Great Wolf Lodge

Dear Connor,

We spent a couple days at Great Wolf Lodge last week and you and MuiMui had so much fun! Here are some highlights from our vacation at the indoor water park:

-Your section of our hotel room was designed to look like a camping tent, which was pretty cool, plus it had a bunk bed and your own TV!

-They had kid-sized water slides that you absolutely LOVED. The look of pure glee on your face every time you rode down one--I'd never seen you so happy!

-Lila was too small to go on the water slides but her face lit up just as much as yours while she played with the small shooting fountains of water all over the water park.

-In the pool, you liked putting your arms around my neck and "swimming" on my back. You said I looked like a mermaid :)

-This wasn't exactly a highlight, but I learned an important lesson: Contrary to what I thought, swim diapers do NOT hold in pee. We were waiting for our lunch and MuiMui was sitting in my lap in her bathing suit and swim diaper when I felt a gush of warm liquid streaming down my legs. Ew ew ew ew ew.

-There is an outlet mall near Great Wolf and Mommy had a great time in the Coach store!

-You had such a blast playing in the water park on our first day and were subsequently so tired afterward that you totally passed out at dinner and fell asleep right in our restaurant booth.

Ha! Definitely a sign of a good trip!

Love,
Mom

December Quotes

Dear Connor,

Here's this month's edition of cute and funny Connor quotes:

"I'm thankful for my mom. She gives me snacks that make me big and strong." -- You made a Thanksgiving project at school and this is what you told your teacher to write on it.

"Are you going to tell Mommy?" -- You went to the bathroom at school and while you were in there, you decided to empty the paper towel dispenser and put *all* of the towels in the toilet. When your teacher saw what you had done and reprimanded you, this was the first thing you asked her.

"Did you miss GuhGaw? [switching to a high-pitched voice to impersonate your sister] Yes, I did, MuiMui said." -- You said this to Lila after you had come home from school. So funny!

While watching The Pioneer Woman and seeing the amazing brownie bites she was making:
You: Can I go to her house?
Me: No, she lives far away.
You: Can we drive to her there?
Me: I don't know where she lives.
You: Can I go through the TV?

"Mommy, I can't see my eyes!" -- You kept trying to by rolling your eyes up into your head and were genuinely distressed that you couldn't see your own eyeballs.

"You're the cutest baby ever" -- You said this to MuiMui while hugging her and it was the cutest thing ever!

Love,
Mom

Super Speller

Dear Connor,

You have learned how to spell your name, as well as the words cat, rat, hat, log, dog and fog. Nice!

Love,
Mom

November Quotes

Dear Connor,

Oh, the cute and funny things that come out of your mouth!

"Can we watch TV and cuddle?" --I don't let you watch TV that often, but how can I say no when you ask me like that?

"Mommy is gone now, let's play again!" -- You and Daddy were playing a little too roughly on the couch and I told you guys to stop, so you said that when I walked into the kitchen, but ahem, I could still hear you!

"I want to be Mommy!" -- Your response when I asked you what you want to be when you grow up. I'm so flattered!

"That's enough hugging!" -- Daddy and I were hugging each other and you did not like it!

"I don't want to be sad. I'm happy. I love you, Mommy." -- I was dropping you off at school and you said these sentences back-to-back as we were walking up the stairs to your classroom. A teacher passing by heard you and said, "What a nice conversation!"

"Can I come with you? I miss you when you're gone." -- I was heading out to have brunch with my friends. You're so sweet!

This month's best Connor quote took place while you and I were riding the bus to your school one morning. It was a rainy morning, so the bus was crowded, and the driver and another passenger were having an argument because he had asked her to move to the back of the bus to make room for the people getting on the bus and she didn't want to move. They yelled at each other for several minutes and then the bus fell into an awkward silence. That's when you recounted the argument loudly enough for everyone on the bus to hear:

You: Mommy, why were they yelling?
Me (quietly): The driver wants the woman to move to the back but she doesn't want to move.
You (not so quietly): The driver said, "Move!" and the woman said, "No!" and then the driver said, "What you mean no?!"
Me (silently): Oh my god, please stop talking about this, Connor!

So classic!

Love,
Mom

Too Much Kisses

Dear Connor,

We watched The Little Mermaid tonight (my favorite Disney movie when I was a kid) and afterward, I asked you if you liked it. Your response: "No, there was too much kisses. I like Cars better. There are no kisses."

Haha, you're such a boy!

Love,
Mom

Future Bride

Dear Connor,

You and I were looking at photographs from Daddy and my wedding and you told me that you want to marry me. I said you can't marry me because I'm already married to Daddy and asked you who else you'd like to marry. You thought about it very carefully for a minute and replied, "Hailey. I want to marry Hailey."

You and your future bride earlier this year.

Love,
Mom

Great Brother

Dear Connor,

I love love love how caring you are toward MuiMui. One day, we were downstairs while she was napping in her crib. When she started crying, you ran upstairs to bring her a blanket because you thought she was crying because she was cold. Another time, Lila started crying when I went upstairs to use the bathroom. You stayed downstairs with her and I heard you telling her, "It's okay, Mommy is coming. You see her? She's coming."

Then today, MuiMui was starting to fuss in her car seat, so you sang "Rockabye Baby" to her. You are so sweet!

Love,
Mom

Early Weekend Mornings

Dear Connor,

Why do I have to drag you out of bed during the week when you have school but on the weekends, when I want you to sleep in, you always pop out of bed at 6:30am??

Love,
Mom

Anatomy Questions

Dear Connor,

Questions you asked me while I was going to the bathroom:

"You have penis? You pee in your butt? What you have? Can I have a 'gina? Can I grow into a 'gina? Can I grow into a girl?"

Oye.

Love,
Mom

First Date

Dear Connor,

Your cousin Madison came over for a play date and when you were both sitting at your kids' table, you said to me, "Mommy, we're on a date!" Haha!

Love,
Mom

Brain Game

Dear Connor,

Today, you said to me, "Do you want to play puzzle with me? It will wake up your mind."

Smart boy!

Love,
Mom

Connor Quotes

Dear Connor,

Funny, sweet and cute things you said this month:

-While you were in the bathroom, I asked you if you were done pooping. You said, "When I'm done pooping, I'm done." Makes sense.

