I guess 1 is the new 16.
Sunday, February 28, 2010
Toddler Angst
I thought it wasn't until the teen years that we would get attitude like this.
I guess 1 is the new 16.
I guess 1 is the new 16.
Help
Taking dogs and toddlers on a walk
can be a tricky business
Where are the fathers?*
*For the record, I was at home studying. I'd like to think I would have offered Kathleen a little more help.
Saturday, February 27, 2010
Toddler Height
Asher and I went to the Portrait/American Art Gallery in DC.
And what I'd like to know is
Who's idea was it to put a large, red, shiny "Push for Help" button
at toddler height?
And what I'd like to know is
Who's idea was it to put a large, red, shiny "Push for Help" button
at toddler height?
Friday, February 26, 2010
Thanks Target
For teaching an entire generation of children that Brontosauruses* breathed fire. 
I know, I know. I was the one that bought if for him, but how much attention can I give to these details when I am shopping with a one year old?* When I looked up how to spell brontosaurus I found out that there's no such thing as a brontosaurus, it is actually an Apatosaurus. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apatosaurus How strange that Asher will grow up with that word. Almost as strange as him growing up with only 8 planets.
Thursday, February 25, 2010
Yup, still his favorite song
Asher's been working on the first song for the opening set of his boy band.
One guess as to which song he chose.
One guess as to which song he chose.
Wednesday, February 24, 2010
Backwards
I love this little video. Asher figured out that he could walk backwards - you can tell from his smile he thought it was pretty cool.
Luckily I had my camera and was able to capture it.
Although really it wasn't luck so much as he probably figured out he could walk backwards by watching me do it as I try to snap photos before he gets the camera.
Support for this hypothesis - these two photos were taken shortly before he started walking backwards.
Hands off ladies, he's all mine
Seriously, could anything be sexier than a man with a baby in one arm and cleaning with the other?
Perhaps only if you knew that he was also cooking a fabulous meal at the same time. 
(Which he wasn't, but it made the picture sexier didn't it? You know it did.)
But since this blog isn't about the sexiness of my husband, I thought I'd use Asher's passion for cleaning as an excuse for posting the above photo.
You see, Deenesh isn't just vacuuming with Asher in his arms because it's convenient. No, Asher will actually go to the closet, drag out the vacuum, try to plug it in, step on starter button, and then fly into our arms.
Which is fine for Deenesh.
It's a pretty hefty workout for me.
He loves all forms of cleaning - vacuuming, sweeping, mopping, dustbusting, cleaning up spills, and using wet wipes on any given surface. You may recall that for a while we actually hid the mop and broom to keep him away from them. Or that he encourages us to clean at every opportunity.
If someplace isn't up to his standards*, he will clean until it is. Even if it is the National Air and Space museum. Where he spent a large portion of his time wiping the glass and the floors.
(One little girl was so impressed she even offered to adopt him as her little brother. We suspect she just wanted cheap labor to clean her room)
He's such a pro, he even multi-tasks while he cleans.
And he's very efficient. Why sweep and then mop when you can just do both at the same time?
You see, Deenesh isn't just vacuuming with Asher in his arms because it's convenient. No, Asher will actually go to the closet, drag out the vacuum, try to plug it in, step on starter button, and then fly into our arms.
Which is fine for Deenesh.
It's a pretty hefty workout for me.
He loves all forms of cleaning - vacuuming, sweeping, mopping, dustbusting, cleaning up spills, and using wet wipes on any given surface. You may recall that for a while we actually hid the mop and broom to keep him away from them. Or that he encourages us to clean at every opportunity.
If someplace isn't up to his standards*, he will clean until it is. Even if it is the National Air and Space museum. Where he spent a large portion of his time wiping the glass and the floors.
(One little girl was so impressed she even offered to adopt him as her little brother. We suspect she just wanted cheap labor to clean her room)
He's such a pro, he even multi-tasks while he cleans.
And he's very efficient. Why sweep and then mop when you can just do both at the same time?
Of course, he's also been known to make a mess just because he wants to clean it up.
And there was that incident with almost burning the apartment down.
And there was that incident with almost burning the apartment down.
But still, I know I must cherish these moments now and hold them dear to my heart in upcoming battles over cleaning his room or when I visit his college apartment.
*Standards is a loose term. He once licked the door stopper at the Natural History Museum.
*Standards is a loose term. He once licked the door stopper at the Natural History Museum.
