Toilet Floss

Holden has successfully tossed his first household item into the toilet. As I watched the dental floss make its way into the bowl, I let out a desperate, "Noooooo!" Holden, with his eyes scrunched and jaw slightly dropped, gave me the most confused looked, as if to say, "Whaaaat is the big deal?! I see you drop stuff into this thing all the time!"

Mom. Mom. Mom.

I have my own little Stewie Griffin. The last week has been nothing but "Mom. Mom. Mom. Mooooom! Mom. Mom!" And a good majority of the time, he doesn't want anything more than my attention, so when I respond, he just smiles and moves on.

Yesterday, I was on the floor, with my back to him, picking up food he dropped, when he started,"Mom. Mom. Mom. Mom. MOM!" "Yes, Holden," I said with my back still to him. But he continued,"Mom. Mom. Mom. Mom. Mom." Next thing I know, he's crouched down, with his face right in mine, yelling,"MOM!!"

Apparently, he wanted to show me something, and I wasn't looking. But, you got my attention, kiddo. So, kuddos to that.

I Can Make It!

Exhilarating morning! We drove Bill to the commuter rail, which runs along Main Street in the center of town. We stopped for coffee on the way, and as we were in line at the drive-through, we heard the train horn in the distance. I yelled,"Give me a credit card! It's faster than cash!" Then I am already on the move as I swipe the card back from the cashier. I whip a right onto Main Street, and there's the train! I lay on the gas. The train and I are head-to-head. For a moment, I think I'm Casey Ryback and start preparing to climb out of my sunroof, so I can leap on the train. Bill snaps me out of it when he yells,"Pull over!" I pull the car to the side, he leaps out, runs across traffic... and makes his train.

Now back to laundry and dishes...

Adventurer Terwilliger

Life is just an adventure to Holden. No challenge too great.

First challenge: a car seat blocking his door to the hall.

Challenge accepted!

Holden spots a small opening between the seat and the doorway. A lesser man would deem it too small, but not Holden. After much grunting and yelling, he pushes his way through the opening and finds his way into the hall.

Success!

Next challenge: a sleeping dog in the hallway.

Challenge accepted!

He tries to go around the back, but Mac moves, stretching his body across the entire hall. Holden pauses to reevaluate the situation. He decides that he has no choice, but to go over the dog. With each hand, he grabs a chunk of fur and starts to make his way over when the beast awakes. He looks him right in the eye, and then charges forward. The beast is not happy and tries to get him off. A battle ensues.

Oh! Challenge intercepted by Mom!

Here's a video of the start of this little adventure:

No One's Silier Than Daddy

Holden’s First Library Visit

Watching the big kids at the library

I took Holden to the children’s section of the library for the first time yesterday. Bill and I had taken him to the main parts several times, but for the first time, after many rainy days, I decided to take him there to actually play. He’s a very social child and loves watching people, especially kids, so I thought it would be fun for him if we just sat on the edge of the play area so he could do some up close people watching.

Holden had a blast. I, on the other hand, was trying hard not to hyperventilate. As a certified germ-aphobe, I quickly learned that, as a mother, I need to get over it.

As we sat on the filthy rug that had the strong scent of urine, I saw all these little wooden blocks scattered about. I soon learned that these blocks were not actually for building or playing, rather, they served as a community snack for all the children. I saw one child noshing on a block and then toss it, only so another kid could pick up the block and nosh on it. When that kid was done with the block, another one soon stepped in for a bite. Picture a joint being passed around, only rather than experiencing a fun high, you instead get some nasty illness so far passed down that even the CDC would have a difficult time finding patient zero. I was fascinated and horrified at the same time.

But as I said, Holden had a fabulous time. Now able to sit up well on his own, he sat on the rug shrieking with utter excitement at the chaos that surrounded him. And he wanted to be a part of it all. He took every opportunity to make eye contact with someone and have a conversation with them. He talked to people even when they weren’t paying attention to him. There was one father there who kept quizzing his son… annoyingly, so. He kept asking, “What’s this? What’s this?” and then would get frustrated when his kid kept trying to, god forbid, play. And the thing is, the kid was barely verbal. I mean, he kept referring to the kangaroo as “ouch.” But with the way his father kept interrogating him, I can only think that the boy meant “ouch” as in “Ouch, dad, I can already see the huge bill from my psychologist when I am 30 and impotent because of my performance anxiety.”

But I digress…

Even though this guy’s son had no interest in being quizzed, Holden didn’t mind and kept babbling answers every time the guy asked a question. The guy didn’t pay any attention, as he was too busy being annoyed with his kid, but I found it hilarious.

At one point, a toddler came up to Holden and started patting him like a dog. Holden was awestruck by this little person. After happily screaming and babbling non-stop since we got to the library (including in the lobby and the elevator), Holden suddenly had nothing to say. As this kid was vigorously patting Holden’s arm, all Holden could do was stare up at him with a dumbstruck smile. He didn’t even care that he was being whacked repeatedly.

Shortly after we started our walk home, Holden zonked out. All that crazy fun tuckered my sweet little boy out. And because I love him, we’ll go back… and at some point, I’ll even let him partake in the communal block eating… after, of course, I get him fitted with a child-sized dental dam.

Holden's First Vacation

A couple of weeks ago we took Holden on his first vacation. We rented a house up in Vermont that was secluded and set up on a hill. It was an amazing piece of property with a ton of open land and beautiful views. The main living area was all windows with a breathtaking view of the valley below and a range of mountains in the distance. We all had so much fun. Even the rain was fun because we had an unobstructed view of lightning shooting across the valley.

It was especially fun to watch Holden take everything in and enjoy himself. One night Bill made a camp fire and we roasted marshmallows. Holden went nuts, excitedly kicking his legs and shrieking with delight. He loved the fire and holding the marshmallow stick. We also took the dogs swimming a lot and Holden got a kick out of watching them romp through the water.

For three days, my Aunt Sally and Uncle Don from Florida came and stayed with us. Holden absolutely adored them. And it was so great for Bill and I to see them, as it has been years since we've all been together.

The dogs also had a blast. My aunt and uncle completely spoiled them by throwing the ball literally all day and also finding a cool place for them to swim. I kid you not, when my aunt and uncle left, the dogs were really depressed.

Below are some pictures from the trip (thanks, Uncle Don, for taking so many). If you click on them, you can get a larger view. Enjoy!