-I was out with you and MuiMui one afternoon when the stroller brake broke and wouldn't unlock. I couldn't get the stroller to move and when I told you this, you yelled at the stroller wheels, "Come on! You can do it!"

-While Lila was kneeling, you put your hand behind her and said, "I protect her."

-You were running around the playground at school and shouted to your teacher, "I'm going to marry you! I love you!" You also told her that you two are going to get married in a hospital. Given how accident-prone you are, that's a good location!

-We were cooking dinner together and while I was chopping the broccoli, you told me, "I like cooking with you. You my friend, Mommy."

-You were sitting at your table and started shouting, "I'm in my office! I'm making money! Who wants money? Mommy, I have money for you!"

Love,
Mom

Why?

Dear Connor,

You have officially reached the "Why?" stage. Bring on the endless questioning!

Love,
Mom

Back to the ER

Dear Connor,

Seriously?! Just three days after you had that traumatic fall at your birthday party, you had to go back to the emergency room today to be treated for *another* injury. I was about to pick you up from school this past Wednesday and was just a few blocks away when I received a call from your teacher. You had collided with another boy while running around on the playground. You seemed fine but you had a huge bump next to your right eye and your teacher thought we should have it checked out by a doctor right away. Seriously?! You got hurt again?!

Daddy came home from work and took you straight to the hospital (luckily, the fact that we'd just taken you to the ER a few days earlier didn't prompt them to call Child Services!). Fortunately, the doctor said you were all right. You had a pretty bad black eye but no scratches on the eyeball, permanent head damage or anything serious--unless you count the continual fraying of my nerves. *sigh*

Your new shiner. We should probably keep that helmet on you 24/7.

Love,
Mom

First Day of Nursery School

Dear Connor,

Happy first day of nursery school! 

Your school is in the same building that your summer camp was in, your teacher is the same teacher you had during summer camp, several of your classmates were in the same camp class as you and yet, today was still in adjustment for you. I don't know if it's because it's been three weeks since camp ended but you cried when I dropped you off this morning, asked me to stay with you and said you wanted to go home. When I picked you up in the afternoon, you said, "I missed you. I wanted you." Aww, sweetie :( I hope you enjoy school better tomorrow.

Love,

Mom

Birthday Scare

Dear Connor,

Today started out innocently enough. It was sunny and warm, perfect weather for the outdoor carousel birthday party Daddy and I had organized for you. We arrived at the carousel in the morning, set up the decorations (this year's theme: your favorite TV show, Team Umizoomi) and rode the carousel while your friends arrived. Over the next hour, you had a great time riding the carousel over and over again, playing with your buddies and watching the boats sail by on the nearby river.

The party came to an abrupt halt, though, when you suddenly fell backward off of one of the picnic table benches and hit your head on the gravel-covered ground beneath it. I didn't see it happen. I was putting your baseball cap away in your diaper bag when I heard you crying in pain. I turned, saw you sitting on the bench next to Daddy, ran over to you and immediately felt my body go numb when I saw how badly you'd been hurt. Daddy was pressing a bunch of napkins on your head where you had bumped it and when he moved them, I saw blood oozing out of your head. Your head just kept bleeding, even after several minutes, and there were bright red drops all over the backside of your shirt. I was shocked and terrified and I really don't know how I managed to not pass out. Instead, I somehow sprang into protective mom mode, hugging and kissing you and telling you that you were going to be okay, that you just got a little boo-boo, that you were being so brave. And you really were brave. You were visibly shaken and wanted me to hold you, but you stopped crying right away and answered all of the questions Daddy and I asked you (you may have wondered why we chose that moment to ask you to recite the alphabet; we wanted to see if you could still think and talk clearly after such a big hit to the head).

To our horror, the blood kept coming out of the wound no matter how much pressure we put on it, so your friend Marcus's dad called 911. In a matter of minutes, a big ambulance with lights flashing drove through the park and right up to the party (the paramedics just so happened to be getting lunch at a nearby food festival when they received the call). When you saw it, you were equally amazed (you get so excited when you see ambulances and we told you this one had come just for you) and scared (you, understandably, did not want to go to the hospital). The paramedics checked your head, wrapped it in gauze and said a doctor should look at the wound, so you and Daddy got in the back of the ambulance and went to the nearest ER while I stayed back with MuiMui.

I told your friends that you were going to be okay and that they could go back to riding the carousel--and then I burst into tears. I get so scared any time you get hurt and this was by far the worst injury you'd ever had. I couldn't get the image of all the blood out of my mind and kept checking my phone for any updates from Daddy. The only thing that gave me any comfort was the fact that while we had been waiting for the ambulance, I had been talking to you and when you saw a helicopter fly overhead, you pushed my head to the side so that you could see it. So you couldn't have been in that much pain if you were still that interested in the helicopter, right?

And thank GOD, it turned out that you really weren't that hurt. An hour after you and Daddy left for the hospital, I was sitting on the very bench you had fallen off of and staring at the boats on the water when you seemingly came out of nowhere. I didn't think you'd be back for awhile but there you were, running toward me with a big smile on your face as if nothing had even happened. I almost burst into tears from the relief of seeing you be your usual, happy self. Daddy told me that the doctor had checked you out and said the wound on your head was only superficial, that you didn't even need any stitches and that you were fine; we just had to keep the cut clean. "Whew" doesn't even begin to express how glad I was to hear that!

So the party picked up right where we had left off! A few of your friends had gone home while you were at the hospital but most of them were still at the party and we all hopped onto the carousel for a special birthday ride during which the operator personally wished you a happy birthday and got everyone to sing "Happy Birthday" to you. Then after that, it was time for cake!

You were playful, silly and active for the rest of the afternoon and had a great time at your party. On our way home, I asked you how you felt and you responded, "I feel fixed." Oh man, you are nothing if not resilient! This was actually the third time you hit your head so hard that it started to bleed and amazingly, all three incidents turned out to be minor flesh wounds, so I'm pretty convinced that your head *must* be made of steel. Let's not keep testing its limits, though, okay?

Love,
Mom

You're Three Years Old!

