2005!

Karston, who was born in 2005, is 2005 days old today. We ate a celebratory chocolate cookie with chocolate chips.

Half and Closing

Cale is 989 days old today, and Karston is 1978 days old. Cale is exactly half of Karston's age right now, so from here on out, the age gap is closing (right?).

Math Homework Saves The Day!

Yes, math homework saves the day! Or at least this evening. Well, Karston's love of math homework did! When I came home after work, Karston was very worked up. He was running through the house at top speed, laughing loudly, bouncing off walls and little brothers, and someone was going to get hurt. Not knowing what else to do, I did what I always do when Karston needs to calm down even though it's never been terribly effective: I delivered a multiple choice ultimatum of what I wanted Karston to do. I said, Karston, you can do your math homework, you can eat dinner, or you can go to bed! That last one is the dud choice to make the others look better, maybe more reasonable. The second time I asked, Karston said math homework, so I set out this week's batch that I had just unpacked. He started going, he kept asking for more, and before I knew it, he had done all of his math homework and still wanted more. I had some of his unfinished classwork, so I gave it to him. He did that too! Then he was calm enough to eat dinner, and we had such a pleasant evening together after such a rocky start. Yes, math homework really can save the day!

Thanksgiving Dinner

At the end of the school week, Karston brings home the work he did in class. This week is a short week because he gets off Wednesday through Friday for Thanksgiving. One piece of class work was the standard open area at the top for drawing and coloring with a lined area below for writing. This one had cues: a picture of an empty cornucopia to fill, and a lead-in for a sentence or paragraph. The lead-in was "On Thanksgiving I will eat" -- at this point, I'm very eager to read this jackpot! Karston had written chesit (as in, cheezit crackers, his current favorite of the cheesy crackers). Some days I feel like he eats about one cheezit, so his answer to his class work was closer to the mark than I'd like. Hopefully, he might even try what everyone else eats.

Halloween, Part 3

We were exhausted this evening after three days of Halloween -- that's three days in a row of kids staying out late, and eating at least one piece of candy before bed. Luckily we scored some popcorn (in a glove, with candy corn fingernails: a witch's hand!) and Cale went for it after one chocolate; Cale went cornhulio on candy two nights ago *shudder*. Cale fought off his nap this afternoon, so I was worried about taking him out, but he was fine; the main consequence was that he fell asleep quickly when we started the final bedtime routine!

While not as freakishly warm as last Halloween, the weather was surprisingly mild this afternoon, so we were outside until we noticed it was 5pm. We went to the First Baptist Church for their Trunk-or-Treat that started at 5:30pm. Wow! They had food (hot dogs for three of us, pumpkin muffins for Karston), they had games, and they had several dozen decorated trunks with candy. The kids had a great time! I think their favorite, though, was the apple peeling station. The boys ate half an apple just on the walk across the street to the car!

We were almost home when our neighbors (with two girls, each about one year older than each of our boys) called to say they had started to trick-or-treat, so we caught up to them to visit our own neighborhood. We had three adults and four kids for this outing, and Karston was very aware that the oldest girl got to walk on her own. Karston eventually gave me his candy basket and ran ahead to hold her hand (he was holding my hand, so I put Dale in charge of holding his hand). Mommy, Mommy, I'm a Dale boy now! Well, that wasn't quite what I meant, but Karston loved the big kid feeling, and I didn't worry as much as long as he was holding someone's hand. He even ran away from his candy basket to feel like a big boy running ahead of us three adults and the two youngest children.

Halloween, Part 2

We think the kids had a poor dinner-to-candy ratio last night because they were not as sweet as usual this morning. However, they improved after lunch, so we went out to a Mexican restaurant (one of Karston's favorite treats) and then to the University Mall. Yes, shops in the mall had a trick-or-treat night! It was a great outing, and both boys remembered to say Thank You at each stop! Plus Cale went as Scooby-Doo, so I didn't look (too) out of place as Velma.

This afternoon, we trained Karston to sing Na-na na-na, Na-na na-na, Batman! Karston sang his own variation, Na-na na-na, Na-na na-na, Robin! to Daddy (in his Robin costume). At dinner, Cale started singing it too, starting with the verses for Batman and Robin, then adding Cale, Daddy, Karston, Brother, and finally Mommy verses. Good song!

This evening Karston again said he likes Cheezits better than Whales. I guess his taste buds could be growing up.

Halloween, Part 1

The thing about Halloween being on a Sunday is that it turns into a three-day candyfest when we hear nonsensical (to adults) requests like Why can't I have more candy before bed?

