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!

Catch It

Cale started a new (to him) game this evening: he said Catch it, found the kids' catcher's mitt (with velcro) and soft fabric ball, and yes, started playing catch. He would rather hand you the ball than throw it, but he can throw a ball straight in front of himself when he does throw the ball. He just beams when he catches the ball, which means Daddy made a good throw since Cale doesn't lean over to catch it. But still, Cale said catch it and proceeded to play catch with Karston and Daddy! It's enough to make any Daddy let Cale stay up just a little later, for a father-son game of Catch.

Giraffe

I just learned the most remarkable little thing about Cale! He was on beyond tired this evening after I had washed up and was ready to start the final segment of his evening routine. I tipped him over to get kisses from Daddy and Karston, and Cale waved bye-bye to them. Then we walk away from the reading room and into the hall where Cale turns off the light for me. We go into his room where he again turns off the light. When I remember (unlike tonight), the nightlight lamp is on so we can see. Usually what happens next is that Cale hands me the Boppy, yanks his giraffe off the hook, and climbs up to nurse to sleep. This evening he stepped on Boppy and pointed to the door. I told him we were going to stay in his room. He climbed into the chair and looked at the night stand. I asked him if he wanted his juice, no reaction. I asked him if he wanted a tissue, no answer. He was just looking and murmuring Hmm in his thoughtful tone. Then he ran over and peeked up his crib, and motioned for me to look too. Nothing interesting that I could see (I was afraid that he had seen a mouse or a bug!). Then he moved Boppy and looked at the floor where it had been, at which point I realized that he hadn't seen something go under his crib, but instead he was looking for something ... where was his giraffe? Aha! He was still clinging to his giraffe last night when I put him to bed, and I hadn't put it back on its hook. I showed Cale his giraffe before putting it on its hook, and I got a huge grin! So apparently that silly giraffe schtick I started about two months ago (at first, giraffe would get to "nurse" while Cale was climbing onto Boppy) is now a critical part of his routine. Once he held his giraffe, he was ready to nurse, and he fell asleep right away.

Cale is still saying new words all the time. Yesterday he said Nose! when he grabbed my nose. Daddy heard Cale say food when asked if he were hungry. Cale was trying to open a jar that he held out to me when he said help, but even better than that, when I started to make Cale-allergy-safe chocolate banana brownies (they're more cake-like than you'd think, but Cale says he'll eat them; Karston only tried one bite), Cale ran after me saying help you! Yes, Cale really is that adorable. He only has a few words, and even fewer phrases, but one phrase is a very sincere help you! And he knows the difference between asking you to help him, and asking to help you. And that's just one day's worth of new words. He doesn't use all his new words on subsequent days, but given that he understands everything we say, I think his vocabulary's (going to be) fine.

Preschool Parent-Teacher Conference

I was really surprised that parent-teacher conferences start in preschool, and that all of us parents just quake when the preschool director says she wants to see us. It's preschool! Lighten up! I think we're all scared of her because she's right, and she's honest (by which I also mean refreshingly direct). This conference was individualized, and for the parents of rising kindergarteners.

In this parent-teacher conference, Ms Hardee said Karston's fine motor skills are outstanding (we both laughed because that's so obvious, but it's on the skills list). Karston should practice drawing top-to-bottom and left-to-right to prepare for writing. He also needs to be able to work on an activity without individual attention. He does solo craft activities at home while I make dinner, but at preschool he won't draw without an adult coaching to him. Almost everything else, he's in good shape to do well in kindergarten, and to do well on the end-of-year tests (like the face drawing test).

I am still offended, just in general, not about his preschool, that little kids (K-2) get actual factual homework! I don't think I can face assigning "homework" to Karston, although that would count as kindergarten preparation. I think he should get outside and play too!

Phrases

Yesterday's new word was book. Cale walked up to the bookshelf with children's books, pointed, and said Books!

Today he had two-word phrases for us. I asked him rhetorically, Who needs a diaper change?; he looked me in the eye and said I do. I was so impressed, I made him say it again for Daddy even though he gave me this look of "you heard me the first time, so what's your problem?" Several times this afternoon after grabbing his juice sippy, he announced I juice before sucking down some juice.

Pediatrician

I noticed we hadn't scheduled an 18-month checkup at Cale's previous checkup, so we went this morning. Cale is now 33 inches tall, just 4 inches shorter than Karston although Karston looks taller than that. Cale weighed 23 pounds, 0.8 ounces with a hat size of 19 inches. (Those specs are 50th percentile, except his weight is the 10th percentile on my charts. That seems odd given how much he eats and how round his belly is, so I don't think he really should weigh any more.)

He got a mostly clean bill of health, except that he had some fluid behind his eardrum. It's not an ear infection, but if it doesn't drain on its own, we need to do something about it. Not only does that fluid increase his chances of an ear infection, it also muffles his hearing. Muffled hearing could explain why he hasn't been talking as much (if he can't hear well, he doesn't know what language sounds to imitate!), and since that's a skill he should be working on now, we may need to clear his ears for him. I suspect he started talking less when his ears filled up, and I am looking forward to that road block removal.

His doctor wanted to see his ears in a couple weeks. Since at his age he gets his flu shot in two doses a month apart, we'll do both follow-up items in a month.

Blow It Out

Now that we're past Halloween, Daddy and Karston brought in the daddy pumpkin, took off the press-on face pieces, and carved it. When they were done, they put two LED "candles" in it, set it on the kitchen floor, and turned off the lights. Cale walked over to see what was going on. Oh, he saw the pumpkin! He immediately got on his belly in front of it and elbow-walked until he was nose-to-nose with the pumpkin. After studying it intently, Cale went "puff" on the LEDs. He was sure they were candles, and Karston's birthday candles made a huge impression on him. He spent quite a while trying to blow out these candles. (We didn't have these LED candles that you can blow out.)

