Charts!

I forgot to mention in my most recent Nigel update that we've implemented a new nightly ritual: The behavior chart! PaPa and Grandma McDonald gave Nigel a magnetic behavior/responsibility chart similar to this one for Christmas. We started using it a month ago because I was so tired of listening to whining (that's one of the things on the chart). Also, Nigel was doing really well with the potty (he's essentially been potty trained since Christmas), but I noticed that most of the time he wasn't tell me when he had to go; he was doing well because I was still making him go every 2 hours or so.

So, each night before we go to bed we go over the chart. Nigel gets a little magnet for each category that he does well with throughout the day. There are many categories to choose from, but we have about 8 out now, including asking to go to the potty, feeding the dog, attempting to put his clothes on and take them off, cleaning up his room, not whining, and saying please and thank you. There are some categories that he always gets a magnet for (he's pretty stellar at saying please and thank you, and as soon as he rolls out of bed he feeds the dog), but not so much with others (whining comes to mind). As an added incentive, if we haven't had to ask him all day about the bathroom (ie, he has told us each time he needs to go), then he gets a special potty treat at the end of the day. The treats are usually a yogurt-covered pretzel or a tiny star cookie from Central Market's bulk bin section. So far, so good. Anyone else have a chart system in place for their kiddo?

San Antonio, Baby!

Saturday I had the pleasure of flying down to San Antonio to see my pal Melissa and attend her baby shower. Melissa and I became friends in RVA when she started freelancing for Richmond magazine while I was still working there. When I left the magazine to stay home with Nigel and start my freelance business, Melissa took over for me. She and her hubby Stanton ended up in San Antonio 2+ years ago, so she's technically my first Texas pal. You may recall we visited with her this spring in Dallas.

My trip was super quick (I arrived in San Antonio around 10:15 a.m. on Saturday and was back in DFW by noon on Sunday), but I got to spend lots of time with Melissa and Stanton and their families. The shower was so sweet; I can see that baby Grace is going to be surrounded by lots of love. We also spent time at Stanton's parent's house. They are easily some of the nicest people I've ever met. Melissa hit the in-law jackpot!!!! Talk about Texas hospitality!

Melissa and Stanton were also kind enough to show me around downtown. I got to see the Alamo and the famed River Walk. I was expecting the Alamo to be on top of a desert hill, but it's actually smack in the middle of the city. My brothers visited the River Walk on their way to Mexico for a mission trip during high school, so I knew it was going to be neat. That RVA says its canal walk is trying to be like San Antonio's River Walk is laughable. There is no comparison. San Antonio's River Walk is lively and full of shops and restaurants. Sure, it's a little touristy, but it's a focal point and something to be proud of. I can't wait to go back after baby Grace is born!

Today and tomorrow we're tying up loose ends for our trip to RVA. Nigel and I are also playing airport to prepare. He likes to pretend we're going through security, pull his suitcase around and say things that the pilot will say (think: "Ladies and gentlemen, we're now approaching Richmond, Virginia.").

Nigel Update

I know you really only come here for Nigel updates, so here's what the little man has been up to....

• Storytime at the Amon Carter. This week's theme was cowboys. They read 3 stories and talked about 3 paintings about cowboys and horses. Nigel also got to make a sheriff's badge.
  
• Pool time with Aunt Nancy and Uncle Dan at their house, and swimming with James and his mom at the Y.
• In-house exercising. Since it's so hot we haven't been getting to the playground much, so Nigel and I have been doing exercises at least once a day (in addition to his playtime at the Y). His favorites are doing squats while counting in English and Spanish and pretending to box.
• Getting Nigel to color or be crafty is like pulling teeth these days. But he's REALLY into these Hooked on Phonics learn-to-read worksheets that my mom bought him. He loves tracing the letters with his fingers and rhyming. He's starting to try to sound out words on signs and books. It's pretty exciting.
• Reading books from the library. This week's favorites include The Daddy Mountain and Olivia and the Missing Toy.
• Making more ice pops. This week's flavor combo of cantaloupe and crystallized ginger was inspired by my pal Mollee over at My Broken Stomach.
• Continuing to explore new foods. Corn on the cob, breaded eggplant, almond milk and Lara bars are some recent hits!

A [Belated] Happy Father's Day

Just like Mother's Day, Father's Day is a little bittersweet around here — for numerous reasons. But one thing that doesn't get me down is how awesome of a dad Tim is. Seriously, folks, this man is amazing! I could not wish for a better parenting partner. Tim is a selfless giver of his time, gifts and love. I really don't have adequate words to describe how wonderful it is to watch him interact with Nigel. It makes my heart so full and happy.

