Tiny Tiny Teddy Bear

Jack,

Yesterday was a very fun day for all of us. After a crazy day at work for both of us, it was time for some family fun!

Turns out yesterday was a big day for you. You pooped on the potty twice yesterday, so we celebrated by heading to the toy store to pick out a new Cars car and to pick up a package of new Cars themed underwear. You were very excited and immediately declared "Cars DIAPERS!"

Hmmm. Backfire, perhaps?

Then we let you pick out some candy as a reward for such a big breakthrough in our very slow movement towards potty training.

Afterwards, we went to The Great American Pizza Company - a place we heard about from your Uncle Steve who had clued us into the fact that it's:

1) A PIZZA BUFFET (Thank you, god... I get religious only when presented with unlimited pizza options and the ability to eat pizza till it comes out my nose. Did I thank the lord yet? I did? Well, good.)
2) A DESSERT BUFFET (OH, MY GOD. Is there anywhere else in the world as indulgent?)
3) A blow up jumping house
4) A toddler merry-go-round
5) A toddler rocket ship that takes off to about adult shoulder height and then lands
6) An actual todder car that drives on a track while the child can pretend to drive by themselves
7) Lots of lights and noise from the older kids games
8) A REAL racetrack with bumper cars and everything where an adult can take a child with them on this big race ride.
9) A room with a huge movie screen where they were showing Blues Clues and Veggie Tales on a big screen for young children (Erin - Cal would LOVE this place!) As a matter of face, the next family event, I might stage a takeover in the planning and insist we all come HERE!

Well, we walked in and your Daddy and I were hungry so we TRIED to eat. When I say try, we tried to shovel pizza into our faces while you screamed from first the booth and then from the high chair we ended up having to strap you into. You screamed like you were being tortured and - just behind me and to the side two tables? Scott Smith and his family (a guy I work with) were trying to enjoy their evening with their three well behaved children and probably unable to help but notice the banshee screams coming from our table while you tried to violently reject all food items offered to you.

Finally, I gave up after only having shoveled down 8 pieces of pizza. (WHAT?!? YOU GOT SOMETHING YOU WANT TO SAY TO ME?!?) We went off to play.

You loved the jumping area - not just because of the jumping itself but you also loved lying on the jumping platform and feeling the bouncing of the other children.

After that, we went on the merry-go-round and then we tried the rocket ship. After those options, you started to be overwhelmed by so much goodness. It's so much better than the horrible closet that we lock you in at home (oh, please...) that you couldn't handle it and started to have a complete meltdown.

We tried to reinterest you in the games and other options, but even when we went to the racetrack, you refused to be measured to see if you were tall enough to ride, so we couldn't even do that.

Finally, we decided to try the dessert bar and trapped you in a high chair where you actually decided you would now eat dinner. So we planted you in the room with the big screen of Blues Clues and VeggieTales and I ate a second dinner (?!?) along with you while Daddy went to play some games so we could get enough tickets to win you a prize before leaving.

Well, Daddy did good. He won something like 240 tickets which made you the envy of the rest of the toddlers because you could really pick just about anything you wanted from the prize shelves. (Yes - that's right. The BIG MONEY ITEMS! :)

Turns out, you picked something and your Daddy and I picked the other things. You wanted a Tiny, Tiny Teddy bear which was "Mommy's Orange juice" colored. See here:
This Tiny, Tiny Teddy Bear pick didn't surprise us and is starting to become a joke between your Daddy and I.

Your first Teddy Bear was this one that you call Rufus. Rufus was given to me by a client when I was at AEIS before going on maternity leave with you. You love him!

Then, on a date night out with you one night, Daddy won this for you in a claw machine and it became "Tiny Teddy Bear". You can't sleep now without either one of them.So, now we have Tiny Tiny Teddy Bear (the orange one) and finally this one that came out of a quarter machine at Fuddruckers:a.k.a. Tiny Tiny Tiny Teddy Bear.

How much smaller can they get, I ask you?

Your bed is already so full of stuffed animals, there's barely any room left for you! I think they might even be the reason you don't sleep as well on certain nights. I have tried to "forget" one or two of them, but in the dark of night you have an uncanny ability no matter how tired you are to realize when someone is missing and the world will stop turning until they are located!Garby (Garfield), Pluto, Rufus (Teddy Bear), Tiny Teddy Bear, Tiny Tiny Teddy Bear and Tiny Tiny Tiny Teddy Bear are all very lucky to have you! :)Love,

Mommy