The Joy of Popsicles

*This post was NOT sponsored by Edy's Outshine Fruit Bars. This is just a memory from Summer 2013 that I want to remember.

This summer, LB discovered the joy of a cold popsicle on a hot day. I offered him popsicles last summer but no matter how hot it was outside he declared them to be "too cold." This year he was singing a different tune. It's become almost a daily or every other day tradition for us. To help him get out of his post nap fog I'll suggest we go outside, watch some cars and have a popsicle. He'll jump up and down and run to the freezer. I enjoy this tradition too considering most days I partake in the popsicle consumption.

At the beginning of the summer, I was perusing the frozen treat section at our grocery store and picked out these Minute Maid popsicles that I remembered from my childhood. I checked the ingredients and lo and behold they all had food dyes. I kept checking other brands and they would have the food dyes and high fructose corn syrup and 20 other ingredients I couldn't pronounce. Yuck. I'm pretty strict about keeping that stuff away from LB. Clearly, I had them as a child and survived but it's a thing I have and I am sticking to it. Finally, I found the Outshine popsicles and they had no dyes, no HFCS and just had a handful of ingredients, all of which I could pronounce and understand. LB has tried most of the flavors and has become very partial to the lime popsicles, which I think is kind of interesting for a three year old. I like good, old fashioned strawberry. So he'll grab his lime one and we'll head to the front steps.

Even though LB loves popsicles now, he still refuses to bite them. So he just licks and licks them into oblivion. If a piece breaks off in his mouth then he spits it out. He's weird. Since he doesn't like to bite them it takes LB about 20 years to finish his popsicle. No joke. And even though I love this daily tradition the mess makes me twitch. I am usually really good about messes but there is something about sticky messes and watching that sticky mess trickle down my child's arm to his elbow and then drop onto his thigh that makes me want to look away. I decided this trickling, sticky mess needed to be documented. Some days he'll let me keep the wrapper on and that decreases some of the stickiness but most days he just wants to hold the stick and doesn't care.

Are you twitching? So gross. But it makes him so happy so I've learned to deal. Once he's finished his popsicle we head straight to the hose and then he ends up playing in the water for a while, which is a good afternoon activity. It works out well. If we have somewhere to go in the afternoon then I try and avoid the popsicle licking extravaganza. Some days we just go straight to the pool. 

It's 66 degrees outside currently so our popsicle days may be numbered for this year. Maybe next year he'll work himself up to taking bites. We can always hope.

I'm feeling nostalgic about Summer 2013 coming to a close already. LB starts preschool next week!

Fireworkers

Forgive me, but I need to go way back to July 3rd and document a major LB first. We had been invited to our friend's house for a 4th of July party on the 3rd of July. They were having people over for dinner and drinks and the plan was for the kids to play in the backyard and then when it got dark we could walk right across the street from their house and have a perfect view of the fireworks. Since LB has been home we haven't really done much for 4th of July. I remember sitting on our couch at our old house when LB was 18 months old and just willing him to stay asleep and not wake up from the loud booms going on outside. Thankfully, both that year and the next he stayed asleep and never even knew that fireworks existed. That was the way it needed to be for my noise sensitive boy. This year we decided we would go to the party and if LB wasn't crashing from missing his bedtime then we would give fireworks a try. His noise sensitivities are so much improved that it seemed silly not to give it a go. And the great thing about our friend's house is that if he was scared we could cross the street and be back at their house and safely inside in no time. I can't express how glad I am that we decided to go for it. He had so much fun and that evening ranks up towards the top of one of my favorite memories from this summer. He still talks about going to T's house "to see the fireworkers." I refuse to correct him because I think "fireworkers" is so dang cute. He also refers to them as "pop pops."

Our friends set up their sprinkler and then had a bunch of balls and toys for the kids to play with and LB spent most of the early evening playing whiffle ball. He may have launched a few balls over the fence, which reminds me that I owe my friend a few whiffle balls. Isn't he just exuding happiness? So fun!

I was glad we remembered to get a picture of just Amy and me. We think the last time we had a picture of the two of us was our last night in Ethiopia together. I guess we've been a little preoccupied taking photos of our boys that we forgot to document that we still exist.

We also got a really great family pic that night. I know that at first glance it looks like LB is holding a beer too. I promise that it is a popsicle.