Although he's only 2, Cale has a very clear understanding of trick-or-treat. He heard that we were headed out for that, and he said, Where my goodie bag? and started looking for it. (This isn't quite as disturbing as him knowing snow as one of his first words. But I'm not sure a small guy who get a serious sugar buzz-and-crash should have such a lock on candy.)

Despite Daddy having just gotten home from a hard-working business trip, we took the kids out this evening. One nice thing about living in a small town is trick-or-treating the downtown museum and businesses, and knowing so many of the shop owners and other parents. Karston went as Batman (unfortunately, the only Batman costume he liked was one size too small, even on him), so I made a Robin costume for Daddy. Cale said he wanted to go as Scooby-Doo, so I picked up an orange turtleneck sweater to go as Velma Dinkley with him. Shortly before we left the house, Cale changed his mind! No, no, Mickey Mouse! So Cale went as a very recognizable Mickey Mouse, and I went as someone so fashion-blind as to wear orange and red.

Karston and Cale loved trick-or-treating for candy, but as we were about done, Karston asked why we weren't going home already. So we went home to bed.

No Deer Allowed

Cale's bedtime routine starts with Daddy reading bedtime stories. Then I pick him up, tilt for kisses from Daddy and Karston. After kisses, Cale turns off the hall lights, then his bedroom light. I settle on the chair while Cale gets the correct combination of toys in his hands, turning some in, picking some up. Then he climbs up onto the chair with significantly less help than when he was younger. Finally he nurses, hopefully to sleep or at least drowsy enough.

This evening when Cale turned off the lights, I said thank you, dear. He gave me a scowl and said, Mommy, I not a deer! I decided not to fight that one. I'm happy he's using "I" more often, and properly, now. Karston and Cale know Mimi and I don't like the deer in our gardens...

For the past several weeks, we've noticed a transformation in Karston's eating. The first four years just need to hide behind the colic moniker, before we were allowed to sleep through the night (I still don't do it well). After that, we faced the legacy of bad eating habits, but we could usually manage it by insisting on variety within his limited repertoire. We were more lax while on vacation at Atlantic Beach three weeks ago, and Karston ate chicken most of the time. However, without our insistence on variety, Karston ate more with less encouragement than we've ever seen! He hasn't been perfectly consistent (tonight's dinner was a particular low), but Karston has been eating more food, with more variety at every meal, with less coaxing. So we hope that we might get closer to normal eating, and what a fantastic goal!

Worst. Splinter. Ever!

Karston got a splinter in his right heel while playing outside (on a deck) Friday afternoon, but he wouldn't let me look at it. He was still too scared from Mimi's giant tweezers (they are big for easy squeezing, with sharp-looking precise tips, and really could seem ominous). This evening, I finally got to look. You know what I saw: a really fat, deep, dark splinter right in the middle of his heel. The ordeal of coaxing him to let me at it took 45 minutes, and I let him talk me down from using the best tools for less scary items. Almost all of his "OUCH" yelps were because I had to touch an infected area, not (entirely) from me working the splinter. It's the only time I haven't stopped when Karston has said Mommy, please stop! and we even made it up to pretty, pretty please too. That hurt me the most, but I did get the whole entire nasty splinter out. Afterwards, Karston liked the bubbles from the hydrogen peroxide! He says his heel already doesn't hurt as much to walk on now as it did when the splinter was in there ... I hope he remembers that the next time I'm pleading with him to let me remove another splinter! (I don't have my hopes up.)

In the midst of extreme yowling from Karston, Cale climbed up on our bed right next to the action and fell asleep quickly. Guess when he woke up? Yes, that's right, when Karston stopped screaming and followed me down the hall for a post-splinter treat (he picked an orange starburst over chocolate). Of course, Cale also fell right back to sleep because he does that too. He didn't wake up when I carried him to bed, so I put him in bed and put his blanket over him. I don't expect this to last long, so I'd really better work on getting some sleep myself ...

Good Kid Reward

This evening, after dinner and before it got dark, the boys helped me weed the garden because the purple shiso had taken over; we came inside when it got dark. Cale was so good and so helpful, I thought he needed an award or a reward too. So I gave him his first pair of safety scissors whereupon we spent the rest of the evening, me holding scrap paper, Cale cutting with two hands. He sat down on the floor, so the mess wasn't widespread.

Safety scissors are a real hit! Cale is very proud, very happy, and determined to learn how to use them.

