So much talking...and new baby brother!

Michael is talking up a storm now...in fact, he rarely stops talking and communicates quite well. He attempts very large words but often only gets the end of them: superfragilisticexpialidocious turns into "docious," for example.
He repeats like a parrot, often very hilariously. He repeated Grandpa Preisinger saying "episode" and sometimes gets into moods where he just repeats a person almost word for word as they're telling a story.

Update on Michael stripping down at bedtime is that "Operation Muffin Pants" was a success...Simple bribery to get him to keep his clothes on. Actually he's come so far now that he doesn't even need to wear the onesy over his PJs which is very nice.

Anton installed the lawn retaining wall this spring and Michael had a lot of fun joining him at the gravel yard and watching all the work with the excavator.

We tried reading Salamandastron during dinner and got a few chapters in before Michael seemed to lose interest.

When his weight was checked at Aiden's 3 day checkup he had lost a bit because he'd had a bad fever for 5-6 days very recently. But apparently he has grown 3 inches since March! That explains why he can reach everything now.

He likes to say "Oh man," and "It happens" or "that happens sometimes." Back in March he liked to say "uh-oh daisy," combining "oops-a-daisy" and "uh-oh."

Michael welcomed Aiden very very nicely. He had about a week where he threw tantrums to get attention but that seems to have passed for the most part and he's always been very sweet with Aiden; he likes being a big brother.

Today Michael enjoyed seeing the solar eclipse. He was very good with the glasses and we saw the 92.5% eclipse from our back patio (or "patoee" as Michael pronounces it). He seemed to be very interested...we'll have to drag the boys out east for the one in 2024.

TEXT DATA DUMP (quotes and funny moments):
Feb 22 -- Michael face planted climbing a gravel pile at the rock yard while he and Anton were picking up drainage rocks for the retaining wall.

Mar 6...Michael is driving his car down the "road" to go to class to learn about eyeballs.  ;)

Drive.  Way.  Road.  Eyeball. ...Class.  Eyeball.

He also gave your coat a hug and kiss and then said "silly".  ;)

Mar 15-- Anton:. I called him a gooberhead and now he's running around saying boogerhead..."no no, g-g-gooberhead"...."g-g-boogerhead!"

Mar 18--He was good too.  I gave him detailed instructions to go get his bath towel from behind his cradle and he went from the laundry room and got it and put it in the washer.  :). And then he helped me load other things in.

He took the yellow suction cup ring and was pretending it was his plane.  Flies remarkably like your drone.  ;). Now it's"charging" in the corner.

Michael can reach the floor on his trike enough to push it around sitting on it.  Not quite enough to peddle it though still.

Mar 24---Btw, yesterday at day care Michael told me he wanted to climb a ladder...  ;P

Also apparently at daycare he did a good job shoveling rocks and depositing them in the water table.    Oh boy.  I think he's been watching you move plenty of dirt.   ;)

Michael likes to use his "laptop" (a large rock) outside...also "doing homework"

Apr 8 --Michael peed and pooped in his toilet at his own request.  :) (Wish he'd kept this up a bit longer...)

Started red runner beans in the house for Michael to watch germinate (eventually planted them in the veggie garden)

Apr 8 --Michael sat at the table (breakfast or lunch) and started "typing".  And then he told me he was doing homework.  ;)

Around this time, got Rick's piano.  When we went to Rick's house to look at it, Michael deconstructed a pine cone and then picked the glued-in fishing weights out of a boy scout derby car that Rick gave him.  :P

Apr 26--anton:  Michael's just chowing down on the chives :p more? More? More?

Sigh, my throat hurts after yelling at Michael for biting my thumb as I wiped his mouth after lunch... He ate two sandwiches and I just sent him to bed without milk because he bit me :(

May 6--We picked up the sticks in the lawn

Michael found us two chairs (broken cinder blocks).  A bigger one and a littler one--mommy's and Michael's (mine was a bit hard to sit on).  And some food (dirt).  And some birthday cake (a golf ball).

Now he's eating an excavator (piece of sandwich).  "Turn on?!  Vroom vroom!")

Michael also ripped the head partway off his teddy bear this morning, pulled a bunch of stuffing out, stuck it down his pajama front, and when I came in said "Michael, baby?!"

We had a talk about treating our stuffed animals nicely and how his bear might have to ​go away now.  :/

He also insisted on flipping over all his frosted mini wheats frosting side up before​ I put milk in.  Luckily there were only a few on top of the raisin bran, not an entire bowl full.  ;P

He was very sweet for most of​ this morning.  He kept giving me hugs on the bruise on the inside of my elbow from the blood draw.

And he played me some songs on the piano with singing.  :). Couldn't get any of it on camera.  :P

And he keeps trying to bring a ladder to get to the skylight in the master bathroom.  Not sure where he thinks he's going to get this ladder.  But I can pretty consistently get him to leave me in the bathroom to go get one.  "Moment.  Right. Back."

Later:. Sings it's bitsy spider...

May 7--Michael was putting his shirt on this morning.  He couldn't find one of the arm holes and exclaimed "where is it?!". ;D

We need to teach him to actually brush his teeth.  He's just trying to do what you do with your electric​toothbrush.  :P.  He holds the brush in his mouth and makes a humming noise and doesn't want let me help him with the brushing motion.   :P

He says he's​ "nice and cozy" sitting in the sun.

He told me he was planting a garden.  Or drawing plants in the garden, not sure which.  ;)

And after he got up from nap he put in his yellow hard hat on and was playing baseball.  :)

Now he's "washing dishes"

May 14--R: Michael's eating your pizza and saying "Oh no!  Ham!"   ;P

May 20--Michael just said "mommy writing down those things!"

