Visiting Mommy's Work

Last Friday I took the boys back to my school for a special event (more about that later this week). Nick, especially, loved going to "Mommy's School." He especially loved my dry erase board.

That's a self-portrait he drew on the left. I love how the eyes are huge and appear to be peering down at him. I asked him, "Who did you draw?" and he replied, "Nick!" (Yup, he still refers to himself in the third person quite a bit. Then he drew an "N for Nick!" He's getting rather good at it, I think.

And Henry? He loved crawling around the classroom floor looking for dangerous things, like my extension cords and these unstable chairs. They were still good enough for him to use to pull up to a stand, though.

You would be surprised at how much damage two small children can do to one elementary-age classroom in about 30 minutes. Or maybe you wouldn't be surprised. I suppose it depends on whether you have small children yourself. I had to practically tear Nick away from my desk, though.

Do you see the giant "H for Henry" he drew right behind the chair? He didn't want Henry to be left out.

Several times this weekend, Nick has been asking me, "Mommy, are we going to your school again?" I think he really enjoyed it.

Baby Push Ups and Starting to Pull Up

Nick can now do something I cannot: execute a perfect push-up. He just started doing this the other day, and he can hold it for quite awhile. Still no forward crawling, though.



I've been trying to give him lots of time down on the carpet and the floors. He likes the hardwood and linoleum the best. Maybe that helps him to slide better.
He really gets around for a baby who can't crawl with any purpose. Today he drove me nuts, insisting on doing baby push ups, backwards crawling, or butt scooting most of the day. Then he wanted to use my hands to pull up to a stand. He can't do this unless someone holds his hands just right, but he loves it. Nick would stand all day if he could. I'd be exhausted if I were him.




Yesterday Nicholas and I went to my dad and stepmom's place in Rosemont. We visited the park district there, and stayed for dinner and until Nick's bedtime. Our original intention was to visit the SplashPad, which we did, but it was rather cold, so we opted for the park and the swings instead. This July has been very odd, weather-wise. I heard on the radio today that the average temperature for this month was 69 degrees Fahrenheit. That's cold for July! Here are some pictures I took yesterday. Pardon the poor photography. You'd think I would get better, what with all the pictures I take of Nick. But, no. The one with my stepmom holding Nick? That is food on his face. Sweet potatoes, to be exact. Nick likes to smear everything on his face while he eats. Must make it taste better.

I also got some video of my dad helping him to stand. Boy, was Nick excited!

Today I read "The End of Overeating" by Dr. David A. Kessler. It was a scientific book about why Americans overeat, and it makes a lot of sense. There's no miracle cure, though. I was reading it while eating, and it made me choose blueberries instead of chocolate. He explains the way that processed and chain restaurant foods are designed to appeal to the reward centers in our brains, and how the combination of fat, sugar, and salt makes us happy. Sigh. Doesn't help with my cookie problem, but I guess knowing about it makes it less likely that I'll order anything at Chili's or Outback, ever. The book was well-written and the author's thesis makes a lot of sense.