream man. Due to high winds, Aunt Cheryl & Caroline were unable to fly out on Monday, so we got to hang out with them for some extra time. We spent a large part of last weekend with our friends Heather & Chad. We went to a BBQ at their house on Sunday & after a couple of hours Casey stopped yelling "Dog. NO!" every time their pug came near him. When dessert was served he started shouting "Happy Birthday! To you!", which was funny.

Here's a photo of our bachelorette.

Dinosaur Prints

We arrived (late) at daycare to find all of the kids covered in shaving cream. The idea was for them to make dinosaur prints in the shaving cream, although they were doing a better job of coating themselves in it, rather than the dinosaurs. Casey was delighted to join in.

Some admittedly sub par pictures of Casey at Castle Park this weekend. The first time we were there, I could not put him down - he would not walk, and wanted nothing to do with the playground. We have been there twice now in the past few days, and you can't keep up with him. No toddler play area for Casey; he is on the 5 to 12 playground. Still has no interest in the swings, but loves the big, twisty slides.









Things are much improved at daycare, thanks in large part to a new teacher in the room - A complete 180 from Casey clinging to me, sobbing hysterically, to running away without saying goodbye.

His vocabulary, as is his speech, is ever improving. Most nights, he will only eat what is on my plate while sitting on my lap. Hates his high chair and his bed, loves cocoa krispies and iCarly.

Casey spied the basketballs near the bread aisle. He rode around clutching this one until we got to the register. This kid loves any kind of sporting equipment.

Shockingly, we went to Costco today. Casey quite enjoyed Go-gurt in both strawberry & berry flavors.

We played outside for a bit. Casey wanted to go for a walk. The stroller needed to be pushed, but not so he could ride in it. I was not supposed to push it one handed & was scolded for such a few times.

Casey had a good day at school. When I arrived to retrieve him, he excitedly greeted me after putting away the toy he was playing with. Then he ran back & high fived his teachers, before coming to put on his jacket. After school, we went to dine at the grandparents Zukowski to avoid the germ factory that was Matt. Per the pictures below, Casey is now under the bowling tutelage of Papa. When we visit Casey LOVES to check out Papa's stash of bowling balls & his see saw (that is something bowling related I have sadly never seen and have only recently heard of).

Yup, it's March. And it's snowing. Matt is home sick, so I brought Casey to school today. He was not happy about the drop off. At all. I'm hoping his day gets better though.

I picked Casey up today & met the new assistant teacher coming to his room. She seems really nice, and Casey seems to really like her. He high-fived Quincy goodbye prior to leaving. Then we went to Grandma's for dinner, where he inspected Papa's bowling balls & ate Cocoa Puffs.

Today, when I picked Casey up he was on the playground. His teacher, Miss Becky, reported a nap, requests for his father (or course) & an otherwise good day. Casey even gave her a high five as we left for the day. Up until this point whenever I asked if Miss Becky was nice, he would say no/yell/cry. He did not do that this afternoon, so perhaps he will stop hating school so much in the near future. Additionally, he apparently learned the phrase "right here" since being dropped off at school. If I asked him where anything was this afternoon, he said "right here". His nose, his food, his shoes. He's a genius, of course.

Casey generally does not eat noodles or pasta of any kind. He will touch them, he will feed them to someone else, but they do not cross his lips. Except at school, where he will eat whatever is put in front of him. This evening I made a festive Irish meal of baked ziti. Casey dragged his talking grill up the step into the kitchen & grilled while I cooked dinner (please note the pacifier on the grill below). Although he said he wanted steak & rice for dinner, he instead decided to share my meal. After the first bite, he said, "Yummy. Casey likes these noodles!" (It sounded like, "Yummy. (rubbed tummy here) Casey liiiike dees noo-noos.)

This morning, Casey woke up at around 6. We brought him into our room in an attempt to get some more sleep. He woke up again slightly before 8. He woke me up by yelling "Mommy, kup (that's wake up)". I looked at him & he said, "Waffles. Get up. OOOOOout, glasses, floor. WAFFLES." I suppose he was hungry. After eating waffles with syrup, he needed to help me eat my cereal. Then he reenacted a scene from Sesame Street, the Elmo Steps In For Super Grover episode, for about 40 minutes. After a bowl of Cheerios, we headed to the mall to do a little shopping & see if Matt could get glasses in about an hour, as the commercial goes. I have NEVER been able to do this because my prescription is so strong, so I think he stinks. Anyway, while we waited, Casey played on the playground, walked around, and then he tried to steal some girls popcorn. After his attempted theivery, we got him some lunch.