Best-est Kid Award

This morning we went to a Kiwanis Terrific Kids assembly. We heard the vice principal say on the intercom that Terrific Kids should come to the cafeteria. When Karston saw us, he said, I heard the bestest kids come to the cafeteria, and my teacher sent me! He was so happy to go to the cafeteria, and so happy to see us. The assembly started with kindergarteners, so Karston wasn't quite in the swing of things when his name was called, and his shyness took over. He was the only Terrific Kid who walked up with his mommy and didn't smile. He was all about the rest of it, and very proud of his certificate. As a very nice touch, Kiwanis printed his nomination letter on the back so we can keep the details too. Nicely done!

At preschool this morning, the teachers brought out as many kickballs as kids (they're 2 years old, so group play is playing in the same space). Yes, Cale played soccer at preschool! He was a natural, the kid who didn't trip and fall. He loved impressing his teachers too. We got to share Karston's Terrific Kid certificate at preschool, and his former teachers loved reading his nomination letter too.

The Flirt and the Soccer Player

Last month, Karston told Daddy that he liked Ella in his kindergarten class. Obviously Daddy asked to hear more, but Karston said he was sleepy, rolled over, and fell right to sleep. This morning, we arrived at the school parking lot at the same time as Ella. Ella and her dad were about two steps ahead of us. Karston gave Ella a dazzling smile and a small, shy wave. Ella had a fake stumble twice so she could fall a half-step behind her dad to exchange smiles and waves with Karston. Too cute! Tuesday morning, Karston didn't want to walk in with Ella even though we arrived at the same time again. Too shy!

Daddy said Cale spent all morning Monday, until it got too hot to be outside, kicking a soccer ball. He didn't trip, he just kept the ball in play on the level pad of our driveway. He kept the ball moving like a natural! That's some skill for a two-year-old!

Reading a Book

Before bed this evening, even though he was very tired, Karston read a book to us. Yes, this is a first! He got almost all of the words in the book correct (I'm sure the pictures helped too); the word nine appeared at least every other page and caused him the most trouble so I think Karston prefers his numbers in numeral form. He is on the cusp of reading!

My Foot

Last night, Cale called out for juice around 3 am, and Daddy brought it to him while I talked to him. I stayed next to him for a while afterwards. He went through several fussy spells, and generally didn't answer me when I asked him what was bothering him. He did answer me at 4:30 am, though; he said I don't know where mine foot is rather distinctly. Sure enough, one foot was tangled up in blankets, so I straightened that out (not convinced that's what he was talking about). That's when I decided I should get some sleep too, and went back to my bed. Sure enough, this morning Cale's feet were still at the end of his legs!

Kid Tracks, Take Two

Today was Cale's first day of Kid Tracks preschool. We would have missed Kid Tracks more once Karston was a graduate, but we knew Cale would be starting soon. He was very happy to arrive, but since he had only been there with me, and I stayed longer to do the registration paperwork, well, he was sad to see me go. He said Mommy don't go, and that really tugged at me. I'll be faster to leave next time!

At pick-up time, Cale was sitting on a green tractor ride-on toy. Apparently he spent quite a while on that tractor! Every time Daddy asked Cale how he liked Kid Tracks, Cale said Took green tractor away. From me. So I guess that's what really mattered to him today!

After dropping Cale off at Kid Tracks, we went to (sigh) our first parent-teacher conference. Karston's kindergarten teacher is worried about his letter sound recognition. Given the timing, I had just checked with Karston's preschool director, who snorted. So I think this is either childish diction or weak test-taking skills. Since he does know his letters and their common sounds, this should be easy to fix. We'll see!

Cleaning

I hope this (the cleaning, not the mess-making) lasts as long as possible!

Cale spilled pencil shavings this afternoon, and said, Made a mess. Daddy said, Well, we'll have to clean that up now. Both boys about knocked each other down to get to the kitchen first! Karston grabbed the Fuller Brush carpet sweeper, Cale grabbed the Dust Buster, and they raced back to the scene of the mess. Cale's favorite part was to announce, Mommy, going to be loud! each time before he turned on the Dust Buster. Guessing from his smile, he was ready to do that all afternoon!

Best Friends

At school today, one of Karston's classmates asked him who his best friend was. Karston answered, My brother!

About the same time, Cale was playing with Opa and Grammy. After Cale's nap, Grammy asked him if he wanted a cookie, and Cale said, No, wait for brother. Cale did eat his cookie once Karston arrived.

Yes, they really do like each other. Wonderful!

What Shots?

