Nothing Could Be Finer Than Christmas Time With Connor

It was a fine day celebrating a second Christmas with Connor. He was all smiles and joy as he explored his wondrous new delights; dishes and books and tools and flashing lights and pop gun. Connor doesn't get frantic or overwhelmed, he just moseys around picking up one thing after another and checks it out. He shared with me, and then he shared with Christian and he shared with Christian and then he shared some more. Christian was definitely the fave this Christmas day.

The cutest thing was he received Home Depot toddler tools from both sets of Grandparents. He was in tool heaven. Tools buzzed, whirred, snapped, stretched and clamped for most of the afternoon. And Connor was all smiles. That boy loves to push a button.

Nothing could be finer than Christmas time with Connor.

Christmas Gift

I selected a small collection of books for Connor's Christmas from my book shelves. All of them needed to be the right size, color, and maturity level. It was fun, and reminded me of a conversation I had with a fellow colleague at work several weeks ago.

She asked, "What are you getting your grandson for Christmas?"

Now I know enough about human nature to know that was an invitation for me to ask her what she was getting her granddaughter for Christmas. So I did.

"Oh, I'm not sure. What are you getting your granddaughter for Christmas?"
"I'm getting her the cutest little pink electric car."
"Well, I'm not doing nearly that for Connor. I'll get him a book."
After a gulp or two, she said, "Well, well, that's a nice gift also."

...And it is.

Babysitting December 20,2010

Typical male, days before Christmas and Roger was desperate to do some shopping. I hadn't seen Connor for a month because my energies had been otherwise engaged; Ian's car, leaky faucet, and taking Claire to the doctor and for test appointments, so I volunteered for babysitting duties.

I was afraid Connor wouldn't remember me after a month furlough so I took a cookie along to sweeten the deal. He remembered me but was still reluctant to leave the day care and the peanut butter and graham cracker treats behind.

After he had his cookie and healthy grapes snack from Granny, we got down to the serious business of playing with his new Thomas the Train train set. He was so dang cute. If he wasn't already in my heart he would have choo-chooed his way in on Monday. When I deserted him and sat down on the couch for a spell he would come get me by my finger and gently lead me back to the train. He was so dang cute.

He don't talk much but he sure do communicate! Finger pulling or waah waahing he let Granny know what is what and what is going on and what isn't to his satisfaction.

The other memorable thing he did was carry his snack tin around and then stand on it, bounce on it, wiggle back and forth on it to make it squeak. He is so dang cute.

Christmas is going to be so much fun watching The Connorman discover the goodness of the season in all it's forms.

Playdate Thursday November 25, 2010 and December 2. 2010

Missed playdates can be fun when Connor and Daddy come to Granny's house on Friday after the missed Thursday playdate. Ostensibly they came over because Connor's school was closed the day after Thanksgiving and Roger had the day off, so Roger was going to help sort out my storage room. Alas we played instead.

First we had a grand breakfast at Patty's Eggnest, one of everything, then we came home and watched Connor explore.

I had a music box that enchanted him for a good long time. The most enchanted I have ever seen him except for when he discovered his dad's wrenches, but the music box was a grand second. The only thing that would have made it better would have been if he was able to wind it up himself. He kept trying, and trying, and trying but his little fingers just couldn't manage it.

This music box has a dancing butterfly affixed by a magnet, so as the music box played the butterfly danced. Connor's eyes could not have become any rounder or expressive. The music box was grand entertainment -- until it wasn't. Twenty minutes he watched, wooed, wondered and absorbed and then he explored.

Connor wandered my condo and checked every shelf, nook, cranny, button, control, picture, table, seat, nick-knack, pillow, blanket, chair, plant, fan, plug, bowl, paper, book, DVD, string, door, door knob, escape route, VCR, machines, pens, sticks, sculptures, canes, boxes, bags and package of crackers. Even the container of miscellaneous toys; little stuff, premium's from McDonlds of years past, wore out Matchbox cars, plastic Easter eggs, that sort of stuff couldn't compete with his delight in wandering, wondering, absorbing, and exploring.

Making our world his world.

Playdate Thursday December 2, 2010 was just missed. Missed playdates are no fun.

