Kitty Cat

Edmund and I have almost 2 full weeks of school under our belts after a 3 week long vacation. Saying it was difficult to return to work after winter break is an understatement. However, now that I'm in the swing of things I feel as if I never left. Edmund also seems to feel as if he never left. I was hoping some of his less endearing habits at school, such as banging his feet under the table at lunch, would disappear. No such luck. Not only does Edmund still do the lunchtime march, but he gets the whole class to join in. Learning table manners is a process. We're working on it.

This post wouldn't be complete without a Susanna mention. My dear friend from college returned from her Foreign Service duty in Mexico to visit family and friends before heading to Peru. Steven, Edmund, and I were fortunate enough to receive a visit. Edmund quickly became a huge Susanna fan. After she left our house Monday evening Edmund would longingly call for "Zanna." He did this up until bedtime. She certainly made a big impression. I'm sure Edmund will anxiously await her next visit.

This post has no real connecting theme, but I had to write down this Edmund story before it gets lost wherever it is forgotten memories go. This story comes with a disclaimer. The preschool is cleaned and exterminated regularly, but when it's cold outside and the building is surrounded by woods you are bound to see a creepy crawly every now and then.

This morning Edmund and I were running late for school. That seems to be how things go when Steven is on call. As soon as we enter the building I set Edmund down and let him wander while I set up the classroom for the day. Today instead of going straight for toys as per usual, he started pointing and happily saying "kitty cat, kitty cat." He was also slowly moving around the room which caught my attention. Suddenly I spotted the "kitty cat." It was a water bug (essentially a large, disgusting cockroach). I am terrified of these bugs so I went to the kitchen hoping it would go back to that from whence it came. Fortunately when I returned to the classroom the bug had disappeared. However, I was forced to brave the "kitty cat" when it reappeared around 9 am. At this point I had a classroom full of children and had to keep my cool. I swept up the bug as if it was a simple little cheerio. My co-teacher commented on my bravery. She was not sure she could have done the same. It's funny that having 8 little toddlers watching you turns you into a bug braving hero. I'm sure if it showed it's face in my house tonight I'd run away screaming.

It's a Bird, It's a Choo Choo, It's an Airplane

Edmund and Mommy with Airplane
(I apologize for the quality. Our camera was dead on arrival. This is the best we could do.)

Last Tuesday Steven and I dropped Edmund off with Granddad and Grandma Kay Kay in Virginia for his first ever sleep away. Steven had a residency interview in NJ on Wednesday and one in NYC on Friday. I wanted to take advantage of the opportunity to visit NYC at Christmastime, but it meant one day roaming alone in the city, as everyone I know in NY had to work Friday. As much as I wanted to share my childhood memories with Edmund, I had to be realistic. Steven and I knew Edmund would be just fine with his grandparents. I knew I would be ok too, although I knew I would miss the little guy like crazy. Edmund is with me day in and day out, so a little separation would probably do him good. As Steven and I browsed FAO Shwartz and toured the Museum of Natural History we couldn't help but discuss how much Edmund would enjoy certain aspects of each place. Moments later, however, we came to our senses and realized that after five minutes in these places Edmund's cries of "all done, all done," would ring through the buildings. We know he would have loved riding on the "choo choos," or subways, as they are known to us big people. He also would have been in heaven in Central Park. This year Steven and I didn't even make it into the Park as it was one of the coldest Decembers in NYC in years, so Edmund would have been at a loss. So as much as we missed Edmund, we definitely made the right decision. By Friday afternoon I was fiercely missing Edmund and couldn't wait to get to Harrisonburg to peek in on my sleeping angel. Unfortunately we drove right into one of Virginia's biggest snowstorms on record Friday night. Thankfully, due to Steven's safe driving and lack of ice early on, we made it home without incident. I don't know if we could have stood being away from Edmund one more day.

