Elvis Has Left the Building

So, it's Halloween and earlier in the day, J-Dawg had his 15-month check up. The kid has a really good memory, because as soon as he saw the exam room, he burst into tears and wouldn't let me put him down. Poor little guy remembers his awful time with that terrible unknown virus and also the p-neumonia.

I'm pleased to say that he is in the 75th percentile across the board with his weight (26 lbs, 15 oz), height (32 in), and head circumference (47.6 cm) - yay! The bad part was the jabs, but he handled them like a trooper.

We are now anxiously awaiting trick-or-treaters that probably aren't going to come which means a crapload of leftover candy. Oy.

All Hallow's Eve Eve

I can't believe it's been a year since we dressed the J-Dawg up as the mighty Bruce Lee. He's grown so much since then. His hair's grown in. He can run at full sprint. His sidekick is nicknamed Vishnu the Destroyer.

The Pussycatassassins HQ is revving up for Halloween once again. The boy's got another awesome costume lined up, but you'll have to tune in tomorrow to find out what that is.

Yesterday, we were out in our local park playing, when we saw another family's Halloween photo shoot. Dad was dressed up as Darth Vader in a trench coat and the toddler was dressed as Yoda. There seemed to be a cast of thousands taking pictures. All I could think about was Triumph the Insult Dog saying to the little kid in the Yoda outfit, "Who did this to you, sweetie?"

Halloween was such an exciting time as a kid. The lure of free candy is a powerful thing. Are there still people who give out the unpopular candy, like peanut butter kisses, or ribbon candy?

Sadly, we haven't had any trick or treaters in ages. Is this a new sign of the times? Do kids really go door to door to strangers' homes and ask for candy? It sounds really crazy without context, doesn't it?

Random Halloween shout out to Jasper's Uncle J.S. for this retort while we were out blueberry picking in Maine this summer:

Blondie: I got a bunch of blueberries at that last bush.
Nervda: I got a couple of blueberries and some leaves and twigs.
Uncle J.S.: I got a rock!

Brothers

The J-Dawg already misses his R-Cat. We all do. Rest in peace, Roxy. 03.17.85 - 10.18.06

J-Dawg: A Directory of Sorts

The J-Man's vocabulary has increased exponentially in the past six weeks or so. While most of the time it's just baby gibberish, he is most definitely trying to hold in-depth conversations with us. He wakes up in the morning and shares his dreams with us, then he tells us about what he'd like to do for the day, and stuff like that. Of course most of the time, neither of us has a clue about what he's saying, but we still love to hear what he has to say. Words that I'm pretty sure he's saying in the correct context are, DUCK, BALL, STAR, UP, WHAT, and MMMMMMM (not really a word, I know). There are others, but I'm just not positive about what he means.

The number of signs J-Dawg uses have also increased sharply. He is really good at naming animals, telling us he's hungry or wants more, and confirming that he's got a dirty diaper. He is proficient at saying, HEAD, HAT, FROG, BUNNY, CAT, DOG, FISH, HUNGRY/EAT, ALL DONE, MORE, DIAPER, BALL, BUBBLE, APPLE, and he's working on perfecting, PIG but isn't consistent with it - he tends to put his finger UP his nose while waggling it around - very classy, oh yeah! We are also trying to teach him PLEASE and THANK YOU, but are not quite there yet.

The Boy has also taken to giving big sloppy kisses when asked, making kissy sounds at us and running into our arms when we squat down to his level, open our arms wide, and ask for a BIG HUG. It is the most heart-melting thing ever! He is VERY ticklish and delights in the tickle machine - it's awesome. The things that strike J-Dawg as funny are also cute. He just cracks up when he has a stinky diaper and you react animatedly to it by exclaiming, EEEEEEWWWWWWWWW, STINKY or even just, EEEEEEEWWWWWWWW in general. He also absolutely loves it when I play the OOPSIE DOOPSIE game, which really just consists of me saying it in a silly voice to make him laugh. He doesn't find it very funny when Papa tries to use the tricks in Mama's bag to make him laugh, but Mama does. :)

If you really want to win him over, just dangle him upside down, flip him over your shoulder, spin him around, or pretend to drop him (he's loved this since birth). You can also engage him in a game of Hide and Seek/Tag - just make sure he sees you and then run from the room while screaming and waving your arms in an exaggerated fashion. Actually, you don't even really have to hide anywhere...just running away from him while making it clear you want him to give chase is enough to do it. He also enjoys pretending to talk on the telephone - he wants you to act as his secretary and then pass the phone over to him or take a message. When reading books, often time he kisses (licks) the pictures in the book, or if it's a book for sensory development, he kisses (licks) the fuzzy/furry pages. He also loves to dance, jump, and bounce on things (methinks he really needs a mini-trampoline with a handle). He is fascinated by the dogs that he meets and enjoys picking up his (ancient) kitty - sometimes a little too roughly, but without malice.

No Whammy, No Whammy!

So the boy did really well at his first modeling gig. There were two other toddlers there and all three were used for the same product so it's really a crap shoot if his picture makes it on the box. He wasn't so into the toy - I think he thought it was dumb - but he didn't fuss or cry and they did get some decent shots. The other kids were good too, all adorable of course, and the interesting thing is that Jasper was the ONLY boy. He was put into two different outfits, khakis and a polo, and Levi's and a thermal henley with a tshirt underneath. I wanted to keep the Levi's, they were so cute.

The product is a new [insert Big Name Toy Company here] toy, called Jungle-something or other. Essentially it was based on the Wack-a-Mole treatment. It looked like a mini jungle-y puppet stage (open on both sides so you could see through), and had three buttons that the kid is supposed to hit with a hammer and a little jungle creature gets launched up a little pole to look like it is jumping up from out of the brush in the jungle.

He worked for an hour and a half and the rate was a lot higher than I thought it would be, so now I'm wondering if we're going to have to file taxes for him if he gets more jobs - I guess I'll send our accountant an email.

Talking in her sleep

Jen sometimes talks in her sleep. Most of the time, I think she is talking to me and I am completely befuddled by whatever random thing she is saying. Last night, I rolled over to find her with her left hand raised up saying, "Jasper. Ooopsie, doooopsie." She must have said it 3 or 4 times. I can only hope that Jasper was at that moment dreaming of playing with his mommy too.