Thanks, Grandma and Grandpa, for all my presents!  

Thanks, Godmother Lisa, for my Incredibles DVD!

I promise to post a Christmas re-cap soon. Grandma and Grandpa I. arrived from Virginia yesterday, so tonight is Christmas Part II at our house!

From our present-filled home to yours, Merry Christmas! 

An E-Card from Bitty Man

Merry Christmas!

(This is Bitty's favorite e-card so he wanted to send it to all his fans!)

Hail to the Redskins!

Christmas came early for Mama in the form of a trip to Phoenix to see her first Redskins game. As with most Arizona games, the stadium had more opposing team's fans than Cardinals fans. (How depressing must it be to play for the Cardinals and get boo'ed when you take the field at a home game?) Bitty had a blast cheering every down and entertaining the crowd with his rendition of the Redskins fight song. (And he knows all the words, unlike even most die-hard 'Skins fans!) He especially loved the soda, popcorn and pretzels which kept him occupied during the second half. Best of all, the Redskins won 17-13, giving new meaning to the phrase 'Merry Christmas' for Mama!

St. Nicholas and Bitty -- This was as close as Bitty would get to sitting on Santa's lap! 

Happy Saint Nicholas Day!  

Bitty and Mama 

Not-So-Bitty Man

Bitty had his 30 month well-baby check today. Bitty has always been, well, Bitty in size. Hence the nickname. At birth he was in the 10% for weight and just under 50% for height. By his first birthday he was still 10% for weight but had dropped to 10% for height. At two he was up to 25% for both height and weight.

Today, at 2 1/2, he is just over 50% for both height and weight! I knew he had gone through a serious growth spurt by how quickly he grew out of his summer clothes. But I also knew that most toddlers have a growth spurt around age 2. So I was pleasantly surprised to learn that my Bitty Man is, technically, no longer Bitty.

And I'm proud to brag that the doctor pronounced Bitty, "Off the charts, developmentally... Well exceeding all expectations for a 30 month old." Best of all, Bitty did not even flinch when the nurse gave him a 'pokey-pokey,' exclaiming, "That was fun!" as we left the examination room.

But no matter how physically average or developmentally off the charts he is, he'll always be my Bitty Man.

It's Snowing in Bitty's World!

Well, on the computer anyway:
Snow Days

Make-A-Flake

Bitty and Uncle Tony. (And this is the closest Bitty is getting to riding a motorcycle until he's 18!) 

Thanksgiving at Grandma & Grandpa's

Bitty, Daddy, Cousin Tori and Aunt Cristie at Grandma's Piano.

Turkey Pinecone Craft

Amazing what can be done with a pine cone, construction paper and glitter! I don't know who had more fun doing this art project, Bitty and his 5 playgroup friends or the Mommies!

Pinecone Turkeys
1 Pinecone
Construction Paper
Acorn OR Brown Pom-Pom
Small Red Pom-Pom
Paint/Crayons
Glitter
Pipe Cleaners
Eyes

Trace your child's hands on the construction paper and cut them out. These are the 'feathers'. Let your child go nuts painting/coloring/glittering the 'feathers' and pine cone. Attach the 'feathers' to the pine cone using glue. The brown pom-pom (or acorn if you have one) becomes the 'face', the red pom-pom the 'waddle', pipecleaners for beak and legs and eyes for, well, eyes.

Happy Half Birthday, Bitty Man!

Bitty is officially 2-and-a-half years old. He is thrilled with his newfound status... although he's still expecting a cake and presents to appear sometime today. I wonder if a muffin and Matchbox car will suffice?

Help Support My Pumpkin Spice Latte Habit!

I know a lot of you have ordered jewelry from this website. I've ordered several pieces and have been thrilled with the quality -- not to mention the price! If you place an order after clicking through my link (below and in my sidebar) I'll earn some extra Starbucks money!

For the 20+ people who check this sight daily.