Karston had five shots Friday morning (but won't need any more vaccinations for six more years), and he said his left leg hurt (where he had the two shots the nurses told us might bother him). This morning, he found the play doctor's kit that Cale got for his birthday, and he had to play doctor! He changed from his Batman shirt with attached cape (once Batman is on, it never comes off) into a plain white tee-shirt so that he would look like a doctor. He spent a long time trying to listen with the stethoscope, but I don't think the quality is as high as it would need to be (to be kid-durable, it might not be possible). Eventually he and Cale moved on to giving everyone shots. Karston was right there for shots, so we think he's completely over having had his shots on Friday.

On the Chart!

Karston went to the pediatrician this morning. We sailed through all of the developmental questions. For instance, can your child count to 10? and the answer is he counts to 100, and wants us to ask him simple addition and subtraction questions. Good hearing, good eyesight. He's 39 1/4 inches tall now, and he was 29.6 pounds on their scale. Average annual growth for this age range is 2 inches and 4 pounds; Karston grew 2 1/4 inches and gained 3.9 pounds last year. His height is around the 5th percentile, and for the first time in years, Karston's weight is on a percentile! He's back on the weight chart! His weight is on the 3% percentile line, but he's back on the chart! The last time his weight was on the chart, he was 6 months old; at 9 months old his weight fell off the charts. (At one year old, he was one standard deviation below the average weight for a breastfed boy, so his weight numbers weren't too terrible, just sluggish to match his (lack of) enthusiasm for eating.) After the positive notes, we did head to less pleasant territory: his immunizations for kindergarten. Karston got 5 shots. He wanted to watch, and the pediatric nurses generally give shots to supine children, so we compromised on a position where I lifted his head so he could watch and we held both of his hands. Karston was really good about it: he didn't complain about the three shots that generally don't bother kids, and he was happy about pretty band-aids. Such a good kid!

Aloha!

Now that school is in session, Karston goes to Spanish class Thursday mornings. This afternoon he announced that the Spanish greeting is ALOHA! Weeeell, not quite. He watches enough Handy Manny that I'm sure he knows Hola as well, but we like the Aloha variation to match the Hawaiian shirt he wore today.

The First Day

Since Karston was accepted to the year-round elementary school (with the 48% acceptance rate), today was his first day of kindergarten! Half the kindergarten class came to school today, and the other half will go tomorrow, then the whole class on Wednesday. He loves his new school (he's been asking for months, when does he get to go to "the big school"), he loves his teacher (my teacher, he says), and he loves the playground. When we went to orientation last Thursday afternoon, Karston wanted to stay in his classroom or go to the playground; he didn't care about the other rooms.

When I asked him about his day today, though, he told me all about going to the Music room this morning where they sang songs. He said he knew some of the songs from Kid Tracks, but not all of the songs. He's ready to go back, but we'll have to wait until Wednesday.

It appears to be intentional; the Kid Tracks kids are all in different kindergarten classes (as well as the Abundant Life preschool, which is as far as the parental note-sharing got), so he doesn't see Zach or Genna in his classroom but he might at recess and other times. However, Logan who was at Kid Tracks until the most recent years is in his class, so there's one familiar face for Karston.

Monkey Muffins

I saw these monkeys on the cover of Taste of Home at the store today, but I find "1 package chocolate cake mix" less than inspiring. (Translation: I have never bought cake mix, and I have no plans to change that. Cakes are easy to make!)

First I made my peanut butter banana muffins (that works out to 1 cup of mashed banana, and I left out chocolate chips this time). After all, what says "monkey" like banana?

I put a thin layer of chocolate frosting, left over from the torch cupcakes for Karston's birthday, on the muffins. Banana goes well with so many other flavors! Like honey and peanut butter (in the muffins) and chocolate (in the frosting)! I put an extra swizzle blob at the top for the monkey's hair.

I carefully cut a Nutter Butter in half for the ears. Then I discovered that half a Nutter Butter is still too heavy (so I recommend mini vanilla wafers for a low-maintenance alternative). My recovery plan was to use a toothpick, but it split the Nutter Butter in half the first time. So the way that works is to hold the Nutter Butter half very tightly while inserting the toothpick. I couldn't get the toothpick in as far, but that doesn't seem to matter. Using the toothpicks, I was able to position those monkey ears at a jaunty angle!

I cut a vanilla wafer in half for the mouth, and added a big smile with red cookie icing in a squeezie bag. For the eyes, I used white M&M's with a dot of blue cookie icing in another squeezie. I discovered that bigger blue circles look friendlier, so that gives me even more room for slop in my fledgling decorating skills. All of a sudden, I had a cute monkey cupcake!

