Zoo

We went to the zoo today, Mommy, Daddy, Karston, Opa, and Grammy. Karston was tired and in his stroller for much of it, but we all enjoyed it!

Technorati Tags: Toddler, Travel

Oh yeah, playschool

Today is Daddy's day to stay home with Karston, but he needed to go to work for an hour. Karston was very good in the office, but when they parked and when they were leaving, Karston pointed toward his playschool (only one block from Daddy's office) and asked for Mo' baby? Oh yeah, he likes playschool now, no doubt about it! I'm already starting to forget the tearful mornings because of course he should want to play with other children. What a wonderful change!

Technorati Tags: Toddler

Great Playschool

Karston's playschool meets until noon every Tuesday and every other Thursday. Back when he was tearful about playschool, that seemed like a frequent schedule. However, he loved it last week and this week, so now it seems like an infrequent schedule to me!

When Daddy dropped Karston off at playschool this morning, he discovered some wonderful items in Karston's cubby! One was Karston's little red Tootsie Toy truck (Tootsie Toys are no longer made, and Karston especially loves this truck so it is beloved and irreplaceable!), and the other was two blue caps from Florida's Natural Orange Juice. I know bottle caps rank somewhere between free and disposible and garbage for most people, but Karston loves them! The size fits well in his hand, and he will often ask for Blue? in a forlorn voice until he gets a blue bottle cap. It has to be right size, and given a choice he clearly prefers the caps from Florida's Natural. I think this is a sign of a very caring playschool: the teachers know what's special to Karston, and they put his special items in his cubby. Plus we were down to just one blue, so adding two more gave us some breathing room! Hurrah! (Never knew I would care about bottle caps this much.)

When Mimi picked Karston up at playschool this afternoon, she was just in time to see one of the bigger boys give Karston a hug and say You're my best friend. Karston was very happy too. Now that he's had two weeks of loving playschool, I think Karston has settled in to playing with and enjoying other two-year-olds. Another hurrah!

Technorati Tags: Toddler

Croup

Unfortunately, Karston was getting sick, and I was only hoping I could blame the new tooth for his fussiness. I took Karston to his pediatricians' sick walk-in hours yesterday morning (Daddy joined us at the end of the appointment, to Karston's pure delight!), and she agreed with my diagnosis of croup. Yesterday morning, we had had four sleepless nights, the first two with fever, the next with barking cough, and the fourth with the full stridor of croup (see this child cough reference). Croup is caused by the common cold virus, but in the under-five set, they also get that distinctive cough because their windpipes are smaller and any windpipe inflammation can lead to stridor. Karston hasn't been sleeping, eating, or drinking; that's not going to help him get well. So we (mainly Daddy actually) haven't been sleeping well either. However, this is the first morning after a bad night that Karston has felt well enough to play without being on someone's lap, so I hope he's getting better. (Doesn't help that I caught his cold. Hack, hack.)

We've had these great weekend plans for October so far (beach, aquarium, zoo, museum), and we've ended up on the taking-it-easy schedule anyway. So based on the coughing, we plan to kick back this weekend and enjoy the view (October is so pretty).

Technorati Tags: Toddler

Seventeen Shadows

This afternoon, since the weather was gorgeous, we ate lunch outside on the deck. Karston discovered he could make moving shadows on the table by moving his hand, and this fascinated him for the tail end of lunch. You could see the discovery of shadows click, and then he even experimented with different shapes.

Our original plan this morning was to go to the zoo, but Karston seemed fussier and his forehead seemed warmer than usual, so we stayed home. (Since it was hot in direct sun, and we could enjoy the lake and the breeze at home, might have been for the best.) However, I thought we should go out for some fun, so we went out to dinner. I made faces at Karston while we were waiting for our food, and he made faces right back at me. When he imitated the wide open mouth, I caught a glimpse of tooth #17, one of his two-year-old molars just peeking through! So that explains the fussiness and the low-grade fever (his temperature wasn't outside the normal range, but was half a degree high for him)! Might even explain why he's been so restless at night lately. I'm glad that he's not (getting) sick!

Oh, and this evening's small victory ... Karston ran into the bathroom, grabbed his toilet seat reducer, and nearly threw Daddy off the toilet so he could have a turn. He does ask to (try to) use the potty, but rarely with such determination. As it turns out he had a reason: it was time, he knew it, and he tinkled in the big toilet! To celebrate, he ran around the house naked and laughing while we chased him with diapers (but also let him revel in his victory)!

Technorati Tags: Toddler

I Got You, Dada!

It's really hard to say anything definite about Karston's vocabulary right now. He will often repeat words, seemingly with the knowledge of what he's saying, but I'm not sure he'll retain it. For instance, when we ate out Saturday, I asked if he wanted french fries. He said French fries! quite happily, and then ate four. (Hey, that's a meal-time success with Karston!) But does he remember today that french fries are called french fries? I don't know. (He's only eaten them four times in his life, so it hasn't been reinforced either.)

On the other hand, he is stringing together words that he knows into sentences. Some concepts don't need complete sentences. Dada! Juice! will accomplish what he wants. However, he said the same phrase yesterday and today while grabbing his father's leg after chasing him down: I got you, Dada! I'm sure he knows what he's saying when his timing is that accurate. And of course, in that sweet little voice, you know what he's saying is right on target on more than one level.

So the vocabulary may be hard to pin down, but he has advanced from words to sentences. Add a few more words, and we'll really have some communication!

Technorati Tags: Toddler

Night Terrors

Last night we had our first experience with night terrors. At 1:24 AM, Karston started screaming. He was blood-curdling and crawling to the top of the bed. Not matter what we tried, he wouldn't wake up. (You're not supposed to wake up a child having night terrors.) After twenty minutes of screaming with his eyes firmly shut, he woke up. He was in my lap. In an instant, he stopped screaming and opened his eyes. When he looked at me, he smiled and said Meow. So I called him my little kitty, patted him, turned out the light (the lower lip stuck out), and settled back in bed holding him tightly. He did it again for a couple minutes around 6:30 AM, but it didn't last as long. I would definitely say that night terrors are way worse on parents than on the child, because Karston didn't seem to mind at all, and we sure did.

Whew. We were staying at my grandmother's house (we were in Mountain City for her funeral), and moving stuff kicked up 30 years of collected dust. We were sneezing and blowing noses, and Karston's sleep breathing did not sound like his normal. So we're hoping that this experience with night terrors was caused by sleeping someone else (dusty), and that we don't do this regularly.

Technorati Tags: Toddler

Strongman

About a week ago (Daddy says two weeks), Karston was watching Curious George. George wanted to be big enough to ride the roller coaster, so he was asking for advice. The strongman told him to lift weights so he could grow big and strong. At this point, Karston wandered away from the TV, to his tinker toys. (We approve! Toys do beat TV.) Then we noticed that Karston had put together several constructions of two round tinker toys with a bar between them, and was lifting them. He was even grunting softly while lifting his "weights." So Karston wants to grow big and strong ... and he was paying more attention to the TV than we thought.

Technorati Tags: Toddler

Mess!

We decided to punch holes in the house (adding skylights and windows), and the carpenters started on Monday. In particular, the stairs are covered with bits of drywall and other debris. While Daddy was carrying him upstairs (who wants the toddler walking on that?), Karston kept pointing down to the steps and crying, Mess! mess! Yep, he sure knows a mess when he sees one.

Technorati Tags: Toddler

Best Playschool Day Yet!

We've been hoping for this day: Karston had a good day at playschool! Instead of crying for Dada when we left and again at pickup, Karston was playing with a little girl who copied his full body laugh, head leaned back, belly sticking out, ha ha ha. He said Bye bye to his teachers, too. And he didn't cry for Dada all afternoon either. We're thinking that this weekend of playing with other children, even 1 year older and 1 year younger, made a world of difference. Now he knows about kids playing!

Technorati Tags: Toddler

Beach

The beach report ...

On Saturday, Daddy and Karston went to the beach with Jen and her two girls ages 3 and not-yet-1. Since it was drizzling when they got there, Daddy huddled under the pier with the two oldest, Karston and Nadia. Whenever it cleared for a minute, they ran out, with life preservers on, to stick toes in the water. One wave knocked Nadia over (Daddy caught her); she was a big brave girl about it and kept playing. Karston thought the water was a bit cold but he wanted to be close to the action.