Roger came to my house and fixed my leaky faucet instead. I'd worked over time all day, and Granny just pooped out. Silly Granny. And I had a grand Christmas hat to give him, a hat that I just know is going to delight him, when I get it to him. which wasn't last night, but will be soon.

Can't wait to present him his Dr Suess Christmas hat. Soon, soon, soon.

Playdate Thursday November 18, 2010

No new photographs due to equipment failure. Did you know cameras need charged batteries?

Connor and I have a fairly mundane routine. I pick him up at school, I drive him home, I sing to him a little, I let him lead me through the garage and inside the house. There he goes one way to start his granny snack, and I go another to let Brandy out, then he lets me look at him for the rest of the afternoon.

And sometimes we cuddle.

Connor and his gang had returned from his Great Grandparents Seventieth Wedding Anniversary Party. Ask Mom and Dad to show you some of the photo's. Connor is so dang cute dancing to the mariachi band and checking everything out in typical Connorman fashion.

His new word was blink or blienk or bloienk, anyway, something like that for when he threw his Captain Crunch cereal for Brandy to go chase. He would throw, bloienk, and laugh. His other sound effect words are "woo" with the big ole eyes and the pushed out lips and "uh oh" for every thing else.

I saw his eyes go all buggy with the woo woo woos when he was showing me the neighbors spectacular Christmas light display.

Yesterday for the first time when I picked him up from school he got his own stuff out of his cubby and helped me help him put on his jacket and shoes. He is so dang cute.

Connor also had a soft baby chicken friend all cuddled up to him. I've never seen him with a "baby" before, but he liked that chicken. He showed me "chickkie's" eyes and sometimes the nose, mouth, ears, and feet. On the flip side of cuddly Connor was the Connor who laughs out loud when ever I crashed his Thomas the Tank engine for him and made it land on it's nose. I can still hear him laughing and laughing and laughing. He does like a thing to crash.

Except him, Connor shed a scared tear when I asked him to bring me my purse not realizing that it was hanging on the bar stool, when he tugged the whole bar stool crashed over. The bar stool missed his head but still pulled him over when it went down. Falling bar stools are not funny.

Playdate Thursday Novenber 11, 2010

This playdate wasn't exactly a playdate, it was more like babysitting. Since the daycare was closed due to Veteran's day I was able to spend the day with the dude while Mom had a playdate with her friend Amy.

And dude he was. He climbed, ran, threw, played, read, crawled, expressed, and explored. Throughout the day he sung, jabbered, cried, watched, and experienced his world expand.

New to me was his ability to wind up his Thomas the Train Engine and watch, or more precisely, listen to it unwind. Over and over and over and over. He threw balls, cars, other toys, and the Thomas the Tank Engine just for the joy of throwing -- it seemed. Just for the joy of being alive -- it seemed.

New to me was his ability to use his chair as a tool. He sat in it. He pushed it. He lugged it across the room to use someplace else. He turned it upside down to use the seat as a winding up surface for Thomas. He stood on it. He used it as a step stool to crawl over the arm of the chair. Luckily he wasn't into throwing chairs -- yet.

New to me was his ability to watch a children's cartoon TV show. He would stand mesmerized in the middle of the floor and watch some animated action. Better for this Granny, he would sit in my lap and watch, mesmerized, some animated action all snugly and warm and down low and still and quiet.

And then he would be off to some other enticing activity.

Throughout the day he played with his toys, lugged his toys, pushed pulled and threw his toys. He lugged his diaper bag, emptied his diaper bag, filled his diaper bag. He carried his green Halloween bucket, he filled the bucket, wore the bucket as a hat, squashed the bucket, and then he would pull it open just to squash it again.

No playdate picture, today was work, the best kind of Granny work.
It was a regular work day for Connor.
Explore, explore and then explore some more.

