Happy Halloween!

Dylan @ 27 months

June 28 - July 27 2007 -1 13 25

July 28 - Aug 27 2007 -2 14 26

Aug 28 - Sept 27 2007-3 15 27

Sept 28 - Oct 27 2007 - 4 16 28

Oct 28 - Nov 27 2007 - 5 17

Nov 28 - Dec 27 2007 - 6 18

Dec 28 - Jan 27 2008 - 7 19

Jan 28 - Feb 27 2008 - 8 20

Feb 28 - March 27 2008 - 9 21

March 28 - April 27 2008 - 10 22

April 28 - May 27 2008 - 11 23

May 28 - June 27 2008 - 12 24

Dylan @ 27 Months (Aug 28 - Sept 27, 2009)

* Last week at CWS

* creating Dylan's family photo album

* Disney (water play)

* First week at WHPS

* so proud of backpack

* started playing soccer

* LA County Fair, loves rides

* New play kitchen

* Lots of playdoo

* Race for a cure

* yoghurt has replaced banana for favorite food

* drinks out of a cup

* 

Dylan @ 28 Months (Sep 28 - Oct 27, 2009)

* JuJu's 1st Bday

* 1st Field trip ever to Underwood Farms

* Disneyland

* Pumpkin Patch with Roya, Jakey and JuJu

* Pumpkin Festival with the Lewis

* new rainboots

* Haunted house deco

* loves ringing the door bell

* see iphone for more notes

Dylan @ 26 Months

* Jumps from steps, jumps from the coach, jumps in the water, jumps from everything

* Loves pizza parties :) 

* Loves to play with playdoo

* Goes to sleep at around 7 p.m. and wakes up at 6 a.m.

* Went potty at least once or twice a day during this month and even went a few times in public places like the urgent care restroom and public restroom at the mall

* Loves riding the cho cho train, loves the rides outside of stores

* Likes to swim with his floaties

* Was afraid of the petting zoo at the Ventura County Fair

* Doesn't like having his hands dirty (f.ex. finger paints, food) -> wants a wipe to clean it up immediately

* Wants to ride in the basket of the shopping cart and no longer sit in the shopping cart seat

* Sings happy birthday each and pretends to blow out the candle with his finger when he sees a cupcake

* Loved making playdoo pizzas 

* Refuses to wear a diaper - wants to wear pullups or big boy undies

* Started to become opinionated about what to wear (f.ex. t-shirts, shoes)

* talks in full sentences and gives clear instructions

* can count to 10

* started asking "one more time" for everything

* ensures that everyone is coming along "mommy come?" "daddy come"

* loved Home Depot (not sure why but he wanted to go there)

* wants to feed JuJu all the time

* started trying to put his shoes on on his own

* takes his shoes and socks off, puts the socks inside his shoes and places them right next to mommy's shoes at the entrance

* puts mommies shoes on and walks around the house while dragging my purse around

* loves money, stickers, temporary tattooes, and of course cookies

* gets really obsessed with one person (f.ex. if you show him a photo of Sarah, he will ask for Sarah all day)

* sits on a big boy swing and wants to go "higher"

* 

Dylan @ 27 Months

* claimed one morning "A dinosaur bite me"

* Knows a few letters of of his ABC's

* wants to put himself in a time out (asked daddy "time out?" when he was misbehaving")

* transformed his pretzel bite into a finger puppet

* did really well with the transitioning from CW to WHPS

* went potty on the first day at WHPS (peepee and poopoo)

* tells us that he has to go poopoo (which usually is peepee)

* tells us "drive faster mommy"

* will scream "Horsey" each day when we pass PF Chang on the way home from school (and sure enough there is the stone horse in front of PF Chang)

* talks in sentence with 5 words

* didn't want to take off his backpack on Friday. he was so proud of wearing it

* refused to participate in soccer all but 5 min. today (tantrums, whining, argh)

* told me not to pick him up because "im too heavy mom" - oh sweetie, no you are not you are just too heavy when mom has a bad back but not too heavy 

* figured out how to pedale a tricycle (wow, all of a sudden from one day to the next) 

* if you tell him jump in my lap for reading, he will literally jump on you (ouch)

* wants to read his abc book each nigh

* big hit right now: playdoo, play kitchen, coloring and stickers

* wants his art to be displayed and put it up mom

* wants his back rubbed and wants mommy to sing guten abend gute nacht to him

* when he talked to Omi on the phone today asked "omi, where's opi?"

