Comedians

Finn and Charlie “cleaned” this mirror for about an hour the other day, and told some jokes, too. Thank goodness Jerri had the Flip rolling.

Finn’s 3rd Birthday Party

We decided to throw Finn his first kid birthday party this year, in part because he was so excited at Ezra’s. We just invited a few families so it wouldn’t be too overwhelming (he is only three for Pete’s sake), and he had a blast. It really was like an oversized play date, except for the main activity which was chalk-making. Bruce and the other dads did most of the child supervision, leaving the moms to gather around the picnic table and enjoy some good snacks.

I Speak Finn Part II

Finn’s been figuring out contractions lately. This morning he said, “We aren’tn’t,” which sounds like aren’t-ent. My favorite remains, “I amn’t,” which is, of course, usually screamed.

Happy 3rd Birthday, Finn!

Finn turned three today, so we had a mini-celebration with the Heffs this morning. The plan was to walk over and buy cupcakes at our favorite shop around the corner, but when we got there it was closed. So, we just bought cake mix and frosting at the local CVS and made the cupcakes at home. Finn was very excited to get to help use the electric mixer. The kids decorated their cupcakes with M&Ms and wolfed them down (well, except our delicate eater, Charlie).

Lucy, Finn, Ezra and Charlie enjoy their creations

I always marvel at just how wide Finn can open his mouth.

After the Heffernans left, we had our usual quiet time with a show (his current favorite, Yo Gabba Gabba), with the plan being that when the show was over it would be nap time. I figured he was really hopped up on sugar and could be difficult to get down. However, when I came back in to check on him about 20 minutes later, he was passed out on the couch. Always cute.

The Sleeping Dragon

I Speak Finn

Finn, like most kids his age, has some very fun pronunciations and phrases. Ezra did, too, but I failed to write them down and now I can’t remember most of them. So, I’m not making that mistake again. Here are some of my favorites:

coo me = excuse me (usually shouted from the back seat of the car while Bruce and I are talking)

nakim = napkin

douf = mouth (as in, “Can I put bankie in my douf?”)

Joe O Os = Joe’s Os (i.e., Trader Joe’s version of Cheerios)

ban-a-a = banana

beasure tape = measuring tape (from his toy tool box)

cass = class (“Mommy, you work in my cass?”)

cool = school (“I go to cool today???”)

bilk = milk

cooch me in = scooch me in (usually shouted at meal time)

e-meal or a-meal = oatmeal

that guy = anyone (male or female) who isn’t Bruce, Ezra, or me

no, one minute = yes (in response to the question, “Finn, are you poopy?”)

Post-Cottage Coma

In typical fashion, Finn totally passed out yesterday after school. And, he looked like such a Cottage kid — paint on his face, hands stained red from the food coloring in the squirt bottles, naked but for a Pull-Up — that I had to capture the moment.

Finn’s Fortune

We went to Sukiyaki Night at the Pasadena Buddhist Temple on Sunday with the Nuccio/Dyes and Heffernans, which was fun and delicious. Finn, of course, was not interested in eating anything except crackers (“more round cackers!”) and a fortune cookie. His fortune was fabulous, and anyone who has seen Finn in the last six months will not be surprised that he was screaming the whole time Bruce was breaking it open, “READ IT, PAPA, READ IT!!!”

Success!

We had one little glimmer of hope in Finn’s potty training today. He’s long been able to pee in the potty when we ask him to (of course, only when he’s in the mood), but up until today he had yet to take a break from playing in order to pee in the potty. But, I’m getting pretty tired of diapers and pull-ups, so this afternoon I just put him in underwear. About an hour later he had an accident. So I put him in another pair. Then about an hour later he came running out to the dining room with his boxers around his ankles and a big smile on his face — he’d managed to stop playing, get his underwear down, and pee in the potty all on his own. It was awesome … and hopefully a sign of good things to come. Yay, Finn!

Chicken Pox

Oy!  Friday night while changing Finn into his pajamas, I discovered three marks on his back.

I thought they were bug bites. But just to be cautious, I looked up pictures of chicken pox on the internet. I was happy to see that Finn’s marks and the pictures I found looked quite different. But then over the weekend, Bruce and I discovered there were a few more than I had originally found. So, off to the pediatrician we went this morning and Dr. Lizer assured us that Finn has a mild case of chicken pox. He’d been vaccinated with the first dose of the vaccine at 18 months, but sometimes children will still contract chicken pox despite the vaccine. The first three marks have already scabbed over, so I’m hopeful that we will be done with this by the end of the week.

I haven’t heard of any of our friends having chicken pox, so I have no idea where he picked this up. Apparently, the incubation period is 10-21 days, so he could have come in contact with it at any number of places — parks, indoor playground, gymnastics class, restaurants, etc.

Thankfully, Ezra is fine. He’s had both doses of the vaccine so his immunity is stronger. The nurse assured me he is fine to attend school, which was a relief.