Playdate Thursday November 4, 2010

Connor, when he felt good, before his crankiness crept in. We couldn't figure out if he was hurting, getting sick, or if he was just plain cranky. He wasn't over-joyed to see his Granny like he usually is when I picked him up at daycare. Shannon said he had been a little "off" all day. He didn't want the pretzels I had snagged from work for him, he fed those to Brandy. He didn't want his diaper changed. He didn't want his vegetables. He didn't want milk. He liked the musical interlude when daddy and I were sharing some online music. He snuggled quite a bit in Granny's lap. He discovered he could drink water out of a regular glass, but Granny wouldn't let him play in the water. Yep, Connor was just a little "off."

He did like playing with the camera and took a pretty good picture of his Mom.

He had a sheet of stickers from a magazine that entertained him. I thought I would have to show him how to pull them off, but the wee smart guy was way ahead of me. By the time I washed my hands he had seven peeled off and was working on the eighth. It is amazing the "games" a little guy can figure out to do with stickers. He scrunched them all up in a wad and stuffed them inside one of his ball toys. He tried to feed them to Brandy along with the pretzels. He moved them from one couch to another and then back. He handed them to Granny. He stuck them to himself. He stuck them to Granny. He tried to feed them to me. 

He was looking at a picture of a woman and I asked him where the shoes were and he showed me. And the eyes. And the purse. 

I taught him to high-five with his foot instead of his hand. I discovered Connor is a high-fiving wonder.

Playdate Thursday October 28, 2010

It was Connor's first official Halloween Party at his daycare and Granny was invited to represent Mom and Dad at the festivities. He was so dang cute all decked out in his elephant costume, having a good time, checking out everything from Granny's lap. He looks sober in this photograph but he had a great time.

The kids played games. When they yeahed so did Connor. When they clapped so did Connor. When they laughed so did Connor. I was amazed at how much participation he could do from my lap.

The kids whapped a pinata and Connor whapped a pinata. He was the first whapper because of his age. He was so dang cute as Shannon helped him take a good bead on the evil eye pinata. He got a pretty good hit more than once. I think they let him have more than his fair share of whaps. Perhaps? Me thinks they like him a wee bit.

Connor was particularly impressed with his candy sack. He didn't know it was supposed to have candy in it, he had fun with the empty, crinkly sack. When the pinata burst Connor bagged one piece of candy, he didn't care, but the other children shared till his bag was overflowing.

Then Connor and the other kids ate to their hearts content. Connor particularly liked the grapes, cantaloupe, cheese and hot dog treats. Believe it or not he was not about to eat any cotton candy. When the other children dug in, he turned away in disgust. When I finally coaxed him into a wee bite he grimaced like I had fed him the worst food on the planet. Later, when Mom tried to give him a bite, he continued to turn away. Now, Smarties on the other hand he handled with the aplomb of any two year old.

He was so dang cute. And that Katie, now, she knows how to throw a party!

A Happy Connor

September 30, 2010

A happy Connor in full possession of Great Aunt Jean's cell phone and cousin Cathy's camera and camera case. All artfully draped on his body. He had enough loops, straps, buttons and blinking lights to keep him happy for hours as he intently studied them, opening, closing, turning on, zipping, unzipping, turning off. What a joy to watch him.

We gently took them away from him when we went out to eat at Mongo's and Jean put the phone safely away in her purse. At Mongo's the chef brought Connor a complimentary white chocolate pumpkin full of chocolate mousse with whipped cream topping. The chef also brought five spoons so Connor could share with his family. He shared, but kept his eye on the concoction as it traveled around the dinner table and came back to him for another scoop. He can scoop with gusto.

As soon as we returned to his home, he went straight to Jean's purse for his phone. He was a happy Connor.

Playdate Thursday October 14, 2010

Connor didn't feel so good tonight, so he snuggled in my lap, broke all his crackers into little pieces, not to eat but to play with, and rejected his all time favorite Pepperidge Farm GoldFish that Katie had packed up for him to take home from daycare. Yep, these were all clues the wee guy was feeling poorly.

After daddy dosed him with a measure of children's Tylenol, he slipped out of my lap and started playing.

He managed to impress his granny with his now complete knowledge of puzzling. Not only can he take the puzzle pieces to the puzzle, he is accomplished at turning the puzzle piece until it clicks into place. Another bit of the world mastered.

