two cow incidents came up recently.
the first is this:
the lady who lives above us sleeps above milo's room. and she snores really loudly. one night milo woke up, and was crying a little. ben went in to see what was wrong, and milo pointed to the ceiling and asked "mooo?"
it was easier just to pretend that a cow lives upstairs who moos in the middle of the night. much less scary than the snorey lady.
the second:
milo and i were visiting my parents up in door county, WI. my mom and i were helping him settle down for bed. we'd already read stories and said prayers and sung lullabies. milo had a little toy cow that he wanted to sleep with, and he kept yelling out, "MOOOOO! MOOOOOOO! MOOOOOOOOOOOO!" and i told milo, "honey, the cow needs to be quiet, he needs to sleep, too."
and milo quietly whispered, "moooooooooo, moooooooooo, moooooooooo."
Thursday, May 23, 2013
Tuesday, February 12, 2013
daily affirmations
who needs a mirror when you have a two year old who's willing to on-demand repeat every.single.word. that you say?
in an effort to help milo continue improving his communication skills we have been having him repeat things after us. when he points to the fridge and does his half-whine/half-grunt, we'll ask him "Milo, do you want some juice?" he'll nod and pitifully respond "uh-huh. djoo!"so we'll say "okay Milo, then you need to say" (and at this point, we pause so he can repeat each word individually) "mommy" "can" "you" "please" "get" "me" "some" "juice" ("mah-ee" "can" "ooh" "pee" "get" "me" "dum" "djoo!")
lately i've been throwing in some "mommy" "you" "are" "so" "pretty" "can" "you" "please" "get" "me" "some" "juice" type affirmations... i like to mix it up with "you are the best ever" "you are so smart" etc. etc.
it takes a little longer, but he's really been picking up a lot of new words this way. and i, for one, am feeling great!
in an effort to help milo continue improving his communication skills we have been having him repeat things after us. when he points to the fridge and does his half-whine/half-grunt, we'll ask him "Milo, do you want some juice?" he'll nod and pitifully respond "uh-huh. djoo!"so we'll say "okay Milo, then you need to say" (and at this point, we pause so he can repeat each word individually) "mommy" "can" "you" "please" "get" "me" "some" "juice" ("mah-ee" "can" "ooh" "pee" "get" "me" "dum" "djoo!")
lately i've been throwing in some "mommy" "you" "are" "so" "pretty" "can" "you" "please" "get" "me" "some" "juice" type affirmations... i like to mix it up with "you are the best ever" "you are so smart" etc. etc.
it takes a little longer, but he's really been picking up a lot of new words this way. and i, for one, am feeling great!
Monday, December 31, 2012
milo in 2012
the kid grows by leaps and bounds...
and it's no longer my day-job to document every waking moment of pure adorable.
ok, so maybe that wasn't my previous day job, but sometimes it felt like it.
anyhow, here are some of my favorites from the past 12 months that perhaps i forgot to document in the midst of all the changes that have taken place. in no particular order.
if you have an "ow" milo will kiss it. one time, we were playing with his toy cars, and we knocked heads, really hard. i let out quite an exasperated "OW!" to which milo grabbed my head and pulled it to his face to kiss it better.
milo also refers to snow on his shoes as "ow" - and basically anything that needs fixing seems to be referred to as an "ow".
but he really is very affectionate. milo LOVES to give hugs and kisses. when he first started giving hugs, he would grunt. then, there was a short time when he would say "gweeeeee" (squeeze) because i think there was a day or too when i would nacho libre hug him and said "anaconda squeeze" when i wrapped my arms around him.
sometimes milo comes in for what seems like a kiss to the cheek, and then he licks your face like a golden retriever that has been left alone all day being greeted by its master with rawhide and a bouncy ball. we had a cat and now a fish, so i truly have no clue where he picked up that one. and even though it's a lot slobbery and a little unsanitary, it still makes me laugh every time.
milo knows whose shoes are whose. and he knows we all need our shoes on to go outside. and he LOVES to go outside (though not as much as he loves trains... i think.) he will often bring us our shoes. although sometimes he thinks it's funny to put on a pair of my flats, put my purse on his shoulder, walk to the door and wave as he yells "bye!" thankfully, more recently, he grabbed his elmo phone and his set of keys before trying to walk out on us.
his vocabulary continues to grow, while his ability to articulate is sauntering, but still, he's moving forward and that's the important part. exhibit A: the other day ben brought milo with him to cabin coffee, which has a giant fake buffalo head above the kiddie section (genius by the way, wish every coffee house/cafe/keurig came with one). ben helped milo to say buffalo by breaking it down, and milo managed to repeat it, though it sounded more like "BUH-BUH-BO!" and he was SO proud.
