Bad Moon Rising

This will just be a short post to showcase a few new things that Rooney has learned to do. The first is a sweet little video that I was able to take on the 1st try. Over the last couple of weeks Rooney has fallen in love with the book Chicka Chicka Boom Boom. I had never heard of this book before Rooney, but since having Roon I have read in several places that it is a classic. I purchased it after Christmas and up until a few weeks ago it sat on his bookshelf for quite awhile. While looking for another book to add to his nightly reading list I ran across it, saw that it was short and it became a winner! It's a silly book that really doesn't have much meaning but it talks about/uses the letters of the alphabet and it seems to help kids because familiar with the letter and the upper and lower case versions. Since reading the book Rooney can now recite his ABC's because we sing them twice every time we read the book. With no further adieu, here is Rooney singing his ABC's:






Rooney is becoming such a big boy now. He is learning his alphabet, sitting on the potty (occasionally), learning to write (here's a picture of his first letter...big, fat "W". He told me that was a "W", I didn't just circle a squiggle) and learning to dress himself. In the following pictures Rooney put his own pants back on after sitting on the potty. He got them all the way on but maybe you can figure out what went wrong...









Keep looking...










Looks like a Full Roon tonight...oops...I mean Moon!

All Done Sad Face

As you may remember I have written briefly about issues we've had with Rooney hitting/pushing other kids. Since he has started really talking we don't have as many problems but there are still times when his best communication tool is a foot to someones face. As you can imagine that does not go over very well.

For awhile there it seemed Rooney was constantly in a time out at indoor playground or we were leaving because it was just too much. I started to realize that 1. he's a toddler and he is getting frustrated and cannot express himself 2. he's a boy and he needs to be more physical 3. that he was generally not being malicious and that all these time outs were really just for the benefit of the other parent. It seemed to make the victim's parent feel better and I decided I am not punishing my child to make someone else feel better. Rooney will still get an occasional timeout (although almost never at home) but now it is for reasons such as blatant disobeying and outright malicious behavior.

Now I am focusing on trying to teach him empathy and show him the consequences of his actions. For instance, if he pushes down a kid who he thinks is trying to get a toy he's playing with, and that kid gets hurt, I want him to see that his action of pushing and knocking that kid over hurt the other kid. I know that his intent was not to hurt the other kid but was trying to get that kid away from him. I also know that he doesn't really get that he hurt them yet but I think he is starting to. He is saying "No" more now or "Get Out" (which he picked up from the dogs). In addition to being able to verbalize his desires better we are finding a way for Roon to verbalize his emotions as well.

I think my sister started this and it seemed like a great idea to me. She was doing different faces with Rooney. Happy Face, Sad Face, Mad Face etc. While doing the faces Roonster really reacted to them and was upset when Annie did the Sad Face. Now Rooney will tell me if he has a Sad Face or a Happy Face. After being hurt and had been crying he will often tell me "All done Sad Face. All done crying" and then he will be back to his usual happy self. I love this! I really think it is a great way for him to express that how he is/was feeling and that he can decide/verbalize when he is done. I have also been using this to let Rooney know if he is doing something that is upsetting me. I can tell him that he is giving me a Mad Face. He tells me "No, Sad Face". It seems he knows that Mad is the extreme and it is better if I just get a sad face. Generally he stops doing whatever it is though regardless if I have a Mad Face or just a Sad Face.

Sometimes we just use the faces as a game. He really enjoys doing the Happy Face and seems to excel at that one. I think because he is generally a pretty happy kid and it is hard for him not to smile. Below is Rooney making all his faces for me.

Happy Face	Sad Face
Crying Face	Mad Face

No fooling around. Rooney's got to get on the dance floor

Beside being in touch with his emotions now Rooney is also grasping his artistic side. As you've seen in previous videos Rooney can really cut a rug. In this latest video Rooney now has a dance partner, Kaibre.

Spring Has Sprung

Since I last posted Spring has sprung...supposedly. The last few days here in the PNW have been snowy. Thankfully we haven't had any accumulation and I don't really mind the weather being cold but it does throw a wrench in plans. Just as people were starting to dream of warm, sunny weather (I actually saw someone in shorts the other day and someone was jumping the gun a bit) we started to get flurries and plans for any park days have been squashed.