To our number one blog fan
While Deenesh is down in Williamsburg we will usually call him in the mornings and evenings to say hi.
Today I called, chatted with Deenesh, and then handed the phone to Asher.
After about 10 seconds, I heard that the phone was ringing.
Apparently Asher decided he had no interest in talking to his father so put him on hold and called his Aunt Tara instead.
Tuesday, February 23, 2010
Happy Birthday Dad!
Well, as of today it is official. My dad is once again as old as my Mom.
Sorry Dad. I know how you enjoy your 20 days of being younger.
My dad used to tell the best stories when we were kids.
Most of them involved him engaging in mischievous and potentially dangerous acts like jumping off the roof with nothing but an umbrella.
These stories were always so funny, but now that Asher is showing similar tendencies towards mischievousness, they don't seem quite so amusing.
And doesn't he look like such a sweet little kid?
You'd think that becoming a Dad would have put an end to his shenanigans.
Perhaps.
But is that man DRILLING HIS OWN TEETH!?!
Happy Birthday Dad. And for now, if you get the urge to do anything crazy, just read a paper instead.
Or better yet, pull out the wii and have some fun!
Happy Birthday.
Sorry Dad. I know how you enjoy your 20 days of being younger.
My dad used to tell the best stories when we were kids.
Most of them involved him engaging in mischievous and potentially dangerous acts like jumping off the roof with nothing but an umbrella.
These stories were always so funny, but now that Asher is showing similar tendencies towards mischievousness, they don't seem quite so amusing.
And doesn't he look like such a sweet little kid?
You'd think that becoming a Dad would have put an end to his shenanigans.Perhaps.
But is that man DRILLING HIS OWN TEETH!?!
Happy Birthday Dad. And for now, if you get the urge to do anything crazy, just read a paper instead.
Or better yet, pull out the wii and have some fun!Happy Birthday.
Saturday, February 20, 2010
Protect the baby
Thursday morning when we got on the elevator Asher reached over and covered the "alarm" and "call" buttons with his hands and then looked up at me and smiled. He did it again this morning.
You see, I usually cover those two buttons when we get on the elevator to keep Asher from pushing them.
Asher now also shoves the remote controls down into the couch cushions when he's not watching TV. That's where we took to hiding them to keep him away from them. Clearly he's caught on to that trick.
He also puts the toilet seat cover down whenever he sees that it is up, you know, to keep the baby from falling in. (If I can only just get him to keep that up through high school I would be a very happy mother).
I think it is quite considerate of Asher to help us out in keeping these things away from the baby. Even if he is the baby. It reminds me of the time my niece Eleanor picked something off the floor and ran over to give it to her mother, saying quite clearly "choking hazard!"
On the downside though he apparently thinks this makes him mature enough for certain perks. Thursday evening he tried to open the cupboard under the kitchen sink only to find locked with the child lock. He started to walk away, then stopped, turned back, pulled it open again, and you could see his little mind click, click, clicking and then voila. He figured it out. He tried it a couple times just to make sure he knew what he was doing.
I'm not sure this is an even trade.
You see, I usually cover those two buttons when we get on the elevator to keep Asher from pushing them.
Asher now also shoves the remote controls down into the couch cushions when he's not watching TV. That's where we took to hiding them to keep him away from them. Clearly he's caught on to that trick.
He also puts the toilet seat cover down whenever he sees that it is up, you know, to keep the baby from falling in. (If I can only just get him to keep that up through high school I would be a very happy mother).
I think it is quite considerate of Asher to help us out in keeping these things away from the baby. Even if he is the baby. It reminds me of the time my niece Eleanor picked something off the floor and ran over to give it to her mother, saying quite clearly "choking hazard!"
On the downside though he apparently thinks this makes him mature enough for certain perks. Thursday evening he tried to open the cupboard under the kitchen sink only to find locked with the child lock. He started to walk away, then stopped, turned back, pulled it open again, and you could see his little mind click, click, clicking and then voila. He figured it out. He tried it a couple times just to make sure he knew what he was doing.
I'm not sure this is an even trade.
Friday, February 19, 2010
Thursday, February 18, 2010
Baby Signing Time
Unlike our expectations for Baby Einstein, our expectations for Baby Signing Time were actually quite high. They state that babies will start to understand signs around 7 months and will likely start signing around 9 months.
So we started showing Asher the videos at around 6 months. And we waited. And waited. And waited.
