Sleeping Funnies

With Todd spending the summer in LA with Oma and Opa, blogging has been scarce. There's nothing to blog about! :-(

So I decided to catch up and post a mini collage I'd been meaning to for a while now. Now, nothing is cuter than a sleeping baby. Close second is sleeping children, little children. But I have to say-- when a sleeping kid is in funny positions, it makes for some very amusing and photogenic opportunities. Observe:

Taken over a year ago, April 2007. Todd managed to roll off the bed. Luckily the bed is very low to the ground, there was carpeting AND he managed to drag the blanket down with him, providing extra cushioning as he snoozed merrily on the floor:



A year later, April 2008. Nothing spectacular about Todd himself, we just thought it was cute the way Happy ended up resting right on his tummy, as if to stand guard and watch over his little brother.



Finally, May 2008. I walked into the bedroom to check on the little man and use the bathroom, and promptly exited, laughing my butt off. I don't see how on earth this is comfortable, let alone conducive to continued sleep, but apparently it didn't faze Todd. It's like those pictures you see, of kittens sleeping in shoes and whatnot:

Reading class

Last weekend (the 14-15th) I headed down to LA to accompany Todd to his first day of the summer reading class he's enrolled in. The class turned out to be full of 4-and-5-year-olds who were still just learning the alphabet and the sounds they make. After reviewing the class goals (to be able to read/write ABCs as well as learn beginning phonics sounds), I told the teacher that Todd was already familiar with all that material. She seemed hesitant to recommend moving him to the next level, however, and the following week's class (which Oma took him to, this past weekend) proved right. At least there's a silver lining: because Todd already knows all the material, he's picking up confidence and learning to raise his hand and participate in class when he knows the answer. That's something useful for when he starts school.

Aside from that, the little man and I had such fun hanging out. He was happy to see Mommy and Mommy was very happy to see him :-) Because the class took place at CSUN on Saturday morning, we trooped off to the Northridge mall afterward to do some shopping, eat lunch together at the food court, and play in the playground.

At home, we enjoyed a nice nap together. When Todd awoke, he waited for me to wake up before climbing out of bed. And that's when he noticed my pink toenails. He did a double take when he first glanced at them, and then moved in for closer scrutiny.

"Why are your toenails painted?" he queried. Then he declared his judgment: "It doesn't look nice!"

Little Toddy, fashion critic :-P

Meantime, he's still immensely enjoying taking pictures. Whereas before he only used Daddy's phone camera to take snapshots, this time he got hold of Opa's digital camera and fired off a few shots-- and they aren't half bad! Time to get our budding little photographer one of those toy digital cameras for Christmas :-)

p.s. During the week of the 9th, when Oma told Todd that Mommy was coming by, he screamed indignantly, thinking that I was coming to pick him back up and take him to SB. He demanded that Oma call Mommy, which she did. When I answered the phone, I was immediately greeted with an adamant insistence: "Mommy, don't come pick me up!" I quickly reassured him that I was only coming to visit and accompany him to class. That seemed to assuage him.

Sunday night, however, as I got ready to leave, Todd looked forlornly at me and said quietly "I want to go, too!" After many hugs and kisses, and after Opa managed to distact him with his newest toys, he quickly forgot about his longing to go with Mommy, and instead stood in the front yard waving and yelling "Bye bye!!" as I pulled out of the drive. Ah, how quickly kids forget!

Growth in pictures

Little trip down memory lane:
Here is Todd at 7 weeks old. Note how tiny the little man is Allan's arms!





A few months later, at age 6 months, we posed him in the same positions. He's grown quite a bit, as you can see:





The years that followed were a blur. We never found the time to try to pose in those same pictures again to chart Todd's growth. Which makes the next picture even MORE dramatic: a few years later, Todd at almost 4 years old:



Notice how Allan looks more and more frazzled as the months and years go by? ;-)

And finally, the really cute poses: the tiny head poked over Daddy's shoulder. Only two shots, but at a big age gap:

Thank you for the love!

On the phone today, with little man:

Todd: I love you

Mommy: I love you too

Todd: Thank you!

Well... isn't that polite! ;-)