The weather was nicer today, so Opa, Grammy, Daddy, and Karston got in the boat with Jen and her girls. Nadia has been talking about last summer's boat ride and playing in the tidal pool ever since. Yes, she remembered a trip when she was 2! Obviously we all wanted her to do it again since she liked it so much! The boat ride and the tidal pools were the expected hit. Karston liked the tidal pools better because the water was warmer, and of course no one got knocked over. The real excitement came when it was lunchtime, time to head back: the boat had taken on quite a bit of water because the drain plug wasn't plugging, and at the same time, the bilge pump failed. Yes, two failures you don't want to see at the same time! With much coaxing, it started and even got home, but it was the don't-slow-down-for-any-reason trip back. It wasn't uneventful, but it turned out fine.

Mommy slept well, and now I feel like I've got this cold mostly kicked. The kids had a great time playing at the beach. Successful weekend!

Technorati Tags: Toddler

Curious Karston Goes to the Beach

Karston's favorite bedtime book for the past several weeks is Curious George Goes to the Beach, so Daddy took him to the beach today. I'm just getting over a cold, so I stayed home. I'm sure we'll have a report on Karston and the beach soon! I hear that he liked the beach, but the water was too chilly for him. Life preserver or no, Karston staying out of the ocean is fine by me!

Technorati Tags: Toddler

My Chair

Some days you start off with one plan, and end up with another.

This morning, we planned to take Karston to the Museum of Life and Science to play. (This part of the plan worked out well.) I've started calling that museum the Children's Country Club because we see so many parents and toddlers playing there. I can tell we're all members so that we don't pay admission each time so that we don't mind leaving early for nap time. It's really a children's club! Oh, and some of the museum parts are nice too. Karston enjoyed the playground, the farm animals, the explore-a-caboose, and especially the train ride twice around the grounds. After our train ride, we had a nice lunch in the cafe, and Karston even ate most of a banana while we were there! He didn't have much breakfast this morning, so I'm glad he ate some lunch. We all had a pleasant time at the museum.

The second plan turned out differently. We planned to buy some shorts for Karston since he didn't have any generic shorts in his dresser. At the store, we found tons of girls' clothes and almost no boys' clothes. We found plenty of outfits with long pants, and many heavy outer layers. But shorts for this 90+ degree day? *sigh* We finally found one red knit pair that we got. While Daddy was searching for shorts and I was chasing Karston, Karston found a small chair. It's a blue elephant wearing a pink party hat, and it's a chair for very small rumps. Karston has a very small rump, and he looked so proud sitting on this chair! Once he found it, he didn't set it down. I had to lift Karston and his chair up to the counter to scan it for check out. Then he ran out of the store carrying his chair, looking for a place to set it down while I made sure he stayed out of traffic. Driving home, Karston held on to his chair; even though he fell asleep, he still wouldn't let Daddy take it away. During his nap this afternoon, he kept one hand on his chair. He's calling it Sue (maybe Zoo?). So we wanted shorts, and we came home with Sue the blue zoo elephant chair.

Technorati Tags: Toddler

What Does the Animal Say?

This weekend, we noticed that Karston has a vocabulary of animal names and sounds. We hadn't tried to teach these to him, but he has picked it up. He would say an animal, or point to one in a book, and then make a sound. So far, we have five animals in the repertoire.

• What does a cat say? Our cat Linus is loud, so Karston meows loudly. MEOW! MEOW! MEOW!


• What does a dog say? Arf! Arf!


• What does a snake say? Ssssss


• What does a cow say? Moo


• And Karston's favorite that he has known since he was very young, What does a lion say? ROAR!

Technorati Tags: Toddler

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

Okra Boy

All of the fried okra eaters I know (myself, I don't like it one bit) say that the best fried okra in town comes from the Wal-Mart deli, so we go there for Karston. This afternoon when I was checking out, the clerk Bessie said, Oh, he's the okra boy! Whenever we're near the deli counter, Karston says Okra okra okra, sometimes quite loudly, until he gets some. Since the okra is already weighed and priced, I let him eat it right away, and I pack juice so that he can wash it down. Today, Karston even told me that his okra would be hot-hot, so he would blow on it (puff, puff). Sure enough, that's what he did, even in the checkout lane when Bessie spotted him as a regular, the okra boy. Okra boy is a dubious honor, but at least Karston asks for and eats a vegetable.

Technorati Tags: Toddler

Pediatrician: Two Years

Karston went to the pediatrician this morning, and the visit was very quick (out in 40 minutes!) and easy.

Vitals are 21 pounds 4.4 ounces (still not on the CDC chart, but on a similar trajectory so the doctor says he's fine), 31.25 inches tall (also not on the chart, but much closer to the 5th percentile), and 19" head circumference (around the 25th percentile). His weight-to-length ratio is in the 10th percentile, so he is tall for his weight even though he's light. His body mass index (which applies starting at age 2) is just over the 10th percentile mark too.

One of the child development questions the doctor asked was "does he line up blocks?" and the answer was "oh my, yes!"

In other words, it was pretty boring, but for a routine checkup, that's good.

Technorati Tags: Toddler

Peanut Butter and Banana Muffins

Getting Karston to eat can be challenging, but really fresh food is a good start. He ate fresh-from-the-deli fried okra this morning, after refusing day-old then several-days-old fried okra this past week. When we got back from the store, Karston ate 2/3 of an unpeeled banana after turning his nose up at the 2/3 of a banana he started eating a few days ago.

So here I was this afternoon, with most of a banana that the kid wouldn't eat, and that I didn't want to throw it out. (A lot of my cooking starts this way: better make something before it goes bad.) I found this recipe for Peanut Butter and Banana Cookies that I decided to try. However, what I had only looked like 1/2 cup of banana, so I had to modify the recipe to cut it in half. (I can't follow a recipe anyway.)

2 Tbs margarine, softened
1/4 cup peanut butter, warmed
1/2 cup bananas, mashed
1 tsp vanilla extract
3/4 cup unbleached enriched flour
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup Splenda
1/2 tsp baking soda

I preheated the toaster oven to 375°F, and covered the tray with tin foil. I melted the margarine (I used Blue Bonnet Light with half the fat because that's what I have) and mashed in the banana pieces. Then I stirred in the vanilla, and I couldn't resist a shake of cinnamon too (I love cinnamon). I added a scoop of peanut butter (I just guessed at a quarter cup of Smuckers Reduced Fat Natural Style). Then I sifted into the bowl the flour, sugar, splenda, and baking soda (I actually measured these ingredients). I mixed it with my immersion blender because the peanut butter was still cold and unworkable. Next time, I would warm the peanut butter with the margarine and just mix it with a fork so there are a few banana bites and a few peanut butter bites. I don't know if that will taste better, but I'd like to try it. I'll probably also try adding 1 Tbs molasses too.

I made one batch as cookies on the toaster over tray. Since that's my only toaster oven tray, I put the remaining batter in my silicone mini muffin pan (after spraying it). I baked them for 15 minutes in the toaster oven, but 12 minutes in a regular oven is probably right. I got 11 cookies from the first round and 12 mini muffins from the second round. After his nap, Karston put down one cookie and two-and-a-half mini muffins very quickly. When it's very fresh, Karston likes this recipe! Since it's a small recipe now that I could probably cut in half again, it's just right to dole out small fresh batches as long as we have a little bit of banana in the house. Which we don't, right now.

Cooking, Recipe, Toddler

Two Chocolate Doughnuts!

Most of Karston's words are much more distinct now. He used to say Ah-sha but now he says Outside. Okra (ahk-rah) and ice cream (ice cweem), two favorite foods, are more distinct now. A couple of words are still baby talk, though. He still says Ah-dah for again, and I heard Hah-dah for play recently. He still says shah-shah for chocolate.

This morning, Karston ate chocolate-covered doughnuts. The chocolate coat keeps them fresher longer, too. When he went back for seconds, the tastiest doughnuts were on the bottom, of course. Karston dug out two doughnuts, one for each hand, and looked at us with pure delight! Holding both arms out, one chocolate-covered doughnut in each hand, with a huge smile, Karston clearly said, "Two Shah-shah" before plowing food in his face.

