Nutella

Sharif (at work) sent Daddy home with some Nutella (the chocolate-hazelnut spread) for Karston on Monday, so after Karston told me that he was done with dinner this evening, I thought I would see how he felt about Nutella.

Oh my.

Yes.

Nutella is a winner.

I decided to give Karston some Nutella spread on a vanilla wafer because it seemed like a handy Nutella delivery mechanism. His vanilla wafer needed many refills! After the mess was all spread and done, the vanilla wafer was slightly soggy but intact while most of the Nutella was inside Karston. It's a real calorie wallop too! Afterwards, Karston ran around outside like a toddler on a sugar buzz, and we were glad we weren't inside with that much energy bouncing off the walls. Hopefully his full tummy will help him sleep well tonight; if not, I did find childrens Maalox at Target this weekend. We may have found that source of pure calories we've always wanted to shovel into Karston!

Technorati Tags: Toddler

First Day of Preschool

Karston went to his first day of preschool today. This preschool has a 2:1 ratio for two-year-olds to teachers! They say it makes the outings much easier. Oh, and preschool has lots of toys! Initially, Karston put his head into my neck and moaned; he's been doing that since Wednesday when he sees other people. As other toddlers showed up, he thawed out. When he saw the Thomas the Tank train set, he was ready to play without being hugged at the same time. We stuck around for a short while, but when we tried to leave, Karston gave a loud call for Da-da while I made my escape to work. So my little boy is growing up, going to preschool, spending time without his family, playing with other toddlers.

The most remarkable part is the other end of the story, when Daddy and Mary came to pick him up. When they arrived, all of the toddlers were sitting nicely in their assigned chairs at the short tables eating Cheerios. Karston's spot had his name in a purple square. He was looking down at his Cheerios and eating them. Yes, my child who doesn't eat! After about a minute he noticed he had visitors and said Da-da but continued to sit and eat along with the other docile 2 year olds. Yes, my child who will stop eating for any reason, my child who is crazy about Daddy! After several more minutes, Karston invited Daddy to join them at the table. Then they went to play with toys, but no big Daddy hug. The teachers said that there were many meltdowns this morning, and that they expect many more next week, but obviously the kids get over it. Karston seemed quite comfortable in what must be a well-disciplined setting. All of the kids looked happy and well-behaved. Those teachers definitely know some secrets to success! It'll be interesting to see how he changes.

Technorati Tags: Toddler

Dod

Over the past week, Karston has switched from calling Daddy Da-Da (with a smile) to just plain Dad (with an imperative). It's often followed by a call for his juice sippy. He pronounces it "daahhh-D" so it sounds a lot like Ajax calling Duckman "Dod."

Technorati Tags: Toddler