I asked him to put his coat on the fireplace and he did!
I asked him to give Brandy a bite of cracker and he did!
I asked him to kiss me and he did!
All verbal requests.
His daddy asked him for the cell phone and he said, "No."

He loves that cell phone.

Connor didn't want any food of any kind although daddy tried to tempt him with applesauce, cheese, mashed potatoes, and his rejected crackers. Mommy came home and he still rejected all food, but when I handed Stephanie a small piece of chocolate candy Connor rushed to her from across the room like a starving fledgling. We all stood there open mouthed, like starving fledglings. How does he know that is candy? That it is different? No one gives him candy. How does he know that's chocolate? No one gives him chocolate.

That's a childhood mystery that shall remain a mystery. Roger said Children must just be hard wired -- somehow.

My final thought on Connor this morning was something I forgot to put in the inaugural post: Connor loves, Loves, LOVES knowing the sequence of things. The sequence of me picking him up on Thursdays. The sequence of feeding Brandy.

The sequence of me leaving: "Grannies leaving," is announced. Granny collects her stuff. Connor runs to the door, all the time busy giving me kisses or throwing kisses. Daddy opens the door and Connor steps onto the porch and waves me away. That's how it's done.

One time a lady stopped her car in the middle of the street to point out to me that Connor was throwing me kisses as I walked to my car. It was a kind act by a stranger, but I was fully aware of his actions. Connor knows how to throw kisses.

It is a joy watching him in the power of his complete knowledge of a sequence.

To Connor From Granny

Connor as he was one week ago today, October 7, 2010.

I don't know why it's taken me almost two years to start a Connor Blog. Well, I didn't start the Taylor Blog until last October, so I guess technically I'm only one year late.

He was born complete, with his teeny crooked foot, and fell into a bucket of love. I've seen every tiny increment of his development for the past twenty-one months. It has been a joy!

I saw him lift his head, flip over, and crawl, with his mom crawling right along beside him to share with him. I've watched his fascination with first this toy and then another. Connor loved the toy from Claire, the one with all the loops looping around that rattled, crunched and shone. He loved that abacus toy that he would lift up and move when I didn't know how he could possible do it, so small he was. He loved any noise maker, if it mooed, hissed, screeched, sung or dinged he was there. He loved boxes, empty boxes, big or little boxes. He loved/loves boxes.

I saw Connor toddle his first step, climb, push push toys, pull pull toys, and throw throw toys, well, throw everything. I saw him push, pull and climb into boxes. The perfect trifecta of pleasures.

I saw his eyes light up with the push fire engine, the shiny red bike, his dad's wrenches. I saw him hang onto his mom's vanilla, her mixer, her cookie press, all delights beyond measure.

I watched him sit, stand, walk, and almost run. If I sat on the fireplace he would sit beside me, if I sat on the step he would sit beside me, if I sat on the floor he would sit beside me, if I sat on the couch he would run off and play with his toys. He learned to find fruit in my purse, comfort in my lap, and how to do everything to a book; eat them, knock them over, stack them up, or sit and be read to. What a joy!

I waited seven months, along with the rest of the family, for when we first suspected him of cutting teeth to when he actually cut his first tooth.. I watched him dance, his very first interactive choice with the world was to dance. He was a wee little guy and I would hold his fingers and he would dance. I think he danced with his mom every evening when she came home from work. First food, first bath, first boat ride, first Christmas, first candy cane, first birthday, first truck, first hair cut. They have all come and gone. What a joy!

And look at him now, studying things. Studying things to see how they work. Always thinking, observing, figuring out this world he belongs to. Figuring out cell phones, remotes, cameras, computers, car seats, openers, closers. He has learned to get his little pointing finger poised to push what ever button needs pushing. Figuring things out one bit at a time.

He loves things hanging around his neck, draped on his arm, or dangling from his wrist. He can dress up in fanny packs, purses, back packs, belts, or watches. He can lug things across the floor.

He can protect his food from Brandy or feed her which ever he chooses. He can pull Brandy's tail or steal her bed. He can tug at his grannies heart. He is The Prince, The Wee Guy, The Connorman, grandson, nephew, and son to those of us who love him.

I linger here  --  relishing all the joys to come.

Love Granny