Mama is too emotionally drained from last night's Redskins victory over the Iggles to compose anything witty or even informative for a Blog entry... so here's a cute picture to tie you Bitty Fans over until my creative juices are flowing again!

Where in the World are the Bitty Fans?

Frappr! Maps are the newest blogging rage. Add your location and greeting to Bitty's Frappr Map!



(And no, I've not included Bitty's location for safety reasons. Those of you who know and love Bitty know where to find him!)

All right, who gave me the NutriGrain bar?!? 

Happy Halloween

TRICK OR TREAT!!! (M&M's if you've got 'em!) 

Bitty Kitty has been quite the hit at the various Fall/Halloween festivals we attended over the weekend. Tonight he'll trick or treat at a few houses in our neighborhood... but only a few. As we've learned the hard way this weekend: Processed sugar + Bitty Man = LOOONG night for Mama and Daddy!

If Only...

My blog is worth $564.54.
How much is your blog worth?

Think we can receive this in small, unmarked bills?

Bitty gives new meaning to the phrase, 'I'm so tired I could fall asleep standing up.' 

Name That Quote

Bitty's newest achievement is memorizing lines from books and movies then repeating them at the oddest times. Which makes for a fun game for Mama and Daddy as we try and guess where he's learned the latest little gem.

On the way to Mass this morning: (Hint, it's from a book.) "Don't ever, EVER dig holes under this fence!"

At dinner last night: "I never thought I'd see the day when an ant put himself ahead of the colony."

And when it's not lines from a movie or a book, he's repeating what he's learned from his relatives:
"Grandpa says, 'Righty-tighty, lefty-loosey!'"
"Aunt Mary says, 'Uh-oh, SpaghettiOs!'"

So watch what you say around Bitty. It may be repeated time and time again. (As Mama learned the hard way when she dropped a glass bottle of salad dressing on her foot -- her broken while dancing thus ending her dancing career arthritic left foot -- thankfully it was only the 'bad darn-it' word and not something much worse!)

As Bitty would say, "Mama, Daddy and Bitty... that's our family!" 

Bitty trying not to get spat upon by the camels at the Renaissance festival.

Out Of the Mouth of Bitty

Aunt Mary: "Bitty, can you tell me where water comes from?"
Bitty: (Without missing a beat) "The fridge."

All aboard! Bittyman and his Thomas the Trains. 

Mensa for Toddlers?

DISCLAIMER ~ The following entry is filled with Mommy bragging. If you have a problem with reading about how amazing my kid is, well, then get your own blog and brag away about your little genius.

My dear friend Kristen recently wrote in her Mommy Blog that it is just not mathematically possible for EVERY child to be a genius.

That being said, mine is. (And so are Kristen's two children. Seriously.)

This was a conversation Bitty and I had yesterday after shopping at the Wild Oats grocery store:

Bitty: (Spying some outdoor tables) "Mama, let's sit down and relax and eat our treat."
Mama: "Well, OK. Go pick out a table."
Bitty: (After a bite of his muffin and sip of his juice) "Mmm, that's good. So, Mama, did you have a nice day?"
Mama: (laughing) "Why yes, Bitty, I'm having a nice day. How about you?"
Bitty: "Yes, I'm having a good day. Maybe after our treat we can go to (name of city where Daddy works) and listen to the jazz band?"
Mama: Well, no, not today. We'll be going to see Daddy play later this week with your Aunt and Uncle.
Bitty: "I want to go play trumpet in the jazz band. When I get bigger go to work and I'll play trumpet."

After that I wasn't really listening because I was thinking to myself, 'what toddler has conversations like this?' Keep in mind, Bitty is only 28 months old. And he's been conversing like this for the past few months.

