June Adventures

Even the littlest new experience can be a grand adventure for a toddler, and our little fellas have had their share of adventures in the last couple of months. Here are some of the highlights from June:

Adventures with Animals (May 21): We stopped by Petsmart, and the boys saw dogs of various shapes and sizes from Husky pups to a Yorkshire terrier. They also saw a number of cats up for adoption, and they even met a cat. They really seemed to enjoy that. Alex was the first to dare to pet the cat, but Dom soon followed his lead. They were both pretty gentle with the cat (who even meowed for them). We walked over to watch the birds while I gave the boys their bottles of haffle (1 part apple juice to 2 parts water). Next, we walked by the fish and then saw a turtle and a lizard before heading out.

Playdays with Teddie: Dom and Alex have had two playdays (May 29 and July 16) with their friend Teddie. Even though he’s 2 months younger, Teddie is as tall as our boys. During his first visit, Teddie wasn’t really crawling, and our guys were all over the place and towering over him a bit at times. However, by this last visit, Teddie was speed-crawling and pulling himself up to stand. He’ll be running around with our guys in no time! Dom and Alex enjoy having a new buddy to hang out with, and though the duo can be a bit intimidating at times (like when they have you in a corner and are checking you out), Teddie seems to take it all in stride – staying pretty laid back.

Double-teamed! (May 29, 2011)

The Water Table: On June 2, we bought the boys a sand and water table, and the next hot day, I set it up in the backyard and filled both sides with water. (I hear that filling part of it with sand is just inviting a big mess and wet sand everywhere.) Dom and Alex have enjoyed playing with their water table, and we finally got them splashing in the water a bit (yes, we may regret that later during baths). Dom got himself soaked pretty fast, and Alex eventually joined him. They have a few toys to play with in the water, but I still need to get them some little boats to float in the water.

Space Monkeys and Cool Moves: Our little guys have lots of fun playing. Here are a couple of videos of Dom and Alex having some fun and showing off their moves. First, some fun with their monkey toy box:

Now, Alex plays on the tote (watch for his smooth dismount), and Dom shows off some of his early walking (every step counts!) (June 17, 2011):

Exploring New Territories (June 17): I bought some more foam alphabet tiles to cover the floor in the hallway, and then I blocked off the hallway with a playard to open up the bedroom to the little inner hallway which has great lighting from the skylight. The boys loved that (and the foam has done wonders for my achy feet)! Plus with both doors open I could keep a close eye on them even while folding laundry on our bed. I later opened up the door to the nursery for just a little bit. The boys thought it was all a great adventure!

Alex loved having a chance to open and close the doors on his own. We had to watch to make sure he didn’t smash his own fingers. Dom really loved getting to push his lion and piano in an expanded space – especially once Dad pulled the rug over to bridge the foam to the carpet and cover the little bit of tile showing there. Alex, as usual, had a sharp eye for new things just in and out of reach that he wanted to investigate – like the door handles (just out of reach) and the knobs on the laundry area doors (which he could reach when in the playard in the hallway). The boys had so much fun playing, and Dom DID NOT want to go to bed – he had things to push. However, both settled down quickly and went to sleep. They were pretty tuckered out.

Alex in grey shorts and Dom in brown shorts:

A Trip to the Doctor (June 23): Alex slept for 2 hours during the morning nap, but when I picked him up, his skin felt hot. He had a temperature of 101. I kept an eye on him, and though he was still playing, he didn’t want to eat his lunch. I decided to call the pediatrician, and they gave me an appointment right away. I packed us all up and headed out. They checked for an ear infection as well as Hand, Foot and Mouth Disease and warned me about Roseola. (With Roseola a baby’s fever can spike to as high as 105 for 2-4 days followed by a rash.)

Alex weighed 20 pounds, 12 ounces. I didn’t get a chance to weigh Dom because he fell asleep on the car ride to the pediatrician’s office and slept through the entire appointment and almost the whole car ride home. He woke while I was at a stoplight near home but that let me sneak his haffle (apple juice and water) bottle back to him. It wasn’t long before Alex felt better, and fortunately, he didn’t have anything serious.

A Day at the Park (June 26): We headed to a park in the Bay area for a goodbye party for some friends of ours, and Alex and Dom had a great time at the park. They got to see a 4-month-old puppy, meet some other toddlers (and lots of adults), and practice walking. One of the first things Dom did was try to walk on his own, fall, and scrape up his face a bit – poor little fella. He’s been awfully prone to little scars of late. Both Dom and Alex had a great time pushing their push-cars through the grass, walking while holding our hands and doing some walking on their own in the grass.

There was one particularly lovely moment when I was walking with Dom pushing his lion nearby and Alex walking next to me while holding onto my hand. It was a beautiful, magical moment to be walking next to my boys.

Dom (left) & Alex with Dad: It's tough pushing the lion on grass! (June 26, 2011)

When we got home, Dom and Alex were delighted to play with all their toys in the Playzone. They played and played and played, moving from one set of toys to another – pulling apart megabloks, climbing on their playhouse, using their music table, spinning the toys on the Playzone walls, pulling the yellow phones off the walls, walking around and carrying a toy or tub while walking, etc. They had a great time. Alex walked over to give me big hugs several times, and Dom came over to blow zuberts on my shoulder (his kisses). Happy, joyful moments.