A Toy Store Threw Up in My Living Room

Yes, indeed. I could open up a Toys R Us Express store out of the garage. Notice all the balls...and the blocks....a few stuffed animals...a mini kitchen set...even the laundry basket became part of the "toys" since Tommy decided it was the perfect height for something to climb on...his latest fun activity...

Straight-on view from right outstide the baby-gate. Notice the tension bar on the fireplace to keep a certain someone from opening the doors? Have not used the fireplace all winter...

Slight angle view of the room with the little man in the middle of his masterpiece.

Table minus chairs because chairs allow little boys of a certain height to climb on top of the table and perhaps over the baby gate...

Tommy discovered on his own that the balls from 2 of his favorite toys fit perfectly in the slot for the sliding glass door to our back deck. It's like he created a new toy for himself...smart kid!

Back to the aforementioned climbing. Tommy has made it up onto a few pieces of furniture...some on his own, some with some 'assistance'. At John's parents' house, Tommy did manage to climb up onto the ottoman on his own. Ours is a little higher, so if I'm sitting on the floor, he knows he can step on me to get up onto the ottoman or even the couch.

John returned home from Illinois last Wednesday, the last flight into Newark from Chicago that night before the weather cancelled everything else. Go figure, his car broke down on the highway on the way home. Fortunately my friend Denise's husband was able to pick him up as he was on his way to work, so he did make it home safely Wednesday night. Thursday was a snow day for us, though we spent a good part of the day trying to figure out the car situation since the towing company said the car had been "abandoned" and they wanted cash before they'd even look at the car. After several phone calls, it was finally straighted out; the state trooper had omitted it in his paperwork, but he had instructed John to leave the car and get off the highway with our friend since he'd be safer. The trooper had called the tow truck, and said it would probably be a while due to the weather. Over the weekend, John built a snowman for Tommy out front. He put a face on the sides facing the street and the house so everyone could enjoy it.


The picture doesn't really show the 54 inches of snow that we've had since late December.

We also had to visit the pediatrician last Wednesday before Daddy came home, as Tommy had developed a cough and was starting to wheeze. We saw Dr. May this time, and it appears we did a good job of catching whatever this was very early. I actually started the nebulizer treatments on Tuesday night since Tommy was wheezing a bit when I picked him up at daycare. Dr. May told us to continue with the albuterol 4 times a day along with pulmicort 2 times a day. We were able to back down to 3 times a day for the albuterol yesterday, and hopefully when we see Dr. May again on Thursday for a follow-up we'll be done with the treatments altogether. Tommy has been pretty cooperative for the most part, though maybe 2-3 times he has really fought us. Last Thursday and over the weekend, he'd sometimes lay down on his mat and pillow pet and fall asleep or relax, but otherwise if we did not put him in his high chair, he'd give us a really hard time. A few mornings he has cooperated and let us do the treatment in our bed while he watches his shows. But sitting him in the high chair with cheerios or veggie sticks plus the TV is usually the magic set up. We do not hear the wheezing at all now and he hardly ever coughs. He does have a runny nose, but we think the meds are helping to clear out the congestion, so that's a good thing we'll live with for a bit!

Tommy gets his nebulizer treatment on Monday morning while watching cartoons in Mommy and Daddy's room. And yes, we cheat and don't use the mask, but let the mouthpiece blow the meds in his face. It's working, so that's all that matters!


Tommy's 7th tooth finally broke through about 10 days ago - this time on the bottom. His molars are definitely bugging him; we had a few rough nights, including Friday night where he cried and cried from about 8:30 til 1:30am, minus a 20 minute catnap he took briefly during that time. We tried everything except the whiskey everyone tells me used to work when we were kids. We brought him in our bed, and that did not even help, with his shows on TV! Desperate, I brought him in to sit in front of the computer, and played Bejeweled Blitz, a game I have a slight addiction to on Facebook. Tommy l.o.v.e.s the game - probably because of the colorful shapes. The game did the trick...he fell asleep sitting up on my lap after a few rounds. I can play that game forever, so it's a good think I had a heavy thing on my lap because it did force me to quit playing and get the two of us to bed. The past few nights have been much better for Tommy (and us!).

Tommy also started his transition from the Rose Blossoms up to the Acorns room at daycare. This week he is there 2 hours a day in the mornings, and he is having a blast. He cried when John left him this morning, as he went right in to the Acorns and he is still not too sure of the teachers yet. I remember him acting that way when he first met Miss Susan in Rose Blossoms, and now he loves her! Funny enough, I did get a call from Miss Christina in the Acorns yesterday, the first transition day, as Tommy fell about 2 minutes into his arrival into the room and split his upper lip. They put ice on it and he was fine in no time. I asked Miss Christina what the trick was with the ice, because he doesn't let Mommy or Daddy put ice on him if he gets a boo-boo. Working the system, that's what he's doing apparently!