Rooney has really been crazy about the snow. He's been asking to play in it and he likes to watch it from the window. He even put his snow boots on and cried when he had to take them off for bed. "Snow boots on! Snow boots on!".

Before it snowed we had Easter and spring activities! With Active Moms and Tots we had a little Easter themed play day at the park building we currently have use of. The kids got to make little bunny ear headbands and make bags to collect Easter eggs in. All the kids actually wore the bunny ears we made! Rooney wore his for days and since he looked so cute I could hardly object.

Before Easter we had some birthday parties to attend! Felix turned 3 years old! Time is really flying, I can't believe it. Recently I signed Rooney up for the Almost 3's preschool class at the community center. He will start in the Fall and it is only 1 day for 2 hours but I really wonder if I'm ready! Kindergarten won't be too far around the corner. I hate to even think about it.

Anyway, we went to another 3 years old's birthday party also. She was actually born on the same day as Felix. Spooky. At her party they had a little bounce house and pony rides. Oh man Rooney loves bounce houses and he was fascinated with the ponies, but not enough to ride one. There was some coaxing but finally the agreement was struck to walk beside the pony...and Dad got to wear the riding helmet.

Before the birthday parties, ponies and bounce houses we took the kids to see The Reptile Man at the community center! This was a really fun event but it was packed. We got to see so many cool reptiles and Roonster really seemed interested in them. Even knew who a few were. Hopefully we can make it a family day up to the reptile farm one of these days.


Now for a few random photos from other stuff that was going on:


Always wear proper eye protection when attempting to enter the TV zone








Here Rooney is getting his first set of "sleeves"









Rooney really wanted me to take a picture of him and "Black Puppy"








On top of the world

Hoovsie Photo Montage

Don't Know How To Party

Rooney is really lucky. He has great parents who just love him to pieces, he has 2 little dogs that tolerate him and he can count his friends on at least 2 hands. All this already puts him ahead of most of the population but he also has alot of family that adore him immensely. Rooney's Aunt Annie, Uncle Jim and cousin Cuyler have frequently had little "prunes" (as they have lovingly referred to him since birth) as a visitor and overnight guest in their home. I have not really been able to focus too many blog posts on these events since I am not there, but I recently received some secret footage of the sleepover party train that is their night and I thought I should share. The video is a couple minutes long but a few things to look out for:

1. Rooney's new favorite blue shoes
2. Mr. Roonboto can actually pull off yellow pants, white socks with electric blue shoes
3. the Napoleon Dynamite like dance skills he exhibits
4. last but not least...the dulcet tones of the Howard/Hoover/Wade's singing (there are several examples in the one clip!)

Have You Met My Son Spewie?

The problem with not being able to blog as frequently is that so much happens in between posts that I forget some of the great things I wanted to blog about! I know there is a lesson in there. For instance, did I ever blog about when Cuyler asked Rooney and I to come to his school for "Special Person's" (or Grandparents) Day? Rooney and I were so touched! We had a nice time hanging out with Cuy (as Rooney calls him) at his school and meeting his friends and teacher. This happened way back in October but I got a copy of the pic we took this weekend so I thought I should mention it. Rooney loves Cuyler so much (and vice versa) I definitely wanted to touch on it.

Speaking of Cuyler (and the rest of the Hoovsie clan), Roonster spent the night over at their house this weekend. I'm sure he had a great time partying until dawn (this is a fact) but sometime around 4:30am he stopped having fun and started calling for "Momma's bed"! Poor Annie had to comfort him for about an hour before he fell back to sleep. Annie said when he woke up in the morning he acted like the weird, irrational, meltdown never happened. Chipper as a jaybird. I don't think Annie could say as much. When I picked him up later that afternoon he seemed really tired so I planned on immediately putting him down for a nap when we got home. Well less than 5min into the trip home, after drinking some juice, Rooney became Spewie McSpewerson and threw up twice in my car. We were all shocked and in tears after that. I called Mike and put him on standby for my arrival home.