* does not want to do horseback riding at Pierce. Mrs Vicki also told us that he is afraid of petting the farm animals but that he wants to see them

* if Jer and I are not eating at the same time than Dylan, he always wants to share his food with us and breaks off pieces and wants us to eat it

* Can be found walking around in mom's shoes

* Piggy or nemo have to come along whereever Dylan goes (piggy usually gets fed by Dylan and kissed when I ask Dylan for a kiss). Dylan than offers me piggy to kiss

* requests icy for his ouwies

* says cheese for pictures and grins from one ear to the other that you cant see his eyes anymore :)

Dylan @ 25 Months

You are becoming more and more independent and more and more a little person with your own will and personality. 

At 25 Months you:

* still love pizza and each time we have pizza you think we have a pizza party since there are tons of birthdays at daycare right now and the celebration apparently includes a pizza party.

* repeat everything we are saying. The best sayings this month are "I am so done" (this was when you escaped the pool during swim classes), "it's too hot daddy - I want to go home, too hot outside", will scream "Honey, can you bring/get me xxx" when I call Jer, will call me "guy" when I call Dylan and Daddy "How are you guys" and he responds "How are you guys" to me.

* Knows where his friends Jake and Jacob live. As soon as we pull up to the curb he gets excited and will say "go see Jake".

* Pee-pee-ed and poo poo-ed in his potty but tricked me once by drinking water and spitting it in his potty and than demanding a cookie. Little stinker!

* Wants to go and ride his bike every day but usually only makes it to the corner before he wants to go back home since its too hot (we currently have temperatures of 105- yikes)

* Fights the naps

* wants to do everything himself such as putting dishes in the sink, throwing the banana peel into the trash, helped putting cans in the pantry today, wants to help with unloading the dryer, helps daddy take the trash out and assists watering the plants.

* wants to watch shapes and number over Elmo

* still will walk a tricycle and does not know quite yet how to do the pedaling

* wants to stand up in the shopping card and will jump up and down  and laugh

* has tantrums lately when we go to swim lessons

* loves his water table, sandbox and baby swimming pool - anything with water and sand

* loves painting and used big boy markers for the very first time and loved it

* still takes inventory: Mommy, Daddy, Omi, Opi, Lissy, Lisa, ... and will look up to the photos on the fireplace mantel

* brushes his teeth in front of the mirror 75% of the time by himself

* "My soap", "My.... everything" - doesn't like to share right now and needs to be reminded that he needs to share with his friends

* Associates cupcakes with "Happy Birthday" "need candles" - so cute when he says that when he sees cupcakes

* Could live of waffles and milk

* Loves to dip in ketchup and lately discovered ranch dressing

* enjoyed a lot of water melon and grapes this month

* had peanut butter and french toast for the very first time

* went to the Aquarium at Long Beach and loved the fishes and esp. the water play area outside

* After hanging out with Jake and his family kept saying "go see Jake and Julian" 

* love stickers and stamps on his hands and can't get enough of them

* got a gold medal at school for the CWS Summer Olympic for his effort in swimming (floating in his life jacket), running, and tricycle riding (being chauffeured in the back of the tricycle). Was all proud wearing his medal that evening at target

* Loves to read big boy stories such as Curious George, German stories, I love you so, etc.

* is demanding pull ups and will tell us sometimes when he has to go pee or poop (unfortunately we do not have potty training assistance at school so he is probably getting confused as to why we put him on the potty and why he is not going on the potty/toilet at school. hopefully we will get him trained after he transitions to the new school in September)

* knows how to rides his scooter (so cute)

* Counts as follows: 1, 2, 5, 7 :)

* knows a lot of shapes, even the hard once like octagon, star, circle, oval, etc.

* doesn't really know his colors too well

* wants to take a sippy cup of water to bed with him

* throws himself from standing position into laying position in the bath tub and splashes water everywhere

* if someone has an ouchie, he automatically has an ouchie too and wants ice cubes. This morning he turned around and kicked me by accident and off he was to the kitchen trying to get me ice for my ouchie.

* started to kiss the monkeys in "8 silly monkeys" who have owies. Too cute and funny

* loves to push everything down his parking garage (sippy cups, Playmobil rocks, little people,trains, any car he can get his hands on, etc.)

