Rudyisms

Song Rudy has been singing recently: "Make the world nice. Fill it up with ice."

During one of our recent snowstorms, Rudy was all excited and asked if it was Christmas again and would he get more presents. (Unusual for us, we had snow at Christmas this year, so I guess he equates snow and Christmas.) I told him, no and tried to explain how Christmas was a set time. Paul had been out at his mom and gram's house. When he returned he had a present for Rudy - a toy his mom and gram had been holding on to but decided to give to him at that time. So I'm guessing now he REALLY thinks snow and presents go together!

The other day we were discussing milkshakes. Rudy asked why they were called milkshakes. I said "maybe because when you make it, you add milk and then shake it up." He said , "Maybe because you put the milk in and when you drink it, you shake because you're cold." Considering that's what I do almost every time I have ice cream, I couldn't argue with his logic!

In the car Rudy said, "I already know how to drive."
Me: "You do?"
Rudy: "Yeah, You turn the wheel and put the music on."
Me laughing
Rudy: "I love music!"

Rudy has always been very aware of nuances in language. Even at 2 or 3 years old, if he would say "There's an elephant." And we would respond, "Yes, it does look like an elephant." He would say "Why you say LIKE an elephant. It is an elephant." It has made us more aware of what we're saying.

Rudy loves telling riddles and jokes. For the longest time it was knock knock jokes with some variation on "orange" - "Orange you glad I didn't say...". Although he usually didn't use it correctly. Now he likes to tell other jokes. Recent jokes:
Why did the chicken cross the road?
To get to the other side.

Why did the bird sit on the nest?
Because he didn't have a chair.

Rudy went through, and is still in, a "why" phase - he asked it about everything. He still uses it a lot but the most common phrase right now is "watch this". All day long he says it and we are expected to watch him as he jumps, twirls, 'skateboards', makes a silly face or whatever action inspires him at the moment.

Rudy continues to tell us stories about when he was little. Most recently he told us about a storm he was in, that picked up the house. And Grandma Sheila saved him. (We really think he often confuses the names Grandma Sheila and Mama Cruz). (Can you tell he's seen the Wizard of Oz recently?)

When Rudy gets mad at us, usually when we don't do something he wants us to do or we correct him or put him in time out, he starts giving us ultimatums:

"If you don't be nice to me, I won't be your friend."
"If you don't play with me, I won't let you play with me."

And my personal favorite "I'm not going to come sleep with you when I wake up." (I'm still trying to figure out how to hold him to that!

End of a Decade

A month or so ago, I started thinking about the past decade. Paul and I agree that this is the defining decade of our lives - so many big changes have happened in our lives in the past 10 years. I can't imagine a bigger decade. So I thought I'd do a little recap of the good and bad.

New Year's Eve 1999-2000- Paul and I had been dating for almost a year. We went to a formal New Year's Eve party thrown by his best friend's father-in-law. It was small but elegant and such a great way to start the new decade - and a great way to laugh at the Y2K rumors of what would happen at the stroke of midnight.

New Year's Eve 1999

2000- The only major events in this year were both my mom and Paul's dad being diagnosed with cancer - my mom with colon cancer and Paul's dad with lung cancer.

2001- The year started out very calmly. Then we got engaged in July, Paul's dad passed away in August, and Sept. 11 changed our way of thinking. It was kind of a whirlwind 6 week period that defined the year.

Paul's dad

2002- In January we started looking for a house to buy. By February 28 we were having our closing. In August we got married.

Our first house

August 3, 2002
with my parents and Paul's mom and Gram

2003- Chris and Patti got married in April. In August Paul and I celebrated our first anniversary in Cape Cod - a place we fell in love with. The last Phillies game in Veteran's Stadium occurred in September - the end of an era for baseball games.

Chris and Patti's wedding

Sitting at our bed and breakfast in Cape Cod.

The final Phillies game at Veteran's Stadium

2004-On March 19 Max was born. On March 23 my mom passed away. In August Paul and I made our second trip to Cape Cod - we haven';t been back since but are dying to go. In September we attended our first baseball game at the new Citizens Bank Park. In November we all (minus Max) went to New York City for a weekend to celebrate my dad's 70th birthday.