As it started to get darker, some of the older boys brought out the sparklers and other little fireworks. LB was totally fascinated and insisted on holding a sparkler. We let him and warned him not to touch it because it was hot. What did he do? He touched it. And cried. Thankfully, it just lasted a few minutes. Call me a mean Mommy but I didn't feel sorry for him in the least. He was properly warned. It was a little blip in the midst of a great time. Clearly the below photo was taken prior to the "I am going to touch it because they told me not to touch it" moment.

We got across the street just as they were starting the fireworks and we explained to LB that it would be loud but so cool and amazing. He was mesmerized. D held him initially and I think he felt safe in his Daddy's arms. He kept asking us if they were going to fall on him. I get why he wondered that. It does look like they could fall on you. We promised him they wouldn't but he would still sometimes lean back, just in case. He was so animated about it that he had several people near us just watching him and laughing. I admit to watching him more than the actual fireworkers.

Don't ask why D is wearing those glow in the dark necklaces on his head. I couldn't even begin to explain it. Boys. 

For the finale, he decided he wanted to be a little further back but insisted on staying and watching until the end. The series of photos are really blurry but you get a glimpse of what it was like to see fireworks through LB's eyes.

He's an expressive little one. As the finale really picked up, I do think it got too loud for him but again he refused to leave and wanted to see it. Doesn't it look like he is miserable? But he HAD to see it.

He is ready for the 4th of July again so he can see more pop pops. I know I talk a lot about how much he has overcome and I apologize for sounding like a broken record. But I used to worry so much about him because he was bothered by the tiniest of noises. It feels like such a miracle to witness this change in him. I get that a lot of it is probably attributed to natural development but there is another level of healing that has happened for LB. Some noises he used to bothered by include such simple things like the crinkling sound of a trash bag being opened, the swooshing of bed sheets as you made the bed, the clinking of dishes getting put away, etc. I hope that explains why I am so blown away by his progress. He may have covered his ears at the very end but he ENJOYED fireworks. Maybe one of the loudest things ever. I hope I never forget how far he has come.

A Visit to Young's Dairy

In an effort to satisfy LB's desire to "see my milk come from a cow" and "to squeeze a cow" we drove about 45 minutes down the road to Young's Jersey Dairy. I had actually put it on our Summer Fun List before this interest in cow's milk developed so it was something I was eager to do too. We drive past it every time we go to D's parents' house but had yet to actually stop and visit. So I spontaneously made the decision to go one morning and I'm glad we did. Sadly, LB did not get to "squeeze a cow" but he got to squeeze a pretend cow. At least he got an idea of what it's like but he still needs to "see the milk." Clearly,  I've got more researching to do.

Despite that small disappointment, we had a fantastic time. I called D's parents on the way and they were able to meet us there and spend some time with LB.  Young's was a perfect place for a kid LB's age. He got to see lots goats, including some baby ones, and they had food you could feed them as well. He was a little tentative about that but did eventually work up the nerve. That was kind of the theme of the visit. One of the highlights when we were exploring the barn was seeing a goat pee. Then LB almost rolled over with excitement when the pig and goat "peed at the same time!" Boys. 

He mooed at a pretend cow and was a good sport about my need to take his picture once every 3 minutes. He got to sit on some big tractors and there was a crop duster that was flying around every now and then, which provided a lot of excitement.

One of his favorite activities was the little train ride. The first time he asked me to ride in it with him, which I fully expected. I barely fit but we made it work. As we were going along and getting a cool tour of the farm, he tried to steer the wheel but couldn't because my knees were in the way. He declared, "Mommy, you are too big for this. Next time I do it all by myself." I wasn't sure if he actually would but as soon as we got back he kicked me out and happily went by himself. And he did it 3 more times. He would wave to me and then off they went for about 5 minutes before returning back to where we could see him. I was proud of him for doing it.

There was a kids area with a bounce house, some big slides and a sandbox. LB got really into the slide in the bounce house. Once again, he was nervous at first but conquered his fear and then he couldn't get enough. I was impressed that he was able to climb up all on his own. 

Of course, a trip to Young's isn't complete without having some of their delicious ice cream. I got a vanilla cone since that is his favorite and we shared it. I have to admit it was some of the best vanilla ice cream I've ever had. LB was happy about it too.

It was really a great morning. If you are in the area, then I highly recommend making the drive. LB was passed out in the car within 5 minutes. A sure sign of a successful morning! 

And the quest to "squeeze a cow" continues.