Tip Toe

Cale's done this a few times in the past week: he says tip toe and then walks around on his tippie toes with a huge grin.

Word of the Day: Apple

Cale was listening to me when I told Amy last Wednesday that he was talking less now because he was so effective at pointing and grunting. (Karston often translates his cries. He'll calmly say, Cale wants juice, like he did this morning. Karston's usually right, too.) The very next day, Cale ran up to me with a plastic fish and said FISHIE several times very clearly. Cale also said pat, pat, pat à la Little Einsteins while patting himself shortly after that. I'm sure he knows I want him to learn to talk.

Yesterday at the grocery store, Cale pointed to the hot dogs and said emphatically Haa Daww. Trailing consonants need not apply, but that was hot dog. He said it again when we gave him hot dogs for dinner last night too.

This evening at Opa and Grammy's while I was holding him, Cale said APPLE! as soon as I picked up an apple. He only took a few bites, but he said apple at least as many times as he chomped on the apple.

For a long time, Cale's vocabulary was in a holding pattern with Mama, Dadda, juice and okra (favorites), Emma (our dog), toy, and the poly-functional this. Then he added Here go, shoe, a mumbled version of Toodles and Cheers when watching Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, cracker (replacing most consonants with t's for tatter; like most small children, he's better at vowels), and then Up there, but not much more.

Now new words are popping up! Fun!

State Fair!

We went to the NC State Fair today (on Daddy's birthday, no less, with gorgeous weather)! We walked all over and had a great time.

In the North Carolina agriculture building, Karston and Cale each had a sample of fresh peanut butter. After Cale cleaned his popsicle stick of peanut butter, he looked looked up at Stan longingly, and pointed woefully at the empty end of his popsicle stick. Yeah, he got a fresh peanut butter delivery for that cuteness! Who needs words? I was proud of Karston who did the taste test between regular and unsweetened (no molasses) because he picked unsweetened as the tastiest! He's right, the jar of unsweetened just-peanuts peanut butter we brought home is mighty tasty! At the fair, Karston ate french fries, chocolate ice cream, peanut butter, and drank chocolate milk. Cale, of course, ate everything we offered him, and he really wanted that chocolate ice cream too! (Milk allergy said no.)

Both boys loved the merry-go-round, so we'll need to take them to the Christmas carousel again this year. I had to pry Cale's fingers off the pole when the ride was over because he wanted to stay on that horse forever. Karston wanted to ride it again, and the second time, after he made sure I was hugging him securely, he even let go of the pole to wave to Daddy! Karston and I went on another spinning ride (spinning apple chambers on rotating arms ... which inaccurately reminds me of school when I learned that the polhode rolls on the herpolhode), but it wasn't as good as the merry-go-round. Most of the rides were for children over 42" so we skipped those.

Karston wanted to play one of the fishing games. Since Cale looks up to his big brother, if Karston had a fishing pole, Cale had to have a fishing pole! Karston caught two, Cale caught one, and Karston selected a plush pink pig as his prize. I asked Karston if his pig could fly, so of course the answer was YES. Pigs fly when you ask a kid if the fun new stuffed pig can fly.

After all the playing, the kids conked out in the double stroller (thankfully, we brought long not wide). We went to kid-boring exhibits, and then trekked over to the petting zoo. Karston had been asking to go to the petting zoo at the fair for several weeks, so we went. We woke Karston up, he was groggy, but he thought animals were worth waking up. I stayed with the sleeping Cale. When Karston and Daddy came out, Karston was over his grogginess and was excited to tell me all about the animals. He got to feed the animals! The cow slobbered, the goats wanted more food, and the animals nibbled food right out of his hand! So we left the fair very much on a high note.

As we were leaving, Karston said he wants to go again next year. (He knows it's annual!)

Wake Up Jump

This morning at 4:14 am, I woke up when Daddy said Karston??? and I wondered why he said it like a question. Karston said, Hi Daddy, I came in here two times before, but you didn't wake up, and I wanted you to sleep in my bed. OK, so that's why Karston's here, but why the question? Then Daddy asked, Karston, were you jumping? -Yes Daddy! I was jumping next to you.

I can just imagine the early morning fog in a darkened bedroom, and that thought, Is that my child jumping just in front of my nose at the edge of the bed? There are some aspects of parenting you just can't expect in advance, and I think this is one of those!

Nineteen

Cale has added some new moves: when you mention dancing, Cale will grin and carefully step around in a circle. So when Mickey Mouse says it's time for the Mouse-ka Dance at the end of a Mickey Mouse Clubhouse episode, Cale starts dancing if he wasn't already.

I gave Cale a haircut yesterday. In the front, because he wouldn't hold still, it's ... ah ... not my best work, but at least it's out of his eyes. In the back, because he would hold almost still while watching Karston or Daddy, I did a respectable job. At least he's got enough inherent cute to overcome a bad hair cut.

I think Cale is regressing on his vocabulary. He's learned that point and grunt is faster than adults trying to figure out what he's trying to say. He still babbles all the time, providing his own running commentary, voice-over narrative, and laugh track to his playing. But words? Pointing is faster.

The other regression recently has been sleeping. Cale used to sleep through the night, then he needed 5am cuddles, then 4am, then wide awake around 5am, and now he doesn't sleep well at all on his own. However, he's also been eating just about non-stop during his waking hours, sometimes eating more in a day than I do, so I think he's having another growth spurt. This cheers me up, because he goes back to his good sleeping habits after the growth spurt, so I should be allowed to sleep through the night again some time soon. I'm looking forward to that! I don't mind getting up at 5-something in the morning anymore, but I'm happier about it if I've slept.

Cale has started playing with Karston more. Early childhood play is more adjacent than together, but we've noticed that they play together now. More fun!