when milo feels really adamant about what he's saying, he nods his head when he says it. "hot! ow!" while pointing to the lamp that he previously burnt his finger on when i wasn't looking. (wait, what? that didn't happen. nooooooooo... i'm totally the perfect mother.)
milo sometimes gets duck-lips, especially when he says, "no-no!"
milo calls his mr. potato head "day-doh".
he calls animals by their sounds, not their names. lions, tigers, bears, dinosaurs and other similar monsters are all "garrrr!"
when i was little, my grandma aloise - the artist grandma - would often tell me the story about one of her students from when she taught art. he drew pictures with both hands, simultaneously. one of milo's christmas presents was a chalkboard/easel from my parents. he'll take a piece of chalk in each hand and scribble away till there's no chalkboard left, and it's comforting to see a spark of aloise living on.
milo is OB - SESSED with trains. completely. he loves the choo choo set grandma laura got him for his birthday, and all the subsequent thomas companions he's received since. over thanksgiving we let milo experience the full greatness of trains. we took him for a ride on the metra, for which there is a station mere blocks from my parents' house. (you can hear the trains blow their whistle and chug along the tracks when you sit in their dining room. at one point after getting to ride on the train, my parents were sitting with milo at the table, and a train blew it's horn in the distance. milo looked up with a gasp and whispered, "choo choo!") we ended up riding the train to two stations past our original departure plans simply because that train moves too stinkin' fast. milo was filled with awe and terror, and with complete sincerity and reverence, i feel like a got a glimpse of what it means to fear God: to be so close to something so amazing, so cherished, and yet finally realizing just how big and loud and powerful that something is. that's what i saw on milo's face the day we took him for a train ride.
(sorry to end on such a cheesy note, but that's all i got... HAPPY NEW YEAR!)
and it's no longer my day-job to document every waking moment of pure adorable.
ok, so maybe that wasn't my previous day job, but sometimes it felt like it.
anyhow, here are some of my favorites from the past 12 months that perhaps i forgot to document in the midst of all the changes that have taken place. in no particular order.
if you have an "ow" milo will kiss it. one time, we were playing with his toy cars, and we knocked heads, really hard. i let out quite an exasperated "OW!" to which milo grabbed my head and pulled it to his face to kiss it better.
milo also refers to snow on his shoes as "ow" - and basically anything that needs fixing seems to be referred to as an "ow".
but he really is very affectionate. milo LOVES to give hugs and kisses. when he first started giving hugs, he would grunt. then, there was a short time when he would say "gweeeeee" (squeeze) because i think there was a day or too when i would nacho libre hug him and said "anaconda squeeze" when i wrapped my arms around him.
sometimes milo comes in for what seems like a kiss to the cheek, and then he licks your face like a golden retriever that has been left alone all day being greeted by its master with rawhide and a bouncy ball. we had a cat and now a fish, so i truly have no clue where he picked up that one. and even though it's a lot slobbery and a little unsanitary, it still makes me laugh every time.
milo knows whose shoes are whose. and he knows we all need our shoes on to go outside. and he LOVES to go outside (though not as much as he loves trains... i think.) he will often bring us our shoes. although sometimes he thinks it's funny to put on a pair of my flats, put my purse on his shoulder, walk to the door and wave as he yells "bye!" thankfully, more recently, he grabbed his elmo phone and his set of keys before trying to walk out on us.
his vocabulary continues to grow, while his ability to articulate is sauntering, but still, he's moving forward and that's the important part. exhibit A: the other day ben brought milo with him to cabin coffee, which has a giant fake buffalo head above the kiddie section (genius by the way, wish every coffee house/cafe/keurig came with one). ben helped milo to say buffalo by breaking it down, and milo managed to repeat it, though it sounded more like "BUH-BUH-BO!" and he was SO proud.
when milo feels really adamant about what he's saying, he nods his head when he says it. "hot! ow!" while pointing to the lamp that he previously burnt his finger on when i wasn't looking. (wait, what? that didn't happen. nooooooooo... i'm totally the perfect mother.)
milo sometimes gets duck-lips, especially when he says, "no-no!"
milo calls his mr. potato head "day-doh".
he calls animals by their sounds, not their names. lions, tigers, bears, dinosaurs and other similar monsters are all "garrrr!"
when i was little, my grandma aloise - the artist grandma - would often tell me the story about one of her students from when she taught art. he drew pictures with both hands, simultaneously. one of milo's christmas presents was a chalkboard/easel from my parents. he'll take a piece of chalk in each hand and scribble away till there's no chalkboard left, and it's comforting to see a spark of aloise living on.