Dear Connor,

Happy birthday, sweetheart! You are 3 years old now and still the coolest little boy I know. Every day, you continue to amaze me with your intelligence, your curiosity, your boundless energy and, above all, your kindness and affection. This was an important year for you because you became a big brother--and you have been an incredible brother! From the second Daddy and I brought your baby sister home from the hospital, you have been so loving toward her. You like to make her laugh and comfort her when she cries. You share your toys with her, even when I know you don't particularly want to share them. You like to hold her in your lap and give her hugs. You call her your best friend and you always look out for her, like the time you placed a hand on her stomach when she was crying and said, "I protect her."

You are also so sweet to me. You always tell me that you love me. You say that I look pretty, even if I've just gotten out of bed, haven't brushed my hair and am still wearing my pajamas. If I stub my toe or get hurt in some way, you say, "Don't be sad, Mommy, it will be okay" and kiss my boo-boo. You know my favorite color is purple, so you draw purple drawings for me at school and when we went to a birthday party at a gymnastics studio last month, you gathered all of the purple hula hoops laying around on the floor and brought them over to me.

I'm not going to lie, though. As wonderful as this past year was, it was also incredibly challenging because your terrible twos have been epic. You are a good kid but you can also be unbelievably stubborn, rebellious and defiant. You definitely like to test your limits and turn a lot of things (like brushing your teeth or getting into the stroller when it's time to leave the bookstore) into huge battles. And oh my god, the tantrums you throw when you don't get your way. They are loud. Hysterical. Frequent. By now, I'm sure most of our neighbors are well acquainted with your blood-curdling screams. And you are well acquainted with the timeout corner.

Hopefully, the worst of that behavior is behind us (Many parents say the threes are even worse than the twos, but they're just kidding, right? Right?). And I love you so much, no matter how crazy you drive me. I love how happy and excited you get about things, how silly and playful you are, how friendly you are, how you sing to yourself while you are playing with your toys and how you dance with abandon when you hear your favorite songs. I love cooking dinner with you (you stand on a stool next to me at the kitchen counter and ask to help with everything), chasing you around the playground and doing the goofiest things to make you laugh your infectious laugh. And I especially love watching you grow up into the terrific little person you are becoming. Happy birthday, Connor! I love you!

Love,
Mom

Bag It

Dear Connor,

The good: Today was another accident-free day. I've been putting you on the potty every hour and if you have to go in between those hourly intervals, you tell me so that I can take you to the bathroom. Great job!

The bad: While I was in the bathroom, you and your sister were playing in her room and I heard you laughing hysterically. What's so funny?, I thought. I wonder what game they're playing. It's so nice that they're having fun together. My state of amusement was shattered, however, as soon as I walked into your sister's room and saw that you had put the plastic bag for your sister's blocks over her head. Oh my god, oh my god, oh my god!! Lila was fine--albeit looking out of the clear plastic bag with a confused expression on her face ("Um, hey, what's going on here?")--but I nearly had a heart attack. Note to self: It is NOT yet safe to leave you and your baby sister alone in a room together. Yeesh.

Love,
Mom

Potty Training Game

Dear Connor,

You know you're potty training a toddler when you're constantly playing a game of "Is that a puddle of water or a puddle of pee on the floor?"

That being said, you didn't have a single accident today. Yay!

Love,
Mom

Puddles

Dear Connor,

I take that back, you are not a potty training rock star. Yesterday must have been beginner's luck or something because you had five accidents today. I felt as if all I did today was wipe puddles of pee off of the floor (thank goodness we have hardwood floors and not carpet!) and wash out your underwear. I'd be making lunch or loading the dishwasher and then I'd hear it, that distinctive sound of pee streaming down onto the floor followed by you saying, "Oh no, I pee."

Oye.

Love,
Mom

Time for Undies!

Dear Connor,

Potty training you has been a long, long, looooong process. That is partially my and Daddy's fault. Having heard so many potty training horror stories from other parents (Constant trips to the bathroom? Puddles of pee everywhere? Cleaning poop out of underwear? No thank you!), we didn't even attempt to potty train you until you were two-and-a-half (some parents start when their kids are 18 months, those overachievers!). You first sat on the potty back at the end of November of last year and that is initially all you did--you sat on it. It took 10 days before you actually peed while you were sitting on the potty and when you finally did, you thought you'd done something wrong and said, "Oh no! Yellow!" when you saw the pee in the toilet.

Daddy and I cheered for you and rewarded you with a Thomas the Tank Engine sticker when you peed in the potty, but a month went by and you didn't pee in the potty again, not even once. Uncle Tony had given you the Cheer For Me potty I'd mentioned in the last post so we tried using it instead of the big potty; maybe you would be more comfortable on a smaller potty and be encouraged by the fact that the Cheer For Me cheers and sings every time you go in it (a hilarious feature, by the way!). And you did go in it a couple times, but then you just stopped. One time, you were sitting on it when you suddenly had to pee but instead of peeing in the potty, you jumped up, started crying, held in your pee and refused to go in the potty. When you couldn't hold it any longer, you ended up peeing on the floor--and on my feet. Ew. 

We switched you back to the big potty in the bathroom (you couldn't hop off of it as easily and we wouldn't have the "lovely" task of cleaning pee and poo out of the potty seat) and put you on it many, many times. Sometimes you peed and pooped; sometimes you didn't. Sometimes you had no problem going in it; sometimes you cried and refused to go in it. Cheering for you, giving you Thomas stickers, rewarding you with M&M's--nothing really worked consistently. But then, but then. In April of this year, you started peeing every time we put you on the potty. And by June, you were completely potty trained for poop--you no longer pooped in your diaper but said, "I have to poop!" every time you had to and waited until you were on the potty to go. I was so proud! (By the way, I didn't take any photos of your first pee or poop in the toilet like some parents do, so if you wanted to see that, well, too bad). 

You were still frequently peeing in your Pull-Ups, though, so everyone--my mommy friends, PoiPoi, even your teacher at camp--told me that I had to put you in underwear to complete the potty training process. But puddles of pee everywhere! Cleaning poop out of underwear! I don't want to deal with that! I don't have time to deal that while taking care of your sister, too! But I would like to potty train you by the time you are 3 (and your birthday is literally five days away) so I did it, I bit the bullet and put you in underwear today. You were visibly excited about this:

I was expecting the worst, but you only had one accident today (it was while Daddy was yelling at you after you'd done something bad, so he probably scared the pee out of you!) and even told me that you had to go pee three times. You are a potty training rock star!

