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!