And all this just in the past month, between turning 18 months old and 19 months old.

Cousin Mike

We went to the coast this weekend because cousin Mike was in town. We all had runny noses and weren't at our best, but we were happy to see Mike. This morning, Karston woke up quickly, stood up tall in bed, raised his arms, and announced Next time cousin Mike is here, I will be this tall!!! Those were his first words upon waking up this morning.

Hunchback of Notre Maison

One of Cale's goofy new tricks is to walk around with his shoulders hunched so far forward that his back curves a lot. I call this his hunchback look, and he always has a huge smile to go with it! He hunches his shoulders for his "sneaking up" walk, but you can see a grin that big coming for quite a ways.

Peek-a-boo, on the other hand, has been foremost in his book of tricks for a while. Monday Cale walked smack into the cabinets because he was playing peek-a-boo with no one in particular, covering his eyes while walking. Oops! Better watch where he's walking!

The Allergy Cry

Just in case other parents are wondering, I can describe Cale's cry when his intestinal allergies are hurting him. He cries like I've abandoned him, when I'm actually hugging him closely and cuddling him. The inconsolable, abandoned cry is the allergy cry. This morning's crying was accompanied by some really smelly gas, also pointing to intestinal discomfort as the cause of crying.

I'd rather sleep, but not this morning I guess.

Eighteen Months!

Ah, a year and a half! Cale has been walking for three months now. I actually can't remember when Cale couldn't walk now. He's so confident, he loves to walk and run. When he's tired, he still falls down for no reason, and he cries because his pride is hurt. What I like about the walking milestone is that a child's features really begin to develop. Instead of the pudgy baby face (which is adorable, don't get me wrong), you can catch glimpses of what's to come. I'm sure it's because all that exercise causes new toddlers to lose weight and to put on muscle. (A testament to walking?) In fact, Cale even regressed in diaper sizes. We moved up to size 5 diapers just as Karston potty trained (so they were in the same size diapers for an instant!) so the diapers could fit comfortably around Cale's big belly and chubby baby thighs. He's still got quite the belly, but he has slimmed down overall, so we've gone back to size 4. At first I was worried that he would quickly return to needing size 5, but it hasn't happened since he started walking. Good exercise! (Actually, it's exercise because Cale runs when possible, and he throws everything into it.) Anyway, the walking has caused Cale to look like a sweet little person, not like a sweet baby anymore. What I remember with Karston is that he seemed very much like little person (also sweet) by the time he was 2. Part of it is the facial features coming clearer as the baby fat recedes, and part of it is having an opinion at your kneecaps everywhere you go. Cale wants to wear his Spongebob Crocs all the time now, and he likes to try on all the other shoes too. He likes Karston's sneakers with the velcro fasteners because he can get them on all by himself, and he manages to shuffle around in my slippers too.

Cale hasn't added too many words. He says Here go as he hands you something. He's hilarious when he says Hmm in a thoughtful pondering tone he must've picked up from adults, while wandering around looking for trouble. He tries to say cracker but it comes out more like tah-toww. Like most children his age, he definitely knows the word NO, and he likes to practice it over and over again, not always with intent. More when he's practicing than when he means it, it comes out as a meow sound. What's funny is Karston following him saying Yes right back to him. Cale loves cats! He loves our Linus, Mimi's Plain, and Opa's Kitten. In turn, these cats are more patient with him than I would ever expect. He can scoop them up any old way, carry them, and chase them while screeching with joy. He also practices saying his own name, very Southern drawl style, Kay-ooh-ayy-ell.

Cale's pattern recognition is expanding. He used to know we were starting the bedtime cycle when Daddy put on Boppy and started reading books. Now when Cale's tired, he goes to Daddy's closet and selects a sleep shirt for him to put on first. (Unfortunately sleep tee-shirts aren't on hangers, and Cale is disappointed when Daddy doesn't put on the nice Hawaiian shirt he picked out.) He's always so happy when he can tell a routine has started.

He's gotten a lot better at feeding himself. In fact, since Cale likes food, we're more likely to be trying to get a spoonful of food into Karston's mouth, since he's not fond of eating. In fact, Cale strongly dislikes being fed. He'll peel a banana and eat it, he'll eat rice with a spoon, he'll gobble crackers and cereal by the handful. He's a good eater, and he likes variety. He will switch between different foods and flavors at the same meal, and he seems to prefer the spiced food that we eat instead of the plain food we prepare for Karston (since Karston, if he will eat, certainly prefers single foods without toppings, sauce, or seasonings).

My how time flies; Cale is a great guy!

Juice

This afternoon a neighbor with two girls about a year older than our two boys came over to play. Our house was LOUD, but the kids were so into playing and running that they needed only the smallest bit of adult attention. Maria read the paper and I made dinner, in fact. The youngest girl asked me for some juice, so I listed her choices of papaya and pineapple. She looked downright worried. I remembered we had a pack of small bottles of grape juice in the pantry (white grape, non-staining). Oh yes, grape juice would do. And we realized that we have so consistently selected "fun" tropical choices to offer our boys that they think mango, passionfruit, pineapple, and papaya are normal juice choices. Hey, the last two have digestive enzymes that might help bad tummies!

Cale and Karston weigh about 22 and 27 pounds. The not-at-all-fat girls who are a year older weigh 33 and an amazing 56 pounds! So a 5 year old neighbor girl weighs TWICE as much as our 4 year old Karston! At least he's eating better most days, more variety of better food.

James

This weekend we went to the coast with friends whose son James is 3.5 months older than Cale. You might expect that Cale would be most interested in James, but actually Karston was all about James. During naptime: when is James going to wake up? Luckily Karston slept for much of the drive home (Daddy and Cale are staying a half-day longer), but when he woke up, there was an hour of Where's James? to play. Once Karston was more awake, he told me James was in a black truck with his parents, and he'd like to play with James again soon.