Love,

Mom

Remember That?

Dear Connor,

I can't even remember what I had for breakfast this morning so it amazes me how much your almost-3-year-old brain can recall. A few days ago, you were on the potty and asked me, "You remember I poop downstairs? In the smile potty?" When I first started potty training you way back in January, you used the Cheer For Me potty seat that Uncle Tony gave you. I put it downstairs in the living room and it did indeed have a smiley face on it:

You only used it for a couple days before I just made you sit on the big potty in the bathroom (because cleaning out the Cheer For Me seat every time you used it was gee-ross!) so I'm surprised you still remember it. 

And then about a month ago, we were driving by the Brooklyn Bridge and I told you, "Connor, that's the Brooklyn Bridge. When you get older, we'll walk across it." We drove by the bridge again today and this time you pointed it out first, saying, "You see that bridge? When I get older, we can walk across it?" Wow! It makes me wonder what things from your childhood now you'll recall later when you're older.

Love,

Mom

New Shoes

Dear Connor,

Funny things you did this past week:

-You and I were eating toasted cheese sandwiches for lunch when someone rang our doorbell. I went to answer the door and when I came back to the table, I discovered that you had pulled apart my sandwich, eaten all of the cheese and left the chewed-up pieces of bread on my plate. Um, thanks.

-When I asked you if you wanted to go to the bookstore to get a book, you replied, "Yeah! The biggest book in da whole world! The biggest book I ever seen that!"

-Your sister has recently started sitting up on her own, so I get excited and cheer for her when it happens. You want in on this action, so sometimes when I'm cheering for your sister, you plop down on the floor, sit straight up and say, "I'm sitting up, too!"

-When I give Mochi a treat, I tell him, "Sit! Paw!" And you want in on this action, too. When I diced an apple for you, you knelt down in front of me and said, "Say 'paw' to me!" I said it and you raised your left hand up in the air and waited for me to put a piece of apple in your mouth. After I did, you walked around on your hands and feet like a dog. True story!

We went over to your cousin Madison's house today and you and Madison were playing in her room when you suddenly emerged wearing a seriously hot pair of heels:

I love it!

Love,
Mom

Bigger and Bigger

Dear Connor,

You were sitting on the potty today when you looked down and shouted, "Mommy, my penis is getting bigger!" Another classic penis quote :P

Love,
Mom

Too Kwoo

Dear Connor,

Every day, I am amazed by how extensive your vocabulary and conversational skills have become over the past year. You know what a dodecahedron is, for goodness sake (thank you, Team Umizoomi!). And when you turned two years old, your most impressive sentences were phrases like "Connor do it" and "take off my bib." Then you gradually started stringing sentences and thoughts together, such as "It's dark in here. Turn on the light, Mommy." And now as an almost-three-year-old, you and I can have lengthy conversations about anything from freight trains to chicken nuggets.

That being said, you can't yet pronounce certain words and it's hard for some people to understand what you're saying, so I've prepared a few translations:

noosic = music
sil-duh-wul = cereal
acahdo = avocado
it's so kwoo = it's so cool
Ow-ex = Alex
Ehw-in = Erin
Wie-wah = Lila
Izzabit = Elizabeth
wahwipop = lollipop (so yeah, the letter l completely escapes you!)
hossible = hospital
amulence = ambulance

Hehe :)

Love,
Mom

Crazy Love

Dear Connor,

You and I had this exchange today:

Me: Connor, you have been whining for the past hour! Can you please stop? You're driving me crazy!
You [slightly whimpering]: You love me?
Me: Of course I love you, but you're driving me crazy.
You [still sad]: You love me?
Me: Yes, I love you.
You [now smiling]: I love you.

Love,
Mom

Rise and Shine

Dear Connor,

Lazy Sundays of sleeping in until noon--there was a time when those existed for me. Now, you often walk into my bedroom at 6am on a Sunday morning, poke me in the face and shout, "Wake up, Mommy! Don't sleep! Open your eyes!" Fun!

And it's even more fun when you follow that up with, "It's wet," referring to the fact that your pajamas are soaked in pee because you wet the bed.

*sigh*

Love,

Mom

Waste Not

Dear Connor,

You ate chicken nuggets at lunch yesterday and had a few pieces still stuck in your teeth when I picked you up from camp. While we were riding the bus back home, you realized they were stuck in your teeth and picked them out. I didn't have a tissue so I told you to just wipe them off on your shorts. Instead, you stuck them back in your mouth and ate them. Well, waste not, want not!

Love,
Mom

Sweet Treat

Dear Connor,

The last time I went to a Dunkin' Donuts, I was in high school. So yeah, it's not an establishment I frequent often. But you were really well-behaved today so I took you to the Dunkin' Donuts near our house as a special treat (you called it "the doughnut house"). I let you try your very first chocolate doughnut and, unsurprisingly, you LOVED it! You ate--actually, inhaled might be a more accurate word--two chocolate Munchkins in record time and kept asking for more the rest of the day. Hmm, this may have been a door I wish I had never opened!

Love,
Mom

More!

Dear Connor,

You know how to ask for things nicely. You know to always say "please." So I don't know why you have started asking for more milk, grapes, chicken nuggets, etc. by looking at me when you've finished what I gave you and shouting, "More!" Not. Cool.

Love,
Mom

Isn't It Ironic?

Dear Connor,

Irony is when it is bright and sunny all day except when it storms really hard during the one hour I have to go out to pick you up from summer camp.

Love,
Mom

Big Lunch

Dear Connor,

At lunch today, you ate:

-2 whole mangoes
-1 slice of raisin bread with peanut butter
-4 large meatballs stuffed into a pita pocket
-1 1/2 cups of milk

Whoa, hungry much?

Love,
Mom

Summer Camp

Dear Connor,

As you may recall, you started nursery school last December but you had such bad separation anxiety when we dropped you off that we took you out of the program after just three days. Fast forward to this week when we tried Operation Drop-Off again and took you to summer camp.

