Big boy beds and various life changing events

Good afternoon. Big changes in the Polanek household these days and who can keep up with it all? Not me. It seems like every weekend, we are going through a new "phase" and a phase is a lot to pack into two days off. Last weekend, Henry climbed out of his crib. Now, I know that I'm lucky. Henry was over 2 years old before deciding that it was time to make his move. The kid is big and definitely able so I was personally, pretty surprised it didn't happen sooner. Then one lovely afternoon, I was out with my friends and I mentioned that he hadn't broken free yet. Wouldn't you know it, John texted me while I was out, saying Henry had made the big jump.....blast!

Talk about a traumatizing afternoon. We converted his crib into the toddler bed (which is an awesome bonus feature to have on a crib!). And I cried. There's nothing like seeing that crib taken apart. I remember sitting in that room when it was empty and freshly painted, thinking who was this person that was relaxing on my bladder anyway? How was their arrival going to change my life? And two years later I was still just beginning to learn the answer to those questions.

The bed was transformed and let me tell you, Henry was less than impressed! No, he was mad. He was just as upset about the changes and the growing up as I was, probably not for the same reasons but there is no doubt he was unsettled and pretty nervous which, like his mother, caused him to react with frustration and respond with exorcist like screaming. Ok I take that back the exorcist like screaming might have been mastered by my son that weekend, my impression still needs a bit of work.

Do you know what it's like to explain to a kid that they have the freedom of a big boy bed but that that sort of freedom is actually more figurative than literal? No, they don't understand that. If something is not restraining them such as a belt, a crib, a hand, a leash attached to a monkey backpack, then they think it's time to test the waters, check it out until they are reeled back in. It is not fun to explain these new rules and boundaries that accompany a cribless life to a child at 8pm and it definitely doesn't get easier as the clock ticks closer to 4am. And have I reminded anyone yet that my son is 2? Yeah 2. It's everything they say it is. Good and bad.....

I sound pretty sarcastic don't I? Well it was a terrible weekend. It was hard and sad and I was bummed to see another sign that my baby was growing up. But I'm also amazed to see him grow. He is incredible. He's smart. I know everyone says that but it's true. And not only is he smart, he's a gifted dancer.....Someone (ok it was me) introduced him to a little movie called dirty dancing. Ok, he's obviously too young to watch the movie just yet, but I played the final song for him on you tube, you know, "I've had the time of my life". he loved it.

Everyday he points at the tv and says dirty dancing? He watches Patrick Swayze and he mimics his moves as best as a toddler can. Every now and then he requests that John or I lift him into the air just like Jennifer Grey. It's awesome. So let me just say, the rough days are rough, really rough. And if I take a moment to myself, which means taking an extra long shower or doing the dishes alone in the kitchen, usually the tantrums end and the tough side of 2 dissipates. I can come out of my moment of zen to a little blond haired blue eyed boy who is shaking his hips, holding a microphone (from his dad's electronic stash) and with his arms raised up at me shouting gleefully, "Mommy dance!"

Hey Moe Hey Moe

It is March and here we are months since my last post. Did I ever mention that I've been busy? Well, no busier than anyone else these days, but the blog does sort of get to be last on the priority list. I think Henry is napping, well at least he is content in his crib right now, and in my opinion that counts too! We are eagerly awaiting the arrival of Spring around here. Cabin fever is at an all time high these days. Henry wants to run and shout and spin in circles and that is getting progressively more difficult in our humble abode. Don't get me wrong, we have had a great winter. Henry spent about 1 whole minute in the snow after the great blizzard of 2011. He was pretty ticked about the wet and cold characteristics of the snow so we got a few photo ops and returned to the warmth of our condo. But winter as a whole was not disappointing.
We've been spending some time playing with his cousin Emmett, who is just 7 months and getting close to Henry size. Along with playing, Henry is also learning to share, not share, express irritation and affection with Emmett. I can only imagine what sort of trouble these two are going to get in together when Emmett is running around with Hank, but I'm assuming it's going to be a bit more than making mud pies.

We were just out of town to visit some of our favorite people in Minnesota. They tend to be pretty awesome so it's no surprise that we get excited when we can celebrate the arrival of new awesome Minnesotans. Our friends Kelley and Dean will be welcoming a wee one into their home very soon and we had the pleasure of celebrating with them at their baby shower. Their were a ton of kids there which was fun to see, and Henry only made one cry. I'm convinced it was a misunderstanding....Now that we are back we can get into full planning mode for our annual Madeline Island vacation. Lots of friends, lots of babies and lots of eating and relaxing. It doesn't get too much better than our Island trip. So there is a lot going on and fun around every corner!

Other Henry accomplishments......Hank has improved his dancing moves immensely. I mean when this kid gets down, it's a sight to see. He's a little shy and won't always do it on command, but I love seeing his reaction to a song that catches his fancy. He's working on his words a lot these days. We don't have very long conversations just yet, but he is much better at getting his point across. His favorite words are Papa (referring to his grandpa), apple, cookie, Dan Zanes (a musician he really likes), Elmo (a small red monster). While these are his favorites, he has been repeating a lot of what we say so I'm pretty sure at some point these sounds are going to come together to make a lot of sense. I do know that he has very strong opinions about things such as food and music so it will be interesting to understand what he is actually trying to say about these subjects.

Finally, I'd like to add that my dear son has learned the word "no" and fully understands what he is expressing when using this term. The only saving grace for this new found vocabulary word is that he can't say his n's very well yet so when he says NO it sounds like MO. It helps lessen the severity of hearing the word NO constantly when it sounds like he's always saying the name of one of the three stooges. And even more recently he has taken to saying, "Mo Way!". As in, "No Way". I tell you, he is a character. So, that's it I suppose. I hope people are still checking here every now and then even though I've been terrible at keeping it up to date. Lots of love to everyone!