milo is OB - SESSED with trains. completely. he loves the choo choo set grandma laura got him for his birthday, and all the subsequent thomas companions he's received since. over thanksgiving we let milo experience the full greatness of trains. we took him for a ride on the metra, for which there is a station mere blocks from my parents' house. (you can hear the trains blow their whistle and chug along the tracks when you sit in their dining room. at one point after getting to ride on the train, my parents were sitting with milo at the table, and a train blew it's horn in the distance. milo looked up with a gasp and whispered, "choo choo!") we ended up riding the train to two stations past our original departure plans simply because that train moves too stinkin' fast. milo was filled with awe and terror, and with complete sincerity and reverence, i feel like a got a glimpse of what it means to fear God: to be so close to something so amazing, so cherished, and yet finally realizing just how big and loud and powerful that something is. that's what i saw on milo's face the day we took him for a train ride.
(sorry to end on such a cheesy note, but that's all i got... HAPPY NEW YEAR!)
Tuesday, October 23, 2012
quite the lady's man
ben, milo and i headed up to rochester MN this past weekend for ben's cousin's wedding. the church is located in lake city MN, the reception at a golf course in frontenac MN, but scoping out the most wallet-friendly saturday night stay put us in rochester.
the next morning, we decided to scope out a park near the shopping mall. it has an interactive school bus that milo simply couldn't get enough of...
until a little girl, the same size as milo, and only half a year older, decked out in pink leggings, matching pink jacket, and coordinating pink knitted boots showed up. then it was run around in delight.
(oh, and also the night before, when all the cousins graciously entertained him by running around the golf course like a heard of sheep, milo bringing up the rear and laughing ferociously.)
they played on the bus together. they took turns on the slide. they gave each other playground pebbles. when it was time to go, we started prepping milo, "okay buddy, one more time down the slide, and then we have to say bye-bye." he was taking it pretty well, but when we told him to say bye to his new friend eva, he ran up to the playground equipment, scaled the toddler-sized ladder to reach the platform she was on, and they gave each other a hug.
and then he kissed her on the cheek.
poor girl didn't even see it coming. it was milo's first kiss. this little girl's first kiss too, probably. (she seemed to be flattered - but a kiss from milo, who wouldn't be?!) she was also with her daddy. and milo didn't even ask please, let alone her father's permission... hopefully he won't press charges ;P
meanwhile, milo's vocabulary seems to be increasing by the fistfuls.
he now says:
nuunuu (noodles)
waaah, waaah? (wash, as he puts his hands out and turns them back and forth; he loves to be clean.)
ahh ben (all better)
and i FINALLY heard wuh-woo (love you), that one came out on his second birthday
doo (two - we'll ask him, "milo, how old are you?" "DOO! YAAAYYY!!!!" and he claps his hands. then we'll ask, "milo, are you five?" "noooooooo." "are you 13?" "nooooooooo." "are you 87?" "noooooooo." all with a sing-songy-playful tone and a big smile.)
boon (spoon)
dgee! (cheese, both for cottage and block cheese)
breh (bread)
bob (for Bob the Builder)
the cutest of his newest words is "c'mon!" which comes out as a high pitched "MONuh!"
he'll also mimic-sing bob the builder's theme song. doesn't get the syllables right, but the number of syllables, the tune of each syllable, and often the starting sound for the first few syllables are all spot on. he's such a smarty pants.
and most recently, milo repeated, "okay"... except it sounds like he's saying "a gay! a gay!"
the next morning, we decided to scope out a park near the shopping mall. it has an interactive school bus that milo simply couldn't get enough of...
until a little girl, the same size as milo, and only half a year older, decked out in pink leggings, matching pink jacket, and coordinating pink knitted boots showed up. then it was run around in delight.
(oh, and also the night before, when all the cousins graciously entertained him by running around the golf course like a heard of sheep, milo bringing up the rear and laughing ferociously.)
they played on the bus together. they took turns on the slide. they gave each other playground pebbles. when it was time to go, we started prepping milo, "okay buddy, one more time down the slide, and then we have to say bye-bye." he was taking it pretty well, but when we told him to say bye to his new friend eva, he ran up to the playground equipment, scaled the toddler-sized ladder to reach the platform she was on, and they gave each other a hug.
and then he kissed her on the cheek.
poor girl didn't even see it coming. it was milo's first kiss. this little girl's first kiss too, probably. (she seemed to be flattered - but a kiss from milo, who wouldn't be?!) she was also with her daddy. and milo didn't even ask please, let alone her father's permission... hopefully he won't press charges ;P
meanwhile, milo's vocabulary seems to be increasing by the fistfuls.
he now says:
nuunuu (noodles)
waaah, waaah? (wash, as he puts his hands out and turns them back and forth; he loves to be clean.)