Day 1: You were fine when Daddy and I accompanied you to camp in the morning. You were excited to see all of the toys in the classroom and walked right over to a table with puzzles. We said bye, you said bye, we left, no problem. But a little while after we left, I guess it hit you that we had gone and weren't coming back right away. Your teacher said you started screaming that you missed your mommy and wanted your mommy. You told your teacher to open the door and said, "Leave it open! Where's Mommy?!" You put your backpack on and wouldn't take it off. You cried the whole time. Yikes.

When I picked you up four hours later, you were no longer crying but your face was very sad and tear-stained. You walked out of the classroom and said softly to me, "I cry in school. I miss you." And my heart broke into about a million pieces. The rest of the afternoon, you kept saying, "I miss you. You miss me?" Of course, sweetie!

Day 2: Daddy and you were riding the bus to camp and once you crossed Queens Blvd., you realized where you were going and started freaking out. You cried and screamed all the way to camp, when Daddy dropped you off and for a long time after he left. :(

Day 3: You clung onto Daddy's leg when he dropped you off and cried on and off throughout the morning, but stopped long enough to make a few crafts with your class. When I picked you up, you proudly showed me the things that you had made and said, "I made this for you!"

Day 4: You cried when Daddy dropped you off and throughout the morning but for shorter intervals. You were calm by lunchtime and ate two whole slices of pizza.

So there were lots of tears, but you made it through your first week of summer camp! On Wednesday, you told me, "I'm so happy" when I asked you if you like camp, so that is definitely promising. I think/hope it's going to be a fun summer for you!

Love,
Mom

Ice Cream Mess

Dear Connor,

You get a little messy when you're eating an ice cream cone. Just a little.

Love,
Mom

Tomorrow

Dear Connor,

You love to sing and one of your favorite songs to sing is "Tomorrow" from the musical Annie. The other day, the two of us were laying on the couch and we just kept singing it over and over at the top of our lungs. We were both so loud and so off-key and so not Broadway-bound, but we burst into a fit of giggles every time we finished singing the song and it was one of those fun, silly, joyful moments that I'll always cherish (though for our neighbors who could probably hear us through the walls, maybe not so much).

Today, I overheard you singing "Tomorrow" to yourself while you were playing: "Thinking about tomorrow! Wipe away the cowboys and the soil!" Hehe :)

Love,
Mom

Beating Eggs

Dear Connor,

I made scrambled eggs this morning and when I explained to you that I was beating the eggs, you said, "You're beating the eggs? You're hitting them? That's not nice, Mommy. It's not nice to hit."

Love,
Mom

Early Riser

Dear Connor,

Please stop waking up at six in the morning. Daddy and I cannot function that early in the day. Thank you.

Love,
Mom

Soccer Star

Dear Connor,

Well, I am officially a soccer mom. Daddy and I signed you up for soccer classes and you had your first class today.

You were much more interested in running around the big open field like a chicken with its head cut off than paying attention to the coaches but I did manage to get you to participate in the drills and you had fun. However, you don't quite fully understand the rules of soccer yet. You understand that you have to kick the soccer balls into the goal. You understand that you can't use your hands to throw the ball into the goal. But you insisted on picking up the balls, carrying them to the edge of the net, dropping them and then kicking them into the goal. Correct, no, but more efficient, yes!

Love,
Mom

Silly Goose

Dear Connor,

This week's Connor funnies:

Me: You're a silly goose!

You: I'm not a goose, I'm a Connor!

Me to MuiMui: Do you want to try some food?

You: No, MuiMui too tiny. She can only have nai nai [Chinese for milk] from boobie!

You, after you finished a bowl of macaroni and cheese with broccoli that I had cooked for you: Your very good cooking, Mommy sir.

Love,

Mom

Teen Years Preview

Dear Connor,

We had this conversation today:

Me: Do you want to go to the park today?
You: No.
Me: Do you want to go to the playground today?
You: No.
Me: Do you want to go to the bookstore today?
You: No.
Me: What do you want to do today then?
You: Nothing.

You are only a toddler. You shouldn't be acting like a sullen teenager already!

Love,
Mom

Kiss My Butt

Dear Connor,

You said this to me today: "I fell down and hurt my butt. Can you kiss it, Mommy? Can you kiss my butt?" Uhh, no.

Love,
Mom

Funny Moments

Dear Connor,

Funny moment of the day #1: I got two mosquito bites on my foot this morning. When you saw them, you said, "I fix them," placed your palm over them for a few seconds and then said, "All better." My son, the divine healer!

Funny moment of the day #2: When you woke up from your afternoon nap, you said to me, "Mommy, my penis go up by itself. Can you fix it? Can you fix my penis?" Um, go talk to Daddy!

Love,
Mom

Other Milestones

Dear Connor,

When you're raising kids, a lot of attention is given to big milestones like the first smile, the first word, the first steps. I still remember many of your big firsts as if they happened just yesterday because they were so amazing, but there are a lot of other firsts that don't get their own shout-outs or pages in baby books that are equally incredible. For instance, you have accomplished several awesome firsts in the past few weeks:

-being able to open jars on your own (you especially love to open the peanut butter jar and smell it)

-completing puzzles by yourself (Whenever we did puzzles when you were a few months younger, you worked on them for maybe all of two minutes and then had me or Daddy complete the puzzle for you. Now, you are smart enough to put your firetruck and Sesame Street puzzles together on your own! And it really is amazing to watch you study the pieces and figure out where they go.)

-putting your sandals on and taking them off without any help (once you learned how to take your sandals off, you were all too eager to take them off everywhere, even while we were out at restaurants!)

-washing your hands by yourself (You are so proud that you can do this on your own that you won't let me help you if I try to. You can carry the step stool over to the sink, turn on the faucet, pump the soap out on your hand--though you do always pump out way too much!--rub the soap on your hands, rinse it off and dry your hands all without any assistance from me.)

Very impressive, little guy!

Love,
Mom

Whoa!

Dear Connor,

We are visiting Washington, DC at the moment (though you keep calling it "Washing, CD") and went to the National Aquarium today. You loved it and I felt as if I was hanging out with Joey Lawrence from the TV show, "Blossom" (You will have no idea what that is so look it up on YouTube or whatever version of YouTube you have when you're older. If you even know what YouTube is.). Every time we walked up to a new tank or you saw a new creature, you exclaimed, "Whoa!"