Splashing

We went back to the state park today. Today the boys were less interested in walking the trails themselves, so we decided to take an easier hike than we had originally planned. Karston wanted to go on the trail with the swinging bridge, so we picked that one. Well, not too far past the bridge, you loop back to the river again ... at a wide, shallow spot! Oh my, there were so many kids splashing in the ford! We had no idea this was The Spot to take your kids on summer days!

The trail has a turn and hill just before the ford, so the people already splashing in the ford can't see you coming. One woman who was putting her dry shoes back on remarked to Daddy that she saw something bright on the trail and had no idea what it was at first. The "bright" item she saw was the light blond hair on my boys, blazing in the sun. I think she saw Cale first since he was standing tall in the backpack on my back. Daddy didn't think towheads were that unusual (nor do I, not that it's very common to be as blond as these), so he had no idea what to say. "It's called hair" didn't seem right.

The kids were more interested in trails and hiking on the way back: the ford energized them.

Cale on the Trail

We made Cale-safe blueberry pancakes for breakfast this morning. Cale loves blueberries in all forms! He lit into these pancakes, which were a rich golden color from the natural apple cider from the farmers market, quite happily.

After putting a good breakfast in the boys, we went to discover a nearby state park. The first discovery was how close it is to our house ... close enough we should have visited long ago! Cale was hilarious on the trail: with every toddling step, he grunted, hooted, or otherwise made sound. I decided, after laughing, that this was great trail behavior so that both parents could locate Cale on the trail without looking. Karston was showing off how fast he could run, also good for audible locating. I didn't expect both of them to walk the trail the entire (short) time, but they did. Good hikers! We'll be back soon!

Pancakes

My favorite Farmers Market had a pancake breakfast this morning, with a side of reading children's books about pancakes. So of course we went! The vendors are so sweet there! At the very first booth, the gentleman let Karston select a zinnia (orange), and the lady asked me if we knew about the pancakes and books. Oh yes, I said, that's why Karston's here. then I had to explain that actually Cale is allergic to milk and eggs, so he can only eat the pancakes I make special for him. Oh dear, she said, and very sweetly offered me some edamame for him. So then I had to say soy was on Cale's list of allergies too. She agreed that it's fortunate I cook (bonus that I enjoy it).

Then we discovered The Worst Thing In The World, according to Cale: pancakes that he's not allowed to eat. Oh, he cried! So we walked back to the car for juice and less temptation. One of the other shoppers, who was either very cautious or had overheard my allergy conversation, tried to distract Cale with his car keys. Brave man, to let a DangerBaby like Cale touch his keys, but Cale wasn't interested in jingling keys this time. So after having me read the ingredients, he offered Cale a chunk of the artisan flat bread he had just purchased. Cale cheered right up for that treat! Keep in mind, we had all just eaten, not that that matters to Cale. I'm not sure of the decorum of hugging strangers at your local farmers market, but everyone there was so sweet to our boys!

Karston ate half of a huge pancake, and we enjoyed green beans with dinner.

Bruise

Just one bruise on Cale's leg after that massive Whump. Tough kid!

Mama!

Cale went to a car show late this morning with Karston, Daddy, Opa, and Grammy. When they came home for naptime, on the final turn before our driveway, Cale started chirping Mama! Mama! Mama! Of course, once he saw me, he ran off to play with toys, but I heard he was glad to come home to Mama.

Whump!

Last night, a sad-but-funny thing happened. When Cale cried in the middle of the night, I brought him to bed with me and cuddled us both back to sleep. Cale was asleep, but still very squirmy, so he was rolling all over the bed. I placed a pillow barricade on one side, and me on the other. Well, on one particularly active roll, Cale rolled up and over the pillow, and WHUMP! he fell off the bed. I was pretty sure I knew what the Whump that woke me meant, and Cale's cry from the floor cinched it. I scooted across the bed surprisingly quickly, especially since I'd been asleep. Even so, by the time I got to him, Cale was asleep again. In fact, his breathing was more even and he was less restless. My first thought was to bring him back to bed, but after looking at him for a while, I decided to leave him where he was sleeping better. Plus he couldn't fall off the floor. So I built another barricade so that no one could walk near him and accidentally step on Cale. Then I happily went back to sleep for an uneventful rest of the night.

Here Go

As you know, small children love when they know what comes next. This evening when Daddy got a beer, Cale happily ran to get a beer huggie. (That's what comes next, Daddy gets a beer then he puts it in a beer huggie.) When Cale ran back to Daddy holding up the beer huggie for him, he distinctly said Here go. More words! Cale is so expressive with pointing and grunting that I wasn't sure when he was going to expand his vocabulary. He seems to pick up more from adult conversation than I would expect, but he doesn't seem to want to contribute to the conversation yet. He's happy swinging from the refrigerator handles to let us know he wants juice, and he's happy pointing to the TV screen when he wants to watch a cartoon to wind down. Who needs to talk? So I was thrilled that he had something to say!

All Trained

Some milestones you can't see at the time, only in hindsight. We started bugging Karston in June to finish potty training, and he kept putting us off for the entire month of June when not a single poop went in the potty. On July 1st, he started using the potty for all elimination, and only one poop went in the pull-ups instead of the potty that week. He's been perfect ever since. It's as though turning four flipped the potty training switch. Karston didn't have any problems even while we were in Wisconsin without his travel (folding) potty seat to reduce the size for his tiny hieny! Now I understand what my mother meant: I can plead all I want (or not!), but he's only going to potty train on his schedule.