We caught him counting to three a couple months ago. He walked up to the dishwasher, and tapped one - two - three doors past the dishwasher before opening the cabinet door to the trash can. If you're taller than the kitchen counter, the trash is in the first cabinet to the right of the sink; but if you're Karston's height, you need to count to the third cabinet door past the dishwasher. Karston really did seem to be paying attention to Sesame Street when the number of the day was two, and it seemed to soak in. He's had the concept of counting to two and three for a while, but now he knows the word for two is two! We were impressed!

Technorati Tags: Toddler

TWO

Today is Karston's second birthday!

A normal day at my mother's house already includes a lot of playing, so to make his birthday special, my mother took him to the Museum of Life and Science to play with other children. He followed a little girl, and was perfectly happy when she took away his sandbox toy. (He's very mild-mannered.)

When we got home from work, I hit the kitchen to get food ready for the horde while Karston played with his guests. We had dinner (weiners, corn-on-the-cob, and salad), and cinnamon flop as birthday cake (it's quick and tasty, so I can make it after work and eat it right away). I think we all had seconds of birthday cake, even Karston who is a picky eater! Karston was more interested in presents this year, so although he was still overwhelmed, he made it through many more presents this time.

When it got close to his bedtime, Karston walked over to everyone and said "Bye-bye" which was a real ice-breaker and party-ender. Karston had a ton of fun today, but I think he will enjoy a normal day tomorrow.

Technorati Tags: Toddler

Blocks

I know the pediatrician will ask about Karston's stacking skills at his next appointment, so I've been taking mental notes. Three months ago, he stacked our groceries four high in the cart before the non-uniform shapes made the stack fall over. On Friday, Karston stacked his wooden blocks up to eight high before he couldn't resist knocking over the stack. He is a boy, so we need some destruction too! His Daddy and his grandparents were building block towers for him to knock over Friday, and he was getting creative, as well as wound up laughing his head off. He knocked some stacks over with his hands, some with his feet, and even some by sticking his belly out.

We played with blocks this morning too. Karston made stacks up to six high, and he knocked over stacks we built. Then I walked away so he could wind himself down for his nap. He told me MORE, and made me walk him downstairs so he could bring up two more small toy cars to add to the three he has upstairs. Then he fell asleep holding his cars. Then I noticed his blocks. When I left the sunroom, his blocks were knocked over and scattered everywhere. When I next looked, his blocks were very carefully arranged in a very precise ell shape with well over 90% of the blocks with the brightly painted face up. My jaw dropped. I left this pattern intact so I could show Daddy who had the same reaction. Karston's not yet two, and he can be very precise. I know both of his parents are engineers, but this is remarkable. Blocks just came on his radar!

He also wants to make the world safe from stickers. He peeled stickers from our produce that we bought at the store this evening, asked for more to peel, and then collected all of the stickers to put in the trash. That's what I mean by precise ... things are just so ... careful patterns, and then he cleans up after himself. I never expected this from my toddler! But hey, I'm not complaining!

Technorati Tags: Toddler

Durham Bulls

Karston went to his first Durham Bulls baseball game this evening. (It was also the first time for his grandparents.) When everyone else clapped and cheered, Karston joined in. When he saw Patrick Star from SpongeBob Squarepants, a visiting mascot, he got very excited and pointed to Patwick. However, when he got close to Patrick, he curled back into my arms because Patrick, like other mascots, really is quite large when you get up close. We walked over to the next section to talk to our neighbors (and deliver baby food for Dinah, since we didn't have to rush to the airport before the game). The evening was gorgeous, the Durham Bulls won, and we just couldn't ask for a nicer, reasonably-priced, child-friendly outing!

Technorati Tags: Toddler

Class Clown

Today for lunch (and last week, too!) we went to Bandido's, a favorite Mexican restaurant, with Jen and her two daughters.

Last Monday, Karston spent the entire car trip to Bandido's talking about Da-da. Once he was in a high chair next to Nadia and across from Daddy, he only had eyes for Nadia. Pretty red-heads can do that. At this lunch, Karston showed his true colors as a class clown. He turned to Nadia, leaned in, and laughed his head off until she started laughing too. He's a real nut.

Today the kids played together before lunch. I learned that Karston doesn't get jealous when someone else gets to nurse. I really hope that preschool --it starts in mid-August!-- trains Karston to share his toys because he wasn't sure how to play with Nadia. The other mom-embarrassing incident was when Karston was teaching body parts to Tasha. He said feet while tapping his foot, and again while tapping her foot. He said hand while tapping his hand, and again while tapping her hand. On to nose. Not bad so far, and I had stopped worrying, but then he said eye and his unerring finger headed right for Tasha's eye and she doesn't know to blink or turn away like adults and pets. Luckily her mother was quick enough to prevent that disaster, but Karston needs to learn that babies, as much as he wants to hug Chris and Tasha, need extra care, like no fingers poking eyes. He didn't want to be far from Tasha, and he kept saying Baby! Hug! over and over.

This time for lunch, we had extra adults so Karston was more cuddly I'm not sure if he were shy because of more grown-up conversation or because of the larger audience, but he was a ham now and then.

Technorati Tags: Toddler

Whee?

Ever since Karston got to ride in the Corvette, front-facing in the front seat, when we walk past it in the garage, Karston pats the door, looks at us, and asks Whee? I knew he would love the Corvette at some point in his life, but I didn't know he would start this young.

Technorati Tags: Car, Toddler

Daddy's Boy

Ever since Will told Karston that the burgundy phone was for play (because it is at Will's house), Karston has used the burgundy phone in our bedroom as his phone. We had to unplug it, and leave it unplugged. This morning when Daddy had been at work about half an hour, Karston picked up that phone and had a one-sided conversation in English, not in Toddler's Tibetan! He picked up the phone and said, Hello? Hello? Da-da? Yeah, Da-da. Da-da come home!

He really loves his Daddy.

Technorati Tags: Toddler

Little Red Corvette

Old cars need to be driven regularly (or else). For short trips on pretty days, Daddy drives his 1969 Corvette convertible. (Of course it's red.) Today he took Karston along. It's Karston's first trip in the Corvette since he outgrew the infant car seat around 9 months old. And it turns out that only the infant car seat fits rear-facing in the Corvette, so Karston was facing forward for the very first time. In the front passenger's seat because there is no rear seat.

Karston spent the whole (short, two mile) trip excited, saying Whee whee whee whee whee whee! We'd say he liked the experience.

Technorati Tags: Car, Toddler

New Skills This Month

Words:
outside (ah-shah is very popular), apple (refined, ah-pull), noooooo, ice cream sandwich (ah-sha cweee sah-wih; now you know how he's staying over 20 pounds), Meeree (Mary, my mother who takes care of him Tuesday through Thursday, sometimes mee-mee, which is fine, or mee-nee, that makes us laugh)

Karston also started combining words. For instance, after he announced he wanted to go outside this weekend, he moved on to "Dada, shoes" because he knows Daddy puts on shoes before taking him outside.

He still says Emma (our dog), kitty, chocolate (sha-sha), okra, juice (shooos), water (wa-wa), cheese (cheees), shoes, nose, eyes, ears, belly and belly button (bewee bee), mama (and ta-ta when he wants to nurse), and of course dada.

Tricks:
throwing a ball (pretty well), carrying two large balls for throwing, digging in the sand (and pouring it in Emma's food or on Emma), drawing, stacking everything in sight (groceries stacked 4 high before sliding over), kissing us when he's happy, and telling us to kiss each other

When one of us is carrying Karston, and we're close, he'll get a sly grin, put his hands to the back of our necks, push our faces together, and wait for us to kiss. When we kiss, he gets a huge delighted grin of yeah, I did that and it's great, and he giggles happily when we kiss him too. Like we keep saying, Karston is all love, all the time.