We were snowbound the next few days in Harrisonburg. Edmund wasn't sure about the cold, white stuff at first, but after awhile he couldn't get enough of it. He constantly ran to the door shouting "outside." After several ventures out into the snow, Mommy had to take a rest from the cold, but Daddy made sure Edmund got his fill. By Tuesday the roads were fine, so Steven, Edmund, and I decided to take a day trip to Washington DC. Steven had remembered going to an Air and Space Museum near Dulles Airport when it first opened, so we decided to head there. We figured since it wasn't in downtown DC we wouldn't have to deal with holiday tourists. Before heading to the museum we made a stop at Tyson's Corner, which houses an enormous mall. We made our way straight to the food court as Edmund was frantically signing and saying "eat." While we were eating he started squealing "choo choo, choo choo." At first we paid him no mind as he often starts talking about his favorite subjects randomly. Then we spotted it. There really was a "choo choo!" A holiday train just Edmund's size was making laps around the food court. Could Edmund's parents pass up an opportunity for their son to ride on his current favorite mode of transportation? Of course not. We decided that I would ride with Edmund, since a ticket cost us $2 a pop. Steven decided to pass on the 2 lap ride around the food court, but he made sure to wave to us in various locations. Edmund waved to people as we quickly, make that slowly, passed them by. When the ride was over we made the lengthy trek across the mall back to our car. Every now and then Edmund would say "choo choo." We'd look up to the food court floor and sure enough, there was the train. I must say the kid has good eye sight.

With Edmund safely buckled in his carseat we headed toward the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center, the companion site to the Air and Space Museum on the National Mall. The museum wasn't crowded at all. Best of all the layout is wide open, so Edmund could stretch his legs and wander a little without us worrying. Saying the museum is huge is an understatement. It has to be big for it houses hundreds of airplanes, helicopters, and spacecraft. The first aircraft we came to was a helicopter. Edmund shocked us when he pointed to it and said "elcopper" without prompting. His knowledge and language skills never cease to amaze us. After viewing the helicopter Edmund became fascinated with chairs along the viewing area. Hey a fellow's got to rest sometime. This gave Steven and I a few minutes to read about the aircraft in peace. When an announcement came over the loud speaker that the observation deck was going to close an hour early, we rounded up Edmund and headed to the elevator. The views from the top of the deck were amazing. You could see many miles in each direction. Edmund wasn't as taken by the views as we were. He found a friend just his size to chase around the deck. After corralling Edmund we were able to interest him in the airplanes going to Dulles for landing. They were close enough to really interest Edmund. From then on he was certain to ensure the other museum patrons were aware of the "apanes." Every time a person passed, Edmund would get his or her attention, point out the window, and say "apane," just in case the patrons were unaware they were surrounded by one of the largest displays of airplanes in the world.

Edmund did amazingly well during the rest of our 2 hour tour of the museum. So what if he was more enamored with climbing a large flight of stairs or chasing other toddlers around. He still received one of the best introductory courses on aviation he could get at such a young age. At the rate he's going with his retention of knowledge I wouldn't be surprised if he starts spouting out makes of airplanes in the next few days. He also proved that he handles sightseeing very well. Next up...Edmund takes Manhattan!

Ho Ho Ho

Santa, Edmund, and Rameses

Last Sunday, Steven and I took Edmund to our local mall to visit Santa. There was no doubt in my mind that Edmund wouldn't be scared of Santa, although I knew it would be near impossible to get Edmund to sit on the jolly, old elf's knee. Edmund loves people, especially those who say "ho ho ho." The problem would be that Edmund would fear we were going to hand him over to the man in red and book it, just like we do with those people in the church nursery. When our turn arrived to visit with Santa, I simply held Edmund. Edmund said a "ho ho ho" to Santa and briefly chatted with the man of the hour. When we asked if Edmund wanted to sit with Santa, Edmund shook his head and said "no." We thanked Santa for his time and headed on our way.

