The Summer of Milo™ Season Finale

Welcome to the conclusion of The Summer of Milo™. There's so much to pack in, so let me get right to it.





When last I posted, I was in New York with my parents. Later that day, after Daddy finished his work stuff, we were going to walk around, but all of the sudden it started raining incredibly hard, so we ducked into a Borders, where I had a little nap, and then Daddy read me some books until it stopped raining.



The next day, I shocked my parents at the airport by pointing to a sign for a Ruby Tuesday's and saying "ruby." To the best of our collective knowledge, I have never visited a Ruby Tuesday's restaurant. We had to wait in the airport for a while, so I employed my new headphones to watch Lazytown on Mommy's laptop, then finally we flew to Pittsburgh and then on home to Cleveland.



I really like the days when Daddy doesn't have to go to work and all three of us are at home together. On Tuesday, we walked to the Dari Delite and I had a strawberry cone of my own.



On Wednesday we got out my new bat and ball and played my version of baseball in the yard, which was hysterical.





Later Wednesday, we drove out to Mentor Headlands State Park and walked on the beach. I picked up stones and told my parents what shapes they reminded me of, like, heart, or, triangle, and on the way back to the car, I saw a real deer, watching me back from the top of the dunes, which was cool.







On Thursday morning, when I woke up, I called for Daddy, and he came and got me and brought me up to my parents' bed, like we always do. But my parents went back to sleep, which was pretty boring, so I went downstairs, watched TV, and got myself some grapes for breakfast. When my parents woke up and realized I was gone, they kind of freaked out. They were relieved I was okay but a little surprised to see me eating grapes, which had been left on the kitchen counter the night before, waiting to be washed. They wondered how I had reached the grapes, so I showed them. It's really easy when you use a little creativity.



Since I was on a roll with freaking out my parents, I decided to stick with it by mastering the skill of crib escape this weekend. It's so liberating to be able to get up when I feel like it! My parents are happy that when I get out of my crib, the first thing I do is call them and go up to their room, but they are talking about going this week to buy something called bed rails. I'll let you know what that means when I figure it out.

I went to the marina at the Rocky River Reservation Thursday evening for a picnic with my friends Maggie, Matt and Sara. I was so happy to see Maggie and I tried to give her hugs and kisses, but Maggie is not really into my affection, so we mostly played on the swings and in the sandbox and with my bat and ball.



Yesterday, Oma and Ono came over and took me to a dog party at the park on my street. Mommy was doing face painting, but that didn't seem like a good idea to me, so I just played with the ball that was there for the dogs and ran around. There were so many really big dogs at the party, as I noted aloud several times. I also ate a hot dog and played on the playground with Oma and Ono.



After it was over, we were all wiped out, and I took a good long nap. When I woke up, Daddy was home, and we all went to Sokolowski's for pierogies with my friends Lynn and Joel, and then we sat out in the backyard under the moon, which I had never done in my pajamas before.

Tonight, I'm going to Oma and Ono's house for a family picnic, which will be the concluding event of The Summer of Milo™. Mommy goes back to school this week, and there will be no more days of all of us being home until December, which is pretty sad. Still, this summer was pretty amazing when you think about all of the things I did: picnics, cook-outs, swimming, library visits, a bridge, and more parks and playgrounds than I can count; three countries (all new) and six states (three of which were new); planes, trains, boats, taxis, wagons, carousels, and a mini van with a DVD player; museums and an orchestra concert (which I forgot to blog about because I had no pictures); friends, family and a few dogs; zoos, markets, drive-in movies, one movie in an actual theater, and a gazillion trips to Target; and my very own second birthday. I'm a really lucky guy.

Rumor has it that Mommy will stay at home with me next summer, too, given her school schedule. I'm going to start working on the list of things we can do then. It would be hard to top this summer, but I'm going to do my best.

Live from New York

Taking a break from eating room service grilled cheese sandwiches in bed while watching cartoons to say "hi" to all my peoples. Daddy had to go on a little business trip this week, so Mommy and I tagged along.

listening to tunes in the hotel using my new headphones from Uncle
while wearing my new Cars PJs from Uncle Dan and Aunt Terry and GiGi

So pictures are a little thin from last week because Mommy went to Paris without me and took her camera with her, but I got my VERY OWN CAMERA while she was gone from Oma and Ono! When I went to stay at Oma's one night last week, she surprised me with a birthday party, for me! When I saw what was happening, I started shaking all over and told everyone, "I so excited!" Bailey and Spencer and their parents were all there, and I got cool presents, and my very own birthday cupcake. My life is very, very good.

Daddy and I did some serious hanging out while Mommy was gone and got some swimming in. When Mommy got back, she had a surprise for me: she showed me my VERY OWN POTTY. She also showed me some real underwear that I will wear when I'm ready to use the potty. I think it's pretty cool that I have my own potty, because I like looking at the big potties but they are scary to sit on. I know because sometimes before I get in the bathtub I try sitting on the big one and I don't like it at all. My own little potty has a seat that is just the right size for me, so I don't feel like I might fall in the potty. I'm still figuring out how to get on the potty; it's easiest if I climb up on it and then turn around and sit down, but Mommy told me that my feet aren't supposed to go in the red bowl. I've been practicing backing up to it and sitting down when I feel my heels hit the potty, but it might take me a little while to get it down.