I've been stressed for two weeks about what to pack Karston for lunch once school starts. He eats so little already, with so little interest, that the collision with 30 minutes for lunch could add up to one empty Karston tummy, and that leads to poor behavior and maternal stress trying to avoid that situation. So one of my plans was to make his food so attractive, he'd be more interested in it, and hopefully eat it. Well, this afternoon, Karston took one look at the first monkey I made, and he ate it. He ate all but the bottom half of the muffin because he wanted another layer of frosting there. Cale saw Karston eating a monkey muffin, and then he had to have one. I couldn't make it fast enough for him, but I wasn't allowed to cut corners and leave off part of the face decorations. Cale kept pointing out what I hadn't done when I asked if he wanted to eat it now in response to his endless Monkey Muffin! calls. After making one of these in an insane hurry for Cale, I feel comfortable saying this is a very easy decoration task. I can do it. Generally when I try artful decoration, we end up talking about how good it tastes: I can cook, but I usually can't decorate.

Hopefully the attraction of a cute monkey muffin for dessert will encourage Karston to eat his lunch tomorrow!

High Five!

It's Karston's birthday!

We had family over for grilled dinner. For dessert, I tried to make Lady Liberty Cupcakes, but my decorating skills (and supplies available at the store) were not all the way up to the challenge. Still, chocolate cake in ice cream cones (about 1/3 leaked) with chocolate icing and vanilla cream sugar wafers (sprayed with orange and yellow decorator's spray) doesn't taste too bad! Note, red food coloring will not make red icing, so I decided chocolate was a better color (and flavor) than pink.

Our neighbors with two girls each about a year older than our two boys came over. We had moved the craft table downstairs, and the kids spread out with crayons, paper, and stickers. They decorated slide whistles, colored then assembled pinwheels, and assembled stars-and-stripes airplanes. What fun! Then Karston's friend from preschool, Zach, came over with his family, so we started all over again with crafts.

And if that weren't enough fun (my kids were getting very worked up), then we went outside to watch our neighborhood fireworks over the 12-acre lake! Wowie! Zowie! Ka-pow! 1300 pounds of fireworks, an outdoor stereo system around the lake, a week of preparation from a team of volunteers, and safety precautions everywhere. Impressive display. The other kids didn't want to go home, and our kids didn't want to go to bed. Eventually we will get to wind down, I'm sure.

Father's Day

Today, Cale has told me everything that he's doing. Mommy, I'm dancing or Mommy, I'm walking or whatever else he's doing. Karston was his own narrator at two-and-a-half, and Cale is just a few months younger than that now.

Even though we're on the road, I packed a slim Father's Day present, and we've had a lot of fun today. The best part was finding Eaton Street Seafood Market: an excellent replacement store (replacing Waterfront Market) for extremely fresh fish while in Key West.

Cale's Not Scary

We were at the airport today, to fly to Key West. Cale very seriously, several times, said Daddy, I'm not scary. I'm pretty sure what he meant is that he wasn't scared to be at the big, busy, bustling airport where most people are so much taller, are rushing, are pulling bags, and might not be looking for small children underfoot. However, I'm not scary is a lot funnier than I'm not scared.

Once we arrived, we quickly discovered our big disappointment: Waterfront Market is gone! UPDATE 6/20/2010: Get fresh fish at Eaton Street Seafood Market instead.

Karston's Quotable

We went to the North Carolina Zoo yesterday. Karston said he liked the zebra best of the animals, possibly because we saw it last. The kids liked the play areas best, no surprise. Soft serve ice cream after lunch was a terrific cool-down. We all had so much fun, I'm ready to go back!

Karston quotable is: Mommy got a sunburn [at the zoo] so I have to wear sunscreen. I think he missed the point, but it sounds a lot like the old saw, Mom's cold, so we have to wear sweaters. Karston really can't stand sunscreen so we're lucky he doesn't burn as quickly as I do. Lately the campaign has been insect repellent on Cale, to reduce the bug bites on his legs. He probably wouldn't have as many bites if he didn't stomp in the deepest pile of leaves at every opportunity!

Hummingbirds

For Mother's Day, all of my boys gave me a hummingbird feeder. Karston helped me make hummingbird nectar (one cup boiling water to one-quarter cup sugar). Although hummingbirds are attracted to red, red food coloring is bad for them so we didn't use any. Karston and Daddy put the filled feeder outside yesterday. We saw two hummingbirds yesterday, and three today already! Karston is an excellent spotter of hummingbirds.