The next day I was reminded by a parent in my class that Santa would be decked out in Carolina gear and accompanied by UNC's mascot, Rameses. Steven was in Virginia for a residency interview, and Edmund had shots scheduled for early afternoon, so I figured it best to pass. However, Edmund was in such a friendly mood at his doctor's office, chatting up Dr. Morton, Nurse Charlie, and the office staff that I thought he might enjoy another visit with Santa Claus. Fortunately, I made a good call. Edmund and I only had to wait a minute to see Tarheel Santa. Santa remembered us from the day before and encouraged me to try my young fellow on his knee. Santa asked for a high five. Edmund happily obliged, as well as offered a high five to Rameses. I put Edmund on Santa's knee. At first he reached for me, but after distracting him with some brightly colored jingle bells, he was just fine. However, Edmund was quite the serious lad. His mommy played peek-a-boo with Rameses, made ridiculous noises, and did some silly dances. All to no avail. Edmund didn't even crack a smile, although Santa and his elves were cracking up. When I said "Edmund you did a great job," Santa replied, "Mom you did too." So we didn't get a happy picture with Santa, but we didn't get one of a screaming child either. That's pretty impressive for a toddler if I do say so myself.

Was it the fact that Santa was decked out in Carolina blue that made Edmund so willing to sit on his knee. We may never know, but we're hoping Edmund never turns to the dark side, or in this case, NC State, as his older buddy Michael has. Edmund and I saw Michael's family in line to see Santa later that day. Michael's sister Kelly was enthusiastic about sitting on Tarheel Santa's knee. However, Michael, who used to be the world's biggest Tarheel fan, would only sit on an NC State Santa's knee. I told Michael's parents there was hope for him, as I had once chosen UK over UNC. However, I eventually saw the light and returned to my beloved Tarheels. Edmund watched the UK-UNC game with us recently and began saying "Tucky." We quickly intervened and Edmund is now proudly saying "Alina." So Merry Christmas and Go Heels to you!

Neurologist Report

As I'm sure many of you are aware, Edmund finally went for a visit with a pediatric neurologist last Tuesday after a 3 month wait. Waiting for the appointment wasn't as difficult as I thought it would be. The neurologist was exceptional. He got Edmund to show off his skills simply by having Edmund play with a variety of little toys and trinkets (an educator's dream). I told Steven to take note. The neurologist's take on things was that Edmund is simply doing things in his own way and at his own pace. Edmund is stubborn, to say the least. Edmund loves to say "crawl" and pat his hands on the ground pretending to crawl, but no actual crawling takes place. I would have loved to find out why Edmund has such a dislike of being on his hands and knees or why he has more than despised tummy time since day 2, but the jury is still out on that. The neurologist ordered some muscle enzyme tests to be absolutely sure he was correct in his theories. Yesterday we received the results of both tests, and all was within normal range. Thanks so much for your thoughts and prayers during this time. Edmund may not be a champion tunnel crawler, but he is well on his way to becoming a world-class linguist.

Gobble Gobble

Turkey Day 2009

Instead of boring you all with a minute by minute recap of our Thanksgiving holiday, I thought I would simply give you the gist, and try something different this entry. In a nutshell…We went to Grandma and Grandpa’s house for Thanksgiving Day. Edmund enjoyed watching the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade with Aunt Alison. For those of you who thought I would deprive Edmund of a grand tradition, I did let Edmund watch TV for this special occasion. He really was only interested in the musical numbers. What can I say? He comes from a musical family. We then had a delicious Thanksgiving feast prepared by the Pattishalls, which Edmund chose not to eat. He did however, divulge his knowledge of the sound a turkey makes during dinner. He took us all by surprise when I jokingly asked him what a turkey says. “Gobble,” he replied. Who knew? Edmund did not totally miss out on turkey. He decided to partake in the Thanksgiving meal the following day when he discovered that turkey and stuffing taste much better after sitting in the fridge overnight.

On Friday, Grandma Kay Kay and Granddad came down from Virginia. We had a wonderful visit. The highlight of the visit was our trip to the Museum of Life and Science. Edmund had a blast riding on the “choo choo” with Kay Kay and Granddad and climbing stairs in the designated toddler area. He was very disappointed when it was time to leave. Fortunately, there was no full-blown tantrum.

