Danger: This Video Will Hypnotize Your Child...

... and cause them to lose control of their bowels!!

I took this picture because I thought it was cute the way Davey has taken to lying or sitting on this pillow the way Daddy does while watching TV. Little did I realize why he was lying prostrate on the floor, unmoving for several minutes... he was hypnotized by the "Wheels on the Bus" video I had checked out from the library! Yes, hypnotized. I guess in a way I should be happy about it. I should pat my back for having good parental instincts if I want to look on the bright side. I felt a little guilty leaving the library with a DVD and no books, but we have plenty of books at home that we haven't yet exhausted and I wanted to find something that would keep his interest when I needed to get something else done (like today, mopping the floors). Davey easily gets bored with TV (usually I like that because I like to chalk it up to me doing something good and not getting him addicted, even though it probably doesn't mean a thing -- but I find you have to be your own cheering section when it comes to parenting) and, with the "Wheels on the Bus" book being his current favorite, I thought he'd like this video. So, I was right. I put it together this afternoon right after I took this picture that the reason he'd peed his pants for the 3rd (!!!) time today was that he was hypnotized by this video (and that I had let him watch it twice the whole way through...). He was watching it each time he peed. Guess I wasn't so genius. Either way, a certain DVD will be disappearing tonight.

Davey So Handsome!!

"Davey soooo handsome!!" was the refrain we heard all the way to church Sunday morning. I wish I could get him to say it on video because the inflection he uses is so darling. Bama Pau-son bought him his first little suit and he was so very excited to be wearing a tie like Daddy does.

Fun with Grandma

October 14th, we were so lucky to get to drive to the airport and pick up my mom. Yea! Davey was so excited to see "Bama Pau-son" but, I must add, was a bit disappointed when "Bapa Pau-son" wasn't with her. We did so many fun things while Bama  (yes, Ba- instead of Grand- is a Davey-ism, not a chosen nickname) was here, starting with a dinner out without Davey (it had been waaay too long since we'd gotten a babysittter) for my birthday. 

Davey has been having trouble napping these days and I think it may be connected to the amount of energy he has the chance to expend each morning. So one of my favorite places to take him is the local malls, which all have great indoor play areas (it's still been a bit warm to play outside). We stopped at several while my mom was here...

Davey with his 3 favorite playmates of the week.

The Houston Children's Museum was another fun spot we visited...

The best toy in the place was this wooden thing (I have no idea what to call it) that cars would race down, flipping over from track to track. Davey loved it!

Training Davey so that as soon as he's old enough he can contribute to the family budget :)

Ghoulish fun with Grandma. 

A local Christmas tree and pumpkin farm, Dewberry Farms, has a wonderful setup for children. We went with my ward's playgroup and had so much fun! There were so many things to do...

The waiting area (groups have to go in together) was filled with farm-related toys, bikes, swings, etc. He was so excited to get his hands on this digger!

The hayride out to the pumpkin patch was the highlight of the day. He still hasn't stopped talking about his hayride. The size of the pumpkins in the pumpkin patch, however, left something to be desired.

The highlight of Bama's day was helping my friend Amy with her two month old son.

The PVC pipe slide was fun for the kiddos, but not too pleasant on my bottom! My major mistake was going down it before going to the bathroom... talk about uncomfortable for a pregnant lady!

The farm had two huge inflatable jumpers (thankfully, with one dedicated to smaller children), though Davey still had a bit of trouble when other kids were jumping next to him...

Notice how the kid next to him waits nicely while Davey gets up only to knock him down again...

Tractor-pulled corn train.

It was amazing the amount of fun produced by this tunnel!

Plenty of hay to throw around!

Davey loved the honking geese, the baby  chicks that pecked his fingers and the water-pumping duck race.

See what fun we can have if you just come for a visit? Please wait until November, though, so it won't be such a hot day.

We also did plenty of spoiling shopping with Grandma who bought Davey another train (he is sooo excited to have James!), a tricycle and outfitted the toy room. Plus, one other item that really made Davey's day today. But a picture will come in another post :) She also worked with Davey on learning his colors, which he still struggles with but definitely made progress. Thanks for a great visit, Mom!!

Bigger (not Better) than Before

Ta-da. Here is a much sought-after picture of my growing belly. Why so many of my family and friends have been clamoring to see me getting fat, I'm not sure. Maybe seeing someone else gain weight makes you feel better about yourself? I'm just kidding, mostly, but I don't really know why everyone has this desire to see women when they're pregnant. But, you can count me into that pool, so I can't really talk here.