Technorati Tags: Toddler

First Shower

Karston took his first shower yesterday. When he and Daddy went to play with Emma, Karston patted the hot tub lid and said Wa wa very insistently! So we hopped in the hot tub, and he had a great time playing with water toys. Karston particularly likes the toy sailboat that Daddy got when he was very young. After the hot tub, we decided to see if he would take a shower with us. (Karston dropped some leaves in the hot tub, so we needed to rinse off leaf bits.) I held him tightly, and we all hopped in the shower. We tried a shower about a year ago, and it was a total crying failure that didn't even last a minute. This time we were very casual, stepped in the shower, and it worked! I gradually eased him into the water, with spray going farther up his back gradually and never on his face. He looked concerned for a minute, but then relaxed. We'll stick with the bath in general (he really loves playing with water toys), but it's nice to know we can all hop in the shower now.

Technorati Tags: Toddler

kunder

Karston's new concept this week is under. Monday while I was eating my lunch, Karston crawled under the wicker couch in the sunroom and fell asleep. I moved the couch so I could pick him up for the poopy diaper change he needed. Tuesday and Wednesday he played under my mother's bed. My mother replaced her tablecloth with a large bedsheet, so today Karston played under her dining room table. They played many rousing games of Where's Karston?, but every time she stuck her head under the sheet, Karston pushed her out of his fort.

Technorati Tags: Toddler

#1!

Daddy gave Karston a bath this evening while I did a fast cleanup around the house. I joined the after-bath fun of chasing a naked toddler on the bed with a towel. (Karston loves that game!) He was really fighting the diaper, so we decided to put him on the potty. We have a toiler seat reducer so that he can sit on a regular toilet without falling in. He was perfectly happy with that idea! When we first introduced sitting on the toilet a few months ago, he would sit, kick his legs, look down, poke himself, but that was it. Tonight, he looked down and ... yes! he used the toilet! He got praise and kisses from both of us! He loved that, and after his big smile, he got this look of fierce concentration, and he did it again! More kisses and praise!

So he knows how and where. I guess he just has to work on knowing in advance of the need, and telling us that. We'll see how it goes, but he's pretty good at communication. It's a small victory, but we're off to a good start! We've had the first #1 in the toilet now ... now to make it a habit!

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Jealous

This evening, our neighbor came over with her two daughters Dale and Dinah. Dale is almost three years old while Dinah is eight-and-a-half months old, so Karston is sandwiched between them in age. Since Karston loves to play with Dale and he had napped long enough, I woke him up gently while Daddy started some shrimp for dinner. Karston still wasn't happy about being up, and he asked for ta-ta (neighborly laughter), so I sat down on the kitchen floor and let him nurse. Dinah made eye contact with me, and made a loud noise! Her mom said she had made a happy sound, and I asked if she were interested in what we were doing. -Oh no, she ate before we left the house. Daddy refilled my water, and then offered Karston a peeled shrimp. (Karston likes shrimp. And crab, and tropical fruit. Good Carribean taste!). Next thing I know, Dinah crawled all the way over to her mother and asked for ... well, she did get some ideas from Karston, even if she had just eaten. Daddy knows nursing mothers get thirsty, so he brought her some water as well. For a little while, it was a three-ring circus, between thirsty women wanting water and Karston wanting more shrimp! Two of us were on the floor with our respective children, and Daddy was running to keep the circus afloat!

I really think Karston's nursing made the visiting baby jealous. Hey, if he gets some, I want some too!

Technorati Tags: Toddler

Best! Playdate! Ever!!!

I think Karston just had the most fun he's ever had in one day! His friend Will who's only seven weeks older came over for a playdate. (Yes, that really means my friend's son Will came to play over with my son. Now isn't it simpler just to say Karston's friend Will?) Will's toys have been packed for a while, so his family can move to Italy. Will and Karston played together pretty well, which is impressive for not-quite-two! I think Will really enjoyed playing with toys in a child-proofed house without adults chasing him due to the lack of child-proofing. Karston, on the other hand, was absolutely on fire! He ran. He ran in place, in circles around the couch, around the kitchen island. He laughed, he smiled, he babbled. He showed off his toys to Will. Will went over to the train and played with Legos sitting inside the tracks, sometimes putting Legos inside the caboose. Karston came over, and said Look at this! in baby, and turned the train on so it went around the tracks. Will stumbled to stand up in surprise, and wouldn't take his eyes off the train for four revolutions! Of course the adults fell around laughing at Will's surprise! Then Will's itty bitty baby brother Chris woke up while their mommy was in the bathroom (of course), so I picked him up for cuddling. Karston was very serious that he wanted to carry Chris; I wasn't going for it since (just over two months old) Chris needs to have his neck supported and Karston's a bit young for that concept. So then Karston said he wanted to hold and hug Chris, so I let him do that in my lap. Even after Karston went back to playing, he still came over to rub Chris on the back gently when he fussed. I know Karston's very loving to us, but he's our child; this is the first time I've seen him being so loving to a smaller child. Absolutely adorable. At lunch, Karston and Will discovered the fort under the table and tablecloth. More having a blast. They babbled at each other, and seemed to understand the language, what my mom called fluent Tibetan, just like twins. Then moms and two-year-old boys went in the hot tub, and that was another delight! Splash! Ball! Swim/jump between moms!

So that was five to six hours of non-stop delight today. It's really hard to describe in retrospect, but I don't think Karston's been that excitedly happy for that long before. He's a happy child except when he's not, of course, but that much high-energy happiness for that long ... well, that's something special. He's played before with others, but usually with the three-year-old girls whose moms I know. He enjoys playing with the girls, but Will ... that Will is something else! Just ask Karston!

Technorati Tags: Toddler

Word of the Day: Noodle

Karston's new word today is noo-noo. I boiled ziti for dinner (yummy! but this asiago-spinach chicken sausage has made everything yummy, and I used half the meat and pasta of the recipe), and Karston liked it. We told him those ziti were noodles, and he said noo-noo back.

Technorati Tags: Toddler

Sad Face

The Sad Face: or, Why Karston Hasn't Had a Nap Yet Today

Today Karston perfected his sad face. I asked him if he were tired after my mother came over for lunch (50 mph wind gusts, she has no power), and he said Nigh-nigh, so I set him down in bed. His lower lip went in, and the corners of his mouth went down. I reminded him of night-night, but he just reached for me with that sad face. No, I couldn't refuse, so I picked him up. A short while later, my mother went to show me how putting the kid down for a nap was done. As soon as she set him on his bed, he made his sad face again, and this time his lower lip trembled. Yeah, she picked him up again.

I'm sure he's tired, but if he's going to look that unhappy about it, it's going to be tough to put him to bed. I thought I had an easy shot when he was stretched out on the floor, not playing, just lying on his back. But once I picked him up, he came back to life. It's hard to put a lively toddler to bed; much easier with the sleepy kid.

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Kicked Out of Bed

We've been working on Karston's sleeping habits lately. When Karston was fussy one afternoon last week, Daddy set him down for a nap and walked away quickly (my naptime technique). And it worked, he stopped fussing in a short time, and fell asleep! We've also been putting him to sleep in his own bed. Karston's been a little fussier today, so I think tooth #17 is coming in but it's very dangerous to check (my finger gets chomped). He's also woken up very sad the past couple nights perhaps from the teething, so we've brought him into our bed for cuddling.

For the first two weeks of putting Karston to sleep in his own bed by himself (without one of us sleeping there with him for most or all of the night), Daddy cuddled him to sleep before sneaking away. Well, for the past three nights in a row, Karston has kicked Daddy repeatedly when they lie down in bed together, and he says the same babble syllables each time. The first night we were baffled. Last night we were pretty sure that Karston was kicking Daddy out of bed. And tonight, Karston did it again. This time, he even punched Daddy too. He still wants to delay bedtime as long as he can, but now (in less than a month!) he wants to go to bed by himself. Karston kicked Daddy out of bed! Our toddler is growing up!

