My Daddy is Jason Bateman and Other Stories

The other day we had a movie on the table. When Grant picked it up to look at it I told him it was Daddy’s movie. He looked at the back cover for a while then said “I see Daddy!” When I asked him to show me where daddy was he pointed to 2 pictures of Jason Bateman. “Daddy right there!”

We used to have Grant using his pacifier (aka Binka) only at nap and bedtime. Sometime about a month ago he started to want it more and ask for it a lot. This past week he’s been sick so we have given it to him a little more than usual. This morning was one of those mornings. When it was time to leave for the babysitter’s, I told him we were going to leave the binka at home and I put it up. He had a fit, crying hysterically. I got him in the car, all strapped into his seat still hysterical. As I’m backing out of the driveway, he gets himself so worked up that he throws up. All over his coat, his shirt, his pants and the carseat. All because he didn’t have his pacifier. So I had to pull back in the driveway, try to get him out of his seat without getting vomit all over myself, and get him inside to change. I did give him the binka, but he didn’t calm down until he had clean clothes on and his hands were cleaned up. Then he was happy as a clam and you’d never know he had just made himself sick. When we got to the sitter’s I asked him if he’d leave the binka in the car and he put it in his seat and hopped right out. I think we are in trouble!

Grant’s bedtime routine is that I usually rock him and Troy says good night and shuts the door when he leaves. As Troy was getting ready to leave Grant kept saying something that we couldn’t understand. I finally figured out he was saying “sweet dreams,” which is really odd since we’ve never said that to him and I can’t think of any books we’ve read that have had that. He must have picked it up from all the tv he’s been watching lately or from the babysitter. I think it’s so interesting when he takes something he’s heard somewhere and puts it in the right context.

Our neighbors had a yard sale over the weekend and when we spied a bike just Grant’s size for sale I went over and snagged it. We had been thinking about getting him one, but hadn’t gotten around to it yet, and why pay $70 when you can get the same (slightly older and used) one for $5? The first bike experience did not go well. Grant refused to sit on it. He wanted to push it. It’s not easy to push and when no one is steering it the bike goes wonky. Grant had a fit. Sunday morning I showed Grant all the newspaper ads with kids on bikes and told him how big boys ride bikes. Later in the afternoon we asked him if he wanted to go ride his bike. He excitedly said “big boy!” As I was getting his shoes on he said “bike awesome.” Since when did he start saying awesome? The second attempt went much better. He’ll sit on it and try to keep his feet on the pedals, but he doesn’t petal and doesn’t really steer. He just wants us to push him. That’s better than him wanting to push it himself and having a fit!