Look - doesn't it look like he's signing cat?! At only 8 months old!
He's not. He did not start understanding signs at 7 months. And he didn't start signing at 9 months. Or at 10 months. Or 11 months. Or... well you get the point. We had pretty much given up on him learning to sign.
It turns out we just had to wait long enough. Asher probably knows about 20 or so signs now. True they are all for words that he can also say, but considering that his pronounciation still needs some work it's still helpful that he can also sign the word.
And it does make for much better viewing than baby einstein, he jumps, he dances and he practices the signs. It's really very sweet.
Well, let's just say, he really love it. But then, maybe he just has a crush on Rachel.
So we started showing Asher the videos at around 6 months. And we waited. And waited. And waited.
Look - doesn't it look like he's signing cat?! At only 8 months old!
He's not. He did not start understanding signs at 7 months. And he didn't start signing at 9 months. Or at 10 months. Or 11 months. Or... well you get the point. We had pretty much given up on him learning to sign.
It turns out we just had to wait long enough. Asher probably knows about 20 or so signs now. True they are all for words that he can also say, but considering that his pronounciation still needs some work it's still helpful that he can also sign the word.
And it does make for much better viewing than baby einstein, he jumps, he dances and he practices the signs. It's really very sweet.
Well, let's just say, he really love it. But then, maybe he just has a crush on Rachel.
Barbara Ann
I'm waiting for Barbara Ann to come around again.
Asher's passion for Barbara Ann has not diminished. I now hide my laptop because whenever he sees it he starts to beg to watch Ba Ba on youtube.
We now only listen to it in the car. Occasionally we can get him to listen to some other music for a while, but eventually the calls for "Ba Ba" come up again.
"Ba Ba. Ba Ba. Ba Ba! BA BA! BA BA!! BAAA!!! BAAA!!"
And I give in.
About 2/3 of the way through the song he'll start to let you know he wants "more". So just in case you were thinking we might listen to something else afterwards. No, that's not going to happen. "More Ba Ba" is what is going to happen.
I think this clip from How I Met Your Mother captures my feelings towards Ba Ba. Right now, I never want to hear that song again. But I know, if I just wait a little longer, it will totally come around again. (sorry about the advertising in the video, this was the only copy of this clip I could find. But at least it's advertising in another language)
I would walk 500 miles - kewego
How I met your mother 2.17
How I met your mother 2.17
And for those of you that are thinking, well who's driving the car?
Just who is in control here?
Just who is in control here?
Well, the long answer is that I just want him to understand that his
communication works and that we respond to it when he asks for things.
communication works and that we respond to it when he asks for things.
The short answer is, he is. Asher is in control.
Wednesday, February 17, 2010
Share?
Share?
Hmmm...No I don't think I've heard that word before.
I wasn't there but Deenesh informs me he was only able to get 4 bites and Asher ate the rest. Asher's been using daycare to develop skills at throwing elbows.
Hmmm...No I don't think I've heard that word before.
I wasn't there but Deenesh informs me he was only able to get 4 bites and Asher ate the rest. Asher's been using daycare to develop skills at throwing elbows.
A few of Asher's favorite words
In the last couple of months Asher's vocabulary has really exploded. He is probably up to about 50-75 words (including words like "moo" and "roar" in that count). So in addition to favorites like animal sounds and identifying body parts (like head, nose, eye, (you have to watch out when he says eye because sometimes he follows it up with poking you in the eye) and to his father's delight "butt",) here's a list of his favorite/most used words.
10. Dog. Pet cat. Dog is really more fun to say, but he gets more opportunities to say pet cat.
9. Moon. It's a game. He finds the moon and shows it to you - whether the actual moon or in a book.
8. More. Pretty much used for everything. More food. More volume on the radio/tv. More More More.
7. Ba Ba. - as in Barbara Ann. Yup still his favorite.
6. Need. Which apparantly really means "want" and can be used for "I need" or to tell you "you need" - such as when he's shoving a toy in your hand. (For a while he used "DADDY!" to mean "need" and the word Daddy had nothing to do with Deenesh. He still switches between calling Deenesh "Mommy" and "Daddy")
5. Mine! In addition to the more convention meaning of the word he also appears to use it to mean something along the lines of "Don't touch me you are stifling my inner person and my actualization of my own self-worth!" (He's a very sophisticated 19 month old)
4. Baby. As in "Baby Signing Time" - specifically let's watch "Baby Signing time" "More!" Really it mostly means let's watch TV, but preferably baby signing time (and yes, he does the sign for baby when he says it).