ahh ben (all better)
and i FINALLY heard wuh-woo (love you), that one came out on his second birthday
doo (two - we'll ask him, "milo, how old are you?" "DOO! YAAAYYY!!!!" and he claps his hands. then we'll ask, "milo, are you five?" "noooooooo." "are you 13?" "nooooooooo." "are you 87?" "noooooooo." all with a sing-songy-playful tone and a big smile.)
boon (spoon)
dgee! (cheese, both for cottage and block cheese)
breh (bread)
bob (for Bob the Builder)
the cutest of his newest words is "c'mon!" which comes out as a high pitched "MONuh!"
he'll also mimic-sing bob the builder's theme song. doesn't get the syllables right, but the number of syllables, the tune of each syllable, and often the starting sound for the first few syllables are all spot on. he's such a smarty pants.
and most recently, milo repeated, "okay"... except it sounds like he's saying "a gay! a gay!"
Tuesday, September 25, 2012
helping hands
we encourage milo to help when we go do laundry... it often takes a little longer, but we want him to be involved in chores while it's still fun, so that later, when he's 16 and ornery, doing chores won't be a new thing to complain about, just something to complain about.
anyhow, he loves putting the quarters into the machine. i let him sit on the dryer, and hand him the quarters one by one. he sort of wiggles with delight as he carefully places each quarter in a slot.
if we put all the wet clothes into a basket - or hand him pieces one by one - he'll also help throw them into the dryer for us, as well as take them out once they're done. hopefully i'll look back on this memory with fondness when we do get to that stage of 16 and ornery, and i'll try not to be snarky as i remind him that he once loved helping us with laundry, and sweeping, and picking up his things.
after we got back from laundry, and i sat down to type this post, milo was playing with the bananas, and i noticed he had peeled off all the stickers, placed one on himself, one on the highchair, and was putting one on me... make that two. stickers for everyone!
thanks milo ;P
anyhow, he loves putting the quarters into the machine. i let him sit on the dryer, and hand him the quarters one by one. he sort of wiggles with delight as he carefully places each quarter in a slot.
if we put all the wet clothes into a basket - or hand him pieces one by one - he'll also help throw them into the dryer for us, as well as take them out once they're done. hopefully i'll look back on this memory with fondness when we do get to that stage of 16 and ornery, and i'll try not to be snarky as i remind him that he once loved helping us with laundry, and sweeping, and picking up his things.
after we got back from laundry, and i sat down to type this post, milo was playing with the bananas, and i noticed he had peeled off all the stickers, placed one on himself, one on the highchair, and was putting one on me... make that two. stickers for everyone!
thanks milo ;P
Monday, September 24, 2012
daddy says...
(aka lessons from thomas the tank engine)
"got that milo? it's true in the real world, too. if i am the most really useful at work, i will be rewarded with more work, special work. but they will not pay me any more, because i am really useful."
(being "the most really useful engine" is a big deal on thomas the tank engine.)
"got that milo? it's true in the real world, too. if i am the most really useful at work, i will be rewarded with more work, special work. but they will not pay me any more, because i am really useful."
(being "the most really useful engine" is a big deal on thomas the tank engine.)
Friday, September 21, 2012
you say tomato, i say thomas.
actually, this isn't about that funny, little, blue train on tv.
milo calls everything that goes on his head a hat.
the baseball cap that just barely still fits him. ben's baseball cap that is adorably too big for him. yup, those are hats.
his sweatshirt hoodie that i pulled up this morning because it was drizzling, "hat?" ummm, i guess so... why not.
when we go for a bike ride, we always wear out helmets, even milo, even though he's strapped in, sitting in the covered trailer. "hat?" yeah, okay buddy, technically that's a hat, too.
he also received a plastic fireman's helmet at a church we visited when we were with my parents in door county. "haaaaat. haaaaaat. haaaaat!" sure, milo, hat.
currently he's shoveling down fistfuls of mac n' cheese with broccoli and peas mixed in...
i love what a healthy eater his is (most of the time).
milo calls everything that goes on his head a hat.
the baseball cap that just barely still fits him. ben's baseball cap that is adorably too big for him. yup, those are hats.
his sweatshirt hoodie that i pulled up this morning because it was drizzling, "hat?" ummm, i guess so... why not.
when we go for a bike ride, we always wear out helmets, even milo, even though he's strapped in, sitting in the covered trailer. "hat?" yeah, okay buddy, technically that's a hat, too.
he also received a plastic fireman's helmet at a church we visited when we were with my parents in door county. "haaaaat. haaaaaat. haaaaat!" sure, milo, hat.
currently he's shoveling down fistfuls of mac n' cheese with broccoli and peas mixed in...
i love what a healthy eater his is (most of the time).
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