A few days ago, Dave was feeling sympathetic to my plight and commented that I must be feeling like skin shouldn't have to stretch this much. The sad part is that I don't even really feel anything stretching yet! Yikes, that's scary to say at 6 months... I'm certainly feeling bigger than I did last time, but I know that's due to not getting as much exercise or eating as well as I did with Davey. (Sorry, baby boy Adams.) Even though I know the weight gain is for a good reason, it's still not fun seeing the scale go up and up and up. Especially because this is now the second time that Dave has decided to diet right as my weight gain is really beginning to accelerate. Last time we ended up almost at the same weight. Yes, me at 5'3" weighing the same as my 5'11" husband... not fun.

I also have visions of giving birth to a huge baby, and it scares me. Davey was so small (6 lbs 8 oz) and I worry about having to deliver a large child because I'm not eating as well. It was already not so fun with small one that I can't imagine an 8 pound child. I guess time will tell. Hopefully I can get up some willpower to eat better over the next 3 months. It's not too late to change my ways, right?

A Serious Chat

On the mornings when Dave is able to sleep in, Davey and I get out of the house to keep it quiet. So we usually head to Panera for a bagel (they have a really yummy one right now by the way, the Pink Ribbon bagel with dried cherries and cranberries) and go see the fountains in the plaza. This morning was a little chilly, however, so we stayed inside to eat. Looking for a place to sit, Davey picked out a booth saying, "Talk Mommy." Once we were settled and ready to eat, he got this serious look on his face, looked straight at me and said, "Soooo Mommy." I guess he has observed people having serious conversations in booths and wanted to try it out.

A Birthday Party

Eventually I'll get around to posting some pics from Davey's birthday party, but for now here are some shots from one we attended for his friend Samantha today.

It's not the best video, but I love seeing videos of the little ones I love, so take a peek at Davey in action. Sorry you can't see his face well for the sunglasses, but he can't stand the sun in his eyes.

Davey had fun throwing pine cones into the lake and wanted to go take a drink like the ducks were.

This is Davey saying cheese.

This is him trying cheese again. Not too much better. I think I need to just start asking him to smile.

I have a couple pics of him in Davey Heaven, eating cake and ice cream, but I can't get them to post correctly...

A Quick Quote

I heard a really nice quote at a women's conference at church last week, written by James Barrie the author of Peter Pan, encouraging us to be instruments in the hand of the Lord to help others around us:

"Those who bring sunshine to the lives of others cannot keep it from themselves."

It immediately reminded me my sister, Harmony. I'm sure any of you that know her agree that his applies to her. I love you girl!

Knock, Knock.

Who's there?  "Dee-Dee!" Who? "Davey!" He is finally starting to correct the way he says his own name. Dave tried to work on it a lot with him, but I liked it. If the nickname he gave himself had been more male-appropriate (it just sounds a little too girlie to me), I'm sure "Dee-Dee" would have stuck. These days, each time we pull into the garage, he insists on walking around to the front door and knocking on it before coming in the house.

The other knocking going on in the house is from me. Davey insists on being my personal valet as I get in and out of the shower, opening the door for me. It's kind of nice. Though now I am required to both knock and ring the doorbell first.

Davey, the Power Monger

Well, not everything about potty-training Davey has been problem-free. In the 2 months since he's been potty training, he has pretty much never told me he needed to go to the bathroom unless he really needed to go. No false alarms -- until last Wednesday. That morning he apparently woke up and decided that he wanted to sit on the toilet at every chance he could and then pop right up and say "Done!" immediately upon sitting down. So later in the morning after library story time and another false alarm, he came over saying pee-pee again. But he went right back to what he was doing, so I figured if he really needed to go he'd tell me again. Well, the next thing I heard from him was "pee-pee shoes." Apparently he really needed to go. I felt really bad about essentially making him have an accident. And I hadn't even brought any extra underwear since it had been so long since his last accident.

The boy who cried wolf didn't stop his antics then. The next morning I was in and out of the shower 3 times when he told me he needed to go poo-poo but didn't. Talk about annoying to get out of the shower dripping wet for nothing. Church on Sunday was no different. In and out of the bathroom the whole first hour. He must have actually gone 5 times, but we were in the stall many more than that. He doesn't seem to just like washing his hands, or leaving church (he asks to go back in, even when I try to wait until he actually goes), I can't believe he's all of a sudden forgotten what it feels like to need to go, the only thing I can figure is that he loves the feeling of power he has over me when I jump to his beck and call. Anyone have tips for me?

Davey, Post-Ice Cream Sandwich

Can you tell he enjoyed it?