Green Thumb

It turns out that we have a little gardener on our hands. D had a week off back in May and decided to use some of that time to section off an area of of the backyard to plant some tomatoes and peppers. Nothing fancy. He enlisted LB's help and explained the process to him. He gave LB the task of watering the tomatoes and peppers every day so they would grow. LB loves to have a job and to feel like he is helping so he accepted his task with enthusiasm. 

It's crazy to look back at the pictures from the beginning of the summer and to see how tiny the plants were. We got an insane amount of rain in June so LB didn't have to do too much watering and our little tomato plants turned into unruly giants! The peppers came in first and LB was very excited when D told him he could start picking some. In the picture below he is proudly showing me one of the peppers.

See what I mean about monster tomato plants. We did Roma Tomatoes and Big Boys. D's plan is to use the Romas to make his super yummy salsa. And then I will happily slice up the big boys and eat them with just a little balsamic dressing. 

LB started to get a little impatient with the tomatoes because they were growing like crazy but not turning red. Finally, last week they started to turn and he has probably picked around 25 Romas and 5 Big Boys so far and there are still a ton.

Our little garden is so simple but it's brought a lot of joy to LB. Every morning when we leave the house he says, "Mommy, I have to go check my tomatoes." And he walks straight over to them and will give me a status report about which ones are changing and which ones he thinks are ready. If someone comes to our house he will ask them, "Do you want to come see my garden?" And he happily shows it off. The day D told him there were some tomatoes he could pick you would have thought D had told him that Santa himself was coming to our house. He was SO excited. And so proud too of what he had done. He's learned a lot of lessons from our garden. We've talked about how plants need water and sun to grow, that some of our food comes from the ground and there have been lots of good discussions about patience. He is also much more inclined to try and eat it if he has had a part in the process. We were at a friend's house last week and she has some blackberries in her garden. LB asked if there were some he could pick and she pointed out some that were ready. He picked them and immediately put one in his mouth. He NEVER would have tried a blackberry if I had just bought some from the store. I really hope next year we can expand our garden. I told D I have visions of getting some raised beds and growing a lot more stuff. We live in the city and have a small backyard but I'm optimistic we can make it work. (By that I mean, D will figure it out.) This boy is on board for sure!

Zoo Trips

One of the activities I really wanted to do with LB this summer was to frequent our zoo as much as possible. The Columbus Zoo is often voted as one of the best zoos in the country so we're really lucky to live an easy 20 minute drive away. My mom buys us a membership every year so besides a $1 here and there for the merry go round and train, it's a cheap way for us to get out and about, have fun and hopefully learn something. LB and I went to the zoo towards the end of the school year with some preschool friends and I noticed a major shift in how he was approaching the zoo. It was less about pushing the handicap buttons and more about getting excited to see the animals. Don't get me wrong, he still doesn't pass up a chance to push the handicap button (there must be something about pushing a button and seeing a door open that is extremely gratifying) but he tells me what animals he wants to see and asks a lot of inquisitive questions pertaining to the animals at the zoo. The past two or three times we've been I can honestly say that I've had a blast. Before I would have described it as fun but also as exhausting and at times irritating. You know, because of the button pushing. LB also went through a little period last summer where he was nervous about the animals at the zoo. It was like he understood they were big and possibly dangerous but didn't understand that the glass was protecting him. So he would look at something for about 2 seconds and then wanted to move along and find a safe area. There was also the time I told him we were going to see the manatees and he was sorely disappointed when we arrived and there wasn't any mac and cheese. Communication problems were frequent back in those days. Now the manatees are often first on his list of animals to see. Perhaps he still secretly hopes that mac and cheese will be awaiting him.

When we went earlier this summer, they had a lot of animals out for kids to touch. In one day he touched a turtle, a snake, a starfish and a sea urchin. He was pumped. Funny that the kid who used to be afraid of the snakes behind the glass now wants to touch one and doesn't even think twice about it. He also will tell me not to hold him when he does the merry go round. If I touch him then I get a very firm, "No Mommy! I do it myself." Sheesh.

