Diego can count

Diego has been reciting his numbers in order for some time now. But Jason discovered a couple of days ago that he can now actually tell you how many there are in a group! Very exciting.

Katherine and I took Diego to Rabbit Hash, KY yesterday. Katherine was playing drums and we were gonna watch but Diego wasn't having it. He got spooked and became hysterical and I had to take him outside. So he tried to play with all the bigger kids around. He had fun looking at the river and the boats. The kids didn't want much to do with him.

Violet is rolling over

VV can roll from back to front now. She did roll front to back a couple of times but that was on the bed. I think the cushioning helps with that.

Diego is extra sweet these days. He is taking his naps and going to bed without us having to lie down with him until he's asleep then sneak away. We do bath time around 7 pm, then read a book or three or four. Then lights out. We give him a flash light to play with and then leave him alone. You can tell when he is asleep because the flash light stops moving.

Diego is calling me "mom"

Diego has started to call me "Mom" every now and then. You know, instead of "Mommy". They told me the kids tend to grow up fast but this is ridiculous.

So smart

Diego counted to fifteen last night without provocation. He is also getting pretty good at his ABC's and recognizes some letters! It is pretty exciting. He has also become serious about coloring. He used to just scribble around or ask me to color so that he could watch. Now he will sit at the table for long stretches and think about what color to use and try to finish a picture. It is so much fun for me to observe. He gets very serious and sticks out his little tongue in concentration!

Little Chef

Last night, Diego and I made spritz cookies. He has been helping me baked sweets in the kitchen and he loves it. Of course, mainly because he gets to taste stuff. But after the last batch of cookies, I gave him a butter knife and he cut a whole pack of mushrooms in half (one at a time of course). It was a sight to see. He was sooo careful.

Counts beyond ten

Forgot to note that Diego is now counting. Well, counting may be a stretch. I am not sure that he gets the concept of counting but he can recite the numbers in order. He loves to count with Jason as he goes down the steps.

He likes to add an "s" to some numbers. Like fees, fours, fies.

Potty Training

Diego has shown new interest in potty training. We got him a little seat with Sesame Street characters on it that you place on top of the toilet. He likes that a little better than the little potty chairs that he likes to put his toys in... hopefully he doesn't start putting his toys in the commode.

I printed out a potty training chart and Jason bought some star stickers like the teachers put on your tests and homework when you do well. He loves them. Today, he pooped on the bathroom floor (Jason was on duty (doody) so I am not quite sure what happened there). And a few minutes ago, he put himself on the toilet and pooped! Diego, not Jason. It was pretty awesome. Yesterday, he peed in the potty twice. He has been doing that here and there for about a week or so. Exciting but I am determined not to rush him. He's really getting good at taking off his pants and his diaper.

pretend

Diego has been picking food off the pages of books and pretending to eat it or feed it to me or stuffed animals. Cute.

Jason caught him singing "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star" along with someone on tv.

Busy Times

Been so long since I have updated! We've been having lots of fun settling into our first house! Diego has had no problems adjusting. He loves it here. We have yet to unpack fully and boxes are just becoming part of the scenery. I hardly even notice them anymore and have absolutely no desire to deal with them! But I suppose something must be done before baby number two makes her appearance.

Diego is talking talking talking. I realize now that he's been saying many of the same words for months now but I just was too dense to understand. How annoying I must be... For example, he's been saying "vacuum cleaner" for I don't know how long. It sounds something like apple doo. So forgive me, darling, for not getting it! The kid is obsessed with vacuuming. He picked out a Fisher Price toy vacuum at the second hand store around his birthday and he hasn't stopped playing with it. He still tries to talk me into getting out the real deal everyday. Sometimes I will let him vacuum with the hose and attachments, but it always ends in tears. He's so conflicted.

I would like to present a list of all the words he says but I am not sure what to include. Sometimes he will repeat words we say but doesn't really use them regularly. We wrote a list before his 2nd year check up and we came up with over a hundred words.

He has been learning his colors and I am quite amazed by this! Today, I got out a box of 24 crayons and asked him to show me this or that color and he was doing very well. I asked him which color this was and he said, "purple". Too cute. He has a little French accent sometimes.

When he points in books at objects he usually starts with "and the". Such as, "and the cloud", or "and the egg". So darling. He loves pointing out smiling beasts and anthropomorphized items and saying, "happy?" or "es happy?"

He loves his books. Especially the lift the flap style books. Though sometimes he gets a little wound up and tears the flaps right off.

He's been chasing the dogs around and menacing them quite a bit. I can't convince him that it isn't a good idea so I have to keep them locked in the basement or in their crates sometimes. It is too bad for them but it is better for all of us because I don't want Diego to get bitten.