I like sitting on the potty because it keeps my feet warm.

Last night, after Daddy finished work stuff, we rode the Staten Island Ferry and saw the real Statue of Liberty. It is just like on my placemat map, but bigger. And in the water.

family self-portrait on the ferry

Look! There she is! I waved back to her.

At the ferry terminal on the Staten Island side, I saw a bunch of fish in different colors.

me and Daddy in the ferry terminal

When I get home, I'll tell you what else I did in New York. Until then, as I like to say, HAVE FUN, PEOPLES!!!

TWO!

Well, this week I've been busy TURNING TWO YEARS OLD! Can you believe it? I never thought I'd ever get to be so big. I can even tell you how old I am and hold up two fingers. Of course, I can't exactly make the big V with those two fingers yet, so I cross them like I'm making a wish. And speaking of wishes, I got to make birthday wishes not once but twice this week! Does it get any better than that?

Since I'm two now, I'm trying out some new, big-boy things, like using a fork to eat the Arthur macaroni and cheese I picked out at the grocery store the last time I went with Mommy. It takes much longer than picking it up with my hands, but I'm increasingly uncomfortable having slimy fingers, so it's worth the effort.

I'm also becoming more clever, like yesterday, when I had been in bed for about 30 minutes but did not feel like taking a nap, so I called to Mommy, and when she came in my room to check on me, I stood up and sang, "Good morning to you..." like she sings to me every morning when she comes to get me out of bed. I think I tricked her into thinking I had already slept, because she let me get back up for a little while...before I went back to bed and took a three-hour nap. I guess I did need a nap.

I also have this great joke I like to tell that goes like this: "Goot? Goot goot goooooooooot." My parents don't get it, but I get so tickled telling it, and my parents humor me by laughing along. I don't know if there's any hope for them.

Another intellectual development is my understanding of present participles. I demonstrated my understanding by coining a brand new present participle this week, "woofing." I heard some dogs go by, but I couldn't see them, and I pointed in the general direction from which I heard the noise and told Mommy, "Dogs woofing!"

Okay - let's get to the pictures!

Last Sunday night, I went to Legacy Village to hear my friend Greg play with his band, The Townsmen. I sat in the grass with Mommy and Dyan for a while, but then I got antsy, so Dyan took me for a walk, and then after the show I got to check out Greg's guitar.
On Monday, my parents and I flew to Knoxville to go see Grandpa! When we got to Pigeon Forge, where we stayed for a couple of days, Uncle Sean and Aunt Jillian and Bailey were already there - I was sooooooo happy! When we woke up in the morning, we got to eat breakfast together.

Grandpa had to go to work Tuesday, but the rest of us went to the aquarium in Gatlinburg.

The best part of the aquarium was the Shark Lagoon. It was a slow moving sidewalk that carried us under all of the various tanks, like being under the ocean without getting wet.

Not that I don't like getting wet - I had a bunch of fun going swimming that afternoon!

That night, I had an early birthday party. I had a chocolate cake and a "2" candle. Bailey and I got to eat the candy letters off the top! After the cake, I got to open a bag of Bob the Builder stuff, which was cool.

On Wednesday, Grandpa took me for the most amazing REAL train ride EVER! We drove to Dillsboro, North Carolina, to ride the Great Smokey Mountain Railways, and it was AMAZING!


On Thursday, I went with my parents to Knoxville. I rode the trolley around town and saw the biggest basketball I have ever seen in front of the Women's Basketball Hall of Fame. That night, I went to Grandpa's house in Norris and got to hang out with Marti and Kelly, whom I ADORE!

Friday was my actual birthday, and I flew back home with my parents. My neighbor Ron came outside while we were still getting unloaded from our taxi to give me a box that had been delivered to me while I was gone. Inside the box were birthday presents from my cousin Johnny and his parents, including these awesome Cars stickers.

For my birthday lunch, we went to my favorite taco restaurant, Chipotle, where eating with your hands is not only acceptable but expected.

On Saturday, I helped Mommy and Nonna put on a yard sale and also do yard work. I contributed by climbing under the big evergreen trees and retrieving the pine cones, then putting the cones - and myself - in the wheelbarrow. Then we picked up Daddy and went to Nuevo Acapulco for a second birthday party. I got to open a Thomas roundhouse and a bunch of trains and I couldn't eat any more rice or beans or even my beloved tortilla chips because I was soooooooo excited.

After dinner, we went to Nonna's and I had my second birthday cake and candles. This one was an ice cream cake, which is probably my favorite kind of cake. It was good enough that I could tear myself away from the trains for a few minutes to eat some.

I have to get on with my day, as my agenda is full:

1. play with trains
2. eat breakfast
3. play with the house Nonna gave me
4. take Daddy to work
5. come home and play with cars
6. take a nap
7. play with trains
8. eat lunch
9. play with trains some more
10. go to GiGi's house!
11. play with her trains and planes and helicopters
12. go to Oma's house!
13. play with Oma's toys
    
14. come home with Daddy

I guess my mom is going to be gone on a trip for a few days, because she says when Daddy comes to get me tonight, then he and I will have three whole days together. I'm not sure how Mommy being gone is going to work out, but Daddy takes excellent care of me plus we're going to do some fun stuff, like making pizza and having a play date with Bailey and Uncle Sean. I'll tell you about it next time.