Jack & Spencer's World

Jack has a couple of new favorite books. They are books about potty training: once upon a potty and too big for diapers. We were reading once upon a potty yesterday. The beginning of the book talks about having different body parts. As we read, I ask Jack if he has each part. The last two parts are the bottom and a special hole for poo poo. I ask Jack where his bottom is, he pats his bum. Then I risk it and ask where poo poo comes from. His response: my belly button! Guess we have a bit more work before real potty training can start!

This year, Jack dressed up as a firefighter and Spence was a monkey. It's the first year that Jack wasn't some type of food (look through the archives for shots as a chili pepper and a hot dog). This year was also the first time that Jack responded to his costume. He loved it! Spencer didn't seem to care one way or the other. :) In our neighborhood, there are several options for trick-or-treating. The retail stores and restaurants hand out candy. Several of the brownstones on W. 69th St (one block away) put up over the top decorations and hand out candy. Lastly, kids can trick-or-treat in the building. We took Jack to walk around 69th street as well as a couple of stores (you know, the ones that know us - the wine store and the Italian restaurant). Then we met up with a bunch of other kids for trick-or-treating in the building. Jack was younger than most of the kids, but he did his best to keep up. He learned to say "Trick-or-Treat" but didn't  quite unders...

Jack had a big surprise when he got home from his playdate Friday morning. He had a new, big boy bed! I wasn't sure how he was going to react, but he was so excited! He wanted to get right in and lay down. He calls it his Elmo bed. (We bought a book called "Big Enough for a Bed" that features Elmo moving from his crib to his new bed. Clearly this sunk in. Check out the book on Amazon .) We tried his afternoon nap on Friday, but that didn't quite work out. Jack was playing around and ended up falling out the bed (don't worry, it was only about 8 inches, no damage done). That evening, he wanted to sleep in the bed. It took him over an hour to fall asleep, but once he did, he slept the full night. He hasn't wanted to go back to the crib - which is great. In order to fit the toddler bed, we had to rearrange the furniture in the room. Fortunately, everything fits and leaves space for Jack (and soon Spencer) to play. I really like the new arrangement! Next up,...

This morning, we piled in the car and headed out to a farm in NJ about an hour from the city. We had a ton of fun. There was a farm animal petting zoo where kids could feed carrots slices to the animals. Jack fed bunnies, sheep, pigs, and alpacas. He also wandered past the goats, ducks, roosters, hens, peahens, peacocks, donkeys, horses, and I'm sure a few other animals that I've forgotten. After we spent time at the petting zoo, we rode in a hay wagon behind a tractor to a pumpkin patch where we picked out pumpkins. Jack found one for him and one for Spencer. The day was a gorgeous fall day. When we were driving out the farm, at one point, it felt like we turned a corner and BAM! we were in fall. The leaves on the trees were turning and the air felt fresher (of course, almost any air is fresher than NYC, but still it felt fresher and calmer). We had a great time. And, of course, a few pictures. Generous with his carrots (and fortunately not his fingers) Alpacas (...

Anyone that's driven in Greensboro, NC knows that a street can't have just one name. Instead, it should have at least two and preferably more, especially if it is a major thoroughfare. Well, this blog is going to follow the lead of whomever names streets in G'boro by getting a new name. I'm not sure what the new name will be, but something that better reflects the shifting contents. Perhaps something that incorporates both of our little boys...clever huh? Stay tuned, big changes are a coming. :)

A few recent pictures of Spencer. He is growing like crazy and picking up all sorts of new skills like grabbing toys on the playmat, grabbing blankets or clothes and shoving them in his mouth, and his new favorite pastime, putting his feet in his mouth (with or without socks!).     Learning all the tricks on his first flight. We lucked out and got an extra seat for his carseat (ok, I lucked out, but still...)  Sleepy times with Grandma    Enjoying a new toy!   Such a big boy