Not to cut the time with the relatives short (we love you all), but as I definitely have a huge case of “mommy brain” these days, I’m not sure I'm even capable of a full play-by-play two days out. Instead I am giving you a list of the words Edmund says and the Edmund definition. This is an abridged version (as I said, “mommy brain”). Edmund probably says a few more words than I have listed, and I can guarantee he understands hundreds more words than he can say. He’s quite the smart fellow.

Edmund’s Dictionary:

• water- all liquid
• hello, hey you, hi, ciao-greetings for many a social situation
  
• thank you-while the word takes on its true meaning most of the time, thank you is also used when handing an object to someone
  
• truck-a moving vehicle spotted from a mile away
  
• car-a place from which to view the sights
  
• cracker-any food that comes out of a crinkly package, be it cereal or pancake mix
• mama-self explanatory
• dada-again, self explanatory
• ball- any round object (balls, balloons, ornaments, globes, etc.)
• no-a toddler’s favorite word
• uh-oh-used when an object is dropped or in anticipation of dropping an object
• bye-usually said after a person is out of sight
• Emma-two of my favorite friends at school as well as a cousin in Florida (convenient)
• Joshua-my peek-a-boo buddy at school
• Bible-refers to the baby Bible I got for my dedication
• more-as in “read Silly Dog for the hundredth time” or “don’t you see my pasta is gone”
• all done-signals the end of an activity or “get that toothbrush out of my mouth”
• chair-great place to read
• baby-any person under the age of 13
• eye-accompanies an eye blink
• nose-located somewhere between the lips and eyes
• teeth-not sure why we have to brush these
  
• ear-oft referred to as eye
  
• Popper-the best toy ever invented, though occasionally a little loud
• Puppers-a wonderful bedtime pal
• quack-any sort of winged creature
• numbers-for now the name of a favorite book
• up-both "pick me up" and "put me down"
• bike-the big kids at schools ride these
  
• lawn mower-another great push toy or anything loud in the distance
• keys-great item to hide; fortunately usually in an appropriate spot such as purse or diaper bag
  
• hot-always said emphatically while accompanying its sign
• right there-"where's your fork?"
  
• bubbles-these are great fun to… (see below)
• pop-used with bubbles and in “Little Fish” (an awesome song)
• mine-for some reason this is a word mom and dad want to disappear from my vocabulary
• go-I'm always ready to "go"
• pee pee-another self explanatory word
• diaper-this holds the above word
• apple
• strawberry
• banana-the above are all tasty fruits
• shoe- a great thing to play with
• socks-you have to put these on before you put on shoes
• outside-a place to pass the day away
• cup-a holding place for water
  
• light-turning them on and off is a blast
• bowl-any container that holds food
• doctor-what my dada is learning to be
  
• Ho Ho Ho-what Santa Claus says
• owl (whoo whoo)-a fine feathered friend and the sound it makes
• choo choo-these are just all around fun
• on-used to signal wanting on, in, out, and off
• gobble-what Thanksgiving dinner says
• down-the ladder on the fire engine does this
• playground-another place to pass the day away
• Kay-Kay-grandmother in VA
• paci-an object that won’t be around much longer I'm told
  
• slide-any slide or incline
• whee-what one says when going down a slide
• beep beep- the name of a favorite book and what trucks do when backing up
• Carl-the babysitting dog from the Carl series
• peek-a-boo-the best game in the whole world

Two Word Phrases:

• my chair
• my mom
• my dada-notice how most of these include a form of “mine”
• more water
• help please-sounds like “I Do”

As you can see, Edmund is becoming well versed in the English language. It’s quite amazing that 6 months ago Edmund's only discernible words were bye and dada. He’s come a long way. On another note, I'm sure you all have noticed the postings are now occurring monthly. This is due to a certain 33 inch tall man. Edmund, as well as his 7 toddler friends, are busy and fun, and thus exhausting. So while I want to document everything my precious son does, I also need my sleep to keep up with 8 busy toddlers day after day. Writing is taking a backseat to sleep these days I'm afraid. I’m sure there will be many tales to relate throughout the holiday season, so to make sure you each get your Edmund fix I am going to try to get two posts in during the Christmas vacation. This is as much for me as it is for all of you. Wish me luck!