When we started this journey, I felt very lost about how to start potty training. Now I understand why. You just start explaining what you're doing when Cale walks in. Then once Cale knows that by heart, you hold him over the potty. (Monday he peed mere seconds after Daddy stopped holding him over the toilet. He needs more body awareness yet.) Cale's really excited when he gets to flush, so I think we'll have some motivation there. Other than explaining and then letting him try ... well, that it how it works. Since 18 to 24 months is considered the ideal time to start (unless you practice elimination communication before the child is six months old -- also good, but the early months were a rough period trying to get a handle on Cale's multiple allergies and go back to work), I think we'll start on Cale while we're home for the winter holidays. We've started the explaining now, and once Cale learns a few more words, I think he'll be ready.

Seventeen ...

I can't believe my little baby Cale is already seventeen months old (and about 21 pounds)! He's been walking for just over 2 months, and in fact he's been running for most of that time too since he really wants to chase after Karston. He's sure that's where the fun action is! He went from walking to confident walking to running in no time. Cale knows he's supposed to wear shoes to go outside, so he will often bring you his shoes ... then your shoes one at time ... often more than two shoes ... you know, just to be sure you have enough shoes to wear that you will take him outside to play! He loves to chase our pets outside, kick up the leaves, splash in the water, and play in the sand. Outside is wonderful!

About two weeks ago, Cale started initiating games of peek-a-boo, where he's the first one to cover his eyes. He's always so happy when we start to play peek-a-boo with him, so when he moves his hands slowly away from his face he has an enormous smile. It's great! I don't know how long he's going to like this game, though, because sometimes he will cover his eyes first and then wander around hoping someone will say PEEK A BOO! That approach is destined for boo-boo as much as peek-a-boo.

Cale also loves the game of flop, where he flops on top of Karston, and then Karston wiggles out and flops on top of Cale, and so on. Cale almost always starts the game of flop with Karston, and he almost always loses once his larger and heavier brother gets excited. A few weeks ago, we had lunch with Missy who said that her brothers also played the game of flop, but that it looked too painful to her. I agree, Flop looks like it devolves from game to painful quickly. Must be a "brothers" thing.

Cale still adores taking baths, too. When he hears the water running, he now starts pulling at his clothes and he's very helpful when you take his clothes off. But he's also impatient, so before you set down that outfit, he's already tugging at his diaper or running towards the tub. He has also learned about the post-bath Naked Run from Karston, so he expects at least one naked lap through the house between his towel drying and his fresh outfit. If Karston finishes the bath at the same time, Double Naked Run is twice as fun for Cale! We have to be careful, though, because he has his bath before bed, and when Cale's tired, he falls down for no apparent reason. Usually his rear end is padded with a diaper, but not on a Naked Run. I still remember Karston's pained surprise when he fell on his bare bottom during an early Naked Run.

Cale's still a great eater too, eating everything in sight without regard to his allergies. On those days when his mouth is faster than my snatch of the allergens, we get through the night with gas drops. Cale is also very fond of his water sippy at night, something we've done for about three weeks now. When he wakes up in the night, he's almost always either gassy-fussy and needs gas drops, or he drinks his water and conks out again. For the most part, Cale is great sleeper. Yes, we feel fortunate! That's why I'm so pleased to have simple solutions for the exception nights of poor sleep. However, growth spurts and teething don't have easy fixes, and Cale just needs to be cuddled those nights.

Cale hasn't added a lot of words in the past several months. He's getting better about pointing to what he wants (and in the morning before breakfast for the past week, he points to the TV to watch cartoons *sigh*), and we all know that swinging from the refrigerator door means that he wants his juice, so I can understand why he doesn't feel the need to add more words. He talks about Mama, sometimes Dada, and most often Emma our dog. Karston and our kitty both get distinctive squeals of joy so they don't need names. Cale still asks for juice (or zeus) and okra. Yes, all the boys in this house love fried okra, and I still can't stand the stuff. More for them!

Cale's still holding at 16 teeth; those final molars haven't come in yet. Still, 16 teeth when he was 16 months old is a gracious plenty.

The Dietician

Daddy and I talked to a registered dietician today about Karston's eating for the research study with a goal of healthy weight from a healthy diet (Karston may be in a distinct minority for needing to gain weight). The take-home points for us to try are:

1. no more bribing -- I didn't like it anyway, and it takes forever to get him to eat two bites of good food so he can have a potato chip


2. announce meals in advance -- After we take a bath, we're going to eat dinner.


3. "this is it" -- Karston can eat what we're eating, or he can eat a pbj, and that's it (and no cajoling or bribing)

So we'll see how that goes.

Home Again

Whew, after a whirlwind trip, we're home again! We got to see all of the Smiths, even though we left shortly before the Smith reunion this afternoon. The boys had a great time! Karston woke up this morning and asked what fabulous adventure were we going to have today: the adventure of coming home! The Milwaukee airport is great if you arrive early because the boys did not want to leave the play area. And luckily the return flights were less harrowing than the first leg of our departure ...

Fish Day

The big day, Fish Day!

This morning, we watched the Fish Day parade with cousin Jenny and her daughter Lola, and with Karston's entire NC cousin family. Even our friend D'nardo and his family showed up! Cousin Dana was part of the motorcycle brigade leading the parade. The parade highlight, of course, was watching the Shriners in those funny little cars! (Cale fell asleep in the backpack; so much for a parade.)

This evening we hiked over near Saint Mary's Gardens and watched the Fish Day fireworks. We could have gotten closer for a better view, but I think we did better farther away. Karston thought some of the booms were too loud despite lots of sound blocking by the intervening trees. Karston did enjoy the visuals, though! He was the one who convinced us we had to go out again, so he could watch fireworks. Cale enjoyed the first few fireworks, but then decided it was dark, he was comfy on my lap, and *yawn* he'd just fall asleep right there. When Cale wants to sleep, it doesn't matter how loud it is.