* knows Elmo, Nemo, Woody, Buzz, Little People, Handy Manny, Bob the Builder

* thinks that I am talking to Omi every time I am on the phone 

* when he looks at a picture he knows and points to Omi, Opi, Lisa, Lissy

* has swimming every Monday at CWS (swim vest) and water play every Wednesday and Friday at CWS (wading pools)

* is starting to become a smarty pants (likes to make fun of us)

* doesn't do time outs too well (will start crying like the world is coming to an end) and will try to get out of the time out spot and will try to charm his way out of time outs

Dylan at 17 months

Dear Dylan,

I can NOT believe that you are already 17 months old. It seems like yesterday that we were expecting you and look at you: You are no longer our little baby (although you always will be my baby no matter how old you are) but you are a curious, energetic toddler. Below is a list of all the things that you did at 17 months:
* You visited grandpa and grandma Moen in Utah and spent your 2nd Thanksgiving there along with mommy and daddy.
* You enjoyed ham and turkey and finished your entire plate :)
* You loved Wendy and Decker (grandma/pa's dogs) and wanted to see them first thing in the morning when we were in Utah "doggies, doggies"
* You love to say "Hi" and "Bye" to everyone (even when placed on a changing table at a public restroom).
* You love Elmo and DVD's in daddy's car. When we strap you in the car seat you will look up, point to the ceiling and demand "Ebbo", "EBBO".
* You love "Nannies" = bananas
* You go to sleep around 6:45 - 7 p.m. and only cry for about 2 min. before falling asleep
* You are finally having your LOVIES (you enjoy your disney pig and Pier 1 piggy)
* You are doing really good eating with your fork
* You certainly love ice cream :)
* Size 5 shoes (daddy got you some "dr. stankfoot" sneakers)
* You said a twice in one day at daycare "Poop" and sure enough Cori found a pooper in your diaper. Should we start potty training??
* You are curious and love to explore and check out things (what is behind, how does this work, etc.)
* you started playing hide and seek
* You say: hi, bye, doggie, duckie, nanna, ice, mmmh, hello, hi guys, broom broom, apple, elmo and ebbo, daddy, mommie, dada, more, circle, oval,

And here is what Daddy had to say about you at 17 months:

Dylan's words:

Yes, no, ok, nanna/nanny (for banana), mama/mom, papa, doggie, mama (=llama), tiga (=tigger our cat), baby, apple, elmo (he points at the TV while saying it), bye bye, poop

Milestones this month:

- he is climbing

- runs short distances

- waves bye

- kisses and hugs

- walks backwars

- uses a fork and spook really well

- can identify and apply and banana in his book

- drinks for a sports bottle

- pet his first dog

Things he does:

- he likes to point

- loves to smile a lot

- walks with arms to his side and out in front of him like Frankenstein

- growls and roars like a lion

- kicks in his high chair

- throws Cheerios and Crunchies all over the back seat of the car

- runs for short distances

- walks backwards

- climbs on anything he can find

- loves to pick up leaves on the ground

- holds hands

- hugs his piggy

Things he hates:

- Dr. Khanna's office

- Changing table

- getting dressed in the morning

- not getting what he wants

Things he loves:

- holding hands

- reading books

- watching Elmo movies

- eating bananas

- taking baths

- brushing his teeth

Our little man has grown at least an inch this month. His little beer belly is slowly going away and he loves to climb on everything. He likes his toys esp. books and his farmer tad toy. He is such a well behaved little man; he only melts down when he really needs something like a diaper change, food, sleep.

We recently took him on a 500 miles road trip to Utah. He loved to run on grandpa's farm. Every day he would say Mama and point to the 5 Llamas grandpa has in the yard. He likes to play with the dogs and look at all the rocks on the ground. He had a really good time and we cannot wait to take him on our next adventure. 

Our Utah Vacation in review

Saturday November 22, 2008: We left Los Angeles at around 7.20 a.m. Jeremy drove from L.A. to Bakersfield while I talked to Mom and Dad and Dylan watched Elmo movies. After breakfast, diaper change and getting gas, I moved to the driver's seat while Jer moved to the passenger side and started working on a paper for school. We switched again in Las Vegas and arrived safely in Cedar City, Utah at around 3:30 p.m. Utah time.
The first day we just hang out and saw Grandma and Grandpa Moen's farm, the lamas, the chickens and the dogs. Dylan really enjoyed the doggies and the dogs really loved the little guy and bombarded him with doggie kisses.