So how do you celebrate the world's best dad? For Father's Day we had a special breakfast here at home and gave Tim his presents (a coffee mug with pictures of Nigel on it, a personalized card and a few months of The Economist) before heading out to spend the day with Aunt Nancy and Uncle Dan.

When I see so many dads out there who need to follow this advice, I know Nigel and I have hit the jackpot!

Going Greener

We're huge recyclers, we have just one family car, Nigel knows to turn the water off while he's washing his hands and brushing his teeth, we're lovers of public transpo (Tim takes the bus to and from work 98% of the time) and this week we added one more thing to our earth-loving household: a clothesline. I'd like to say we put it up for totally altruistic reasons, but the truth is our dryer crapped out on us. The heating element fizzled out. It's the same thing that happened to our dryer in VA a week before we put the house on the market.

Unfortunately, the dryer that came with our rental house was kind of just left behind ... it's not really part of the agreement. Which is to say, our landlord won't be rushing to fix or replace it — if they even do anything at all. So, while it's so flippin' hot around here, we figured why not toss up a clothesline and let nature do the work!

The only shaded part of our yard (read: the only part that's shielded from the hundreds of birds and their droppings) is under the carport. Thus, our clothesline is part WT and part hippie!

Still Hot, Hot, Hot

Unfortunately, the heat is keeping us away from the Mavs victory parade today. In fact, for the last several days the temperature here in DFW has risen above 100. When we moved here, we told people we'd be able to handle the heat given that Richmond frequently hits the 100 degree mark and is also saddled with sticky, oppressive humidity. But let me tell you, hot is hot! The angle of the sun here plus the fact that there isn't a ton of shade makes it pretty unbearable. And whereas Richmond would start to cool down around 5 p.m. (last summer my pal Megan and I ran 3 miles once a week around 6 p.m. and didn't die), it's sweltering well past 7 p.m. here. Hot is hot!

For the last few weekends we've spent time with Aunt Nancy and Uncle Dan in Plano. We really enjoy hanging out with them. For the last two weekends, their granddaughter Sheridan has been in town from Florida. Nigel adores her; she was so sweet to him. They swam together, shared popsicles and played silly games. I think he's going to be really bummed this weekend when we go visit and Sheridan's returned home to Florida.

We've also been coping with the heat by doing lots of indoor things, including a weekly storytime at the Amon Carter museum in addition to our our old standby library storytime. I have been telling everyone I know who'll listen about storytime at the Amon Carter. Each week the kids listen to three different stories in front of three different paintings and then do a craft and have snack. And it's all FREE! The stories, paintings and craft tie into a theme. Last week's theme was the jungle; yesterday they talked friends. Nigel thought the book Children Make Terrible Pets from this week's storytime was hilarious! Each kid made two necklaces of heart halves — one to keep and one to give to a friend. Cute, isn't it? He's planning on giving his pal James one of the necklaces.

Am I Bigger Yet?

We've been having lots of talks lately about growing up and getting bigger.

Doing Things Alone: "I'm going to go on a safari by myself. But how will I open the door?"

His Body: "My hands aren't as big as daddy's yet. I'm going to grow so big that I can touch the ceiling."

Food: "When I'm 5 I can have popcorn. Am I 5 yet?" (Click here to see why wee ones shouldn't eat popcorn.)

Moving On: "When I'm bigger and I go to college, is your heart going to break into pieces or just crack?"

All of this talk has me asking for lots more hugs and cuddles these days!

Staying Cool

A few days ago Nigel and I tossed one pear, five strawberries and a tiny splash of juice into the food processor to make our own ice pops. They were a hit!

The Swimming Continues

In case you haven't heard, it's hot as heck down here. One day last week our car registered the outside temperature at 107. I didn't even know it went that high! Thankfully, Aunt Nancy and Uncle Dan have a pool, and they're kind enough to let us spend time with them in it. Nigel's swim lessons might be over, but he's still learning! On Sunday he was in the pool for nearly 5 hours. We could hardly get him out for lunch - and I'm talking hot dogs and chips, people! He wears floaties while he's there (still building up arm strength), but he's swimming... kicking his legs, moving his arms and sticking his face in the water. And he LOVES to jump in.

Get This Kid An Agent!

We're learning this song a few verses at a time.

Nigel's New Jam

We're big fans of YouTube videos around here, as you'll recall from this post. Whenever Nigel's in a funk, we ask him if he's being the best Nigel he can be (99% of the time he truthfully answers, "No."). So it's no wonder that our newest obsession is Will.i.am's "What I Am" from Sesame Street, which you can watch here.