A day out with my boy

Vince and I just enjoyed a fun and FREE day. When budgets are tight, we get creative don't we? First we headed to the petting zoo, (the pound) and had a blast playing with puppies and kittens. Vince loved the hand sanitizer the best, by the way! Then we drove by a construction site and saw the "twack-TORS" (tractors for you non-toddler speakers). We went by my Starbucks and said hey to some friends and had a free hot chocolate...gotta love the perks!! Then we took his "car" to the playground and "drove" on the "roads (sidewalks). He went down the big spiral slide a million times by himself and has the hair-do to prove it. We ran around the tennis courts and discovered our shadows. Vince found a tennis ball he stored in his car for another time. He practiced swinging and pumping his legs. It was such a fun day for us both I think. His cheeks got rosy and his nose ran, but he never quit smiling.

Train keep a coming

When I take a moment and really watch Vince, I don't see that tiny little baby anymore. He's becoming a "little man". He has an opinion about what he wants to wear, eat and play with. At this very moment he is wearing my shoes and stomping around the house with a huge smile on his face. Can't beat that. I find myself missing those moments when he was just a small little guy and he would only sleep on our chests and wanted us to hold him all day and all night. I remember cherishing those moments as they were happening. I forget to cherish these moments though. It won't be forever that he'll want me to get down and play with him for hours and forego the laundry. The humdrum of life keeps me from really enjoying Vince while he still enjoys being with me. So put that laundry basket down and let's go watch the train go by! The smile he gives me beats all the clean clothes I could want!

My Angel...The Bully

Vince is the sweetest, cuddliest, huggiest, little man. He can be so tender and gentle and caress your face with his tiny little hand. Ten minutes later that little hand has left its impression on me. What's up with that? Tonight I had the pleasure of having dinner with some friends and their children, 3 girls all older than Vince and a little boy a year younger. Vince was great. Playing, and being so gentle with their cats. And through the course of the evening he made almost all of those sweet girls cry. He was such a bully! Actually, I think the term I'm searching for is only-child syndrome! He sets his sights on something he wants and anything or anyone in his way is going to get stepped on, shoved to the side or have their possession yanked away from them. It seems the time outs don't work on this strong-willed little boy and a pop to the behind elicits laughter rather than remorse. I'm hoping these little outings along with attending childcare will help him gain some understanding of the word "share". And me some knowledge on discipline.

"No" means "No"

This week Vincent's vocabulary has really taken off. He went from a few words when prompted, to picking up 3-4 new words a day. He's even using the words in the right context. The other night at dinner, Vince made the sign for more and said "more" (envision the scene from "Oliver" where the poor orphaned boy approaches the head-master and says "more please") That's how it sounded. And then he said "Please?" WHAT!! Where those polite words, UNPROMPTED, coming out of MY CHILD'S mouth???? I was so overwhelmed with pride at that moment. What will be the next wonderful words out of his mouth? Thank you? Yes Ma'am?

NO! That was the next word out of his mouth for the next 3 hours as we tried to finish dinner, put away toys, take a bath, and go to bed. No, No, NO!! He knew what he wanted, and it was not what we wanted him to be doing.

I'm so happy he's talking and it's fun to watch him learn a new word and get excited about it. I just hope he learns to say yes soon too!

The First Blog

I can't believe I didn't start one of these pages a long time ago! It would've been so nice to have a record of our adventures with Vince from day one. Nonetheless, we shall begin today.

This blog is intended to keep friends and family in the loop and involved with our lives. These days, with everyone scattered here and there, it's hard to keep in touch and connected with our loved ones.

It is also a way for me to keep a running tab of my daily runnings with Vince. It's easy to forget what he's doing new from day to day. Just yesterday I asked Paul, what was his first word again? (It was "Nana" as in Banana) How could that slip my mind? Well not anymore my friends! I'm enlisting the help of modern technology and my limited computer skills.

Hope you all enjoy this Blog and visit often to check in and see what misadventures we've been up to!

Love,
The Carlan Family