Sunday, November 23, 2008: The entire family went to Zion Canyon. The trip was beautiful. After checking out the Visitor's Center, Paul drove one route through Zion. We stopped at the Checker's Mountain and had lunch and headed back to the entrance where we took a shuttle bus to explore the other route with the weeping stone.

Monday, November 24, 2008: Deborah, Dylan, Jeremy and I went to St. George. We visited the B. Young House and toured it. This was pretty interesting since we also saw cotton plants and learned why the city is called Dixie. Afterwards we walked down Main Street and checked out a quilting store. We had lunch at the Pizza Factory (yummy) and than went to the Pioneer Women House. At that point Dylan did not want to be held or sit in a stroller anymore so I ended up taking him outside the museum and let him run loose. He ended up getting on a bench that served as a fabulous backdrop.

Tuesday, November 25, 2008: Jeremy, Dylan and I drove up to Bryan Head and soaked in the breathtaking mountains and meadows. The coldest spot we reached was 37 degree. Brrr.... There was some snow covering the mountains and it looked breathtaking. Afterwards we went to Cedar City and checked out a museum, and looked at all the little stores on Main Street.

Wednesday, November 26, 2008: Jeremy's Birthday. We went to breakfast at Ihop :) and than drove to St. George and spent some time at Barnes and Nobles just relaxing and reading. They had a table with Thomas the Train set up in the Children's area and Dylan love it. It was so cute to look at him trying to figure out how the trains move. After checking out the stores in the Outlet Center we grabbed lunch at In-n-Out and than went to see the Dinosaur tracks. Afterwards we tried to find the Art Center but were unsuccessful. We ended up in an area where they had an outdoor ampitheater. The theater was set up in a way that they mountains were the backdrop. So beautiful. In the evening we all went to dinner at the Pizza Factory.

Thursday, November 27, 2008: Thanksgiving. It rained cats and dogs and we were pretty much indoors the entire day aside from walking down the street to see the horses.

Friday, November 28, 2008: We left Utah in the morning and arrived back home in Los Angeles safely. As much as I like travelling, it's so nice to be back home in your own environment.

Dylan at 16 Months

- Loves to read.
- His favorite books are “Noisy Farm” & “The very hungry caterpillar”.
- Loves to go to swim lessons and started to kick his legs. Will do the “kitty/doggie” arm movements every so often.
- Started to become a picky eater. Will push food away when he does not want it and say “No”. Uses the fork and is doing pretty good with it.
- Still uses “No” all the time for anything.
- Will pick a book out of his toy boxes, bring it to mommy or daddy, crawl in our lap and wants us to read to him. Melts my heart.
- Loves watching DVD’s in daddy’s car. His favorite are “Elmo” and “Thomas the train”. Will point to the ceiling when he is in the car seat and indicate that he wants to watch a movie.
- Will throw his sippy cup left or right when he is done. Little Stinker.
- Is running. Loves to be chased around the house and will run away and laugh hysterical when I tell him that I get him and tickle him.
- Loves his 2 stuffed animal pigs. So cute to finally see him have a “lo-vie”.
- Gives very VERY rare and very selected “open mouth, slobbery” kisses.
- Is sitting on the toilet for a few minutes before bath time.
- Loves spaghettios, yoghurt, English Muffins with cheese and meat, bananas, meatballs.
- Will allow daddy to give him a haircut when we give him a popsicle as bribe.
- Had his first popsicle this month and loves it.
- Favorite toys: books, red barn that makes animal noises, vacuum cleaner at school, cars, bath toys.
- Has 8 teeth (6 on the top (2 molars) and 2 on the bottom).
- Loves to listen to the “Muffin Man” song on the way home from day care.
- Walks really good on the hand and stays with us at the mall/and doesn’t run away.
- Will put his head on your shoulder when he is tired.
- Takes 1 nap per day (usually around noon - 2 p.m.)
- Wears size 12 - 18 months and some 18 - 24 months.
- Loves farm animals.
- Had his first full blown “testing” tantrum when daddy had his union meeting one night.
- Sleeps from 6:45 p.m./7 p.m. - 6:30 a.m.
- Says “bubbles” in addition to all the other things he has said before.
- Bite 2 times another toddler at daycare. Is being told when his behavior is not acceptable.