Once I arrived home Mike got Rooney out of the car and we stripped him outside. Mike offered to spray him down with the hose but I got him in the bath instead. After a good tooth brushing, and putting on lounge wear it took about 1hr to finally get that kid to sleep. Add about 2 more hours to that and that is how long it took to clean my car out and Rooney's carseat. That carseat is still a puzzle yet to be completed! Anyway, that irrational early morning wake-up makes alot more sense now and he spent many hours on Momma's bed this morning.

Totally off the subject is something I am so amazed about with Rooney. He is really counting so well now. He can definitely count up to fourteen and recently he had shown that he can count up to five in Spanish. Cuatro is a bit difficult for him (but he misses 4 in English too so we just think it's a conspiracy against the number 4). I have a little video I took of him counting. It really doesn't show off his abilities but I kind of thought it was cute. As another side note, that is a "Robot house" that he is building in the video.

Double O Rooney

Last week Rooney, Mike and I celebrated Valentine's Day! Mike took Valentine's Day off from work and we planned to hang out as a family. Rooney and I dragged Daddy to a couple of our usual morning activities but Dad was sick and although he trooped through it, I don't think he had much fun. Thankfully Aunt Annie was there to keep him laughing. Roonster also made this card for Daddy- I think this may have been his first card. Wow!

Another first for Rooney was his big accomplishment on the potty chair! Every night Rooney sits on the potty chair before his bath (I think he really just uses it as a stall technique) but the other night something just happened and he left something in the seat! Woo hoo! Due to this big accomplishment Rooney received some "Robot" M&M's. He really did not seem to be that interested but picked out 3 green ones. He ate them and was in love (who could blame him?)and then the water works started for more potty chair and M&M's. It was quite dramatic but in the morning, when I suggested he sit on the potty, all he would only say "all done potty". Oh well. Diapers for a little longer.

Finally...now that Rooney is becoming a big boy we thought we should start him on some chores. Picking up his toys is the first thing we are trying to teach him but this isn't exactly what I was thinking...

This Week in Rooney

I know it's been awhile since I've posted. Rooney has been really really busy everyday hanging out with his friends. Since I haven't posted much I thought I would put in a few photos from what we've been doing.

A Robot Walks Up To A Potty...

Rooney and Mom have been really busy lately with our new group, Active Moms and Tots. We have activities planned every day so we are out of the house alot. Part of our new nighttime routine is that while Mom does the dishes Daddy and Rooney get to play and have a little Daddy/Son time (since we have Mommy/Son time all day). Here they are playing with the camera and hamming it up.

They're just so cute!

We are also slowly introducing the idea of potty training to Roonster. He's really not pro-being potty trained at this time though. He will sit on the potty seat before his bath at night but there's no action going on. He just sits there and has a chat with Dad. I decided that he needed more incentive and broke down and bought him some M&M's. I needed a "high value" treat to entice him. Some of you may have heard that term from when you trained your dog. I hate to say it but really it's the same concept. Rooney likes the M&M's and would gladly eat them if I gave him a bowl but he is not begging to sit on the potty to get more. Food may not be "high value" enough and we might need to switch strategies. Maybe if I called them Robot M&M's...

Rooney recently expressed interest in trying out for American Idol (not that we let him watch that). We thought we'd make a little demo tape to shop around. Here he is singing what else...Robot Parade



You can also view Rooney for the first time on YouTube. Click here to see his debut

I'm The Baby, He's The Momma

Since Rooney has been born I have been ecstatic to be a mother and proud to be, specifically, Rooney's momma. Lately, although I cannot believe it is possible, I feel both those things but to an even higher level. Rooney has just been so much fun to be around lately.