Love,
Mom

Big Tantrum

Dear Connor,

When you came back home from the playground today, you didn't want to wash your hands or change your clothes. You were dirty, though, so I said you had to before you touched your baby sister or any of your toys. This led to a 45-minute-long tantrum. Sweet jesus. And then at the end of it, you calmed down, grabbed my hand and whispered, "Mommy, you're my best friend." *sigh* You sure do know how to charm your way back into my good graces :P

Love,
Mom

Big Boy Bed

Dear Connor,

Goodbye crib, hello toddler bed!

Love,
Mom

Pretty Mommy

Dear Connor,

This morning, I was wearing an old t-shirt and leggings, my hair was pulled back into a messy ponytail and I didn't have a bit of makeup on, but you sat down on the couch next to me and said, "Mommy, you're so pretty." Made my day :)

Love,
Mom

Cute and Not So Cute

Dear Connor,

Cute moment of the day: You came up to me this afternoon and said, "Let's cuddle." Once we were sitting on the couch and you were snuggled in my arms, you looked up at me and said, "You're my best friend."

Not-so-cute moments of the day: I keep telling you to cover your mouth when you sneeze but that is a concept you are not grasping. Today, you sneezed all over the quesadilla I was eating for lunch. And the bowl of tofu and peas I was eating for dinner.

Another not-so-cute moment of the day: Tissues are apparently not good enough for you. You planted your face on our couch, blew your nose and wiped your boogers all over the cushion.

Love,

Mom

Online Shopping

Dear Connor,

Whoever invented online shopping must have tried shopping at the mall with her toddler.

Love,
Mom

Just the Way You Are

Dear Connor,

When you were born, one of the popular songs on the radio was "Just the Way You Are" by Bruno Mars. The lyrics include the lines "When I see your face/There's not a thing that I would change/'Cause you're amazing/Just the way you are." It's a sweet song and I used to sing it to you all of the time when you were a newborn.

Today, you returned the compliment. We were eating lunch when you brought your face close to mine and whispered, "I like you, Mommy, just the way you are."

Right back at you, kiddo.

Love,
Mom

Booger Boy

Dear Connor,

Today, I had to explain to you why you're not supposed to eat your boogers. And that's definitely a conversation that, before I became a mom, I never knew I'd have to have one day.

Love,
Mom

Volume Control

Dear Connor,

"MOMMY, I WANT A SNACK!"

"MOMMY, WHY ARE YOU GOING UPSTAIRS?"

"LET'S PLAY TRUCKS!"

"OH NO, WHERE MY DINOSAUR BOOK GO?"

"MUIMUI SO CUTE!"

"I AM TWO YEARS OLD AND I HAVE NO VOLUME CONTROL!!!" 

Okay, so you've never actually said that last one but it's very true--you are SO LOUD. Even when I'm standing right next to you, you must worry that I can't hear you because you *scream* everything. Yikes. I can hear you, buddy, as can our entire street!

Love,

Mom

Best Friends

Dear Connor,

I. Can't. Take. The. Cuteness. Every time I put MuiMui in her baby seat, you sit right next to her, put one arm around her and say, "Connor's best friend."

Love,
Mom

Got Milk?

Dear Connor,

Sweet moment of the day: MuiMui was in her bassinet and starting to fuss and you walked over and put your hand on her stomach. I asked you what you were doing to MuiMui and you replied, "Connor protect her." 

Funny moment of the day: You've seen me nurse your sister hundreds of times so I guess you decided to give nursing a try for yourself. You sat down on your chair, lifted up your shirt and pressed your stuffed puppy to your chest. When I asked you what you were doing, you said, "I'm feeding puppy!" Hilarious!

Love,

Mom

Toy Story

Dear Connor,

It's so funny to see you perusing the Toys "R" Us circular. You're always so quiet, so serious and so studious that it's as if you're reading The New York Times or The Economist, and not ads for Lego sets and Power Wheels!

Love,

Mom 

Verbal Gems

Dear Connor,

You are constantly cracking me up with the funny things that come out of your mouth. Here are some recent gems:

-I read "The Three Little Pigs" to you one morning but I think you misheard me because afterward, you kept saying, "I'm going to huff, I'm going to puff, I'm going to blow your hair down!" and then blowing my and your sister's hair. 

-While PoiPoi was changing MuiMui's diaper, you walked up, looked at MuiMui and exclaimed, "Oh no! I can't see MuiMui's penis!" Guess it's time for your first biology lesson!

-After Daddy changed one of your diapers, I asked you if you had pooped. You replied, "Yeah, I pooped. It was the biggest poop I ever seen!" Yikes, then I'm glad Daddy changed your diaper instead of me!

-Whenever you go in the potty, I cheer for you so now you do the same for me. You sit right outside of the bathroom (you'd sit right next to the toilet if I didn't make you wait by the door!) and when I pee, you shout, "Yay, Mommy did it! Mommy pee pee in the potty! I'm so proud of you! Come here, come here, give you big hug!" Then you stretch your arms out and try to hug me, which I appreciate, but geez, can you let me wipe my butt and wash my hands first? 

-It was really warm today so I put on one of my summer dresses before I took you out for a walk. When you saw me, your face lit up and you said, "Mommy look just like a princess!" Best compliment I ever received!

Love,

Mom

Cannibal Mom

Dear Connor,

You're doing such a good job of protecting your sister--even from me! I was playing with her today and started nibbling on her deliciously chubby legs. You got this really concerned look on your face, ran over to us and yelled, "Mommy, stop eating MuiMui! Go to timeout!"

Love,
Mom

Black Eye

Dear Connor,

The good: A couple of days ago, you were having a blast running around in circles in the living room. You were laughing and shouting and really enjoying yourself.

The bad: You were running so fast that you tripped and hit your face on the edge of your Little People Wheelies rampway. It must have hurt a lot because you cried very, very loudly.

The ugly: You made contact with the rampway right under your right eye (thank god you didn't land on your eye) and now you have a big black and blue bruise there, so you look as if you have a black eye. We are going out this weekend and I really hope no one calls Child Protective Services because they think Mommy or Daddy punched you in the face!

Love,

Mom

Boy Humor

Dear Connor,

For the past two days, you have been walking around the house and suddenly saying, "Penis!" and then laughing to yourself. *sigh* I thought I had a few more years before you started doing things like this!

