From a few weeks ago

We were taking a walk through the Old Town one afternoon when we came upon a movie being filmed in the Main Square. Ilyas and I were checking out the excitement, when he ran over to a pole leaning against the car and started saying "doggie, doggie!" It was one of those fuzzy microphones (a boom?) used in movies, but apparently he mistook it for a furry friend!

A few days later we were taking another walk through the Old Town, this time with Ajiniyaz too. Ilyas was a few steps behind us, and then he realized that he was no longer right there, so we turned around to find him approaching a woman who was standing with her husband near the entrance to the restaurant. Ilyas ran up to her, miaowing, and started petting the fur-trimmed cuffs of her jacket! He said "Hi cat! Miaowwwwwwwwwwwww!" Ajiniyaz and I were cracking up. The woman and her husband were slightly confused, but they were nice about it :-)

Wednesday-March 25, 2009

This morning we went to Ikea. I didn't need to buy anything, but we were bored, it was cold out and--most importantly--I remembered that now that Ilyas is 3, he is allowed to go to Smaland, Ikea's child care center/playroom! Parents are permitted to leave their children, aged 3-10, in Smaland for up to 2 hours while they shop. So Idris and I wandered around, having fun looking at bookshelves and sofas and dressers, while Ilyas visited Smaland. At one point I thought I heard Ilyas screaming and raced towards the noise. Luckily, it was someone else's kid! When we went to pick up Illy, the girl told us that he did great, although he didn't go in to play in the ball pit or sit on any of the cool chairs that they had. He preferred to stay close to her and play with a train. Still, I think it went well and we may just make this a regular activity!

When I was making dinner, Ilyas ran into the kitchen giggling, and then ran back out to the living room, where I heard both boys erupt into laughter. I went to check it out and saw that they were playing a game of peek-a-boo. It was so cute! I love it when they interact like that (since their usual interaction involves Ilyas biting Idris' fingers).

Tuesday-March 24, 2009

Idris is now eating table foods. Makes my life much easier not to have to puree everything! Tonight he enjoyed cabbage and carrots that had been cooked in the borscht I made, and then he sipped the soup broth separately. He usually drinks water out of a regular cup (with me holding it) but also figured out how to work a straw in the past few days!

Ilyas is literally growing taller by the day. Last week, he couldn't reach the bottom buttons in the elevator. This week, he can reach them, no problem, without standing on his toes. Crazy!

After much worry on my part, Idris is finally babbling. He's still not doing "gagaga" "mamama" type babbling, but he is vocalizing a lot more with consonants now.

From the past few weeks

Ilyas finally started drinking out of a regular cup. He had been using a straw with a regular cup, but got into the disgusting habit of sticking one hand into the cup while sipping. Yuck. So I took away the straw and voila! It took a day or so with some spills, but now drinks perfectly out of a regular cup, holding it with both hands.

The other day we were looking at some photos on the computer, and I was so happy because when Ilyas saw Aunt Ilene's picture he said "Aunt Ilene!" And then he said "Grandma Hazel!" since he saw that the picture was taken at Grandma's house. Hopefully next time we're in New York he will be happy and calm when we see them.

Idris started climbing up onto these low shelves in the living room. He's also doing a bit of cruising along the couch. He loves being mobile and doesn't want to stay still even for a few seconds to have his diaper changed.

Last Friday we had some new friends over. Ilyas and the 2.5 year old girl had a great time playing together. He was so happy and engaged and talkative. He said "I gonna catch you, Miriam!" and "Miriam, go in the tunnel!" I just loved watching them play together.

Ajiniyaz and a friend took the boys for a walk one evening. They stopped at Illy's favorite ice cream place for a treat. After Ilyas ate his cone, Ajiniyaz went to pay while his friend put on Idris' hat. When they went to leave they saw that Ilyas had a brand new ice cream cone, apparently a gift from a mysterious benefactor!

Ilyas is in love with vegetables, specifically zucchini and mushrooms. He often wakes up asking for vegetables, and continues to ask for them throughout the day. I feel pretty lucky to have a kid who loves vegetables so much.

Monday-March 23, 2009

Today in the car I was listening to a cd. The lady from the Dixie Chicks was singing "sometimes I scream out your name . . ." and from the back seat I heard Ilyas say "ice cream??"

Hee-hee.