The Art Museum

Early in our Mother's Day planning, I was asked what I wanted to do. My all-time favorite Mother's Day is when we walked the trails at the NC Museum of Art, so, as always, I said I wanted to do that again. (It was fantastic: easy hike, whimsical whirligig art.) Our weekend plans kept shifting, but since we were all home on a Tuesday, we headed out for my Mother's Day hike. Karston was very eager to go: he told us that one time when he went, he saw (Clyde Jones) animals in the grass, but the next time he went, the animals weren't there. I think he was 2 when we saw the Clyde Jones exhibit! So we had all hands when we could miss the weekend crowds, and off we went!

First we went to the State Farmers Market. Karston started talking about how hungry he was, a very rare occurance, so we went straight to the Restaurant. Karston didn't eat a lot, Cale was a steady eater who ate my fruit, so that was normal. Then we shopped produce since I love farmers markets! When we saw the homemade ice cream, we got some cookies and cream for Karston. He ate as much as he could (whew!), and then I took a few bites before it caught Cale's attention. Unbeknownst to me, my lactose intolerance decided to kick in this afternoon. Yummy ice cream, but crippling stomach cramps for the next two hours.

When we got to the art museum, I could only walk very slowly, but I didn't want to lag behind, so Karston came back and held my hand. I didn't look so out-of-place walking slowly with Karston, and he is sweet enough to hold my hand when I don't feel well. Since a new building opened recently, we went to check it out first. As we went through the Classical Art with 1st century statues, Cale pointed from the stroller and said uh-oh for the missing limbs. The last one was also missing the head, and Cale said uh-oh, lost his head for that. We went outside through the Rodin garden, and the kids played by the reflecting pond. We didn't walk as much as I had hoped because I was still doubled over, but it was very nice. As we left, Karston said he would like to come back again soon. I think so!

Cheese

Karston helped me to make cheese. I had to beg to get him to try any of his cheese, and he only ate a little bite. The resulting cheese is fairly sweet (milk-sweet, not added-sugar sweet), dry crumbles (I squeezed very tightly to make sure it didn't have any vinegar flavor). Notwithstanding the long time at the stove stirring hot milk (but compared to three months), this was a very fast method to make cheese. I could imagine using this if I wanted fresh mozzarella crumbles without going to the store.

Two to Dance

Today we figured out a recent "rule" for Cale: dancing is better with two. For the past two weeks, when Mickey Mouse Clubhouse gets to the hot dog dance, Cale calls for Daddy. "hot dog, Daddy, hot dog!" (Mommy will do.) This afternoon, we enjoyed the fantastic weather on our deck, and I brought out my iPod and some small speakers. As soon as Cale hears music, he starts to sway. Dancing by himself didn't last a minute before he was up on my lap to dance with me. That's when I noticed that Cale now expects a dance partner.

Sentences!

Cale has added a new language skill in addition to learning new words: now he's trying to form sentences. He strung together three concepts this morning while I was trying to find the loose end on a tightly-wrapped bobbin. He stood on tip-toes at my elbow and said Mommy, Mommy, pretty please, have it (three concepts stacked together). You know, I didn't need to let that bobbin frustrate me, so Cale got it. Such a fun time!

Cale has a bit of runny nose, possibly just seasonal allergies since I saw some ragweed blooming. Also, Karston said his tummy hurt today for the first time in ages. I'm hoping it's either what Cale has (allergies or a cold) or because he hasn't eaten well today, and not a return to the bad old days of consistent gastrointestinal pains. Karston was doing well when I asked him for a month or so, and I started asking because it seemed like several months without mentioning his stomach. Just as Cale turned a food corner when he turned two, I think Karston may have turned a food corner when he turned four (maybe four-and-a-half). I want to stay on the improvement trajectory!

Special Visit

Karston had a special treat today: his cousin Evan spent the day with us! In the morning, we had breakfast, we went to Lowe's for the Build and Grow workshop that Karston adores (a real hammer! on real nails!), and we went to the Farmer's Market for their pre-Easter Eggstravaganza. We came home for lunch of hot dogs. Even though Cale and Evan love hot dogs, Karston didn't try any but he ate cheese and ham on crackers. After lunch, I coaxed Cale into a nap while the older boys played outside and even took a ride on pedal boat! A fun day for everyone, and Evan and his family left before the dinner-time no-nap evening fussiness kicked in.