We went to the farmer's market on Sunday. We saw a lady walking five golden retrievers. She couldn't get two feet without someone stopping her to talk about why she has five dogs. We bought this yummy sweet cheese pocket for Diego then walked over to the square and hung out by the fountain. Diego loves the fountain. It was built the year I was born. That's not why he loves it. Then we walked over to Graters and got some ice cream. Watermelon sorbet for Diego. He loved it. He kept pointing at all the posters of sundaes decorating the walls. We got him thoroughly sugared up and bad tempered then drove up to Mason to the Once Upon A Child second hand store to look for a tricycle. We got a wagon instead. Today, I took him out in the wagon in the rain and he carried my adult sized giant umbrella while I walked in the rain pulling him. It was fun. So cute the way he clutched that umbrella. I should have gotten a picture but I didn't. The umbrella is mostly clear and forms a tight cup over your head so it was perfect for the wagon ride. He could see right through it. But I did get this picture of him watching the rain with his banana this morning.

Yesterday, Deb and I met with the boys at Jo's. We all hung out and watched the boys play. It was nice. I didn't get any pictures of that either! Cuz my camera battery died. BOOO! I did get this one upon arrival. Diego went straight to collecting pine cones.

Thank You

Last night, Diego said, "Thank you." Jason got him a cup of milk and while he was walking away holding the cup, Diego said, "Thank you."

Very exciting!

It sounded like he was saying, thank you, while we were in WV but it wasn't nearly as clear as this.

Road Trip

We took a road trip to WV to visit with Diego's Great Grandparents and his Grandad. Aunt Debbie and Cousin Dustin came along. The road trip part went better than I expected. You just never know what you are in for when traveling with little babies and toddlers.

The visit was really great. Diego rode the tractor with Great Grandad. He played soccer with his Grandad. We ate good food and just had a really relaxing time. Diego thoroughly enjoyed munching raspberries off the bushes as fast as we could pick them.

Jason said his language developed tremendously in just the three days we were gone. I didn't really notice that myself.

His most common sentences are "OH NO!" and "I peepee." and "I need." He is also very fixated on things that are or could be hot.

Slideshow of the Trip

Forgot my camera!

Jason and I went down to Kentucky with Diego to visit with Katherine and Laura at their father's place in Owenton. He has a lake house and a little boat. It was so much fun. We took Diego out on the lake in the boat and he was just itching to go overboard. We had to keep a good hold on him because he really did keep trying to get in.

When we finished the boat trip, we put on our suits and got in the water. Diego was so gleeful. I put him in the little ladybug floaty seat I got for him in San Diego. After awhile though he wanted out of that seat! It was too bad because I wasn't strong enough to swim with him without that seat. The water was so deep I couldn't touch the bottom and there was no way I could let him in without some kind of life preserver. We have a life jacket for him but I forgot it at home along with my camera! I am gonna beg some pictures off Laura so maybe they will show up here someday.

It was so much fun! Thanks RON!

Sharon Woods Wet Playground

We took a trip up to Sharon Woods again. It is such a nice park. We let Diego play on the playground for awhile. He kept chasing around an older boy. I would guess he was four. I think the boy liked having a little shadow.

It was so hot!

So we got back in the car and drove around to the lake. They have a wet playground there that consists of little randomly erupting geysers for the kids to get blasted with water. They love it. Diego was shy at first but he really got into it after a few minutes. There was also a little bubbling jet that flowed into a cement streambed decorated with "fossils" for the kids to splash around it.

We had to tear him away from the wet playground. We will be going back. Best of all, it is free! And there is a misting canopy for the parents to stay cool. They rent boats there as well so I think we might have venture out on the lake.

Potty Training

Diego peepeed on the potty twice yesterday. That is pretty exciting.

Getting the Mail with Great Grandpa

We stopped by to visit Great Grandpa Needels for a few hours. We had a nice time. They are getting the mail together. Isn't that adorable?

New words

Diego is now doing the elephant sound when he sees and elephant. He does the chicken (bok bok bok). He does the bees buzz. He meows. He beep-beeps and choo-choos. He tweets.


He said owl this morning.
He started saying mine last night.
He has also started telling me when he needs a new diaper. He'll point at his diaper and say, "I pee." or "I poop."

Sharon Woods Nature Walk

We took Diego on a walk down the Gorge Trail in Sharon Woods yesterday. The trail is 1.4 miles and it is covered in gravel. We didn't go to the end but we hiked for about an hour. He carried his sippy cup the whole time! He did so well. I think he really enjoyed it. The weather was very warm.

Slideshow of the day

gardening with Diego

I have been spending the last few mornings outdoors with Diego. He was watching me turn over the soil in preparation for planting. He decided to help me out... he took my shovel and tried to step on the edge to drive it down into the earth. It was so cute, to watch him try to step up on that shovel. I had to hold it steady for him, of course. He decided he was better off with the little trowel. As I turned the garden bed, he sat next to me and broke up the large clumps of dirt with that little hand trowel... OH MY, was it cute! He was very focused and kept at it for at least twenty minutes.

He also loves playing with the little yellow miniature rake I have. He really loves chasing Lucy around the yard and she happily obliges.

New words

Diego has been saying a lot of words now. I will present you all with a list.

Ball (he almost always includes an article - as in "a ball")
bunny
bear
shoes
fish
banana
balloon
dog
meow
moo
beep beep
choo choo
hat
hot
no no
Brian
nose
eye
momma and dada (of course)