Bay Beach

For today's excursion, we met up with our NC relatives (yes, I know we could do that at home) and cousin Mike, and went to Bay Beach in Green Bay. What a great amusement park! Even though it tried to rain on us a few times, we had a fabulous time! Karston enjoyed the carousel (twice) and the train ride. Of course he also enjoyed chasing the sea gulls while we were eating lunch, so he's not too picky about his fun. The bayside view was fabulous, so we watched the rain storms roll in before dashing to shelter just in time.

Wisconsin is having a cool summer, and this morning was particularly crisp. Karston asked us repeatedly, Is it winter here? and even is Santa going to come soon? I know it's a cool Wisconsin summer, but it's hardly winter. However, summer in NC is much hotter, so I understand how Karston could think this dramatic temperature change meant winter.

Is it winter now?

All Cousins

This morning we went to the new playground on the bluff in Port Washington. I have to say, it exceeded expectations for everyone in our family! Very nice. Cale liked the musical toys since he likes to pound, and he liked trying to catch up to Karston. Karston saw so many wonderful play areas that he was moving quickly! Karston didn't want to leave, ever.

This evening we met all of the Schmit cousins at Kathy's for a cookout. We realized all of the first cousins were together for perhaps the first time since they were kids. Pretty great that everyone would come together like that, really makes us visitors feel special. Karston and Cale think Kathy has the greatest backyard! I think the sandbox was their favorite, but they both enjoyed climbing and swinging too ... and we didn't mention the pool because they would not have gotten out of the water and we would not have been able to have adult conversations.

A Tale of Two Flights

We flew to Milwaukee today, by way of Cinncinnati. The first leg of the flight was grueling: the kids were so full of energy that we chased through airports and snagged them all over the plane (ok, just within arm's reach of our seats). They had more squirming in them than is really fair to discuss. My only moment of peace was when I went to the bathroom in the Cinncinnati airport. As soon as I turned the corner and couldn't hear him, Cale started to scream. Apparently he even went for seventeen seconds of screaming without pausing for breath. As soon as I rounded that final corner on my return, I knew that was my baby screaming so I jogged back to the fray. We're sure everyone, not just Cale, was glad that I came back as quickly as I could and that it wasn't soon enough.

So of course they both fell asleep as soon as we got on the second plane. Boom, they were out, we could breathe, and suddenly the world seemed bearable and even civilized again. No comparison.

Once we got to Milwaukee, we headed to cousin Chris' house for a quick sandwich (build-your-own, perfect to let me avoid allergens without driving everyone around me crazy asking about ingredients) and then saunter over to the park for an open-air concert. Once again, the boys ran around like dervishes, but in an open park it didn't beat us down the way it did on planes and in airports. So the first half of the day was painfully excruciating, and the second half was pleasantly relaxing.

More Pointy ...

Cale's upper canine teeth have been slow to come in; they're still just points between his front teeth and his molars. This morning, I felt the lower left canine tooth's point, and this afternoon the lower right joined it. I mentioned that Cale seemed out of sorts to his pediatrician, but she couldn't find anything wrong. She did say that canines can be very worrisome teething. The picture now is a double whammy: a growth spurt, and all four canine teeth pushing through. This is why Cale isn't sleeping as well, and wants to cuddle calmly.

Doughnut Math

Karston didn't want to eat breakfast this morning, even though we made banana-blueberry-guava pancakes shaped like Mickey Mouse. (Cale ate two pancakes.) Finally Karston said he would eat doughnuts, so Daddy gave him some. A while later, Karston asked me for more doughnuts. Since the goal is calories, I opened a new four-pack of miniature doughnuts for him; since he had already had some although I didn't know how many, I only put two in his elephant cup from the circus. Karston looked in and said, Mommy, that's not enough. I want four doughnuts. Put in two more!

That's 2 + 2 = 4 right there; pretty good concept!

Black Butterfly

The boys really wanted to play outside this evening, and were out a little later and darker than usual. Karston was chasing fireflies when Look, a black butterfly! It's so pretty, it makes my heart go (hands clasped over heart) thump, thump! Chasing fireflies is an excellent summer evening activity, but enjoying natural beauty is even better!

No Allergies

Karston was stalled for a long while on potty training. #1 was ok, overnight was ok, but #2 was keeping him in diapers. Karston doesn't have a regular elimination schedule because he doesn't have a regular eating schedule. Other than avoiding refined sugar after 8 pm, we just do what we can to cram calories in whenever he's willing to eat. Cale eats twice as much as Karston on most days; Cale eats more than that when he's on a growth spurt like this week, and Karston eats less than that on his poor appetite days. Karston seems to eat more when he drinks mango juice, especially when it's not 100% juice but something with HFCS. That's the opposite of what I intended to feed my children, but I'll do what works. Anyway, we're on a streak for total potty training! The key is that he wants to wear underwear now ("like Daddy"), and we keep track so we can start to bug him about 24 hours later (unless he hasn't eaten much, in which case we wait until after a real meal). This would be so much easier on a schedule! Fabulous prizes for success are also helping.

Today's fabulous prize was Karston's first-ever ring pop, the lollipop on a ring! Blue raspberry! Karston was dancing for joy, and probably dancing from the sugar too! Then he came over, Mommy, does this have allergies in it? As the mother of a child with multiple allergies, I read all labels, so I knew the answer: no, it doesn't. So Karston, the proud owner of his first ring pop said, Here Cale, try this! He knew to check for allergens, and he shared with his younger brother spontaneously! Sure, Karston had most of his ring pop, but Cale sure did follow him around looking for more licks, and Karston kept sharing (and singing and dancing). Cale discovered lollipops from Karston, although he doesn't get them as often since he eats well, and he loves 'em.

Water

This morning, Cale could hardly wait for me to get out of the shower. He took one step into the shower, but wasn't thrilled that his foot got wet. We know talking to young children builds their language skills, so I had a conversation about it. Look at all that water in here! And it got your foot wet, I'm sorry. Oh, where did all that water come from? Cale looked up at me very seriously, somewhat quizzically, and pointed to the shower head.