Love,
Mom

Smelly Butt

Dear Connor,

Tonight, you walked up to me, turned your backside to me and said, "Mommy, smell butt!"

Um, no thank you.

Love,
Mom

Brotherly Love

Dear Connor,

I love how sweet you are toward your little sister. The other day, she was in her crib and started fussing. You ran into her room, reached through the crib slats to pat her tummy and said, "Don't cry, MuiMui. How about some music?" as you turned on her music box for her. Another time, she sneezed and shot a little booger out of her nose. You immediately grabbed a box of tissues, threw them at her and shouted, "MuiMui, tissue!" (I was luckily close enough to intercept the throw--sweetie, I know you were trying to help but you can't throw things, especially boxes with pointy edges, at your sister! We talked about this!).

Today, I let you hold MuiMui in your lap (you tried to get me to let go of her so that you could hold her on your own but yeah, not yet!) and you looked soooo happy holding her. You smiled this cheesy grin, gazed lovingly down at MuiMui and then whispered softly to her, "I love you, MuiMui." Mommy almost melted into a puddle right onto the floor :)

Love,

Mom

You're Sexy And You Know It

Dear Connor,

One of the funniest parts of the day is right before your nightly shower. After we take off all of your clothes and your diaper, you always run naked down the hallway toward the bathroom and shout, "Sexy baby!" After your shower, I wrap you in your towel and you run back down the hallway to your room and again shout, "Sexy baby!" You are too funny, little man!

Love,
Mom

We Are Family

Dear Connor,

Today's meltworthy moment: I was holding your sister and you looked at us, said, "Family!" and then tightly hugged my leg.

Love,
Mom

I Heart Elmo

Dear Connor,

Daddy took you to a Sesame Street Live show over the weekend and got suckered into buying you a giant $10 Elmo balloon (Daddy said that when you saw the man carrying them, you started saying excitedly, "Elmo balloon! Elmo balloon!" and then grabbed Daddy's hand and pulled Daddy toward them, so how could he not buy one for you?). You've been having fun playing with the balloon over these past few days and today, you hugged it tightly and said, "I love you." It was the first time you'd ever said "I love you" without being prompted by someone to say it and um, I'm a little hurt that you didn't say it to me first! But I guess, how can anyone compete with Elmo? :P

Love,
Mom

Super Why Are You Acting Like This?

Dear Connor,

I occasionally let you watch a cartoon show called "Super Why," which is about a group of superheroes who solve problems with their abilities to read (how cool!). This morning, you came up to me and asked, "Watch Super Why?" so I turned it on for you. When the opening credits began, you started screaming, "No Super Why! No Super Why!" All right. So I turned the TV off. But then you started screaming, "Watch Super Why! Watch Super Why!"

Oh my god. What was that phrase you just learned? Oh yeah, you drive me nuts!

Love,
Mom

Bagel Share

Dear Connor,

MuiMui was crying this morning and PoiPoi told you that MuiMui was crying because she was hungry. You immediately started tearing the bagel you were eating into little pieces and offered them to MuiMui. You are such a good big brother!

Love,
Mom

Nuts

Dear Connor,

You just learned how to say, "You drive me nuts." I suppose it's because I say it to you all of the time :P

Love,
Mom

Bedtime Chatter

Dear Connor,

I put you in your crib at 9pm tonight. After I said goodnight and left your room, you started chatting to yourself. I overhead you talking about train shows, singing the Sesame Street theme song and even counting to 10 in Chinese. It is now 10pm and you are still chatting away. Go to sleep already!

Love,
Mom

Crying Over Spilled Smoothie

Dear Connor,

You love fruit smoothies. You love them so much that you excitedly chant, "Smoo-dee! Smoo-dee!" whenever I mention them to you. You love them so much that you have even been known to drink two at once:

So you were none too pleased today when we were out and I threw away the mango smoothie you had been drinking after you dropped it on the ground. You became so upset when I didn't give you your smoothie back that you spent about five minutes crying and wailing at the top of your lungs, "I'm so SAD! I'm so SAD! I'm so SAAAAAD!" Geez! It wasn't the last smoothie in the world, sweetie! There will be other smoothies! We can get more smoothies!

Love,

Mom

Big Boy Shower

Dear Connor,

Baths are fun. You get to splash around in the water. You can play with cool toys like your tugboat. We blow bubbles. And I amuse myself by doing crazy things with your hair:

But baths take a lot of time. I've got to fill the bathtub, let you play in the bathtub, drain the bathtub and wash out the bathtub every day. And while I love playing with you during bath time, I also have to bathe your sister now, so I'd like your bath time to go a little more quickly. Enter showers!

Once you learned how to stand on your own, I tried making you take a shower multiple times and it never went well. Even though you like playing with the sprinklers at the playground, standing under the shower head in our shower scared the bejeezus out of you. You screamed and cried and tried to frantically climb out of the bathtub. And this is exactly what happened a few days ago when I again tried to make you take a shower. I even stood in the shower with you but you started freaking out before I even turned on the water, clinging to my leg, jumping up and down and shouting (rather dramatically), "I can't do it, Mommy! I can't do it! I can't dooooo iiiiiiit!" But I knew you could because you're such a big boy, so I forced you to. Daddy got in the shower with you and held you while I soaped you up and then rinsed you off, all the while shouting words of encouragement over your cries (not sure how many of them you heard, though). When we were done, I wrapped you in your Elmo towel, hugged you tightly, told you how proud of you I am and gave you a Thomas the Tank Engine sticker for being so brave.

The next few nights, I put you in the shower and you definitely did not have a good time. You cried, tried to squat down in the tub and kept insisting that you "can't dooooo iiiiiiit!" But you did do it every night despite your fear and you got a Thomas sticker each time as a reward. Then today, you did a complete 180 and couldn't wait to get in the shower! After I took you off the potty, you eagerly climbed into the tub and giggled and goofed around while you showered. After I turned the shower head off, you triumphantly stuck your left arm up in the air and shouted, "Ta-da, look at me!" Then you said, "Mommy, Thomas sticker?" Yes, sweetie, you get a Thomas sticker for taking a shower like a big boy!