My favorite story from the zoo this summer happened when we went one afternoon while D was in California for work. It was crazy hot but LB wanted to go and I was looking for ways to keep us out of the house and occupied so LB wouldn't miss D too much. So we went. We were in the petting zoo area and LB was very intently watching the horses. He then pointed to one of the horse's genitalia and asked me if that is where milk came from. I explained to him that it was just where the horse peed. Since we potty trained at the beginning of summer, bathroom talk and private parts talk have increased dramatically. I continued to tell him that cows have udders and that we can get milk from cows. He accepted that answer and declared that "horses can just pee like me." As we were driving home, the discussion of the horse's private parts came up again as did that cows make milk. Then he asked me in the most incredulous tone, "My milk comes from a cow?" It was like he all of a sudden made the connection but had to verify and was a bit concerned about the whole thing. I told him "Yes!" and tried to sound really cheery about it because I was worried we were going to have a milk strike on our hands. He paused for a bit and then said emphatically, "Cows milk is really good!" Whew. Dodged a bullet there. From that moment on, he has become obsessed with wanting to squeeze milk from a cow. Obsessed! I have yet to fulfill this desire but am on the hunt if anyone knows of a place where LB could experience this. He's a funny kid.

We made it out to the zoo again last week and explored some areas of the zoo that we don't usually make it too. There is an Australia section with kangaroos and koalas and for some reason we never make it there. The zoo is huge and if you are there for just a few hours then it's impossible to see everything. They let you get really close to the kangaroos and LB loved that. We watched this one for a while.

LB also got to do something he's never done before. They have a place near the petting zoo where you can do pony rides and it was something I never thought of offering to LB. But while we were in New Mexico a few weeks ago (posts on that to come), he started asking about riding a horse. We decided next year we would try that since he would be bigger and hopefully have the ability to go for a longer ride. But the pony ride at the zoo takes about 3 minutes. I asked him if he wanted to and he looked at me like I had just offered him the world. So he did it and he was so pleased with himself. The pony's name was Awesome and LB still talks about it. Awesome was totally awesome. I have to admit that it was a thrill for me to watch him do it. Doesn't he look so big? And happy?

Hopefully, we'll get out to the zoo a few more times before the end of summer.

First Dentist

At LB's three year well visit in January, our pediatrician told us to go ahead and schedule his first visit to the dentist. Did I mention that was in January? Well, I put it off and put it off some more because that's how I roll when I am nervous about something. I kept telling myself that as long as he goes at some point before he is four then it's fine. I actually do that think that is true but I would be lying if I didn't own up to some avoidance behavior. When my mom planned her visit for June, I decided that was the time. I thought LB would do better with her there and let's face it I thought I might need to hold her hand too. I have been dreading LB's first dentist appointment since the day I realized he had some oral sensitivities and defensiveness. I kept thinking to myself, "No way is he going to let a dentist any where near his mouth. He will just have to go his whole life without seeing the dentist." It was a long process for us to even get LB comfortable with a toothbrush in his mouth and we worked on that in our final sessions of occupational therapy. During his twos, he did get better. He also started letting us give him medicine and got less and less defensive. But I still saw potential for disaster despite the signs that it might be okay.

In the weeks leading up to the appointment, I started talking to LB about the dentist. I explained it was like going to see a doctor but they would only be looking at his teeth. We talked about how they would count his teeth and clean them. My mom got him a book, Molly Goes to the Dentist, and we read that several times. We happened to bump into our dentist, who is also our friend, at the Memorial Day Parade. LB has met him several times before, as he is a fellow Ethiopian adoptive parent, but I had never explained to LB that he was a dentist. I had actually talked to our friend about LB several times and he assured me not to worry and if LB couldn't do it then we would try again in a few months. It's nice to have a understanding and sympathetic friend who also happens be to a dentist.

The morning of the big day LB started to put up a fight. As he usually does, he asked if we were going to the "tiny airport" and I told him that we were going to the dentist. That got a big, fat "NO!" Can you blame him? So we talked and talked some more and came up with a plan. The appointment wasn't until 10am so I told him we could go to the "tiny airport" for a little bit, then go to the dentist and then if he did a good job we could go to the store and buy a new plane. He accepted that deal. (We make a lot of deals around here. He is one of the best negotiators I know.) As we were pulling out of the driveway he said, "Mommy, first we are going to the tiny airport. Then the dentist and then to the store. Do you understand my words?" My mom and I almost lost it. I told him that I understood.

When we arrived LB was in good spirits thanks to several jets we saw at the airport and he had his teeth filled with popcorn. Oops. Probably the worst snack you could have before going to the dentist. They called him back right away and he was clearly nervous but holding it together. The dental hygienist did a fabulous job with him. She let him touch everything and explained each step a long the way. LB loves to see and touch things before they go anywhere near the rest of the body so this was a great approach for him. And he did it! The whole check up! She slowly eased him into each step and he complied with each one. He was so brave I could hardly stand it. My mom snapped a few photos of the visit.