Edmund Says Trick or Treat

Ahoy Maties

October has been a crazy month for the Pattishalls. Steven started an on-call pediatric rotation at the end of September. This meant another round of single parenting for me, as Steven was gone all day and night every 4th day and left every morning before Edmund got out of bed. I have a newfound respect for single parents everywhere. Fortunately, I had help from Edmund's Grandma, Grandpa, and Aunt Alison. October wasn't all about crazy schedules, however. We did manage to fit some fun in here and there. Steven has always considered Halloween one of his favorite holidays, so you could be sure Edmund was going to get his chance to celebrate the holiday big time,

This past week was full of Fall Festivals and Halloween Parties galore. We kicked off the celebration last Saturday by attending a Halloween party for the children in my mom's group. Since last year, the mom's group has broken off into two branches-one for stay at home moms and one for working moms. This was the first time the whole group has gotten together since last year's Valentine's Day party. It was amazing to see how big the "babies" have gotten. They are their own little people. Edmund wasn't quite as amazed with the development of his buddies as he was with a plate of Halloween shaped mini PB&J sandwiches. None of the other children seemed to notice they were at perfect toddler height. After Edmund's sixth little sandwich we had to ask for the plate to be put out of toddler reach. Edmund was bummed to be sure. Edmund also immediately made a miniature stroller discovery. He is entranced by all push toys, especially mini strollers. Unfortunately for him all the other kids were just as enamored with the stroller, and sharing is hard work when you're only 16 months old. Thus, after the requisite photo-op with the other children, (Edmund's pirate costume was hands-down the cutest), we bid our old baby friends adieu.

Wednesday was Edmund's preschool's Fall Festival. Because we were dealing with kids under 3, the activities were incredibly simple, but the kids wore themselves out anyway. Edmund also wore his mommy out, as he followed me around saying "mama," in just about every inflection you can imagine. Edmund colored a paper pumpkin outside, but thought it much more fun to color on the fence, so the activity was short lived. He spent most of his time at the sticker station, sticking Halloween stickers to a large piece of paper with his buddies. He has finally figured out how to get the sticker off his hand to stick it to paper, but I think we've got quite a way to go before he gets the hang of peeling. Believe me, he tries his hardest. The Fall Festival concluded with a lunch of pumpkin penne (a recipe I found in one of my magazines). Edmund loved, loved, loved the pumpkin penne. He came very close to turning into a pumpkin, as he was covered head to toe in it by the end of lunch.

Friday evening we headed to Chapel Hill Bible Church's Fall Festival. Again Edmund won the contest for cutest costume. Too bad there wasn't an actual contest! We began our night with a delicious meal of hot dogs. Edmund was in heaven when he saw there was mac and cheese. Steven and I have decided if Edmund had to choose just one food to eat for the rest of his life, it would be mac and cheese. After dinner we headed to the preschool games. Edmund was still a little young for them, but had fun anyway. In the first game he was supposed to find two toy animals buried in deer corn. Edmund found the animals, but didn't care. He was more interested in sifting his hands through the deer corn. He was having quite a blast with this until we had to abruptly lead him away from the activity. He thought it was hilarious to throw the corn on the floor. He couldn't understand why mommy and daddy insisted on stopping this fun. We took him to claim his prize--his very first piece of candy. Fortunately for mommy, he chose her favorite, 3 Musketeers. Edmund tried his hand at a few more games with assistance of course. We ended the evening with a family picture taken on a haystack. The perfect end to the evening.

