A busy saturday

Wow. I'm finally relatively up-to-speed with the blog, (minus apple picking from a few weeks ago, but we'll get there.)

Earlier this week I got the call we had secured a spot for swim lessons, after being wait-listed the entire last session, and the first 2 classes of this session. So, yesterday we donned our best swim attire and headed across town to the YMCA in Liverpool, conveniently 25 minutes away. Overall, it went very well; we were 2 weeks behind everyone else, but luckily the other kids weren't too judgmental. And by kids, I mean girls, because the girl-to-boy ratio was 7:1, and there are only 8 kids in the group, which means Preston is one lucky dude.

Afterwards, we stopped by the farmer's market to pick up some veggies and check out the pumpkin harvest. 

And got totally photo-bombed by this girl:

On the way home, Preston fell asleep in the car and promptly destroyed any chance of the normal afternoon nap, so when we got home, we ate lunch and headed outside so I could put him to work. Rake those leaves, boy!

About time he started earning his keep. 

Hammer time

Just prior to getting up on the stool, Preston took a wide stance with both hands up, and announced, "Stop everybody! This is really dangerous!" Obviously, this caught my attention, (I think I was washing dishes), and I turned around to watch exactly what he was planning to do. Luckily, I think the warning was referring to ascending the stool without the close supervision of an adult, as the activity itself turned out to be rather anticlimactic. But somewhat entertaining, nonetheless. It certainly does illustrate how quickly a 2 year old changes his mind.



Columbia zoo

During our very eventful August/September travels, we made a final quest to the zoo in Columbia, SC, on our way from Gigi's back to Charlotte for the final leg of our trip. One of the benefits of being members of the Syracuse Zoo is that we get reciprocity at most every zoo in the US, including this one.

Here is my co-pilot for the journey: (I realize this is far-from-ideal child safety restraining, but my many attempts to adjust this particular carseat without a manual were largely unsuccessful).

"This one is just right."

One of many unique experiences at this zoo was watching a snake slither up the rocks in this chimp enclosure (and forgive my lack of precision ape-identification, they are some sort of monkey, just can't remember the exact species.) Anyhoo, we spent a good 10 minutes watching the monkeys interact with the slithering reptile. This observation allowed me to conclude that; it is not simply a culturally-bred  distaste for snakes, there is an inherent biological apprehensiveness we share with our monkey relatives. (ie: they were just as wierded out and jumpy with that freaky creature!)

Moving on, a pretty sweet tortoise enclosure where we just so happened to catch one of the turtles cruising by in arms reach.

Not every day you see this at the zoo!

Giraffes are pretty awesome!

As are elephants: (which sadly are no longer terrmed "umps," by Preston.  He can now officially annunciate the full word.)

Parting with this particular statue proved to be quite the trial in toddler psychology. Overall I think I failed quite miserably. Luckily, we were just about the only people in the park, so no one got to see the extraordinary display Preston put on. And more importantly, no one could pass their judgment on my parenting skills.

"Too big."

So much for keeping all of Preston's clothing in good shape for passing along. I have decided I will NOT be purchasing an entirely new PJ wardrobe this winter, since the only problem with our existing stash of 4T PJ's (from last year) is that the feet are too small. So, since our go-to master seamstress has moved out of state, ahem, I had no other option than to perform transmetatarsal amputations of said PJ's. 

Bath-time with Aunt Sarah

Aunt Sarah has officially set the bar for bath-time fun. Which I have since failed to achieve ever since we left Charlotte. 

Bathtime fun in Charlotte! (bummed this is blurry!)

Bathtime fun in Lake Greenwood! Note: jetted bathtubs give bubble baths a whole new meaning. 

Bestowing the bubble crown?

Aunt Sarah is a trooper! Bath-time hasn't been the same since.

Where did the summer go?

Here is a brief synopsis of our travels during August-September.

Early August, depart: Syr-> Charlotte-> Lake Greenwood. Weeklong+ vacation with Oomp & Gigi, with visits from various family members of the Eckrich-Quinn-Birmingham line.

Return: Greenwood-> Charlotte->Syr.

Clean the house, reassure the dog we didn't abandon her, work a few days.

Repeat: Syr-> Charlotte-> Greenwood. Hang out a few days. Mom peaces out: Greenwood-> Charlotte->Atlanta->Vegas. 5 day conference. Return Vegas-> Atlanta-> Charlotte-> Greenwood. Pick up Pman. Greenwood-> Columbia-> Charlotte-> Syr. 

Return home, clean the house, reassure terrified dog that every time we leave the house from now on, we will NOT be gone for a week.

And so, that brings us to the present day, where I am still trying to catch up on my to-do list from July.  

So, how did Preston do through all this, you ask?

The Pman was an exceptional travel buddy (for the most part), enduring long security lines, being seat-belted for extended periods, and complying with general airline travel etiquette, all of which push the boundaries of normal toddler capacities. Secret mom weapons for facilitating such compliance: DVD player, and gummy bears. It was also the first time I think he really comprehended what was actually going on, with the airports, and airplanes and such. The most priceless moment was when we were accelerating down the runway (on our initial departure), everyone on the airplane was silent, and Preston goes, "Ooooohhhh, scaaaarrryy!!!" loud enough for everyone around us to hear. Interestingly, that turned out to be the flight from hell, where the trubulence was so bad, they kept postponing, and eventually cancelled, the beverage service. 90 minutes of slight panic. Also my "Aha!" moment that THIS is what xanax was made for.  I digress....

Long story short: we had a wonderful vacation at the new Eckrich abode, and both Preston and myself successfully survived 6 days apart, while I got a very refeshing, albeit work-related, Las Vegas getaway. 

*And Gigi survived 6 days of unassisted, around-the-clock, 2-and-a-half-year-old toddler mayhem (not to mention concurrently caring for the dog, the cat, and great-grandpa). God bless you.

**Please note, that as I publish drafts of posts that have been in the making, they get inserted into the blog by the date they were started. So, for those of you looking for more Pman adventures, make sure to occasionally scroll through July and August for new posts...

From Vegas

This week marks the first time I have been away from Preston for more than one night. And I think I have only ever been away for a single night...once. (This is me trying to assure myself  I'm not a completely terrible mother.) 

Parting from him earlier this week was far more difficult than I imagined it would be. Luckily he was napping when I left, which from a child psychology standpoint I'm not sure was a good idea, but I think it made it infinitely easier for me, anyway. It did, however, still feel like part of my heart was being ripped from soul, to put it mildly. 

Fortunately, I have been comforted by the fact that Gigi is taking excellent care of him, and sends me videos every day so I can catch a glimpse of him. We tried Facetiming earlier this week, but it didn't go so well. So instead I am relegated to videos and nightly reports from Gigi. 

Here's the clip from yesterday, which I felt was blog-worthy.