First, let's talk about his speech and playing. He has really taken off with speaking. He is saying sentences now, you've seen that he is singing but he is also role playing. Well kind of. He has lately become obsessed with the Momma/Baby relationship (more on that later) and lately he has been telling me I'm the baby and he's the momma. I hear him playing with Cheesie 1 and 2 (also known as Momma and Baby Cheesie) as if they are his babies. He has been playing with his trucks in which he is creating little scenarios (the trucks he received from Grandma and Grandpa for Christmas are now known as Momma, Daddy and Baby trucks). It's so sweet to eavesdrop on him when he is playing like this that it is almost sad. You almost want to jump in because it's so pure, but you can't because you would sully it.

Second, the Momma/Baby relationship is so cute! Everything, and I mean everything, is Momma and baby. His Cheesies, his trucks (there is also a daddy, Grandpa and Grandma sometimes), his play cupcakes, any type of balls, stuffed animals, forks, cups etc. Almost every night he takes something to bed with him. Generally it is his Momma, Daddy and Baby cupcakes, but last night he took a truck magnet he started calling his "baby truck" (it's an advertising magnet from a local plumbing company). Last night over the monitor we could hear him 1/2 awake saying "my baby truck, my baby truck". Presumably, it fell or he just couldn't find it in the dark but clearly he is preoccupied.

Lastly, he is just becoming so well behaved. He was always a pretty good kid but he has gone through the very stressful hitting stage. However, since Christmas he has really curtailed his hitting/pushing and kicking and is now really learning to share and to vocalize his objection to something (rather than showing the other kid physically). He is listening so well. He says he's sorry (often automatically), will says "Thanks" a good portion of the time without being prompted, says "Please" if he wants something and now when I need/want him to do something without argument all I have to do is start counting. Generally I will only get to 1 before he says "Oh sorry Momma" and will get his coat on, or shoes, or whatever it is I need. I can't tell you how helpful this has been!

I really loved the little baby stage, and miss it alot, but as he has become older life has just become more and more fun. If they're all like this I'll have 10 more!

Mr. Roonboto

This week Rooney and I have finally been able to start getting out of the house again. Today we went to Chuck E. Cheese. A first for Roonster. He really enjoyed himself and ran all around playing the games. I really should have saved my loot because Rooney was just as interested in the games before I put tokens in. The only iffy moment came when the actual Chuck W. Cheese came out to visit. There was a moment of absolute, sheet terror that came across Rooney's face. He jumped off his ride mid-cycle and clung to me until Chuck was no longer in sight.




Inanimate Chuck=Okay
Big, Slow Moving Chuck=Creepy

Finally, I wanted to add a few videos I took from our sick out. Unfortunately Mike's birthday fell during those days but we did the celebrating that we could. For Mike's birthday Rooney got him a robot birthday card that plays the Styx classic...Mr. Roboto! This is Rooney's song! From the moment Mike opened that card Rooney knew that card would be his. He now calls it his "Bobot Book".

In this video Rooney is showing off some of his Mr. Roboto Dance Moves...you've got to have skills...

And he can sing...

Two, One, Two

Although 3 other members of the family have been infected, and 1 is still suffering with the Waderomeda Strain, somebody is feeling much better...

The Waderomeda Strain

We're all sick over here so as you can imagine there has not been alot going on. Not too long after Christmas Rooney was not acting like himself. He was really a handful and MOODY! I thought maybe he was starting to go through a phase but lo and behold he woke up the next morning very snotty. That was kind of a relief but he was sick well over a week. He's "still getting over it" but he is full of energy again and raring to go...problem is just as he started feeling better I started getting sick. Now in the throes of the full blown nastiness Rooney is practically bouncing off the walls. Poor kid has been cooped up more and has watched more TV than any kid should have to. Mike has worked from home the last couple of days to help me out but unfortunately...he's still working. Rooney is a creative kid though and he has found a few ways to entertain himself and me!


Mike was working at the dining room table on his laptop so Rooney got his laptop too









Here Rooney is trying to compromise with me on sitting down to eat his dinner











Here Rooney is trying to compromise on taking his nap. He grabbed the dishtowel, laid on the floor and said he was going "night, night".







Rooney and Mike (plus Cheesie too!): Astronuts in their Spaceship












Finally, although this picture was posted in the last blog entry I needed to post it again to show the exact point I believe the contagion was set loose on this Wade household. It's all in the cupcake.