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

Edmund's First Haircut and "Lice"

Edmund's New "Do"

I've missed posting the last few weeks. Unfortunately, things around here have been pretty routine. I wasn't sure you all would want to hear about how Edmund woke up, went to school, clung to mommy (there has been a lot of clinging lately), went home, took a nap, ate dinner, and went to bed. Actually Edmund has done quite a bit in the last few weeks, but because I have spent the last few weeks of his clinging stage feeling like a bad mother and a bad teacher, I wasn't quite up to posting cute anecdotes. Having a co-teacher this year who understands this whole feeling like a bad mother thing has been quite helpful. My co-teacher Jennifer has a daughter named Emma who is 2 1/2 months older than Edmund. Emma has a fiery, but hilarious personality. The two of them went through this phase 2 months ago, so at least I know there's an end in sight. It also helped that my book club read a book called Bad Mother this past month and discussed it on my lowest point of feeling like that "bad mother." It was nice to know that other women felt the same way, and we were each there to lift up one another. Enough of my wallowing--on to the cute stuff.

Edmund got his first professional haircut last Saturday. Edmund had a daddy cut a few months ago. Daddy did a great job with the hair around the ears, but then got overenthusiastic. He decided to cut straight across the front of Edmund's forehead. Of course what did Mommy ask he not do?-- cut the hair straight across the forehead. So I have waited patiently for Edmund's hair to grow out enough for him to get a "big boy" haircut. We took him to Peek-A-Do, a salon for kids. The salon has little airplanes and boats the kids can sit in while getting their hair cut. While they row their boats and fly their planes the children can watch episodes of "Dora the Explorer." Not knowing how Edmund would respond to having his hair cut, I figured the fact the salon had TV might be good. I reasoned Edmund would be so intrigued by the shiny black box he has rarely seen, that he would forget a person he didn't know was coming at him with a sharp object.

The hair stylist led Edmund to an airplane. As soon as we put him in it he started to reach for me. He could care less that Dora was asking Backpack for assistance on her quest. I asked if I could hold Edmund, and the stylist said that would be just fine. From then on Edmund was the perfect gentleman. Of course he occasionally decided to turn his head at the exact moment the stylist tried to make a snip, but all in all he sat still. Edmund's hair didn't look much different when we were done--much cleaner in the back and shorter in the front, but for now he still has a baby "do." Maybe next time we'll decide to go all out, but this trip to the salon was more about getting Edmund comfortable with the whole process. As always, he charmed all the stylists with his gappy grin and cooperative nature. They can't wait to see him back

And now for the lice...

Yesterday after school I put Edmund on the floor in our bedroom while I busied about the room putting things away. When I finally caught my breath, I noticed Edmund was scratching his head like a mad man. I looked at him and in an exasperated tone said, "I sure hope you don't have lice." Immediately Edmund stopped scratching, gazed up in the direction of our ceiling light, and pointed. I started cracking up. I had no idea Edmund knew what the word "light meant". It took "lice" to make me aware that Edmund understands so much more than I give him credit for. You can breathe a sigh of relief. I checked Edmund over, and he most certainly does not have lice.

East Coast Traveller

Sunset on the Beach

Greetings friends and family,

I (Edmund) have just returned from a month of east coast travels. What an adventuresome month it was. My first trip took me to Holden Beach, one of the finer beaches in North Carolina if I do say so myself. I loved spending time in our beach house. There were so many Pattishall relatives to entertain. I do believe they found me to be quite the hit. I fell in love with my 8 year old cousin, Emma. I am told I met her last summer, but you'll have to excuse my 4 week old memory. Whatever Emma did, I wanted to do. I got my first taste of Congo Bar (a cookie/brownie dessert) because when I saw Emma eating one, I did a u-turn to follow her. I didn't know what she had. It could have been dirt, but I knew if she was eating it, it had to be good.

We spent the early mornings and late afternoons by the ocean. I spent a lot of my time in a kiddie pool right next to the water. This let me play in the water without getting crashed upon by rough waves. Several relatives took turns playing with me so mommy and daddy could catch some of those rough waves. Guess what! On one occasion mommy swam into the ocean past the breaking waves, when all of a sudden she saw a fin appear above the water about 5 feet away. She didn't know what it was. Her first thought was "shark." But then daddy and my cousin Ian confirmed it was a dolphin. Can you believe it? I'm not sure I do, as I wasn't able to witness the event with my own eyes. I was too busy sitting in my little beach chair figuring out how to replace the lid on a Parmesan cheese container (very important work).