Mean Bug

Karston ate next-to-nothing yesterday and today, and his behavior was starting to deteriorate. Every incident either made him cry, or yell and kick. We explained that we couldn't see Aunt Robin today if he weren't nice. That was probably too theoretical! So I told him I could tell that a Mean Bug had jumped down his throat, and the only way to fix that situation was to eat some food to cover him up. That didn't work at lunchtime, but he wasn't too terribly awful, so we joined Aunt Robin and her family at the park for birthday cake. Cousin Evan played ball with Karston and Cale, and he set a terrific example for safety! He wouldn't go in the road after the ball, and better yet, he wouldn't let his young cousins go in the road after it either. And his sister chased down a runaway Karston (out of character, but there was Karston almost out of sight, and Cale gamely trying to keep up). Thank goodness for such good cousins!

After the birthday cake picnic, we went to City Park. New rides opened yesterday! The carousel music made Cale sing, and dance (sway) in my arms! Every time we went past, Cale would sing and dance! So we rode the carousel (Cale picked which horse he wanted to ride, and he wouldn't let me get on any other) and the train (Cale gamely leaned over the edge as we went over the water). Then Karston and Cale rode the no-adults flying kiddie ride quite happily. I wasn't sure it would work, but they had a blast!

They fell asleep on the ride home. Despite a longer nap, Karston was still behaving poorly, so I went back to the Mean Bug story. Gulping didn't make Mean Bug go away. Finally, after Karston's bath, I coaxed him to eat penne with cheese in one of those moments that makes no sense unless you're the parent of a poor eater. I was sliding one long sliver of Colby cheese and then as many sections of grated mozzarella as I could fit inside each penne noodle. Tedious! Ridiculous! And worth it, since Karston ate as much as my best-case guess. Sure enough, the Mean Bug went away, and Karston was suddenly full of smiles, hugs, kisses, and kindness. Whew! The change was dramatic enough to make anyone believe in Mean Bugs that can stick in throats.

Cheese and Cake

This morning, we headed to our local Farmer's Market (the one with fresh produce that I like, not the one with crafts -- I want to buy the starting produce, not the finished product). Since we had such a cold winter, often running 10 to 15 degrees below normal, produce was scarce, but the locally-made ricotta cheese tasted great! After the Farmer's Market, we went to the new public library with the gorgeous children's section and let them pick out books.

Lunch (although Karston wasn't eating), nap, play outside, boat on the lake and catch fish, dinner.

After dinner, we went to Tasha's "Sing and Cake" birthday party! Because Karston started practicing weeks ago, Cale can sing Happy Birthday too! Much fun, kids running around together, cake and brownies and ice cream! Cale fed me some of his, and I ended up eating more sugar than I can handle. The boys fell asleep easily once we started the bedtime routine! What a very fun day!

Happy at Pediatrician

A happy visit to the pediatrician for Cale's two-year-old checkup! Cale is in the process of out-growing his food protein-induced enterocolitis "allergies"! He can't drink milk with impunity, but he can eat cheese and yogurt. Now that dairy doesn't give him ear infections, he is doing fine with his language skills. (Head, hair, hood, hat, eye, nose, mouth, hand, knee, foot, shoe; water, juice, sippy, food, ham, cheese, cracker, cookie, chocolate; tickle, play, have it; happy, silly, stinky; more, done, all gone, please, pretty please, and more I don't remember off the top of my head.)

Cale clocked in at 25.3 pounds and 34 inches (18.8 inches head circumference). On the CDC charts, his weight is almost 25th percentile, his height between the 25th and 50th percentiles, and his head just above the 25th percentile. My good eater is on the charts! Cale did get two shots to stay up with his vaccinations, but he bounced back quickly.

I've been asking Karston if his tummy hurts every couple of days for about a month, and he says his tummy feels fine. So his digestive problems seem to have resolved! Happiest visit to the pediatrician yet! Whew.

Two!

Cale turned two today! Although we weren't trying to have a birthday party, Cale's friends Jim, Amy, and Daniel came to visit. Since Karston has been singing the Happy Birthday song to get ready, Cale knows how to sing it too. So we all sang Happy Birthday to Cale to a lit birthday cake! Also from his brother, Cale knew how to blow out the candles on his birthday cake, although he did have to try twice and Karston was eagerly ready to help him. Fun for all, especially Cale who loves to sing, dance, and be the center of attention!

Watching ...

Karston's new favorite TV show is How It's Made. Imagination Movers still rates requests too, but once How It's Made is on, Karston does not want the channel changed. The Science Channel has been doing a How It's Made marathon since the snowy weekend, so we've been cooped up. Hard to argue with him wanting to watch technical, not-too-fluff TV.