Bill with our new nephew

My mom and dad



Bill and Renee in NYC

2005- In February Paul and I went to DisneyWorld with Chrissy and her family. In July, we went to Albany to celebrate my aunt's 50th anniversary as a sister and then spent a day in Cooperstown at the Baseball Hall of Fame. Later in the summer we officially started the adoption process, something we had been thinking about for months. Even before all our preliminary paperwork was completed, we accepted the referral of Luis Diego (Jimmy) in September. In November, just before Thanksgiving, we found out Jimmy had been sick and passed away. In December we were told Rudy had just been born and we accepted his referral.

Paul and I with Chrissy and Goofy.

My Aunt Dorrie and Uncle Paul and Paul and I with my Aunt Barbara for her anniversary.

Paul and I in Cooperstown

Luis Diego (Jimmy)

Rudy- days old

2006-This was a big year for traveling. In July we visited Rudy for the first time. He was 7 months old. In August we traveled with my family to spend a week in Ocean City Maryland. In November we went back to Guatemala with some of my family, to celebrate Rudy's first birthday (and Thanksgiving). This was the year we spent the 2 major American holidays (Independence Day and Thanksgiving) in Guatemala.

Rudy, 7 months

Ocean City, MD

Max, 2 1/2, Chris and Rudy 1 year

2007- Once again in January we thought a little about moving, looked at one house and fell in love, and moved in mid-February. In June we went again to visit Rudy - this time spending an amazing week in Antigua, where we were free to walk around the city and leave the hotel. While in Antigua, Lucy was born. In September Bill and Renee got married and a week later, we left for our final trip to Guatemala to bring Rudy home. About 2 months after Rudy came home, I started this blog.

Our second house ( a view from the back)

In Antigua, Guatemala, Rudy 19 mos.

Lucy

Renee and Bill, Chris and Patti and me and Paul at Bill & Renee's wedding

Rudy at home

2008- This was a pretty quiet year. We spent a week in August in the Outer Banks with my family.

2009- This was the summer of a few weekend trips. We went to Washington, DC to meet with some families who adopted from Guatemala and used the same agency we did. We went near New York to a Guatemalan Adoptive Families Event and then spent a day in New York City. We spent another weekend in DC to celebrate my dad's 75th birthday.

Rudy and friends from Guatemala




Meeting an 'old' computer friend for the first time

In DC for Dad's 75th birthday


New Year's Eve 2009-2010- Quite different from how we rang in the beginning of the last decade, we had a quiet night with friends. Here's to another wonderful decade with my husband.

Rudyisms

After spending a few hours at the mall, getting pictures taken and waiting for tires to be put on the car, Rudy was very cranky as we drove home. As he negotiated about bedtime when he got home this is what we heard:

But I love you, Mommy. I don't want to be away from you. I want to stay with you all night.

He frequently uses I love you as his reasoning for doing or not doing something. And often offers to give us presents or be our friend if we do what he wants.

"My brain can't remember the one that goes ' don't cry' ". He wanted to sing "Santa Claus is Coming to Town".

Gato now has a family to keep him company. Kitten (which he got for Halloween from Grandmom and Gram) is the baby. Gato is Kitten's Mommy and Beary is Kitten's Poppy. A few other dolls are sometimes recruited to be a brother, a sister or a cousin, too.

"When I grow up can you get me a dress and a cape like Batman?"
"Sure."
"And glasses."







"Does your radio work or did I put money in it like Poppy's?" (See this post for the story of the money.)
" Mine works."
"Why did I put money in there?"
"I don't know why did you?"
"I thought it wasn't real."





Rudy has been telling us how he and Grandma Sheila used to do things together in Guatemala. Most recently he said they watched a movie with a witch but he wasn't scared because Grandma Sheila doesn't do dishes or check her email during the movie.




Out of the blue after dinner: "First of all, I love Mommy. Second of all, I love everybody in the house. Except Smokey. Because she growls at me."