Sir Bitty Hat

I was assigned the task to create a shed for Bitty's trains. Not only is he sleeping with them, which keeps him up creating trouble for them to get stuck in, but the trains on the windowsill get quite hot. The Dinosaur Train engine began running on its own one sunny Sunday, and it's not supposed to be solar. 

So we started out with this:

And I gathered some cardboard from my stash that had escaped the recycling. I blended some black paint with vermillion and orange, then applied it first with a brush. I then found that an old card scraped across the paint created a great effect for the brick I was creating.  

I added several more passes of paint then a brick pattern in black. 

And here are Bitty's train sheds, topped with black roofs and taped to the window:

They seem to like the accommodations!

Four's a party!

My husband told me about this article from Slate, about getting a dog before you have children.

http://www.slate.com/articles/life/family/2013/07/kids_and_dogs_if_you_re_having_a_baby_do_not_get_a_puppy.html

The author warns against it, because you won't "love him like a dog should be loved." Her point of view is interesting, but I have to agree to disagree with her. (My husband, however, stands ready to drown the cats at any time.)

Little Bit's first year was hard on them, but now that he is close to three, he is getting to know the pets and interacting with them. He uses Kit Kat as a pillow, and he laughs as our dog, Friday, follows him when he's got food. The dog kisses him some mornings, and he declares that "it tickles!" One day I even caught him making faces at Nacho as she stared back at him. He affirmed that he was trying to make her laugh.

Here's the thing: no pet was our baby. Nacho was a cool roommate who kept to herself- she was two when she came to live with us. Kit Kat was eight weeks old and perhaps could have been our baby, but she liked Nacho best.

And Friday had to deal with two pet siblings when she arrived! They all have their spots on the couch and love to be brushed down and petted daily, but I appreciate how we've successfully learned to share our habitat. Now Bitty helps brush them and gives them treats. His interactions with them enhance the way I feel about the pets.

For example: I never loved the dog more than a day when Bitty was throwing a classic fit at dinner. He felt he didn't have enough trains to play with, and my husband and I weren't going to go for more. So Bitty threw his bread on the floor, where Friday stands guard for falling scraps. Thinking, "Jackpot!" she scooped up the bread and carried it to her kennel. Bitty started laughing and said, "Silly puppy."

Nice save, dog!

A good cry

My little guy has become a con artist. He began with the fake cry, which anyone could spot a mile away. Sometimes it would turn into a laugh when he figured out it wasn't going anywhere. But lately, he's been able to turn on the waterworks- actual tears running down his face- then turn them off in a second. I'm not mad. I'm impressed!

I don't mind a crying baby as much as I did before becoming a parent. In fact, I am a lot tearier than I used to be. Little things like finding a tiny infant sock in the back of the drawer - well, I'm not going to think about it. 

Crying is not a bad thing, though. In ancient Greece, it was considered masculine and courageous to shed tears. I get it. Perhaps the word needs to be spread that the strongest among us are the ones that need a tissue.

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/01/02/fashion/02Cultural.html?_r=0

And if you need a good cry, here's an article from Buzzfeed featuring powerful photos. 

http://www.buzzfeed.com/expresident/most-powerful-photographs-ever-taken

Playing around

My husband and I were marveling the other night at how lucky we are. Yes, yes, to have a great kid and all that, but also to live in a time when we can download an app for $0.99, that then jumps into a device with the press of a button, and in about a minute. Then said great kid can play with great app almost immediately.

Remember when you had to install games on your computer. My dad would do it, and the game would have five discs that you had to download. It would take nearly an hour, and I'm sure my siblings and I didn't play it that long. Remember floppy discs? And the command strings you had to enter to get to the game? I had the one for "Super Mario Teaches Typing" memorized for a long time.

I've already extolled the virtues of "Endless Alphabet," so my next favorite app is Hair Salon 2 from Toca Boca.

http://tocaboca.com/game/toca-hair-salon-2/

My husband downloaded it for Bitty on the kindle, but we've played it more than he has. He prefers to start the game over and over to hear the sing-song prelude to the actual hair styling. But you can cut hair, grow it back, dye it then shampoo, and take pictures of your favorite creations. Very fun.

Choices

I've read several places that giving a toddler choices during the day helps both in the long- and short-term.

http://www.smartparenting.com.ph/toddler/behavior/Giving-Your-Toddler-Choices-Will-Help-Her-Develop-Self-Control

But what if my Little Bit, given the choice of changing into an orange shirt or a red shirt, waves me off and demands milk?