Yes, yes that is how the water got into the shower stall. I'm not going to explain rhetorical questions to my fifteen-month-old, but nor did I think he was following me that closely. Cale understands a lot more of what we say than we give him credit.

Swimming and Fireworks

We went to Opa and Grammy's to swim and then have a birthday lunch with family. Since Karston's birthday falls on a holiday, he gets to spread his birthday out. Plus he can always see fireworks for his birthday! Karston started talking about seeing his cousins as soon as we told him they would swim at Opa and Grammy's too. I'm not sure what made him happier, seeing his cousins, swimming, jumping on the trampoline, getting more presents, or getting to blow out candles again and again! He lived it up for sure. Cale enjoyed kicking around in his baby float until he got splashed, he enjoyed trying to jump on the trampoline a few times, and he puffed with Karston to try to blow out those birthday candles.

This evening we went to see fireworks at the Poulton's. Karston liked seeing the fireworks, but he said they were too loud (they weren't particularly loud). Next year we should bring hearing protection for him. At least this year he got into the fireworks; when he was a baby, he wanted nothing to do with it. So I was quite surprised that Cale enjoyed the fireworks! He did jump in my arms, startled with each explosion, but he laughed and clapped and pointed to the fireworks too!

FOUR

Karston is four! He blew out his candles last year, but this year he wanted to blow them out repeatedly. We only lit his four candles four times, explaining that we were done at four because he's four. He accepted that logic better than the argument that our smoke detector couldn't take much more (and nor could we).

We started telling him his birthday was coming a few weeks ago, and brought it up again yesterday. He's made the association between birthdays and presents because after we mentioned his birthday last night, he started putting toys in a bag saying he was Santa Claus and he was bringing presents. Direct from birthday to presents, although a bit fuzzy on the origin.

I'm not even sure where to start, but we've all had a wonderful four years together!

Helpful

This evening while we were getting ready for bed, I said Cale and I would sleep on the air mattress tonight. (The room's bed is just too hard for my hips and side-sleeping.) Daddy said, Oh, we'll need to inflate the air mattress some more.

Cale understands a lot more of what we say than we give him credit. He toddled right over to the air mattress as soon as he heard that, he put his mouth to the valve, and he puffed!

Oh.

The Crab

We had a tasty dinner (I had mango crab cakes, yum!) with an outstanding view and a great breeze this evening at the Tower Bar. When we came down the stairs to pick up our double stroller, Karston noticed two holes in the ground in the natural area (rocks and plants) around the tree base. Karston grabbed Mary's hand to go investigate with him. (He's fascinated with holes in the ground right now. I would make jokes, but he wouldn't get them at this age.) Karston bent over to peer down the farther hole when a hermit crab scuttled out just into view! Karston screamed loudly, impressively loudly, AAAH! A CRAB! I'm sure the whole restaurant knew that Karston was surprised by a crab. In fact, the cook came out of the close-by kitchen to make sure he was ok. Karston also quickly jumped behind Mary and peeked around her knee at the crab who scuttled back down his hole. He pointed to the closer hole, Mary, what's in that hole? She replied, I think that crab's friend lives next door to him. Karston very confidently said, Well that crab is no friend of mine!

We're still laughing about that. Eek, a crab, no friend of mine! You never know what you're going to hear, and sometimes it's quite funny.

HFM

Cale hasn't been sleeping well for the past week. Motrin, started Sunday night, seems to help him sleep. To add to the fun, I was coughing last Friday night: from nasal drain, to sore throat, to cough.

So for his fifteen month birthday, Cale got a fever. He woke me up at 4 am to tell me he didn't feel well. Luckily, infant Motrin took care of that fever, but I took him to see the doctor this morning (Cale weighs 21 pounds 14.3 ounces, and has a normal temperature after the Motrin). She says he probably has Hand, Foot, and Mouth disease (with pictures) because that's going around; sometimes the only sign is 2 or 3 days of high fever of 101 to 103 °F. In a nutshell, it's caused by several virii including several types of the coxsackievirus (an enterovirus) and symptoms include a rash on the hands and on the feet and in the mouth, fever, sore throat, decreased appetite, or irritability. It's more common in children, especially under the age of 10, because adults have an immunity to any of those virii if they've been exposed. Other than that, it's highly contagious, so I expect we'll all get something (unless we've had that particular virus before).

We're hoping for a fast recovery, before we fly to Key West on Sunday!

Pointy

Cale's upper canine teeth just poked through. His gums are swollen around these two teeth, the points have just come through, and Cale is gnawing on everything in sight. Teething is one of Cale's few reasons to be fussy and to wake at night (along with illness and growth spurt). I hope these sharp teeth come through quickly!

One fish, two fish ...

After dinner, I said I would tackle the mountain of dirty dishes if Daddy took the kids out to run off some energy (he loved that idea!). So I'm a little sorry that I missed this one, but at least our kitchen is much cleaner now.

Daddy, Karston, and Cale put on their life preservers and went in the pedal boat on our lake because Karston wanted to fish. Karston and Daddy brought their fishing poles. Cale sat between them in the boat, and he kept climbing over to grab Daddy's fishing pole. So Daddy let Cale hold the fishing pole. Twenty seconds after Cale started holding his fishing pole, it started to wiggle! Cale caught a fish! The routine here is that the fish-catcher (almost always Karston) and Karston get to touch the fish before we release it. So everyone touches the fish before he swims off, and then Cale gets to hold the fishing pole again. But whoa, whoa, what's this? Another fish on Cale's pole!