Back when I was a Brownie & Girl Scout, we did not have such marketing tools.  We went door to door hawking cookies.  Apparently the new trick is to dress like a cookie.  I will say, this girl was extremely polite.  

Not only did we visit TLG this morning, we also returned after dinner for the Bunny Hop.  It was a fancy members only party complete with a visit from the Easter Bunny, playing, cookies and juice.  Casey partook in all of the activities.  While the bigger kids played Simon Says, he stood next to the teachers leading the game and looked at the kids.  After waiting in a short line to see the Easter Bunny, he refused to sit on it's lap alone, so I think I'm in the picture.  At least he didn't weep and run away like the kid who went after him.  The photographer told me that Casey's very cute, which I of course agree with.  We can pick up our copy of the photo on the 23rd, and if it's not terrible, you may get a peek.  

Casey & I are home sick today. Rather Casey is home "sick" and I'm home with him. He had a stuffy nose yesterday...then his left eye got a little puffy. It was crusted shut this morning, so I took him to see Dr. Sue. He talked about Dr. Sue while we drove there & in the waiting room. He stood on the scale all by himself, then he high-fived Dr. Sue when she came in the exam room. He showed her Mickey Mouse & pointed out every item he knew the name of, including mommy, Casey, sneakers, chair, Dr. Sue...he pretty much talked the whole time we were with her. His cousin Brady had pink eye last week. Somehow Brady managed to infect Casey all the way from FL.** He also has a double ear infection.He didn't have a fever or complain of a sore ear, so if he hadn't had a goopy eye, I would never have thought to take him to the doctor. The nurse took a culture of the eye goop & Casey didn't even flinch. On our way out Dr. Sue told me that we (Matt & I) are very good with Casey & she thinks that's part of the reason he doesn't freak about shots/eye cultures/tongue depressors/getting checked out, which I of course loved hearing. After I patted myself on the back, we headed to the pharmacy for Casey's Rx's. They filled them quickly because they were for a sick child, which was lovely. Then I got the boy a sick day Happy Meal for lunch to make him happy. Really, it was because he wanted a hambuhgerger (that's hamburger in Casey speak) and I did not have any on hand at home. Upon returning home, Casey washed his own hands standing on a bench in the bathroom (there was adult supervision, i didn't just let him loose in there). Then we put in his eye drops (which he was totally cool about, much unlike Aunt Cristen) and took his medicine. He ate most of his cheeseburger, a bunch of fries (they were out of apples, and he requested fries anyway) and drank his entire milk. After playing a bit, he took a nap.
He is currently bouncing balls & crashing cars on the floor. I will post pictures of him eating his Happy Meal Later. He kept asking "Camera, bite?" and offering the camera a bite of his fries.

**Please note I do not really think infection with pink eye from FL is possible, unless Brady is a master germ spreader or has super powers.

Snow Day!!

Casey enjoyed putting quarters into Papa's bowling bank. It's particularly enjoyable for him to do this, as he's very interested in bowling (he'll read a bowling magazine and point out each bowling ball) and money (change is more interesting than bills at this point).

Unbeknownst to us, tomorrow is the 105th anniversary of Dr. Seuss's (aka Theodor Seuss Geisel) birthday.  To celebrate, Target had story time, complete with snacks and juice, stickers , and a drawing for a free talking Cat in the Hat.  Guess who the winner was... 

Someone "slept" on a wipe for a little bit.

We took Casey to check out The Little Gym this morning.  His cousin Caroline has always enjoyed it, so we decided to give it a shot.  Casey seemed to enjoy it as well, especially the parts that included balls and bubbles.   One of the moms there asked if we went to high school together...and I'm kind of surprised that she recognized/remembered me, especially because I still don't know who she is.  After TLG we hit Costco, but there were no samples out that early, so the boys went hungry.  

At bedtime, we asked Casey to select his own pajamas.  The video captured a moment after he emptied the entire drawer.

Oreo aftermath.  If you look close enough, you can see the milk mustache.

Yesterday, Casey went to his new room at school for a bit to get adjusted. At some point he threw up. He did not throw up at any other point in the day, had no fever, at lunch, took a nap & was otherwise fine. Today, Matt & I went to meet the new teacher, Miss Rebecca. She seems nice. There is a biter in the class, which is highly unfortunate. They had someone in to observe him (the biter) this morning to come up with a plan to get the little bastard to stop biting.