Blam!

When I got home from teaching class tonight, the house was still and quiet, so I unpacked from work first. Then I heard Cale cry full-force, so I raced back to help Daddy.

Cale had been sound asleep on Daddy's lap next to Karston, but then he had a big sleep twitch. Part of the motion including bringing one hand to his forehead, which just happened to smack the spout of his sippy into his face. Blam! Ouch! And waaah! Got to be careful about those sleep twitches, especially if your hands aren't empty! Poor little guy. He fell right back to sleep on my shoulder, so Daddy did an excellent job putting kids to sleep while I was teaching (and, hopefully, not putting those kids to sleep!)

Apple-Sweet

For the second day in a row, Cale fell asleep on Daddy's lap while bedtime preparations were starting. He's also fought off his afternoon nap, so I think he still needs it. So both nights, I've headed to the kitchen to clean up while Daddy reads bedtime stories to Karston.

This evening, Karston said his tummy wanted more food during story time. We keep Whales (cheese crackers) on top of the bookshelf just for this. After he had Whales, Karston told Daddy that he wanted to eat an apple because an apple would clean his teeth after those Whales. Daddy said he could go ask Mommy for the partially-eaten apple in the refrigerator from the previous night. Karston ran down the dark hall to ask me for that apple. I congratulated him on remembering that there was a partially-eaten apple, and Karston said, No, that was Daddy's idea. But could you peel it for me so I can go chomp chomp chomp? Of course I said I would, and as I started peeling, Karston burst out with an I love you, Mommy! Last week, too, he said he had some I love you's built up. So I wasn't surprised when he said, I have to tell Daddy too and ran back down the hall to say I love you Daddy before racing back. Before he ran out the kitchen door with his peeled apple, Karston said, Thank you, Mommy. He suggested and ate non-junk food before bed, he said I love you and thank you ... Karston is just that sweet (when his tummy doesn't hurt), sweet as an apple.

The Haircuts

The boys' hair has been too long for a while, but it's been too cold to cut away anything that might keep them a little warmer too. I was waiting for a day like today, that's remarkably warm when I'm home with them. So this afternoon, we headed out to the deck for their haircuts. Since Cale was playing, I cut Karston's hair first. I made sure his hair can't get in his eyes or tickle his ears, but I left most of the thick length since it's still winter. Cale has been showing me, with unmistakable sign language, that he doesn't like hair in his eyes or tickling his ears. I was almost done cutting Karston's hair when Cale noticed what I was doing. He immediately started squeaking to get my attention, pulling my scissors to his hair, and trying to weasel himself between me and Karston. I did finish cutting Karston's hair, but it wasn't easy. Despite appearances (I've said it before: it's a good thing Cale's cute enough to overcome a bad haircut), this was Cale's best haircut yet because he sat still for it the longest. This haircut he wanted, the others were an unwelcome disruption to his play.

Although Cale's remarkably expressive without words, he did use a complete sentence today. He loves to play catch with Daddy! He dragged Daddy's heavy catcher's mitt to him, then as Daddy handed Cale his little mitt, Cale said, We play catch. If it's worth a full sentence to someone who isn't positive he needs many words, you know we'll play catch with him! Well, Daddy will ... Cale's not sure about Mommy playing catch, and no, I'm not that bad.

Progress!

We knew how to start potty training with the second child. Before we started, we explained to Cale what we were doing when we were in the bathroom. (He was most interested watching Karston.) This time we knew just to put Cale on the little potty (just start!, by 18 months), and from Karston's pre-school director, we knew that M&M's make the best reward. Cale lets us know when he's ready for M&M's by shaking the jar, and then he runs over to sit on his potty. After a while of that, we've worked up to no clothes on his bottom when he's on the potty. (We started with Cale fully dressed, just to get him to accept sitting there. He didn't like it one bit at first, but M&M's got past that.) But this evening after bath, Cale made potty training progress! Yes, he used the potty! He knew he was doing it too (that grin was unmistakable), but I don't think he can go on demand yet. Still, knowing that he's doing it, and doing it in the right place in the bathroom is a big step!

Cale also has two molars just coming in, one left and one right, one upper and one lower, so he chews constantly. He's also fairly proficient at waving bye-bye now, and will sometimes even blow you a kiss too.

The most distinct word that Cale says is tickle, and yes, he wants to be tickled when he asks that. Some days he even shows off the new words that he has picked, like walking over to one corner of our kitchen, picking one up, and saying basket!