If he's not monologing about his career plans, then he's singing. Entire songs, in tune. Of course there is the obvious Wheels on the Bus and Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes. But that's so 6 months ago. Over the summer his repertoire expanded to include Hail to the Redskins (even the tricky middle part that most die-hard Skins fans mumble through), Celiene Dion's version of All By Myself (Mama is a big Celiene fan), and most of the Backyardigans greatest hits. And if that isn't musically masterful enough, Bitty will take a standard tune, say Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star and improvise his own song about whatever he's doing at that moment. I know professional singers who can't improvise lyrics on the spot.

I just want this all recorded for posterity so if Bitty brings home a 'C' grade in high school and tries to justify it by saying he isn't smart enough to get an 'A', I'll pull up this entry and remind him that he was a baby genius -- so he best get crackin on the books because I know he can do better!

I know it's not even October, but...

Bitty INSISTED on trying on the Halloween costume that he INSISTED Mama buy him during our trip to Target this afternoon. Mama gently pushed for the lion or even the Dash (Incredibles) costume, but Bitty wouldn't hear of it. He wanted to dress up like his 'Mr. Kitty'.

Redskins 14, Cowgirls 13

HAIL TO THE REDSKINS! HAIL VICTORY! BRAVES ON THE WARPATH! FIGHT FOR ALL DC!

The last time the Washington Redskins beat the Dallas Cowboys in Dallas, I was a young, single, chick singer performing on a cruise ship. Yep, it was THAT long ago.

Needless to say, Bitty's family is EXTREMELY excited about tonight's come from behind victory over the dreaded cowgirls. (Although Bitty had the audacity to fall asleep on Mamma's lap during the 4th quarter, forcing both her and Daddy to do quite a bit of silent screaming!)

Good thing we have the game recorded on Tivo so I can show Bitty what he missed. For Redskins fans, this victory was our Superbowl!

Sleeping Bitty and Kitty 

More Ways to Help

Do you have a bag of gently used clothing that you've been meaning to take to your local Goodwill? Box it up and send it to Society of St. Vincent de Paul, Houston, TX instead.

Many families of soldiers serving overseas have now been displaced. Soldiers Angels - Operation Katrina Soldiers Relief Fund is helping those military families.

And for Bitty's fellow Cheeseheads, the Brett Favre Fourward Foundation is taking donations to help children devastated by the hurricane in Brett's home state of Mississippi.

Prayers

Bitty Man, Mama, and Daddy are all storming heaven with prayers for those affected by hurricane Katrina.

We're also making a donation to Catholic Charities. Other worthy charities:
American Red Cross
Salvation Army

Blog readers may be interested the Instapundit Blog for Relief where you will find links to dozens of other charities supporting the relief efforts in the Gulf Coast. For news and commentary, check out Michelle Malkin and Times-Picayune Breaking News Weblog.

Pray, give, pray, and give some more.

Daddy and Bitty Man Four-Eyes. (Let's hope Bitty has Mama's eyesight instead of Daddy's!) 

Bitty's favorite things: Little People and cars! (With Thomas the Train a close third.) 

Big Mistake, Costco... HUGE!

Recently, the main topic of discussion at playgroup has been Costco's decision to stop carrying Pampers brand diapers and instead carry the *new* Costco/Kirkland brand of diapers. All of playgroup is in agreement that Kirkland just doesn't cover the mustard, so to speak.

I gave Kirkland a try, I really did. I bought a box a month ago but within 2 days of use realized they ain't no Pampers. Half the stickie tabs wouldn't stick and there were more leaks than Karl Rove's office.

So we begrudgingly bought a box of Huggies, the other brand Costco still carries. And I quickly remembered why we stopped buying Huggies two years ago. Not enough elastic at the legs and too little absorbent padding -- especially where little boys need it most.

Which forced us to do the unthinkable. This past weekend we joined Sam's Club. For one reason and none reason only -- they carry Pampers. $35 membership fee so we can purchase our diaper brand of choice. And we're not the first family from playgroup to jump ship to Sam's Club. I have yet to find one Mommy who likes the Costco brand of diapers.