Technorati Tags: Toddler

Misbehaving and Tired

Karston played quietly with his TinkerToys this morning for about two hours. Then he wanted to sit in my lap, and continue to play with TinkerToys for another hour. (We all love TinkerToys.) A little before 11:30 AM, I caught an evil whiff, and changed a poopy diaper. In the hall, he started talking about do-do, so I let him feed himself several doughnut holes. (He's learning the advantages of speaking our language, and we like to reward using the correct word instead of his usual fluent baby tibetan.) Then he chugged the water in his sippy without a valve (faster chugging), and asked for mo'. So I gave him more water in that bottle (he was ignoring the blue sippy with valve and water, and his juice sippy), but not much, just in case. Then I heard an odd sound, and just in case was happening. He was holding his water upside down, dribbling it on the chair. I told him NO very firmly and rushed over. He gave me the "what?" look but kept pouring, so as soon as I got over there, I took the water away. That made him cry. I set him on the floor so I could clean up, but he was hopping back into trouble as fast and loud as he could, so I picked him up, and almost took him to his room. But we're doing so well on him sleeping by himself in his room that I didn't want him to have any bad associations with that room. Instead, I flipped him on his back on our bed and told him to think about what he did. I heard some crying (for less than a minute) because he hates to be left alone on his back. I went back to the kitchen, sponged up the water, ran the wet-dry vac, and generally cleaned up that mess. After I was done, guess what? Karston was sound asleep! So somewhere between 11:40 AM (setting him down) and 11:50 AM (checking on him again), he fell asleep. I just wanted him in a time-out while I cleaned up, but naptime is fine too. He woke up about 2:00 PM, glad to see me, and generally happy; a complete change from when I set him down! I know I've said it before, but his bad behavior and tired go together.

Technorati Tags: Toddler

That Odd Warm Feeling

Karston got his fingers pinched in the CD tray this afternoon (it doesn't pinch hard, but it scared him), so I sat on the couch to let him nurse as the fastest way to cheer him up. Suddenly I had this uncomfortable warm feeling seeping on my legs. It turns out that we were on the third diaper leak of the day (so four new outfits for him today, and two for me), but there's that uncomfortable moment when you try to figure out what happened to explain the warmth. Luckily I was off the hook on this one! (My water broke early, and I just made it to the bathroom in time. So at least once, the warm leak was me, and apparently my subconscious still remembers because "Karston did it" was my second thought.)

Hopefully no one else knows this feeling! *grin*

Happy Easter, y'all!

Technorati Tags: Toddler

Naptime

I think I just won the "putting the toddler down" contest we didn't know we were having. I was cleaning up the kitchen after lunch, and Daddy was playing with Karston ... who turned fussy. Much resistance to the nigh-nigh suggestion. I called out my suggestion to set him down on his bed, but got some questions about those simple directions. So I walked out of the kitchen (Karston was headed my way), scooped up my toddler, and headed to his room. He stopped crying while I was walking there patting his back. I set him on his back on his bed, said Nigh-nigh, and walked out. He stopped crying about 20 seconds after I left his room. Daddy waited two minutes, said he was surprised, and headed in for a peek when I called him back. The way this routine works is that you must wait at least ten minutes before checking on the child! How do I know it's ten minutes? (Actually, nine works too.) When Karston was very small, I learned that after 8 to 10 minutes of nursing while asleep, I could set Karston down and he wouldn't wake up. Daddy thought he saw toddler eyes before he made the U-turn, so I'm glad he didn't peek any more. What makes it works is the non-negotiable aspect. I set Karston down, I tell him to go to sleep, and I leave. There's no coddling, no cuddling, and no mercy (within the first ten minutes). And he falls asleep quickly! I think Daddy was being too nice; but he is a really nice guy and a great daddy, so that's no surprise.

We're finishing the second week of putting Karston to sleep at night in his own bedroom. Initially, Daddy wasn't sleeping well because he was so used to cuddling Karston to sleep! And I admit, it felt weird to be able to pull covers up over myself. Daddy has to have covers, and Karston freaks out under covers. Even on a king-sized bed, the covers aren't wide enough to cover one person, drop down to leave someone in the middle uncovered, and then come up to cover me. So I wear more clothes to bed.

But this setting him down when it's clearly naptime, and he only makes noise for twenty seconds ... I could get used to this! It's worked for the past month, so I think we're really making progress on sleeping (for all of us). But you know, it might be my naptime too ... *yawn*

Technorati Tags: Toddler

20 - 20

Karston looks so skinny, and his head looks so large for his body (his head size, unlike his weight and height, is thoroughly above the 5th percentile line on the CDC charts). I'd love to feed him french fries right now just to fatten him up, but I only have yucca fries in the house; yucca is like sweet potato but less sweet. I mean, he's over 20 months old, and he's still under 20 pounds!

I think my > 20 - < 20 frustration is because I think twenty pounds is a milestone for sleeping in many toddlers. Karston naps fine! In fact, I just woke him up from his nap so that he would sleep decently well tonight (I hope). I just wish he would sleep as well at night (with fewer books, less cuddling, putting himself to sleep, sleeping well by himself). So I've been rooting for him to cross twenty pounds for a long while, for his parents' sake as well as for his own.

Plus you're usually older than Karston when your age in months is greater than your weight in pounds, you know?

Technorati Tags: Toddler

Chocolate Chip Cookies

Karston didn't eat well today, and we're still hoping he weighs more than 20 pounds when he goes to college, so I looked at various recipes through Google Cookin'. I had a lot of ground flax seed in the frig, and I found this Fabulous Fiber Chocolate Chip Cookies Recipe on Recipezaar. I used 50% less fat margarine, and I'd use only 75% of what the recipe calls for next time since the batter seemed more moist than necessary (which makes them dry out and get very crunchy when they cool, so don't over-cook them). I also like more oats than that in my chocolate chip cookies, so I would at least double the oats, maybe quadruple. And then I would need to reduce the dry ingredients, so I'd probably subtract half the volume of the additional oats from the volume amount of the flax seed meal. And now you're starting to understand just how hopeless I am about recipes. Just can't follow one! I doubled the chocolate chips just in this test batch when I was trying to follow the recipe! Karston ate maybe 1/3 of one cookie, and seemed to like it. Unfortunately, the cookies tasted pretty good (a bit grainy from the coarsely ground flax seed, but what do you expect?), so his parents each had two. Oh well. I find super calorie cookies (161 calories per large cookie) that aren't too unhealthy, and we're eating them instead of Karston. Oh well, here's to a kid who some day will weigh more than twenty pounds! At least he really likes chocolate chip cookies.

Technorati Tags: Toddler

Mo' Grapefruit!

I'm so proud of Karston's grapefruit eating! He eats straight grapefruit, with no sugar added, like I've seen some kids do. It's not really eating grapefruit when you add a cup of sugar to a grapefruit; particularly the routine I saw that left a lot of grapefruit but no sugar in the bowl. So I am opposed to sugar on grapefruit for my kid. Karston has been demanding to join us when we split a Florida grapefruit for breakfast. When we started, Daddy and Mommy each got to eat half of a grapefruit because Karston only ate a few sections. Then more. And more. He worked up to eating a quarter of a grapefruit by himself, and he really enjoys squeezing out the juice and drinking from the peel just like his Daddy.

Well, this morning Karston out-did himself on grapefruit! He ate half a grapefruit by himself! We thought he was done, but then he said Mo'!, and started in on Daddy's half! Daddy had plenty left, but Karston was on a grapefruit-eating roll! He really does like fruit, particularly tropical fruit. His very first non-standard-baby-food was freshly squeezed orange juice, and he loved it. He also loves dairy products (cheese, yogurt, and cottage cheese), and saltine crackers. Some days that's all he eats, but when he's eating fruit with us, it doesn't seem like he had bad eating habits.

Technorati Tags: Toddler

Emma

When we took our dog for a run around the yard and lake this evening, Karston pointed at her several different times and said EMMA. That's her name! So Linus the cat is kitty (actually, Karston's stop sounds aren't as crisp as they used to be, so Linus is diddy now), but Emma the dog is now Emma.

Technorati Tags: Toddler

The Knack

If you search for "knack dilbert" at YouTube, you can watch the Dilbert video clip that explains The Knack. My favorite version of the clip is/was this one, but Sony pulled it (no big surprise, as they still don't get it about Blu-Ray that also doesn't have the picture quality, and they don't get it about DRM or rootkits either). The jist is that Dilbert has The Knack as a child, so he is fated to become an engineer.