When the sun was fiercest, mommy and daddy brought me in for lunch and a nap. I'm told a tradition at the beach is to eat lunch while watching "The Price is Right." Even though I'm not supposed to watch tv, I did manage to catch a few minutes of the program while eating my lunch. I've become quite the Plinko fan. Often, during lunch however, I didn't let mommy or daddy watch "The Price is Right", for I discovered a large yellow broom in the pantry. I became quite enamored with the broom. As it was quite cumbersome, I required some assistance during my sweeping times (during my parents' lunchtime of course). I'm thinking a janitorial career may be in my future.

The week at the beach was filled with excitement but had to come to an end. I let mommy and daddy know I was none too thrilled with ending my vacation during the car ride back to Chapel Hill. I refused to take a nap and made myself heard from the back seat. They look back now and laugh, but wait until they make me leave next year.

After a week back in the routine at school, mommy and daddy again put me in the car and drove me to some unknown locale. I'm told it was an airport. I loved seeing the big planes up close. Sometimes I see and hear them overhead at school, but this was much more fun. But wait, it gets better. Mommy and daddy took me on several of these big planes. I slept for the majority of the plane rides, but when I was awake I was in awe of my view.

After arriving at the airport in Albany, NY, we rented a car and headed to Pleasant Hill (my great-uncles' place in NY). Mommy and daddy told me that Uncle Bill and Uncle Jared gave me my birthday balloons. That was all I needed to hear. We became fast friends. They had blueberries, ice cream, and a dog named Dale waiting and ready for me. "What more could a boy ask for?" you say. They also had stairs to climb, walked me around, and helped me climb a tree. I even found a broom lurking in a corner, but for some reason mommy and daddy steered me away from it. I guess they didn’t want me to help clean my uncles’ house. Oh well. It’s quite a feat that mommy and daddy got me to leave this wonderful place. They said we had to hit the road.

We took a three hour drive to Grandma and Grandpa's cabin in Upper Saranac Lake (one of the lakes in Adirondack Park). When we arrived mommy put me straight to bed. The next day I got up bright and early. We took a walk down to the dock to look for boats. That afternoon they put me on a boat. I had to wear a life jacket. They told me it was to keep me safe, but I could barely turn my neck. Still, it was exhilarating to feel the wind in my hair as we sped through the water.

Grandma brought lots of fun toys for me to play with at the cabin, since it often rains. She made a slit in the lid of an icing container and put several large toy coins inside. After showing me how to fit the coins through the slit, I found I couldn't get enough "banking practice. I spent a lot of my days saving up pennies.

Throughout the week I took many more trips down to the dock to look for boats. I got very good at spotting them. I also took several more boat rides. Eventually Grandpa found a life jacket that gave me more freedom of motion, so I was much more comfortable in the boat. The big event of the week was our canoe ride to Winter Island for a picnic lunch. i was quite the baby explorer walking around the woods on the tiny island. During one of my expeditions I found Grandpa's canoe paddle. It seemed a little like a broom to me, so I decided to push it. After a while I discovered a fun fame -- push the paddle off the ledge. Each time I pushed the paddle off the ledge I said "uh oh" (the new word I learned in the Adirondacks). Mommy and daddy were suckers and retrieved the paddle for me. Eventually I started saying "uh oh" in anticipation of dropping the paddle. Mommy says it's not an "uh oh" if I do it on purpose, but I beg to disagree. The picnic lunch was delicious, but the wind on the island was getting very strong, so we packed up and headed back to the cabin in the canoe. Quite the commotion ensued when Grandpa dropped his camera in the lake. He was unable to retrieve the camera immediately, so we had no choice but to continue on our course to the cabin. I'm told that while I was napping that afternoon, Grandpa, Daddy, and Aunt Alison went back to the approximate spot where Grandpa dropped the camera. They had excellent luck, as the water was clear enough to spot the camera, despite the 20 foot depth of the lake. Grandpa dived into the water and came back to the surface with a very wet camera. Unbelievably he was able to salvage the pictures, but the jury is still out on the camera.

The last few days in the Adirondacks were rather rainy. I spent most of my time "banking and reading my new favorite book, Doggies. Mommy also did quite a bit of reading, as she had no access to phone, tv, or internet. For the first time since I was born mommy was able to finish, not one, not two, but three books of fiction. Granted the books weren't academic reading, but she was happy to get lost in a book again.

All good things must come to an end, and so too did our trip to the Adirondacks and our summer vacations. Fortunately on the this return trip, I was quite the little gentlemen. At the airport, I spied one of the baby friends I made on our flight from Raleigh. It was fun to have familiar travel companions making the return trip with us. Late that night we pulled up to our house in Chapel Hill. Mommy and daddy tucked me into bed with my pal Puppers. That night I dreamed of all the adventures I have had and those yet to come.

