And the New (Solo) Pick Up

When it's possible, Julie likes to pick up Ted on her way back across the river so we can pick Joe and Clara up together. This week, it hasn't worked out, so Julie has done pick up on her own. She used to collect Clara and then go collect Joe, but when Ted picked them up solo when Julie was sick, he did the reverse. So Julie tried that and it was a revelation! So now, she goes to get Joe who barrels into her for hugs, and then wrestles himself into his coat, hat, and mittens (Julie assists only with starting the zipper, fastening the hat, and helping Joe get his thumbs in the thumb pocket but only if requested). Then, we go to find Clara. Once we have, Joe tears in and right over to her and plops himself down and starts giving her toys. It's very sweet. Clara is wrestled (for real--it's a wresting match with Flips McGee) into her puffy and then off we go! Joe carries the red basket with the bottles and other school detritus in it, and Julie carries Clara. Once we get to the car, Joe is instructed to wait by the car and told, "Don't move a muscle!" He then repeats this in a super loud voice. Julie's heart remains in her throat until she can get Clara buckled in, but actually, Joe really doesn't move a muscle! Once Joe is in, we head for home! Lately, we've been listening to the Sandra Boynton Philadelphia Chickens album. Joe knows some of the words to "Cows," and it's kind of a kick when he sings along.

The New Drop Off

Fans, Our Hero has been struggling when we drop him off at school. He cries and clings to one of us (of late, usually Ted). We have been peeling him off and beating as hasty a retreat as we can, and we know that he has stopped crying and wailing probably even before we've reached the main door at the end of the hallway, but we were at a loss as to what to do to eliminate the crying and wailing entirely. Recently, it seemed he'd moved past this behavior, but then it was resurgent. Was it that he didn't feel well? Was it that he was playing us? A little of both and something else, too, maybe?

Monday, Joe's teacher, Maneesha (or Ms. Maneesha Fox, as Joe would say), called Julie at work and suggested a plan that would play on Our Hero's love of books (MsManeesha Fox is fabulous). The plan is that before leaving home, Joe selects one book, and if he walks into his room with a big smile on his face, MsManeeshaFox will read it to him right away. (A bonus sidelight of this plan unknown to MsManeehsaFox is that Joe loves to have his name written on the items brought to school.) Yesterday, we executed the plan for the first time. There was a fraught moment when MsManeeshaFox was coming out of Joe's room to deliver her Secret Santa gift as we were headed in (How would she see Joe's big smile and read the book right away?!), but Joe rolled with it. We accompanied MsManeeshaFox on her first delivery and then headed to Joe's room and waited for her in "the library." She came, we left, Joe smiled, and we did, too!

On the Loose!

We had been popping Clara in her Excersaucer for a bit in the mornings after dressing her and Joe, as we finished final packing for the expedition that is leaving the house for the day. But this morning, we left her to roam as we do at other times and on weekends. She motored right on out of her room after Joe. She makes a beeline for Julie as soon as she hears her or sees her, but this morning, she was also on the the little handheld vacuum cleaner like white on rice. Joe, in turn, was on Clara like white on rice for that! ("No, Clara, no! Don't touch!") He of course does not remember that when he was as old as Clara is now, and Julie would be fixing her hair in the bathroom after he was nursed and dressed (now Julie gets herself mostly together before everyone else is up), he used to motor on in to the bathroom and go right for the cover of the bolt that connects the toilet to the floor (which Clara also adores; clearly Fisher Price has missed the boat on this one).

I love you! No, I love YOU!

Here are Julie and Joe at stories-before-bedtime tonight. Joe decreed that he wanted to sit in Mommy's lap, and upon nestling himself in, he announced, "I love my MOM-my." Julie replied, "I love my JO-seph." Back and forth they went before settling in to Spot Goes to the Farm and Green Eggs and Ham. Julie soaked this all up because, it must be noted, of late, there have been more than a few times when she has been holding Joe as he wails "I want Daaaaadddddyyyyy!!!!!" Who can blame him? Ted's pretty great. What is also pretty great is how, seemingly all of a sudden, we can now chat with Joe--like real back and forth--and now, you never know when our Joseph is going to sidle on up and tell you he loves you.

*The second shot seen here is a bonus shot in which Joe can be seen saying "CHEESE!" for all he's worth, but not "Cheese for the camera!" as he has been known to parrot back exactly as you have instructed when you have said "Say cheese for the camera!"

Where is Uncle Scott?

Joe had gotten into a routine of seeing Uncle Scott in the morning. Ted would carry him into the living room to see Scott on the sofa usually with Raleigh lying on top of him - yes, these were the fine accommodations we offered - we don't call it the Raleigh House for nothing! Though Scott left on Friday, Joe still woke up this Sunday morning and said "Where is Uncle Scott?...I want to see Uncle Scott and Raleigh."

Uncle Scott not only entertained Joe and Clara this past week, but he managed to get two plumbing problems fixed, take apart clean and reassemble the gunked up laundry machine, patch the ceiling crack that irked Ted for the past 5 years, buy groceries, cook dinner all week, cook and freeze two batches of soup, bake 5 batches of cookies for Julie's cookie exchange, clean the house at least twice, do multiple loads of laundry, do our shopping, and a variety of other fun chores around the house! So we are mostly healthy now with a clean house and stocked fridge and freezer thanks to Uncle Scott (but not Raleigh)!