It's early; he gets to drink milk in his pajamas.

Future Doctor?

Tuesday night, my little guy decided that his lowercase letter magnets had suffered minor injuries. I put a bandage on the "u" and the "o" (although I told Bitty the center hole was supposed to be there), then I told him that was the last bandage.

Then he stepped on my bare foot with shoes and bent back my toe nail. I yelped and startled him, but I told him I'd be okay. He gave me a hug and took off, coming back a few minutes later with "o." He pulled off the bandage and put it on my toenail.

He bandaged the wrong toe, and it was now a bit dusty, but he made my heart melt.

Playground connoisseurs

I'm excited about my new Clover French Knitter Jewelry Maker. And a little intimidated.

http://pinterest.com/cloverusa/french-knitter-jewelry/

Amazing stuff, and I have the beads to spare, so I'll keep at it.

It's way to hot to go outside this week, anyway. We were so spoiled this weekend with beautiful weather. Bitty went to two different playgrounds and had two very different experiences.

On Saturday we went to Nashville West, which was full of children. Bitty liked to watch the "big kids" as much as he liked to play, and he gave some of them a shy hello. A pair of sisters made it their duty to instruct him, and they let him know that the scariest slide there (a twisting tunnel slide) wasn't too fast. Call him skeptical, he's not gone down it yet.

On Sunday, just before dusk, we went to Ellington Park. There were just a few tired kids still playing, and Little Bit wanted to play on a large piece of equipment that was empty. Then he decided he was Diesel 10 and was going to smelt me and his father. So naturally I had to run up the stairs to get away from him, then slide down to escape.

Hey, I'm still fun! I just worry more about the state of my khakis while I'm playing. That's what being an adult gets you.

Nashville Showing Off

Last weekend we went to a great production at the Nashville Public Library. "String City" is a joint production with the Country Music Hall of Fame, and showcases fantastic country music and innovative puppetry.  

http://www.musicrow.com/2013/06/string-city-means-smiles/

Little Bit has several puppets and sometimes finds them interesting, so we took an aisle seat just in case we needed to make a quick exit. We had to leave before the end, but we made it to Ricky Skaggs, nearly forty minutes into the show! That's a victory. 

True to form, Bitty was fixated when he saw a train go by on the puppet stage. Afterward, he called, "Trains, please please please!"to the stage when the puppets stayed on too long (his opinion, not mine- I loved it). 

Fixing up a Goodwill Find

This door hanger has been on my craft table for awhile. I originally bought it as a joke before we had Little Bit, but the bear has fallen off a couple of times since then. It's all wood and pretty sturdy otherwise, so I hated to get rid of it. (Just like I hate to get rid of anything.)

The first time it fell, I painted the bear in UT orange before gluing it back to the wood. So I thought I'd give Bitty a "Little Vol" door hanger. First I painted the entire thing blue, then I used a strong craft adhesive that cured over twenty-four hours. I dare that bear to fall off again. 

Then I began to paint the title and accents. I intended to add just a few swirls in the corners, but it was too fun to stop. 

The white dots were done by dipping the end of a paintbrush handle into metallic paint. I'm happy with it, and I can't wait until Bitty notices it this afternoon!

 

I love it!

This week saw the birthdays of both my aunt and my grandmother, and we had a lot of cake around. Little Bit has always appreciated the deliciousness of cake. For example, he didn't smash it on his first birthday- he tasted it, then tried to share with the guests around him. 

I'd say his sharing days are over after this weekend. When my grandmother arrived for her party, and we asked him to wish her "Happy Birthday." He wished her "Birthday Cake." And when he got a piece, he declared, "Birthday cake- I love it!" with a fist pump high in the air. Bitty occasionally incorporated a cake dance while he was eating, as well. 

Happier and Cozier

Last weekend, I had to get something crafty done. I've got several things in the queue but nothing close to being complete. I took some old pillowcases and used primitive embroidery to memorialize one of Bitty's cutest current sayings- "Happy and Cozy."

I picked a combination of fonts on the computer, then used a transfer pen to place it at the top of the pillowcases.

Bitty was interested because I traced on a flat surface. 

Every table needs a train.

Then I chose some embroidery colors left over from other projects. I like buying baby bibs in a ready-made kit, and when I have some left, I keep the strands together. I know the colors will look good together on something else!

I chose the happiest and coziest colors- and I'm pretty happy with the results! I hope Bitty likes it.