Your Pal,
Edmund

P.S. I decided to give mommy a break from writing this entry, since she has been busy with her return to work. She'll be writing again in the future, but I may sneak an entry in here and there.

Junior Zookeeper

Edmund: Junior Zookeeper

During our trip to see Grandma Kay Kay and Grandad in Harrisonburg, VA we decided to take our Junior Zookeeper, Edmund, to Virginia Safari Park. Kay Kay, Mommy, Daddy, and Edmund were the participants for this particular adventure. When we arrived at the park, we purchased tickets for the wagon ride, as this would allow us to get more up close and personal with the animals than a car would. Unfortunately we chose poor seating, as the only place you can not feed from is the front of the wagon, and of course that is where we chose to sit. For any other person it wouldn't be a problem, but seeing as I am not forceful and didn't want to lean over anyone I missed out on many a feeding opportunity. Edmund on the other hand had no problem getting to the animals as people bent over backwards to let him see. This led to a sloppy kiss from a very hungry camel. Edmund of course found this kiss hilarious. He also got to pet a bison, and view quite a few emu and ostriches. I was in heaven at the end of the ride when two of my favorite animal appeared. I got to see and pet a Highland Coo, something I hadn't been able to do since my trip to Scotland 12 years ago. For those of you who don't know, a Highland Coo is a type of cow that might as well be an oversized dog. I always likened them to my dog Shortstop. Edmund wasn't as amused as I was as nothing beats walking for him these days, but at least he got to see this curious creature in his young life.

After the wagon ride we took a walk through the rest of the park, which was more like a typical zoo. We passed one of the zookeepers who commented on Edmund's zookeeper outfit. She said she wished she had one like his. And who could blame her, as Edmund was too cute for words. Edmund enjoyed spending time watching the antics of goats and llamas in the petting zoo area. We also saw giraffes, kangaroos, and a tiger, but Edmund could take them or leave them. What's a tiger when there's walking to be had. After learning there were Highland Coos to be seen, I begged to do the safari ride again. I had saved quite a bit of feed from our wagon ride, since as you'll recall my seat prevented me from doing much feeding. Thus, we were able to travel the safari trail in our car. I think I enjoyed this even more as ostriches pecked inside the window for feed. As I turned back to Edmund to talk to him about the animals he was seeing, a Highland Coo put his head in my lap and ate all the feed. As the animal pulled his head out of the car, he left quite a bit of slobber. I'd be lying if I said I wasn't a little grossed out. As we headed deeper into the safari, zebras began licking our windows. For reasons that weren't explained, we couldn't feed the zebras, so we considered zebra slobber on the car windows quite a prize. It's been two weeks and we have yet to wash the slobber from the car.

Safari Park was quite the adventure. Kay Kay, Steven, and I all had a blast. Edmund seemed to think this was just a typical day in the life. Because of course we have ostriches sticking their heads in our windows every day!

Edmund Visits Owensboro, KY

Five Generations of Naves

A week ago today, Kay Kay (my mom), Steven, Edmund, and I loaded up my parents' honkin' Nissan and headed west toward Kentucky. For those of you who don't know, the majority of my side of the family live in Owensboro, KY (a city on the western end of the state). According to Steven's research, Owensboro is the third largest city in KY. However, I should put "large" into perspective for you. Owensboro is essentially the same size as Chapel Hill in both population and area. However, whereas Chapel Hill is surrounded by several cities, Owensboro has no such cities on its borders. As far as Steven and I are concerned Owensboro is quite a small city, which made for easy navigation.

When we arrived in KY, Edmund was greeted by his Nannie and Great Aunt Zann. He was showered with hugs and kisses. So many in fact, our little boy didn't know what to do. The next day we headed out for what would be a very momentous occasion. We took Edmund to see his Grannie. Grannie is Edmund's great-great grandmother. When we arrived at Grannie's room in the nursing home, I put Edmund on the bed with Grannie. Edmund began to cry. Though a little disheartening, I shouldn't have been surprised. Edmund has become quite the mama's boy. Grannie had the perfect solution. She handed Edmund his very own balloon complete with attached sippy cup (though Edmund was slightly disappointed the cup was empty). Once Edmund had his balloon, he and Grannie became fast friends. Nannie, Grannie, Kay Kay, Edmund, and I all posed for pictures. How amazing to be able to get five generations in one room! That visit is one I will always cherish, and be sure to tell Edmund about for the rest of his life (whether or not he wants to hear about it!).

