train movie

That's all he wanted to do all day. He'd point to my computer or to the DVD player and chant his mantra. He wasn't feeling all that great. He took 3 naps today, unusual for him, and I might have been concerned if I hadn't thought to check the label of his prescription cold medicine: antihistamine + cough suppressant + decongestant. The first 2 ingredients cause drowsiness, the third hyperactivity (especially in me), but the first 2 overwhelmed the other and he got some nice rest. He also wanted to eat all day, which made me wonder if there is a 'secret ingredient' that I didn't know about...

I washed clothes and followed Dennis around today, picking up what he threw on the floor. His naps prevented me from doing some necessary errands (excuse me while I put the cat outside--I didn't know she was in here and I see her in the kitchen sink licking the dirty dishes--EWWWW). Where was I going with that? Oh, yes, I didn't get to the post office to stop the mail but Ellen informed me that here in the 21st century, we can do that online. Excellent. And now it's done. But I still have to buy stamps for the Christmas cards and apply them all.

After Dennis had eaten everything readily available in the house, it became necessary to leave the house to find food. I bundled him up in a very large jacket (I bought a size 2T, expecting a bit more growth than we got) and we went to Wal-Mart. I was thinking we'd eat at McD's there and then buy the pet food that the pet sitters will need. McDonald's closed just as we walked up. So, pet food and toilet paper purchased, we hit the Wendy's drive-thru. Dennis ate an entire kid's meal on the way home with me poking chicken pieces and slices of mandarin orange back there for his eager little fingers to grab. When we arrived home, he drank his milk and danced around for awhile. He giggled over those oranges like they were candy. He LOVES those things. I'm glad he likes to eat vitamin C foods, especially now. He's all medicated and in bed now, and when David checked on him a bit ago, he was sleeping peacefully. He sleeps with his head on a pillow now. He doesn't stay on it all night, but he spends a good bit of the night that way. Another sign of growing up, I suppose.

Keeping up with our nativity figures is much easier now that Dennis has appropriated a basket to keep them in. He did dump the basket gleefully a few times, but the first couple of times he put everything back in it. The last time that job fell to me, and Joseph is missing again. I hope he didn't go too far. The cat was in here... It's a cold night... Scary.

I can't believe the conversations we have now. He knows so many things! True, he keeps his dissertations to a word or two in a row (with a helpful gesture sometimes), but he makes observations that make me so proud! He reminded me to turn the light off when we were leaving his bedroom (pointed to the switch and said "off" while holding the door open). He asked me to sing Old MacDonald to him (by saying "E-I-E-I-O") and he would request which animal I sing about by naming one every time I started a new verse. He was so happy that he hugged and kissed me after I sang it. He has started saying "thank you" when I change his diaper or give him something. And he tells me when he's gone to the bathroom much of the time. He's a pretty aware little guy.

I think the most fun thing for him today was discovering my webcam. I turned it on so he could see himself on the screen, and he watched himself while I had him point to his hair, eyes, ears, nose, mouth, teeth, and fingers. He watched himself laugh, and then he made some faces and laughed. He did a few excellent "fish lips" faces and laughed each time. We looked at Caedmon and Mirella pictures on the computer and watched a couple of short videos that I took on our trip this summer. I think he's ready to go see them. I know I'm ready to be there, even if the grand high temperature while we're there will be 40 degrees (but it will only reach this one day). One more day!