And when I asked if he needed more juice he said "no, fine, me fine". ;D

May 31--anton:  Wow, Michael just grabbed his black cap and said "Darius gave this" how does he remember that???

Micheal saw a flower pinwheel at the Bremerton bar and grill and said "windmill!". The servers gave it to him to keep.

June 14/15--plumbing clog... Michael was very interested in the plumber going under the house.

June 17--Your son has his toy chainsaw and is saying "saw foot off!"

Now he's saying "saw tummy off".  ;P

Now he's singing "head, shoulders, knees, and toes"

Michael says "new shoes!  Go shopping.  Thank you Daddy!"

I don't know where Michael learned about pokey starfish in the living room...  O_o

Btw, Michael is really excited to say the kerchoo" when reading Robert the Rose Horse.  ;)  He gets ready at the end of the page before and then practically screams it (I did not prompt him).  

June 18--R: He swung a half inch diameter stick and almost hit me in the face while wearing my glasses.

June 25-- to Jen:. Btw, last week at dinner Anton and I were discussing movie days, and we said you'd be coming over and Michael started bawling.  I was worried it was  because he didn't want you to babysit and had figured out that means we'd be gone.  We tried to say you weren't coming until the next week and that made it worse.  I finally asked if he was sad because he wanted Jen to come that night.  Tearful "yeaaaah!".  "Do you like it when Jen comes over?". "yeaaaah!" *Sniffles*. "Do you really like playing with her?". "yeaaaah." "she's going to come play with you next week buddy.  Won't that be fun?". *less sniffles*. "yeah.".   ... Silly kid.  He was just fine until promise of a future good thing reminded him he didn't have that good thing (that he hadn't previously cared about) right that second.  :P

June 30-- trying hourly potty trips...

July 2--Hetemas BBQ and watching fireworks.

July 3--R: Apparently there were monsters and crocodiles in his room this morning.  ;)

Michael is very adamant that we watch the plumber.

A: LOL, I told him he might get to see a plumber today... He thought there was one under the tub last night :p

R: The plumber has a small blonde shadow

Now Michael is working on the faucet (a folding chair).  Fix it.  Need flashlight.  See faucet.

This old one.  New one on.

He had his pillow up on the top of the crib and is sitting on the other side with his animals and blanket "watching TV."  :P

He woke up and started yelling "no more pop it's!" And laughing crazily.  Weirdo child.

July 5--anton: We just finished riding his flyer... Although I pulled him a bit more than I hoped I'd have to

July 10--He tried to eat a green honeysuckle berry today.  :P

Keeps trying to pull plants ("break this tree?"). :P

July 12--anton:  He was in a submarine this morning

On his bed, he was just saying something like 'in my submarine'

Magic School bus

R: He gets very excited when they start singing

"YAY, happy see Toby!  YAY, happy see Mavis!  YAY, happy see Gordon!  YAY happy see Emily!!!"

July 14?:. Anton at breakfast: "Are you petting you fried egg?" Michael: "Pet my egg..........Stab it!!!!"

July 17:. Heard at morning wake up:. "Amen!" And then some time later "Stop eating my eyes!"

July 18-- A:. This morning I woke up to "Get up. Now!"

July 25-- A: His wake up mantra this morning was "burn it down"...

July 26-- A: Michael got a big pout when I told him you were thinking about him all day

R: I guess I never realized until confronted with a two year old that being happy about someone thinking about you when they aren't/can't be there is a more emotionally mature thought than being sad because you're reminded they aren't there.  Kind of like the the episode with saying Jen would be coming the next week.  Toddlers provide a lot of unexpected introspection and philosophizing.  ;P

July 30--Michael's got a 103 temp again.  Just got up from a nap again.  But sounds like he was restless.

July 31--A: This is not a drill but it is an activation of the early baby warning system. We have potential contractions. Do not implement your emergency procedures just yet, further instructions will be disseminated should events proceed. Now back to your regular programming.

Aug 9--Michael went to Missy's w Grandpa Mike to go "camping" and go to the beach

Sometime earlier: Michael went with Mike and Jim's to Missy's.  Jim gave him a football.  Michael throwing his football now.

Aug 9-- Micheal is now helping grandma wash out the white recycling can with the hose.  He seems to like that a lot.  ;)

Now Micheal keeps asking Grandma "what are you doing over here?!"

Grandma Lori and Michael colored Thomas pictures to mail to Bekkah and great grandma and covered the envelopes with stickers.  Bekkah texted me a picture when she received it.

Michael made brownies with Grandma the weekend before...

Aug 13-- Sang Michael the daddy song for bedtime though, cause Grandma  understandably didn't know it (Grandma still gave him snuggles)

Then I sang a one liner I made up cause I was saying you'd be back when he woke up, in the morning, when the sun was up (to be extra clear not to wake up in the middle of the night :P), and so he consequently asked for me to sing "more of that.  Mommy sing sun song.". Oh boy.  Can't string together any melody around this kid without him thinking it's a full song.  :P

Aug 15-- Jen helped out while Anton was at class for his poster presentation.  Michael fell backwards over the arm of the loveseat (because he was leaping around) while Jen was trying to get pictures of all of us.

Aug 21--"baby shower" bbq.  Michael saw Grandma Carol come in the door a bit after Grandma Lori got here and said "Grandma!," did a little double take after looking at Grandma Lori and exclaimed, "two grandmas!"  :D

Mar 27, 2017

Rachel knocked​ over the pepper shaker in the kitchen and Michael exclaimed "Oh no!  OH MYYYY!!!" (no, he's never heard George Takei before...  :P )

Rachel responded​ to something Anton said with "pish posh". And Michael immediately began repeating "pish posh!". We then had to train him on saying it with a properly psuedo-Brittish accent.  ;)