3. Go! Usually said grumpily and demandingly and accompanied by pulling or pushing. As in stand up and go over there. Or pick me up and go over there.
2. Bite! fortunately used in the context of "that looks really tasty and I want a bite" and not "give me that toy or I will bite you!" So far, at least.
And like most toddlers, Asher's number one favorite word -
1. NO! said firmly with the suggestion that you were wrong to even suggest it and used even when the aswer is yes.
"Asher do you want to put on your coat?" No.
"Asher do you want to share that toy?" No.
"Asher do you want another bite?" No. (Trust me, the answer is really yes.)
10. Dog. Pet cat. Dog is really more fun to say, but he gets more opportunities to say pet cat.
9. Moon. It's a game. He finds the moon and shows it to you - whether the actual moon or in a book.
8. More. Pretty much used for everything. More food. More volume on the radio/tv. More More More.
7. Ba Ba. - as in Barbara Ann. Yup still his favorite.
6. Need. Which apparantly really means "want" and can be used for "I need" or to tell you "you need" - such as when he's shoving a toy in your hand. (For a while he used "DADDY!" to mean "need" and the word Daddy had nothing to do with Deenesh. He still switches between calling Deenesh "Mommy" and "Daddy")
5. Mine! In addition to the more convention meaning of the word he also appears to use it to mean something along the lines of "Don't touch me you are stifling my inner person and my actualization of my own self-worth!" (He's a very sophisticated 19 month old)
4. Baby. As in "Baby Signing Time" - specifically let's watch "Baby Signing time" "More!" Really it mostly means let's watch TV, but preferably baby signing time (and yes, he does the sign for baby when he says it).
3. Go! Usually said grumpily and demandingly and accompanied by pulling or pushing. As in stand up and go over there. Or pick me up and go over there.
2. Bite! fortunately used in the context of "that looks really tasty and I want a bite" and not "give me that toy or I will bite you!" So far, at least.
And like most toddlers, Asher's number one favorite word -
1. NO! said firmly with the suggestion that you were wrong to even suggest it and used even when the aswer is yes.
"Asher do you want to put on your coat?" No.
"Asher do you want to share that toy?" No.
"Asher do you want another bite?" No. (Trust me, the answer is really yes.)
Tuesday, February 16, 2010
Saturday, February 13, 2010
Nap time
I had the most amazing experience last week. I actually took a nap with Asher.
(See that spot right there, that was where I was sleeping!)
We haven’t done that since he was about this age.
(Ah. How we took getting to snuggle up with a perfect, sweet sleeping baby for granted).
You see, whenever Deenesh or I are around, Asher is very happy and excited and he has a hard time actually falling asleep. You know what it’s like to watch a dog that lies down, then gets up, walks in a couple of circles, and lies down again? And then repeats indefinitely?
Well, that’s kind of like Asher. But now that he’s achieved success once, he wants to take every nap and have every bedtime on the couch. Which involves very intricate organizing of his book, his blankets, pillows (with a pillow needing to be on top of him of course), etc.
He tries hard but he can’t go 3 seconds without either smiling at us and saying hi, or getting up and reorganizing everything again. 
Needless to say, this story has a sad ending since he tries so very, very hard, but every night instead of this...
he ends up alone in his crib with a face similar to this.
(See that spot right there, that was where I was sleeping!)
We haven’t done that since he was about this age.
(Ah. How we took getting to snuggle up with a perfect, sweet sleeping baby for granted).You see, whenever Deenesh or I are around, Asher is very happy and excited and he has a hard time actually falling asleep. You know what it’s like to watch a dog that lies down, then gets up, walks in a couple of circles, and lies down again? And then repeats indefinitely?
Well, that’s kind of like Asher. But now that he’s achieved success once, he wants to take every nap and have every bedtime on the couch. Which involves very intricate organizing of his book, his blankets, pillows (with a pillow needing to be on top of him of course), etc.
He tries hard but he can’t go 3 seconds without either smiling at us and saying hi, or getting up and reorganizing everything again. 
Needless to say, this story has a sad ending since he tries so very, very hard, but every night instead of this...
he ends up alone in his crib with a face similar to this.
Friday, February 12, 2010
Happy Birthday Tara
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