So, Head Honchos at Costco, each time we go to Sam's Club for diapers is one less trip to Costco that I'll be making. We go through one box of diapers a month. Each trip to buy diapers we inevitably also buy groceries and other household goods totaling at least $100. One less trip a month, times 12 and that's a pretty big annual loss for Costco. Multiply that by all the Mommies who love their Pampers... sure hope your profit margin on those Kirkland diapers is worth it.

Bitty's Favorite Website

National Zoo Panda Cam

The live panda cams provide a window into the world of the National Zoo's new giant panda mother, Mei Xiang. She gave birth to a male cub on July 9. Bitty loves watching the baby panda, as does Mama. (Thanks, Grandma, for the link!)

Random Blogging

• Our heat wave has finally broken... if you call highs in the low 100F's 'broken', which we do after record-breaking highs near 120F. It's still too darn hot to even go to the swimming pool during the afternoon, but at least Mama is no longer having constant headaches and nausea. So I can return to my regularly scheduled blogging.
• Bitty Man is going through a crazy growth spurt. He has grown 2 inches in the past 8 weeks. To put that in perspective, he only grew 1/2 inch from January to May of this year. Which has led to our newest problem -- none of his clothes fit. Everything I purchased in April and that he received for his birthday in May is too small. So the dilemma becomes how much money to spend on new summer clothing that fits, knowing that I've already blown the summer clothing budget and that I'll be needing to buy fall clothes soon. (OK, fall comes to these parts around October so maybe not that soon.) Methinks I'll be searching for NWT 3T Boy on eBay.
• Bitty's repertoire now includes 'Hail to the Redskins!'. We've been practicing for the upcoming NFL season -- made even more exciting by the recent purchase of 3 tickets to a Redskins game later this fall! This will be both Bitty AND Mamma's first live 'Skins game!

Last weekend Daddy performed at a jazz festival where Bitty got to try out different instruments at the 'Instrument Petting Zoo'.  

*NOTICE -- THE ADVENTURES OF BITTY MAN HAS BEEN SUSPENDED UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE DUE TO EXCESSIVE HEAT. MAMA AND HER KEYBOARD HAVE MELTED. THANK YOU.*

Kissing Cousins

Bitty Man wants to welcome to the world his 12th first-cousin! Emma Jean was born on July 16, back in Cheesehead territory. She is 10 pounds, 5 ounces and 22 inches (reminding Mama how 'bitty' Bitty Man really was at 7 pounds, 1 ounce and 20 inches).

Happy Birthday, Emma Jean!

I'm sorry.

123F.

Seriously. That was the carmometer temperature this afternoon.

I did finally figure out how to change the 'cool car' computer display from the temperature reading to the clock... but it's kinda like driving by an accident. You can't help but look. 116F... 119F... 123F.

I hereby apologize to all my friends and family in Virginia, for all the times I gloated last January when you were under several inches of snow while I enjoyed highs in the 50's. And to those of you in the mid-west, who I teased unmercifully when you were digging out from under a foot of snow while I sported shorts last March, my sincere regrets.

So please, accept my apologies... and make it stop!

Too much knowledge...

It's been a week and I still love my minivan. What did I do before power sliding doors and tailgate? Who knew a 6-CD changer would come in so handy? And I still have half a tank of gas so the MPG isn't that bad...

But there is one feature in my 'cool car' that I could definitely live without. I've decided it's not necessary to have a digital thermometer -- 'cause I really didn't need to know it was 115F this afternoon. I already knew it was hot. Burn your hands on the steering wheel even with the sunshade hot. Feeling dizzy and nauseous because you didn't drink enough H2O hot. National Weather Service excessive heat warning hot. And actually seeing that number blazing in all its neon glory in my car just made it all the more oppressive.

Thank you, Grandma and Grandpa I.! I love my Harley Big Boy Bike! I can ride with Uncle Tony now! 

Remember that bike Bitty Man wanted Grandma to buy for him? Guess who is the proud owner of a Harley Davidson tricycle.