Cale held the fishing pole with a line in the water four times, and he caught three fish! I didn't know he was going for the title of world's youngest fisherman or I would have sent him out fishing before he was 14 months old, but it seems as though catching three fish at his age should be some sort of record. I'm sure he's the youngest person to catch fish from our lake. He's a talented child, and I think he loves fishing as much as Karston!

Whooping Cough

We took the kids to the doctor (yet again, for the third or fourth time in a week or two), and Karston has whooping cough. If you listen to the "Sound of a child with whooping cough WITHOUT whooping" link, that's exactly what Karston sounded like last night just before he threw up. Karston's symptoms match a pertussis diagnosis quite well, so Dr. Goldbach made a savvy call.

What I learned from some online research is that you can get whooping cough even if you're vaccinated, but you get a milder case (so even if it doesn't prevent all pertussis, the vaccine is still a good idea); the vaccine also wears off over time if you don't get a booster. Adults are a "reservoir" of pertussis since we get milder cases, and the transmission rate within a household is 75 to 80%. Most pertussis is mild, and goes largely undiagnosed and unreported. Most people with whooping cough don't make the whooping sound; only about half of the infected children do. Whooping cough has also been called the hundred day cough (ick!).

So that means this week, both kids are on an antibiotic that tastes vile. Poor kids! However, it's the only way to keep Cale from catching whooping cough, and I don't want him on this ride.

Ear Infection

The past two nights, Cale has woken himself up coughing and he clearly feels just awful. And when Cale can't sleep, I can't sleep so I rushed through breakfast to take him to pediatric walk-in this morning. Cale weighs 21 pounds 5.6 ounces, and he has another ear infection. So that's what it means when Cale can't sleep at night but he's not teething, on a growth spurt, or suffering from his allergies. Poor guy! At least he's very agreeable about taking medicine. Cale will take any medicine, even if it's nasty-tasting, if you offer it to him. He might need a juice chaser and small dribbles, but he'll take it. On the other hand Karston just won't take medicine, no matter how sweet-tasting, no matter how many chocolate bribes I offer.

As it turns out,

milk allergies are often the underlying cause of repeated colds and ear infections (ref),

so sneaky milk could explain the ear infections.

Nutrition

We signed Karston up for a research study on nutrition. To kick off the study, Karston was measured this afternoon: 26.8 pounds and 37 inches tall. I hope Karston won't skew the study too far into the weeds of poor eating habits! I do hope we learn something effective for better eating: how to encourage him to eat more food, and to eat healthier.

When It Rains ...

As if Cale fussing, coughing, and waking all night weren't enough fun, Karston had a fever with heartburn (seems like an odd combination to me) yesterday. He didn't want Motrin either. This afternoon I left work early because Karston said he would only take Motrin if I gave it to him. So after I gave him some medicine, I drove right back where I had been to take him to the pediatrician.

At the doctor's office, Karston weighed 27 pounds (even, no ounces!). Dr. Starnes said Tylenol should be easier on his tummy than Motrin. I never would have guessed that since Tylenol (acetaminophen) often gives me stomach cramps while Motrin (ibuprofen) never does; however if it works that way for most people, it's worth trying. She says he looks fairly healthy, so just see if this clears up within two days.

Unfortunately, Karston wouldn't take anything at all this evening, from anyone. I tried for a while after a long time of coaxing Cale to sleep. Now that Karston's asleep anyway, Cale has coughed himself awake and now he's sad. I'm the revolving door of mommy comfort! If I can have that with a side of sleep for myself, I will feel better tomorrow.

Cale Walks!

This morning we rode the carousel at Northgate! The kids love it!

Cale decided not to take a nap this afternoon. About 3pm, Cale was still hesitant about walking. Around 4pm when we encouraged him to walk, he took off! Two Fridays ago, he took his first two steps for Amy, fell down, and wouldn't try it again. But three days later, on Monday, he was enjoying going down the slide and taking two to four steps to Mommy before jumping in my arms and asking to slide again. He did that four times, so it wasn't a fluke! We've had two weeks of Cale taking a few steps unassisted before reaching for one of us and falling into our arms. Later this afternoon, he walked six feet unassisted with a huge proud grin. I can't believe a young child who spiked a fever Friday afternoon that didn't break until last night (and I'm sure he still feels awful although he's been remarkably agreeable considering) is mastering a complex new skill less than a day after his fever dropped.

Poor little guy just woke up to tell us he feels awful; he wasn't as recovered yesterday as I hoped. His sound is somewhere between a cry and a groan. Yet he was determined to learn to walk instead of taking an afternoon nap!

So one month after his first assisted steps, Cale is well on his way to unassisted walking!

Stairs

About three weeks ago, Cale told me that his favorite activity was to climb up and down our carpeted stairs. He did this for 45 minutes, with me right behind him to prevent falls, while Karston napped until I was bored. This evening Karston and Cale were playing very happily downstairs, so we rushed upstairs to wash up before the bedtime routine. I finished first, and as I was headed down the hall to go back downstairs to the boys when who did I see crawling down the hall towards me but Cale! He had a very proud look on his face too! He went up the stairs all by himself, and then had to find someone to see his boast in action! Independent little fellow.

Cale bounces quickly: two days ago, I was unusually tired and Cale was running a fever. Today he's not running a fever and he feels better, except for a slight cough, so he's already tackling new skills like stairs.

Egg Math

Karston really enjoyed hunting for Easter eggs this year. He keeps staging egg hunts throughout the house with the plastic eggs. This afternoon he also had an empty egg carton as part of the game. First he put his plastic eggs in the egg carton, and then he announced Mommy, I'm going to boil these for five minutes as he went around the door. He came back a second later, and I said I prefer hard-boiled eggs, but those take ten minutes. Karston came back with a quick answer, OK, I will boil these for five more minutes.

I assume having five fingers on each hand for ten total makes this easier, but he knows 5 + 5 = 10 already!