What's that you say? Wasn't Edmund partied out before the actual day? Of course not! On Halloween we took our pumpkins to Grandma and Grandpa's to carve. If you'll recall last year Edmund was very willing to touch pumpkin guts. This year he made it very clear he wanted nothing to do with the stuff by shaking his head and saying a very definitive "unh unh." We had done a pumpkin sensory activity at school the previous week and Edmund had also refused to get involved with the gooey stuff then. However, I thought it was just him giving me a hard time at school as usual. Turns out he really does not like guts. I can't blame him. He loves painting, getting messy in sand, and even shoving pumpkin penne in his mouth, but pumpkin guts--too much. When the sun started to set we got Edmund dressed in his pirate costume yet again. Edmund was pumped about his first trick-or-treating experience, or was that his mom and dad? We took him out Grandma and Grandpa's back door around to the front so he could get the bizarre idea of trick-or-treating with familiar people first. He was more interested in their stairs than the candy, so we decided to move onto the next house. Edmund refused to carry his little pumpkin, making mommy and daddy do the heavy lifting. We trick-or-treated at a total of five houses. With each house Edmund got better at choosing candy and dropping the pieces in his pumpkin. However, I would say his candy choices this evening were debatable. He didn't pick many of mommy's favorites. Edmund loved the final house. Before I even spotted it Edmund was saying "watoo, watoo," his word for water. Edmund was mesmerized by a cauldron of bubbling water. Let me say here that he gave us quite a fit when we left that house. You could hear calls of "watoo, watoo" for miles. This Halloween also gave me insight into why I was never as big a fan of Halloween as my friends were. For someone who can be extremely shy in social situations, ringing a stranger's doorbell is about the last thing you want to do. This year I made Edmund do the ringing!

Maestro Edmund

Edmund Composes a Masterpiece

Edmund has always loved music, but in the past month his love for music has increased twofold. Every morning he begs to go to his preschool's outdoor music center, each afternoon he asks to play our electric keyboard (he doesn't bang the keys like most toddlers), and every evening Edmund, mommy, and daddy have a dance session as Edmund starts the music on his Rock-a-Tunes piano. Thus, this past Sunday Edmund, Steven, and I made the 10 minute trek to Carrboro for the annual Carrboro Music Festival. Most people choose a band they would like to listen to at one of many venues, choose another, and so forth for an all day music experience. We knew this would not be our experience at the festival with a one year old, so we planned on a quick 30 minute smorgasbord of music. After parking our car we hopped on the bus to head to downtown Carrboro. We walked to the outdoor children's venue first. When we arrived the band that was playing was finishing its set, so we decided to walk down the blocked off streets. Edmund enjoyed seeing the little train that was traveling back and forth down Main Street. When he's a little older we might actually brave the line to ride the train, but for now he's content simply saying "hiyou" (his hello) to the conductor. By the time we arrived at Weaver Street Market a band had begun playing. Edmund made it known he wanted out of his stroller. We unleashed our little boy into the grassy area. I can't tell you exactly what type of music was being played, since my biggest goal was to keep Edmund from waltzing into people, but I can tell you Edmund loved the music. He is no longer happy simply doing his "baby dance." What he really wants to do is conduct. So Edmund bounced around while conducting the band. After about 5 minutes of "conducting" we decided we should walk some more, as Edmund had conducted himself into another child's stroller one too many times. As we walked down the street the music faded. Edmund began signing and saying "mo", asking for more music. Let me take this moment to describe Edmund's way of saying more. When he says more he sounds like Oliver saying "please sir I'd like some more." Being the anglophile that I am, I am proud to say my baby has a British accent. But I digress. We stopped at the next outdoor music venue we came to. This time Edmund enjoyed what sounded like grunge rock. He clapped his hands like a true groupie. Not wanting to damage his hearing, we completed our round trip ending back at the children's venue. We decided to let Edmund free so he could dance to Motown covers. If not for the fact that Edmund now runs, but refuses to hold our hands, we would have stayed longer. However, his mom and dad were on the verge of heart attacks as he ran and almost fell face first several times. We decided to call it a day. Next year there will be much more dancing and perhaps a train ride or two.

Edmund and Buddy Will in the CHCP
Pots and Pans Band