Well, looks like Karston has The Knack. This morning, he had to show us that he has mastered his hop frog (a toy that jumps if you press the lever on its back). He made sure we were watching, set down the hop frog, and made it jump. Our house came with two units for an FM intercom system. He can turn the intercom on, and put the two speakers together for feedback. In fact, all this week we kept finding the intercoms on when we knew we'd turned them off recently. Last night, Karston followed Daddy into the bathroom, then went back to the living room for his step stool. He put his step stool next to the vanity, climbed on, and started re-arranging everything next to the sink. This morning, he pulled my hand mixer out of the kitchen cabinet (very common so far), but then he dragged it into the living room to plug the mixer into an outlet he could reach (child-proofed of course, but he tries to get around that too). He knows the mixer is more fun when it's plugged in ... argh! The Knack means we have to watch him very closely.

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Chocly

Karston's new word this evening is chocly. In my mother's kitchen, he reached as far as he could for the out-of-reach jar of chocolate chips, and said Chocly! with that intense you-know-what-I-mean stare. He didn't get this from either of his parents, but Karston sure does love chocolate! (He's not allowed to have any chocolate after dinner / before bed.)

Last week, Karston helped my mother make oatmeal chocolate chip cookies. By helping, I mean that he gobbled chocolate chips while she mixed cookie batter. He gave her a terrible look when she dumped all of his chocolate chips into the cookie dough, and then refused to eat any of the polluted chocolate chips that she pulled out of the dough for him. Of course, this week he's happily eating those same cookies, so I guess he got over it.

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You Need New Shock Absorbers When ...

You know you need new rear shock absorbers when ... after a short trip on a country road, your toddler is gripping the sides of his car seat with that crazy grin he gets on wild rides.

This just goes to prove that Karston makes life funnier. I went to let him out of his car seat when I got to my mother's house, and there he was, grabbing the sides of the car seat, leaning forward, and grinning like mad; he was ready to do it again. I already knew I needed the shock absorbers, but Karston really clinched it there. And he made me laugh, too.

Toddler, Funny

What a Week

Wow, what a great week it's been! And it's not quite Friday yet.

Monday, Karston and I played outside because it was a gorgeous 75 degrees. (Yeah, in January!) We looked at the silly daffodils growing. Mostly Karston played with his sidewalk chalk. He now knows that he can use chalk to leave marks on the cement driveway; last month, he didn't know what we were doing.

Tuesday morning, you guessed it, a few daffodils in bloom! I have never seen my daffodils bloom in January before! Not only that, I've never seen my daffodils bloom before my crocuses and my forsythia.

Wednesday I teach an evening class, so I didn't get enough time with Karston. I didn't eat dinner either; Wednesdays are just that kind of day between working and teaching. Daddy reported that Karston taught himself tinker toys Wednesday evening, and that he spent 45 minutes quietly figuring them out. Karston was fascinated that the middle hole on the rounds is big enough for the spokes to pass easily, but that the spokes seat well in the other holes. Given that the tinker toys say For Ages 3 and Above, I thought those tinker toys were yet another item (sigh) to try to cram in our minuscule attic to get out of the way until he's 3. (For a large house, there's remarkably little storage space, especially of the out-of-the-way variety.) However, he learned about precise alignment with Legos, so I guess tinker toys aren't that far beyond Legos for assembly.

This morning, I looked out the window, we had an inch of snow on the ground, and it was really coming down! This is the first snow that stuck to the ground in Karston's life! (He wasn't impressed.) The traffic cameras convinced me, and many of my co-workers, to stay home in the morning. (I spent the afternoon on an easy car repair. Cold weather doesn't bring out the best in cars, especially diesels that haven't had any maintenance in a while.) So of course that means I had the classic scene of daffodils in snow in my front yard! Pretty, but between the snow/sleet/rain and the wind, I came back inside. The thermometer kissed 32 degrees around lunchtime, and dropped again. However, the ground was still warm from Monday and the warm days leading up to it, so most of the snow melted before dark. The other item of note this afternoon was that tooth #15, the upper left canine, peeked out. This tooth doesn't seem to bother Karston. I'm not even sure that the drool output is higher.

So we've had warmth and flowers this week, but also cold and snow. Karston developed some skills with chalk and tinker toys that we enjoyed watching, and he popped a new tooth so uneventfully that it didn't bother his playing and learning.

I wonder what new fun we'll see tomorrow?

Toddler

See My Legos?

This evening, Karston went into the sunroom to bring some of his Legos into the living room so he could show us that he knows how to put them together now. He had trouble with the exact rectilinear alignment before, but he wanted to show us that he's so much more co-ordinated than that now. You know, less than a month later. I'm really starting to understand why so many labels say "for people age 2 and older" because Karston is rapidly leaving behind the baby stage where he needed our help with everything to the person stage where he learns for himself. He feeds himself (not well, and it's quite messy), he runs everywhere, and he learns toys like Legos. He's growing up!

Toddler

Pediatrician: Eighteen Months

We went to the pediatrician this morning, and Karston is 30" tall, 18.25" head circumference, and 18 pounds 11.8 ounces. (He didn't eat much this weekend! He's usually in the 19 pound range. We're embarrassed. But I'm sure he'll crack 20 pounds before he goes to college.) His height is hovering around 5th percentile, head just above 10th percentile, and his weight just isn't anywhere close to the lines. Or, to put it another way, his weight is average for an 8-month-old, his head is average for a 12-month-old, and his height is average for a 13-month-old. He's not tall, but he's still slender for his height.

My friend Jeni told us to prepare for the question, How many words does he say, so we were ready with a whole list. The doctor was impressed with All Done!, which is pretty useful. After the physical exam, the doctor told Karston that he was all done, and Karston gleefully shouted it back at him a couple times, showing off his best two-word phrase just after we were quizzed on it. The next question was, Does he understand more words than he says? That's for sure, but we had to give examples, so we explained that he runs to the bathroom when he hears "Oh, towel boy" from Daddy. I thought the pediatrician might hurt himself laughing, saying "I've got to write that one down." I think that was a story that he believed only because you can't make up stories that kind of strange.

Daddy asked what we could do to help Karston gain weight, but the answer was, "Honestly, he'd need different parents for that; all I care is that he's healthy at this weight, and his weight curve follows the chart." So his weight's not on the chart, but has a passing resemblance, so that's fine. But hey, he's only had two fevers so he's very healthy, and he has a megawatt smile!

Toddler

Xboy with Legos

About three months ago (maybe more), I bought a box of Kellog's Cinnamon Swirlz cereal for myself. I opened it at breakfast, started pouring (yawn!), and the first thing to plop into the milk was a toy sealed in plastic (for sleepy folks like me who pour cereal blindly). When I read the cereal box, it said FREE XBOX GAME INSIDE! Like I need an XBOX. So I turned it on, poked the Mystic Castle a few times, and gave it to Karston. He loves the electronic boop sound it makes, and he still plays with it. He played with it this afternoon as a matter of fact! So Karston was just over a year old when he got his first XBOX, and he likes it. Hmm. I don't know about this trend.

However, he spent this evening getting frustrated but learning how to put QUATRO LEGO blocks together. He knows that the bottom of one block snaps onto the top of another block, and he knows that the blocks go together in parallel or perpendicular formations, but he was sometimes frustrated by the exact alignment. However, he kept trying, and I think LEGOs have clicked for him now; he understands that he can build shapes out of LEGOs. Cool!

Toddler

Fourteen

Well, he hit the 70% mark on baby teeth: tooth #14, the lower right canine, just started poking through today. I wonder if that's why Karston slept so poorly last night? Actually, I'm pretty sure his poor sleep was due to Christmas. We started with a quiet round of opening presents at home. Karston opened presents that weren't for him while we were wrapping presents Christmas Eve, so we thought he would enjoy opening his presents Christmas Day. (No. Too boring. He wanted to sit on lap and cuddle.) However, Daddy opened a present of mint chocolate grahams with Karston on his lap, and before anyone noticed anything, Karston punched through the plastic wrap, and had a large cookie in each hand! By the time we got the cookies away from him, he had eaten one-and-a-half cookies and had taken one bite each from four more. I don't know how he did that much cookie destruction that quickly, but for a little guy, he sure can move fast! Following up chocolate cookies with a large dose of family (everyone playing with him) kept him buzzing all Christmas. He had a 30-minute nap in the car, that was it. And he still stayed up late and caused baby commotion.