After our visit with Grannie, Edmund took a nap to reenergize. He woke up raring to go. Nannie, Kay Kay, Aunt Zann, Steven, Edmund, and I made the trek to downtown Owensboro to visit the Owenboro Museum of Science. The main exhibit on the first floor was a look at How Things Go. Edmund and I worked on an assembly line to put together color coordinated Little Tikes cars. I think Edmund was asleep at the wheel because we only successfully put together one car. Actually we put together quite a bit more, but someone (ok it was me) forgot to press the button each time we completed a car. While the rest of the family was busying themselves with other displays, Steven, Edmund, and I went to work putting together a bridge. Were it not for some last minute assistance from Aunt Suzann our bridge may have collapsed, but instead we were able to erect it tall and strong--er a little wobbly.

Eventually Edmund became a little bored with How Things Go, so we took the elevator to the second floor. The exhibit on the second floor is old enough that I remember it, but it is a toddler's dream. The first thing we came to is called "The Toddler's Tunnel." On the outside of the tunnel Steven turned a wheel raising a ball to the top of a shoot. The ball then went back and forth across the wall until resting at the bottom. Edmund followed the ball by moving his entire head, which was quite a sight. Then came the most fun part of the tunnel. Inside were switches galore. There was about every kind of light switch, doorbell, buzzer, you name it, imaginable. Not only could Edmund test out his fine motor skills, but the switches actually produced results. Lights went on and off, doorbells rang, buzzers dinged. What more could a toddler ask for? As Edmund is apt to do, he deliberately led us out of of the tunnel and walked us to the indoor playground. The playground wasn't foam like at Southpoint, but still gave Edmund a nice place to practice walking. He even learned to enjoy slides by going down one located on the play steam ship. Edmund also thought it was great fun to sit in the tunnel that slightly leaves the museum walls, dangling kids over the streets of downtown Owensboro. We about gave Edmund's relatives heart attacks, but Steven and I didn't let him go too far out. Edmund knew he was hot stuff. After letting Edmund get most of his walking out of his system, we decided to call it a day.

Edmund spent the next couple of days in Owensboro playing with Grandma Kay Kay, Nannie, Aunt Zann, and Daddy. I unfortunately came down with Steven's "allergies" which took me out of commision. During this time Edmund had fun meeting Aunt Mary and Uncle Carroll, Melinda, Aunt Joyce, Carol Ann, Kirtley, Cathy, Andrew and Linda Carol. Kirtley fast became one of Edmund's best friends as she walked him around outside. This gave me a chance to rest too. I felt bad I couldn't visit as much as I wanted due to my cold, but when I remembered I am now merely a second class citizen anyway, there were no worries.

Fortunately by Friday, Edmund (who also caught his daddy's "allergies") and I were well enough to travel to the country for the ultimate Kentucky experience. Our first stop was to Melinda's. Edmund came face to face with Blaze, a miniature horse. He also got to meet Charlotte, a pot-bellied pig. I was in heaven as I got to pick up some barn kittens. It brought back memories of playing with kittens at Granddaddy Johnny's barn. I am not a cat person, but I love kittens. Edmund clearly is a dog person, as he completely ignored the kittens in favor of the barn dog. He's a kid after my own heart. After our meeting with the animals came to a close, Uncle Carroll took us up to the lake in his golf cart. At the lake my cousins Steve, Gary Lynn, and Levi helped me bait and catch several fish. I caught two large bass, but the kicker was my 8 lb catfish. Edmund gave the fish a look of disgust, but perked up when he saw Maggie the dog. After fishing there was nothing left to do, but enjoy Aunt Mary's homemade banana ice cream. The perfect ending to a day in the country.

Unfortunately, we had a rainy 4th of July. On the upside, Edmund got to spend some quality time with Nannie and Aunt Zann before we left Owensboro. Although our trip was short, Edmund got to meet some very special people while learning how to rough it away from the city.

Edmund Finds His "Spot"

In the past week I've made the discovery that Edmund is not afraid to walk at the indoor playground at our local mall. He seems to know intuitively that the floor is padded, not to mention all the play structures are made of foam. While he will whine at home until I give him the safety of my finger for walking, he'll simply let go and take off at the playground. It has become one of my favorite places to go with Edmund because I don't have to be quite as vigilant as I am at home. Don't get me wrong, I still hover behind him to make sure he doesn't fall, but I know if he falls he will be safe. For those of you who don't know, Edmund refuses to bend and fall on his bottom. He thinks it is hilarious to simply fall back as if in a "trust fall." This action makes me, his mother, an absolute nervous wreck. I can't simply let him go because I never know when he is going to fall back and hit his head. Trying to figure out how to get down is something Edmund is working on with his PT. Once he has mastered getting down and getting up he will be an expert walker. Edmund has made great strides in walking in just a few days. I'm not sure if it's the playground, but if it lets me "breathe" and helps Edmund feel safe we'll go there every day!