Can you see that his buddy, Mousie, made the visit too? So precious. His face in that first photo makes me sad because you can tell he is so nervous. But he really did awesome. I was flying high all day. Well, I was mostly flying high. Our dentist thinks LB will be making his first trip to the orthodontist at age 7. Did I mention LB only has 19 teeth instead of the 20 they are supposed to have? Yeah. He's got lots of dental work in his future. Oh well. This was a big milestone and I was so proud of him!

His Happy Place

Every morning LB asks me the same question and before I can answer he states his opinion. He usually asks within 15 minutes or so of being awake. It goes something like this.

LB: "Mommy, where are we going today?"

Me: "Ummm." (Because I have been awake for 15 minutes and have maybe had 1 sip of coffee."

LB: "Let's go to the tiny airport." (He refers to the OSU airport as the "tiny airport" and the Columbus airport is the "big airport." He keeps things simple.)

Every morning. This is not an exaggeration. He is 100% obsessed. I love that he has a passion and something that brings him so much joy but it does get old. But there is no denying that it is his happy place. They have converted their old control tower to a great little room with a table and chairs so the general public can come and watch planes take off and land. You get a perfect view of the runway and LB brings several of his little toy planes and lines them up on the ledge of the window. They have a little cabinet with some brochures and LB sits there content as can be. Unless it's a slow day and then he incessantly asks, "Where are the jets?" "Is that one taking off?" Several of the workers there know him by name and know that he loves the private jets, as opposed to the smaller prop planes that are used for flight lessons. So whenever they see him they check their computers to see what's coming and going. D even found an app that lets us see what's on the schedule to take off and land. It seems that not everything makes it on to the schedule but it's a good indicator if it's going to be quiet or busy. We have been there more times than I can count this summer and he's gotten to do some pretty cool stuff. 

Earlier in the summer, there was an event hosted by the boy scouts for kids ages 7 - 12. We went. Because LB totally passes for 7. They were letting the kids take rides in the smaller propeller planes. We knew LB wouldn't get to do that but we did get to go in the hangar, which was a treat for LB. D took LB right to the edge of the hangar so LB got a great view of the runway and the planes they were using. One of the OSU flight students noticed LB's excitement and asked him if he wanted to sit in one of the planes they had on display in the hangar. Very sweet. LB was thrilled.

My mom took him to the airport when she was visiting in June and sweet talked her way into one of the hangars. LB made friends that day with a high school kid who is learning to fly. We've seen him there a few times since and LB always gets excited. LB got to check out the cock pit that day as well. (Same shirt. Different visit. I promise. I just really like that shirt.)

I have a billion pictures of LB either sitting on the cabinet or standing by the ledge in the tower. Look a these two photos and then envision that times a billion taking up space on my phone.

At some point in June, we were at the "tiny airport" and bumped into D's good friend from high school, who gradated from the OSU flight school. He had his younger cousin with him and was going to show him around so we got to tag along. LB got to go on the part of the runway where they keep some of the propeller planes parked and sit in them. I didn't take any pictures because I was too worried about him actually running towards the runway. Then we got to go in one of the corporate hangars and see a bunch of super fancy jets. (No pictures allowed in there.) I was afraid I was never going to get him out of there. LB loves planes that have the wings that turn up at the end. He calls them "flat wings" which is a little weird since they aren't flat. But whatever. So he was "teaching" the guy from the flight school about the "flat wings." (I was not at all embarrassed.) But the flight student then gave LB the run down on why some planes have wings like that and I wish I could have taken a picture of LB staring at him so intently and in awe. LB then came home that night and explained to D that the "flat wings" help keep the air from pushing on the wings and they go faster. I was impressed. He may not listen very well at soccer but when it comes to planes he listens.

When my mom was visiting she helped LB line up all his toy planes and took this great picture of him. It's one of my current favorites.

We've accumulated a few magazines from the "tiny airport" that the ladies there have given LB and he'll sit and look through them so seriously and intently. He talks about the one he likes and wants and whether or not he can carry them. The answer to that is always "no." 

He says when he is bigger he wants to be a pilot. Who knows. He's three. But I love that it makes him so happy and that we have a place that is 10 minutes from our house that he hopes to go to every day. Well, maybe I wish he didn't ask every day.