Toddler

Shoes

Karston got several pairs of shoes for Christmas because his first pair is just about worn out. Bad news on that front. He may be 25th percentile for head circumference, and 5th percentile for height, and below the chart for weight, but all of his new size 12-24 month shoes were too small for him. Rats! I never would have expected that given that he's not been large on any measurement before. I may end up making the Tacky Living pattern for soft-soled shoes (scaled up as needed) for him.

Still, we put a pair of lighted sneakers on him without socks figuring that he would enjoy the lights on his feet. He's never worn shoes with solid soles before, and he couldn't figure out how to walk! He would pull himself up on furniture, try a tentative step, then give us a pained look. And not move at all. I think this is the only thing I've ever seen to cause him to stand perfectly still for long periods of time! Of course he was pretty unhappy so I wouldn't want to do it, but it's interesting to note that he can stand still. I wonder how the adjustment to regular shoes will go later?

Toddler

Animated

We went to a sports bar this evening with friends to watch Carolina basketball. Karston got to play with Jeni's son Will who is seven weeks older, and he had a blast. Karston worked the room flirting with women, he clapped wildly when everyone cheered for Carolina, and he played with Will. Will (who seems to be perfectly sweet and normal, not that I know what that is) got tired once it was late. Despite Will's dropped head, Karston kept running up to him, crouching down to look up into Will's face, and then laughing like crazy. You could just feel the Play with me! vibe, and tired was no excuse. Jeni finally asked me, "Is he always this animated around so many people?" I thought about it for a second, trying to grasp what she meant about animated, and realizing that Karston wasn't acting out of the ordinary for any number of people. So I said simply, "He's always this animated." I think that explains Karston in a nutshell. He's always go-go-go, and no wonder he doesn't sleep well. There's too much to do! too many reasons to laugh and shriek! too many new things in the world! No time for sleep! Whew. Wears me out just thinking about it. To spare Will, I started Karston calisthenics, which involves slinging him upside down and around while he laughs; it's quite a workout and thank goodness Karston is still a lightweight who hasn't cracked 20 pounds.

Toddler

Towel Boy

For the past month or more, when Daddy gets out of the shower, Karston picks up his towel and hands it to him. Last week, while Karston was playing in the living room, Daddy called Oh towel boy! and Karston came running down the hall to give Daddy his towel. Well, this morning I had my first turn! Daddy suggested to Karston that he hand me my towel. Karston thought about it (playing with Daddy is so fun), then he went to the towels, selected my green towel hiding behind Daddy's burgundy towel, handed it to me, and ran back to Daddy for praise and more playing. But I had my first Towel Boy service! He even knew that I use a different towel!

Toddler

The Terrible Twos

I think we just had a whole weekend preview of The Terrible Twos! Gack! A little sooner than expected, but it was bound to happen. Karston was racing around, trying to get into everything. He had a shorter attention span than usual, but he just had to get inside whatever was in front of him within his attention span without any help, or he would scream in frustration. If we helped him, he screamed because he wanted to do it himself. If we took him away from something dangerous, he screamed because he wanted to figure it out. Run, shred, scream, repeat. Very tiring.

Now what's interesting is that he mellowed out to the kid his parents recognize after ... drum roll please ... a really good night's sleep. So he was a royal terror when he was overtired. Hmm!

Technorati Tags: Toddler

KarstonBuff StrongPants

Karston quit doing this just as soon as I touched the camcorder, so this will not be recorded for posterity. He came walking down the hall to me, shoulders arched, elbows slightly flexed, hands in fists, looking like a strong man poster. That was pretty funny, and then he started to growl while still posing! Grr ... rrr ... grr ... with a huge grin. Karston's very funny!

Yes, he's feeling better. He has a very minor rash, but he's playing.

Funny, Toddler

Rosy Ola

Aha! The promised rash of roseola is just starting to appear. Karston has rosy pink splotches around the edge of his face and on his chest. So that's the start of the rash, and should be the end of the fever (or else we're going back to the doctor). He didn't have this rash when we got home from work, and he does now. At least the fever stage is done because Karston didn't feel well with the fever. The rash isn't supposed to itch (I'm not sure anything called a rash can be anything but itchy, but we'll see), so if he has no itchiness and no fever I'm hoping he'll feel fine and start eating food again.

Seeing his rash made me feel itchy on my forehead and my back; hopefully that's just psychosomatic so that it goes away quickly, and Karston and I don't have something else.

Toddler

Roseola

Oh my, that was a scare! But this morning the doctor said Karston probably just has roseola. Karston didn't quite make it to 17 months old before his first sickness.

Karston was lethargic on Friday, then had a fever starting on Saturday sometimes up to 100 degrees (ear, oral adjusted), and was fussy. It didn't help that we were under a "boil water" alert all this weekend that thankfully turned out to be a false alarm, right as we ran out of bottled water. Tylenol didn't do anything for his fussing (it's been very effective for new teeth), but Motrin really did the trick. He would stop fussing about half an hour later, and would usually be playing an hour after Motrin! Last night, Karston was burning up (Motrin first!) and the ear thermometer went beep-crazy, so we brought out the rectal thermometer for the first time. It said 103.5 °F, and we called the pediatrician's Nurse Line right away! We got directions on what to do at different temperatures, and he didn't have any other danger signs like troubled breathing, so we pushed through the night on Motrin before going to see the pediatrician this morning. As a side note, he weighed 19 pounds 3.4 ounces! And that's after a weekend of eating only (at best) about half his normal amounts.

Anyway, we have a diagnosis of he'll be fine, and guidelines, and we're ready to take a nap with him.

Toddler

Kitchen Haircut

We haven't used Roomba in the kitchen much because our kitchen has several fringed rugs for Roomba to choke on. But then we realized we didn't buy those rugs (they came with the house) and we don't care what they look like. So today, I gave the kitchen carpets a "haircut" and then let Roomba loose. I don't think our kitchen has been this clean since Karston started to try to feed himself, and drop food everywhere!


Plus Roomba is an excellent babysitter. Karston loves to watch Roomba; he always has. Roomba was an excellent baby purchase for us! Daddy got the gift of time since he doesn't have to vacuum as often when Roomba does the basic pickup, Baby loves to watch Roomba, and I love multi-purpose appliances. Our cat Linus is also a good babysitter because Karston and Linus love each other. In the current game, Karston screams and chases, and Linus stays just ahead of him. The adults know exactly where both child and cat are, and can do upright two-handed activities. If Karston gets distracted from this game or if he's sad in general, Linus cries for us to take care of Karston.


Speaking of what Karston likes, he likes the hearth broom from our fireplace tools that is his size. The regular broom frustrates him because he can't carry it easily because it's so long for him, but. And he also likes watching Roomba. Maybe this is a good trend for his future cleanliness? OK folks, don't laugh yourselves silly.


Today I learned that Karston knows more Sherry Bobbins than Mary Poppins. After I cut fringes from carpets, I swept up the fringes with a brush and dustpan. Karston was fascinated with the brush since it's like a small broom, and he likes those. However, he kept sweeping the fringes under the carpet. He did carry some fringes to the trash can cabinet, but he wanted to sweep fringes under the carpet. And that's more Sherry Bobbins than Mary Poppins for cleaning!

Toddler

Growth Charts

Ah ... I should have been looking at these growth charts (also here) last year! Karston isn't falling below the ranges, although he was still on the low side, when I plot his first year data on these charts. So he was a normal breastfed baby, hardly surprising.

Baby

Father's Little Helper

Karston has been Daddy's boy lately. He wants Daddy to carry him everywhere and to play with him. This evening he helped Daddy do laundry. When he saw Daddy put clothes from the closet floor into the laundry basket, he walked over several times, grabbed clothes, and walked back to put them in the basket. (Taller folks, like Daddy, just had to lean, not walk, for this operation.) When all of the clothes were in the basket, Karston started pushing it. Keep in mind, the laundry basket was quite full, and Karston hasn't hit 20 pounds yet! He was at a 45-degree angle to the floor, pushing with all his might, and his feet slipped frequently. (Daddy helped by pulling the basket discretely.) Karston was just determined to help, and he put everything into it. Such a sweet boy!

