Summer Wrap Up

Summer is coming to a close for me as of tomorrow because the semester at work unofficially begins. New students move in on Thursday and student workers return tomorrow. I am thrilled for a new year to begin.

Iain and I had a blast in D.C. celebrating his birthday in the rain that soaked the city. We attended a MLS game and fortunately had seats which were just under the pavilion so we didn't end up drenched. We did throw back a few drinks and cheered on any player that did anything remotely exciting. The level of play in the U.S. isn't quite as exhilarating as the European soccer that fills our house every Saturday and Sunday from August until um, the following August. Or so it seems like. The game wasn't the most uplifting event ever but when anyone made a bit of an effort, we all cheered. The stadium was about halfway filled and the D.C. United fans were a lot of fun. I did see David Beckham. He did get a lot of cheers from the crowd but I also heard a lot of catcalls like "Pretty Boy!" Mean people.

On Sunday morning, we walked around a little more checking out the American History Museum and some other random sights. I personally loved the exhibit on the American presidents and first ladies. Pretty amazing stuff. We also stopped at the Smithsonian Castle and saw the "pile of stuff" from the movie, Night at the Museum-Battle at the Smithsonian.

Callum had an awesome time visiting with Aunt Karen and Uncle Tedd. He played, slept and ate well. They went on walks, in the jacuzzi and spent time with cousin AJ and dog Megan. We are so lucky to have such wonderful family members to keep our little one on occasion! Callum's recent 15 month check up went very well. Dr. Kauffman was very pleased with his health and development. He now weighs in at just under 25 lbs and is 31 & 1/4 inches tall. He's even had his flu shot so hopefully no more appointments until his 18 month exam. The nurse complimented him on his lungs after she took his height and head measurements.

On a final note, a big THANKS to the anonymous sponsor of my new, red, Paula Deen griddle! I was able to make the boys French toast this weekend. It was worth all 7 points I had to give up in order to enjoy it. I hope to make many more delicious breakfasts and grilled cheese sandwiches with it!

I hope you've had a fantastic summer and that you manage to squeeze some fun in before Labor Day. I'll be welcoming exchange students, helping with new student Welcome Week and running a midnight BINGO extravaganza. Can't get better than that! Heck, I'd attend if I could to win a Wii.

Happy Birthday Iain!

I'm taking 5 minutes between packing and laundry to wish a big Happy Birthday to my hubby. He turns the big 3-2 tomorrow. When I asked him how he felt about the year, he said "Good! 32 is my favorite number!". Works for me! Happy Birthday Baby! We love you.

The two of us, sans Callum, are off to Washington D.C. tomorrow for an afternoon/evening away to see D.C United MLS Team take on L.A. Galaxy. Iain's excited for the game; I'm excited for the possibility of seeing David Beckham in the flesh. Callum's excited for a swim in Aunt Karen and Uncle Tedd's jacuzzi. It should be a great day!

Sweetest Place on Earth?

The Burnetts have been busy with trips, travels and adventures. Some better than others. On the positive note, we were able to spend the weekend in Pittsburgh visiting Jen and Jason Koisor. Callum managed to stay awake on the car ride there despite our attempts at the bath and pajama routine. When we were 25 minutes from their house, he passed out. It was a quick assembly of the Pack 'N Play and he was into dreamland. Dreamland abruptly ended at 6 a.m. the next day. On Saturday, while the boys ate and drank at a restaurant that is named after owls, the girls and Callum ventured to a REAL mall. We don't have these in South Central PA. I like South Central PA a lot. But I Miss Real Malls. You know, the kind with at least four department stores, 10 shoe stores, a merry-go-round, a food court, elevators (elevators = more than one floor), masses of people, bad parking, but GOOD SHOPPING. Where you see a clearance rack in Macy's that has shoes that are marked down from $275. There is nothing in the Chambersburg Mall that does not plug into the wall that costs $275. But I digress. The girls and Callum ventured through the mall including a brief stop at Victoria's Secret in which Callum fell in love with the Pink Dog.

He was thrilled to find a dog his size that he could pat and pull its tail. Geno, the Kosior's dog, wasn't as receptive. After bonding with the Pink Dog, Callum pulled some tank tops on the floor and we quickly exited.

That evening we had a fiesta dinner and caught up on girl talk. The boys came home late. On Sunday, we hung out, drank coffee and then headed out at lunchtime. This time Callum did sleep. The week ensued and on the following Friday, we made an attempt to visit Hershey Park. I've come to appreciate who Callum is as he is affectionate, funny, loving and rambunctious. He is also determined, often focused on one thing and hard to handle. But we love him. Callum did not do well at Hershey. The weather was 83 degrees and in total, we likely walked close to 10 miles. I do not over exaggerate because a friend just went, wore her pedometer and walked 9. During our 10 miles, I held Callum for approximately 7.5 of them. He didn't want to walk or ride in his stroller, but rather have Mommy carry him. He also didn't want Mommy out of his sight for a second. This made is hard to even go to the bathroom without a major meltdown. By the time we left the park at 6:45 p.m., I felt like I had run a marathon. We won't be taking Callum to an amusement park again any time soon. The highlight of my day was his second nap. See pic.

His 15 month check up is tomorrow so we'll find out his stats but the child must be 25 lbs. at least. His two new words, that no one but Mom and Dad would understand, are "again" and "Big Bird". He likes Sesame Street which is a bit of a relief some evenings!

Haircut

Callum wiggled and squirmed through his first haircut but everyone involved managed to make it out of Shear Delite unscathed. Julie, my stylist, gave him two thumbs up for his behavior so I guess he hasn't won the award for "worst child". That'll be next time perhaps?

Weekend Recap

Our weekend consisted of relaxing, some DIY around the house and more relaxing. It was a nice time because we were tired from the week post-vacation. Iain managed to get the grass cut, hang our new blinds and curtain rods as well as getting rid of junk that had been around the house and desperately needed to go into the bin. We did make an impromptu trip to the Shippensburg pool so that Callum could play in the water. His most recent obsession is water which I believe stemmed from the trip to the lake. He must be the first child whose mother has ever told him that it was time to stop washing his hands. Callum had a great time at the pool because the baby part had a little section of running water flowing from the ground up and into the air. He played there for a good 20 minutes until his little lips started trembling. It wasn't that cold but cold enough for his body to issue a physical response (no mom, I'm not cold). Another new behavior in Callum's life, not positive, is hitting. Yes, my child is 15 months old and he hits his mom, dad and apparently other children at daycare. I warned his teacher today about the behavior and she mentioned casually that he'd been put into time out the previous week for the same thing. It's hard to hear those kinds of things but I'm glad they are correcting his actions. Callum only had two timeouts at home all weekend and so far, they seem to be doing the trick. The question you may have is- how do they get a 15 month old to sit through a time out? Well, he goes into his highchair facing nothing exciting (we're out of sight) and we set the microwave timer for one minute. According to my toddler behavior book, one minute is for one year olds, two minutes for two year olds, etc. It also said that its important for children to hear the buzz of the timer signaling the end of time. It has helped and we only do it if he has repeatedly broken rules AND we've counted to 3. He's actually reacted to the 1... 2... 3... and lessened bad behavior. Oh the joys! Our next adventure will be his first real haircut on Thursday. We're taking him to my stylist and I'm anxious to see what she can do with his bad-do. He's had two home haircuts that have thankfully grown out but all in all, he looks like the kid who just needs a haircut. Hopefully we'll all survive. You can kind of see his wild baby mullet below: