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Those who know me will tell you that I tend to get really excited about things. These people would be right. I'm trying to remain calm at this moment, because something pretty exciting happened today. It was the first time I've ever seen it happen.I feel like this something that happened might be the start of further wonderful things to come. Don't worry, I won't keep you in suspense any longer. Without further ado, here is what happened at 6pm this evening:

I got Ari a scooter for his 2nd birthday. He loved it immediately, but HATED the helmet. I told him if he wanted to ride the scooter he had to wear the helmet. He was unconvinced. He screamed each time Wil and I put the helmet on him. Finally after both Wil and I took turns wearing the helmet and talking about how awesome it was, he agreed to don it. So we went out for a ride.After scooting around the neighborhood, he was pretty thirsty. So we stopped for a carrot apple ginger juice.He's still getting used to the scooter, but overall I think it's a success. If you're interested in checking it out for your kid, it's called a Micro Mini. For more information on this particular scooter, click here.

Yesterday, Ari turned two, or as he says it "Tee-ou!" Wil and I asked him what he would like to do for his birthday many times. He would always reply with:"Cow!" or "Baa!" or some kind of animal.I wrote a post, a little while ago, about my visit to The Fosterfields Living Historical Farm in New Jersey. My friend Judy read it, and recommended the Queens County Farm Museum as another great place for kids to see and interact with animals. This farm is free to the public! Since Ari was intent on seeing animals for his birthday, we decided to check this place out! Grandma, Grandpa, Wil, Ari and I piled into the Fadermobile and off we went.The Farm is located in Floral Park, NY which is about a half an hour drive from our place.It's called a "museum" because it is a historical farm which has been preserved since 1677.We had a lot of fun. Ari spent most of his time feeding the goats. The gift shop sells little buckets of alfalfa to feed to the sheep and goats.In addition to goats, there are also pigs, cows, geese and chickens to see!When we entered the farm, a rooster [...]

I just woke up from a three hour nap. This is a rarity, since my son (who will be two on Thursday) does not like to sleep. However, he is sleeping in "my bed" right now. "My bed" is in quotes because it is not my bed anymore, but rather belongs to everyone living in this house including me, Wil, Ari and the cats.Every night, he sleeps with me. Whether it is in our bed, on the couch or in his bed. As one veteran mom deemed it, we are playing "musical beds" in my house each night.I wanted to see if my sleep situation was unique, so I asked parents on the playground with toddlers: how they are sleeping these days?These are the results of my study:There are four sleep groups I came across--1. The kid is still trapped in the confines of her crib. She may or may not wake up in the middle of the night for some comfort. But mainly stays in the crib.2. The kid is still trapped in the crib but eventually (at some point during the night) ends up in the parents' bed.3. There is not crib involved, the kid exclusively co-sleeps with [...]

The artist recently completed The Face Series. Upon completing the eyes and nose, his mother asked if he would like a mouth on the first portrait. He replied "Yes." The 2nd portrait needed no maternal assistance.

In an attempt to get Ari to stay in his bed, and to stop bringing tiny metal cars to sleep with him, grandma and grandpa gave him these car bed sheets. Needless to say he was thrilled!

A dad on the playground once told me that when his son turned two, he spent the entire year trying to prevent his child from dying. I laughed really hard when I heard this. Now I am no longer laughing. I am crying.Ari will be two in eight days, and the destruction has already started. Wires he was once apathetic about, he is now pulling at, he approaches the table and throws everything onto the floor including the lap top, he walks brazenly into the kitchen, grabs the cat's water bowl and confidently dumps its contents onto the floor. When this is done he laughs and then says:"Sorry mama." Then he laughs some more, looks at me and says "Wa wa!"Anything and everything he can pick up and throw he does. This includes: crayons, small metal cars, remotes, cups, plates, the phone, shoes and many more objects that escape me right now.That dad was right. I shouldn't have laughed at him, I should have given him a hug and said, "Congratulations, your son is alive!"

I was feeling nauseated, and it occurred to me that I hadn't gotten my period, so I made Wil go out and get me the following items:1. Chicken soup2. Ginger Ale3. A pregnancy test.I quickly consumed the soup and nursed the ginger ale. I decided it was time to tackle the pregnancy test.I ripped open the box and threw the directions to the side. I figured, I've done this before, I know exactly what to do this time! After I peed on the stick, the following results popped up nearly instantaneously:I ran out of the bathroom and told Wil:"We're having a baby!"We were excited, despite the fact that we don't have a lot of money at the moment.For the next few days I went around telling close friends that I, indeed, was expecting a second child. I was nauseated, craving certain foods, the works. I even stopped coffee for a few days!I made an appointment with a midwife to see how far along I was.On one of my daily trips to the restroom, I noticed the second pregnancy test staring me the face. I decided, for some unknown reason, to take the second test. The same result came up, but [...]

Ari loves animals. When we go into my parent's backyard, in Brooklyn, he asks if there are "Baas" (sheep) or cows there. I decided it was time to take him to a real farm so he could see animals in their natural environment.After some research, I found Fosterfields Living Historical Farm, located in Morristown, NJ. It's about an hour drive from NYC.Admission to the farm is $2.00 for 2-3 years olds, $4.00 for kids, and $6.00 for adults. Ari is not yet two, so he got in for free!The farm is set at the turn of the century so one can get a feel for what it was like to pump your own water and wash your own laundry by hand. Ari loved these activities.He must have spent half an hour washing and hanging laundry. Then he had a chance to see week old baby piglets, feed the chickens, and collect eggs!And, of course, we saw some sheep, cows, lambs and even some horses. The horses were named Calvin and Hobbes.Fosterfields is a great place for kids to have a chance to interact with animals in their natural environment. For more information on the farm, click here.