Toddler

Lunch

Karston has decided that baby food is a lot less interesting than whatever we're eating. So far, he'll eat anything that we eat: nothing is too spicy for him! Today I think he really proved that his taste in food is not that discriminating. Daddy said all he would eat for lunch today is fried okra and raisins. Yeah sure, those go together! He'll eat raisins with anything, just about any time of day. Sometimes he doesn't eat the skins, and he'll spit the raisin skeletons out on you a while later. (He also really goes through yogurt when it comes from my bowl or my mother's.) He wouldn't eat pizza for lunch today though, but he eagerly helped me eat pizza for lunch on Wednesday. I'm still trying to get over fried okra and raisins for lunch ... bleah! (I don't like okra.)

Toddler

So Sad and Snuggly

After Karston's nap after his pediatrician's appoinment on Monday, he woke up very sad. No setting down the baby! In fact, he only walked ten feet total that afternoon; mostly he sat and gently rubbed his leg where he got his shots. (Yes, I felt very guilty. But countries with strict vaccination programs have excellent childhood survival rates, while countries with more lax vaccination programs, like the US, have an increase in preventable childhood diseases. So he's getting vaccinated, and these shots were the last in the series. No mercury, no live viruses.) Monday night wasn't too bad, but maybe he needed more snuggles than usual. Tuesday was another sad snuggly day. Tuesday night, he was Cuddles the Kid, and he needed Daddy to hug him to sleep. Wednesday, we were going to go back to the pediatrician if he weren't feeling better. He asked to nurse much more than usual, but he was much closer to normal. Whew! (Yes, he asks to nurse. He climbs in my lap, stares, lifts my shirt, and then gives me a cute hopeful look.)

Toddler

Molars Redux

Trying to cheer Karston up after his pediatrician vaccinations, I held him upside down and made a silly face. He laughed (yay!), and I got a good view of his mouth. Guess what? I spotted tooth #11, an upper molar peeking through. Right now, his pair of molars is a left-right pair; molars will be so much more useful in top-bottom pairs!

Toddler

Pediatrician: Fifteen Months

We went to the pediatrician this morning, and the appointment was delightfully short! We were on the road 30 minutes after our appointment time. Yeah! Vitals are 18 pounds 3.5 ounces (Karston usually weighs more, but he didn't eat much for breakfast this morning, and he had a huge poopy just before we left) and 29 inches tall. The doctor looked at his chart, noted that his height is still around the 5th percentile but that his weight increase is much flatter than the standard curve (meaning the 5th percentile line is going up faster than Karston's weight below that percentile), and asked if he were still breastfeeding, and yes he is. Apparently that's what the flatter weight curve means, and he'll catch up once he gives up nursing. Then we finished with the last round of standard vaccines (crying, of course, more I think about lying down and not standing than about the shots), and went out the door.

Toddler

Stairs

We let Karston run around the basement this evening while I put laundry in the dryer and Daddy told me about his day. After the laundry transfer, we walked over to stairs, and looked to see which parent he wanted to carry him up the steps. He came to the first step, put both hands and one foot on it, and looked at me (I was sitting on the bottom step to take off my shoes). I put a hand on his bottom for support, and he crawled up one step. OK, that's cool, wait for it ... yes! he made an attempt on the second step! By the fifth step, he could clamber up without a supporting hand, although I was right behind him to make sure he didn't tumble down. By the tenth step, he was moving rather quickly for someone who had never gone up stairs on his own before, from one step to the next in about 1.5 seconds. Speedy child! He just did fifteen steps, and went upstairs on his own steam!

I'm grateful for the door at the top of the stairs. It has a lock that only adults can reach, too.

Toddler

Panty Raid

Laundry happens: my mother was getting ready to do laundry today when Karston started going through her laundry basket. He was making very happy sounds, playing with soft stuff, and that's a good time to get your own projects done quickly. Then he pulled out the Victoria's Secret panties with a victory crow! This boy pulls hats off his head as soon as the hat touches his head, but he ran around her house making happy sounds and pulling panties over his head! So I figure Karston has had his first panty raid, and is even farther along his frat boy path. I had no idea that my son would be showing so much of his own personality (and such a boy personality) this young (trust me, he didn't learn about panty raids at home!), but I learn new things from Karston all the time.

Toddler

Speed Dial

Trust me, you do not want to be on my speed dial list. Karston thinks the telephone is the coolest toy ever (touch tones! lighted screen! Mommy uses it! Karston doesn't get to touch it often!). His toy phones (the Parents one from Target and the Ambi/Brio one) are pretty good, but not as good as The Real Thing. I try not to forbid much (just watch him very closely), so he was holding the phone today after my conference call. He enjoys pushing the keys, and every once in a while he hit the button to dial out. (Then I would leap into action, snag the phone, and hang up. I'm sure the phone company loves me.)

So if you know parents of toddlers, you don't want to be on their speed dial list! There's no telling when you might get some weird phone call.

Toddler

Oh, Daddy!

This evening, we got home just a little before Karston, so Daddy checked on the garden, and picked a ripe tomato while he was there. When Karston showed up, Daddy put the tomato in his shirt pocket and came out of the garden to greet his little boy. And that's when we all saw the funniest thing! Karston gave his usual big grin, happy to see Daddy, and reached for him. Daddy picked him up. Karston, arms up in happiness, noticed the shirt pocket bulge. Or should I say he noticed the breast pocket bulge? The look on Karston's face was a combination of joy and awe! Oh Daddy, you finally grew those breasts I wanted! He was happy to see Daddy before, even more thrilled when ... oh yes, he touched the pocket, that's the right combination of firm and soft!

Karston stroked the pocket. Daddy didn't want a tomato squished in his pocket, so they went in to the kitchen where Daddy emptied that pocket. Oh, it's just a tomato. Karston looked absolutely crestfallen that Daddy didn't grow breasts after all. We laughed when we figured out what he must've been thinking.

Toddler

No Bike Helmet

Bike helmets (for Karston) came up twice yesterday.

First I read that 75% of all fatal head injuries to children under 5 could have been prevented with bike helmets. That makes bike helmets sound pretty good, although I have to admit, when I saw a kid on a Big Wheels with a bike helmet, it looked pretty silly. Let's see, her butt was two inches off the ground (so her head was lower than standing!), and she could run faster. Yeah, that Big Wheels really needs a bike helmet; she was probably safer on the Big Wheels than on her own feet!

So I looked at "infant bike helmets" at Amazon ... ... and discovered that none of the helmets fit him. He has an 18" head circumference, or just under 46 cm. The smallest helmets start at 47 cm. A helmet that doesn't fit also doesn't protect!

And the second time yesterday was when some neighbors walked over. Brian looked in our garage and said, You have a tandem bike? Why haven't I seen you out on it? The answer is that we don't have a helmet for Karston (and until recently, he wasn't over the recommended one year of age before being a bike passenger), so one of us carries him, so no tandem.

Toddler

Sleep!!!

He did it! Karston slept through the night last night! We are desperately trying to figure out what did it. He didn't eat much after 5 PM yesterday, but that seems like a good reason to wake up hungry in the middle of the night, as he usually does. He also didn't eat much this morning either, so I hope that's not a trend. He walked all day yesterday and wore himself out, but he did that all weekend too. He went to bed with us, which should be very late for a toddler, but he also did that all weekend. He took a full three hour nap yesterday, but he's done that before. So I don't know what went right last night, but I hope it happens regularly! I could get used to sleeping at night; it was weird last night.

Toddler

More Walking!

Karston has only done short walks this week ... until this evening! He really needed to walk, instead of getting ready for bed. He's been walking, sitting down easily, pushing up, and walking some more. Today he walked back and forth, made U-turns, and walked some more. We thought he was tired (because he walked to his Daddy and curled up in his lap), but the next time we looked, he was walking to Daddy again!

Karston's been a terror in the kitchen this week. He keeps himself amused, opening the cabinets or trying to get me to acknowledge that some of these cabinets don't open (hmm, the child-proofing kit strikes!). He really loves the cabinet with plastic storage containers! He'll happily pull out all sorts of clean containers and stew them around the floor. The other fun cabinet has an olive oil sprayer; Karston pulls the lid off, puts it on, pulls it off, and tosses it away. He loves to cruise along the cabinets. So the kitchen is a mess after Karston cruises the cabinets. On the other hand, this is the first time since Karston was born that Daddy and I have been able to cook dinner at the same time. Usually one of us holds Karston while the other cooks.

Toddler