Casey is eating venison.

Casey insisted that we visit Grandma dog, so we did.  As usual, Casey was not so interested in the dog, despite the fact that he is considerably bigger.  

At home, the entertainment center is protected by half of an (electric) baby play yard, ensuring that Casey cannot touch the TV or various electronics that surround it.  Grandpa was not so smart, so when Casey wanted to watch a movie, he took one and attempted to load in the DVD player.  By in, I mean under.  Grandpa helped him, then managed to make it through the opening credits before nodding off.

breaking news

This just in...Casey is moving to the toddler class at school. He should be in the new room full time starting the first week in March. On one hand, I'm sad. I love his teachers, he loves them, he's happy, he's not a baby anymore. On the other hand, I'm happy. He's ready for the new room.

We enjoyed our 3 day weekend immensely. Matt even got Monday off to celebrate the Presidents with us. On Sunday Heather & Chad came over for a tasty dinner--Chad brought the ingredients for the chicken portion of the dinner and he's quite the chef. Casey didn't take a nap, then fell asleep at 6ish. He slept until almost 10...so he didn't go to sleep until 1AM. But he was in a good mood and enjoyed an episode of Sesame Street when his parents got too tired to entertain him.
Yesterday, after running some errands, we came home and Casey ate a ton of chicken...and then when we ate dinner he ate a ton of london broil. Either he'll grow soon or he has a hollow leg. After dinner we played basketball. Matt got some good video, but I don't know how to get it into bloggable format, so you'll probably never see it. During his bath he washed all his bath toys, then helped put lotion on himself while telling me about all the items in his room & things we did yesterday.
This evening Casey & I went to pick something up from Grandma. Casey enjoyed playing with the stuffed moose there. He was afraid of the noise the furnace made which was strange because he's heard it countless times & never been bothered before. He read a bowling magazine, announcing each time he saw a bowling ball (there are many, many bowling balls in a bowling magazine). He tried to take home some of Grandmas's things, but she traded him for some Teddy Grahams. Apparently Casey can now open individual packages of Teddy Grahams because neither parent opened the package but there are no TG's left in the bag. Casey is a genius...or he's just hungry this week.

Casey has this shirt on today. I bought it thinking he could wear it to school for Valentine's Day today...and somehow, he picked it out himself this morning. He pointed at & said bandit with a smile on his face about a million times before school.

Casey had an excellent day at school. He was enjoying the gusty winds this afternoon, until he got blown over. After that he was ready to come inside. We ate dinner (even some chicken), read books, "cooked" on his grill & in his kitchen, read more books. Overall a busy but enjoyable evening. He remembers EVERYTHING, has started putting more words together into sentences, and now can say xylophone and kangaroo very clearly.

Once, when I was in nursery school, I had the choice to wear either black pants & a striped shirt or brown pants & a striped shirt to school. After being told that I could wear the clothes or stay home, in the house for the day I still refused to wear either, instead opting to stay in the house in my pajamas all day. I am still just as stubborn.

This morning, we had a little battle with Casey. He wanted to wear his dog (or as he says, goggie) pajamas to school. We coaxed him out of the top with promises of wearing an Elmo sweater. We could not coax him out of the goggie pajama pants...so he wore them to school under jeans. He was kind of sweaty when I picked him up, as he refused to let his goggie pants be removed.

I think we're in for some interesting battles.

This afternoon we had a lunch/playdate with Casey's friend Jacob & family. They just had a new baby, Joshua, in December (belated congrats to them) and he was both adorable and very well behaved. There is no photographic evidence of our adventure, but we had a lovely time and hope we didn't overstay our welcome. When Casey was about to get to freak out tired stage, I suggested we depart quickly to avaoid a major meltdown. Here is Casey about 30 seconds post departure.

First thing this morning, Casey got his boots on...while still wearing his footy pajamas. He needed to go outside when Daddy did, complete with winter coat even though it was almost 60 degrees. He stomped around the neighborhood before running through puddles.

Casey got some snow boots earlier in the week. The only kind left in his size happened to be of the light up SpiderMan variety. He wants to wear them constantly, as you can see. He enjoys stomping through the house making them light up.

Sunday it was nice enough to play outside...and today it was snowy enough to play outside.
I taught Casey to catch snowflakes on his tongue after work/school today. Then, after dinner, we went for a stroll through our neighborhood. Sorry, no pictures, but we had a wonderful time.