Love,
Mom

Boob Man

Dear Connor,

Funny things you did today:

-Took your green crayon and drew lines all over your cheeks and chin

-Saw me nursing your sister, tried to go for the boob she wasn't suckling on and said, "Connor eat boobie." Sorry, buddy! I'm afraid that ship has sailed for you! 

Love,

Mom

Two Big Messes

Dear Connor,

Yesterday, your sister projectile pooped into my hand while I was changing her diaper. Today, you peed on my leg (and all over the floor) when you suddenly jumped off your potty chair mid-pee. Good times!

Love,
Mom

Funny Phrases

Dear Connor,

You are learning how to say many new phrases and a lot of them are so sweet! The other day, you came up to me and said, "Connor kiss Mommy" and kissed me on my cheek. Another time, I hugged you and you exclaimed, "So glad you're here!" I'm so glad you're here, too, little guy!

You also say things that are pretty funny, including:

"Not for me Connor, either." (when I offer you something and you don't want it)

". . . eleven, twelve, three-teen, fourteen, five-teen, sixteen, seventeen, eighteen, nineteen, twentyteen!" (when I ask you to count to 20)

"Mommy, drink suisui [Chinese for water]." (when you hear me cough)

"Connor timeout! Sorry, Mommy. Big hug!" (you said this as soon as I put you in timeout, attempting to charm your way out of it by apologizing right away and trying to hug me. Nice try, but it didn't work!)

"Boobies!" (ha, you were flipping through my Glamour magazine and saw photos of boobs in a breast cancer article)

"Oooh, big one." (I lifted my shirt to nurse your sister and you saw my boob--isn't it a bit early for you to be noticing women's breasts??)

"Can I have some? Yes I can!" (when you ask for something like a cookie--but you're supposed to wait for me to tell you whether you can, not answer your own question!)

"Connor see everything." (when I'm cooking, using my iPad or doing something else that doesn't involve you and you want to see what I'm doing--you're such a curious/nosy boy!)

Love,

Mom

A Blanket For MuiMui

Dear Connor,

We were in the living room today--I was writing an email and you were playing with your trains--and MuiMui was sleeping in her crib upstairs. Suddenly, we heard MuiMui stirring in her crib and you grabbed the video monitor to look at her. MuiMui fell back asleep and I went back to my desk but turned around when I heard you scampering up the stairs. You know you're not allowed to go up the stairs by yourself so I started to yell at you, but you turned to me, waved the blanket you had in your hand and said, "MuiMui blanket! MuiMui, blanket!" After seeing MuiMui sleeping in her crib, you wanted to bring her a blanket. You are such a sweetie pie!

Love,
Mom

Breaking Free

Dear Connor,

We have a safety gate around your play area, but you've learned how to climb over it. We also have a safety gate at the bottom of our stairs, but you've figured out how to flatten your body so that you can fit underneath it and scoot over from one side to the other. Crap. I foresee a lot more bumps and bruises in your future--and a lot more heart attacks in mine!

Love,
Mom

Data Charges

Dear Connor,

Sometimes, I let you play with my cell phone to keep you busy while I write an email, get the laundry, etc. But I just received an email today telling me that I have accumulated more than $20 in data charges on my phone this month. I never use my phone to go on the internet so it must have been you. And so yeah, I'm not letting you play with my phone anymore. Costly lesson learned!

Love,
Mom

Little Negotiator

Dear Connor,

You asked for some chocolate today so I told you, "Okay, one piece of chocolate." You looked up at me and said, "Two pieces." It was your first negotiation! (But I still only gave you one piece of chocolate.)

Love,

Mom

Big Brother

Dear Connor,

You're a big brother! For the past nine months, Daddy and I talked to you about your MuiMui--how she was growing inside my belly, how you will have someone to play with and how you will also have someone to protect and take care of--and she finally arrived last week! 

I wasn't sure how you'd react to MuiMui's arrival. When we met Uncle Ray and Aunt Sylvia's new baby girl last summer, you were quite smitten with her. You marveled over her tiny fingers and toes, and when I held her, you sat next to us and kept trying to press your cheek against her head. And when MuiMui was still in my belly, I'd lifted up my shirt to scratch my stomach. You pulled my shirt back down, patted my tummy and said, "Good night, MuiMui." But would you be so sweet to MuiMui once she was outside of my belly and around all of the time? 

You are still very attached to me and can be a bit possessive of me. You often shout for my attention if I'm talking to someone else instead of to you. At your birthday party last year, whenever you saw me hug someone, you ran up to me and insisted that I hug you, too. I was once holding your friend Audrey's hand and when you saw that, you yelled, "Mommy hand, Mommy hand!" and urgently held out your hand for me to hold as well. And one time, your Aunt Han--knowing how possessive you are of me--kept hugging me in front of you and each time, you screamed, "No!", pushed her off of me and crawled into my lap to mark your territory. Sheesh. So you can imagine why I was worried about how you'd behave seeing me hold and nurse MuiMui multiple times a day. I didn't think you'd be happy and our initial FaceTime conversation while I was still in the hospital with MuiMui confirmed that. When you first saw Daddy and me on the iPad screen, you excitedly said, "Hi Mommy! Hi Daddy!" and started happily chatting to us. But when Daddy turned the camera onto MuiMui, who was sleeping in my arms, your whole demeanor changed. Your expression became stone-cold and you pushed the iPad away. PoiPoi put it back in front of you but you pushed it away again. You didn't want to have anything to do with it and refused to talk to us. Uh-oh. 

Thankfully, you were completely different when we brought MuiMui home. When I walked through the door with MuiMui in her car seat and set the car seat down on the floor, you ran up to her and said, "MuiMui so cute! MuiMui so cute!" Later on, I was holding MuiMui in my lap and you ran to get a blanket and placed it on top of her so that she wouldn't be cold. You also kept bringing her different toys and books and showing them to her.

And over the last few days, you have continued to be a sweet, caring and attentive older brother. You constantly tell me that you want to "See MuiMui" when she is sleeping upstairs in her room and give her soft little kisses on her head. When MuiMui opens her eyes, you get excited and say, "MuiMui looking at you!" When MuiMui is crying, you tell her, "Don't cry." And today, you wanted to help me burp her and gently rubbed her back. Thank you for being such a good GeGe. I'm very proud of you and love you so much!

Love,

Mom