Three and a half, and soooo many quotes!

Photo links (I'm very far behind on downloading/sorting!):

  2018 April to August

  August Montana Trip

Three and a half:

This has all happened before, but we are in the midst of the Jekyll and Hyde phase.  One moment O is delighted with life, and the next it’s like nothing in the universe could possibly ever be right again.  He’s like a snuggly T-rex.  It’s all good until you try to brush those teeth!

Case study:

[D enters room in morning]

O: good morning!

D: good morning!

O: [bursts out in tears] but I wanted the good morning song!

D: would you like me to sing it to you?

O: no!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Warm and fuzzy:

Orion is so full of love and affection!  The other day he came home and saw my car and said “yay, mommy is home!  I love mommy so much!”  He is full of I love yous, kisses, hugs, nuzzles, snuggles, and more I love yous.  He loves family hugs, reciting all the people in his family that he loves (the whole extended family often included), and building towers out of magnatiles for us all to live in together. He also loves watching Cat in the Hat, and once kissed the iPad when it came on (and often does an excited dance on the couch when he hears he can watch).

Here’s a choice example: 

O: “I just want to hug you guys.  A hug snuggle with both my lovely grownups.”

Language

Language development continues to be fun to watch.  The features that make English so hard to learn make toddler speech adorable and far more logical than actual English. For example, Orion just said: “I goed to the rock factory.  Yeah, and there is so much rocks there.”  Orion also uses “because” the way we use “so” or “and then”. A recent example: I’m thirsty because I want water.

Speaking of recently, time is a hard concept to get a handle on, but past and future are pretty well defined.  “Yesterday” currently represents all past time for Orion, leading to gems like: “it happened very far yesterday” for things that occurred a while ago.

I’m reading and re-reading Behave for one of the classes I teach, and the chapter on adolescence talks a lot about how pre-teen and teen brains are different.  Its reminded me why understanding a toddler can be hard — they are still working on basics like theory of mind, and moods are totally overwhelming.  It doesn’t matter that we couldn’t have known what he wanted.  He wanted it!

Quotes:  

July:

A: Should I call you “muffin”? 

O: I’m not a muffin! but my head looks like a muffin. I’m like talking muffin, and when I grow up I’ll be a big talking muffin like you and Ronan and daddy!

O: Mom, I think I made two burps with my butt  [Ronan nearly died laughing at this one]

R: hey O, can I tell you something?  

O: but I’m too tired to talk.

O: I’m sad`

A: Why are you sad?

O: It’s just the way I am

O: It’s not time to pee.  Time to pee is 59 a point.

[Arriving home at the end of the week] 

A: Welcome to sanity!

O: No, it’s home!  It’s not sanity!

D: Welcome home to insanity!

August:

O: What world is this?

A: It’s called Montana

O: Montana has lots of trees.

O: I want to come back quite soon to look for those yummy grapes [wild “Oregon grapes”]

O: [asking us about our friend’s name he’s forgotten] What human is this?

September:

D: How was school today, Orion?

O: I love you but I’m gonna do the alphabet now.

R: Why are O’s shoes still on?

D: Because I’m a bad parent and left them on

O: But you’re not a bad parent!  And you know that I love you!

O: Family hug!  I just want to hug you guys.  A hug snuggle with both my lovely grownups!

And not to leave Ronan out of the quotes: he loves insult wars, but we keep them as G rated as possible.  This leads to phrases like “most foul vermin” and “thine odor is like unto pig slobber.”  The other day this happened:

R: You, you, you, you buttcrack!

A: You know what that makes you, right?

R: What?

A: Son of a buttcrack

(despite having never heard the other SOB phrase, he can’t get over that one and wants to re-enact it regularly)

It also makes it tempting to launch into lines from the Good Place like “holy mother forking shirtballs” (but we resist)

October:

O: When I was inside your body, how did I come out?  Did I make a hole in your tummy?

O: Mama, I love you!  But I don’t love you when I’m stinky.

O: [upset] You’re not my mom!

O: Mommy, can you give me the opportunity of having the frog game with you?

Quick self-report of favorites:

Food: strawberries

Toy: excavator

Stuffy: baby bear

Song: twinkle twinkle  (but I think it's the turtle that tried to eat the tub song)

Book: frog trouble

TV: cat in the hat

Movie: babe
Color: green, yellow, pink, and purple

Orion is three!

Student Driver

Orion is three, and even celebrated his birthday three times!  First at school (with rhubarb cake), then in Virginia on his actual birthday (with Grandma's trifle), then at home. 

Orion at three is a hug monster and full of love, I-love-yous, and arm pettings.  He adores his stuffies, too, and will bring Baby Margaret to watch the iPad or tuck Big Giraffie under his arm to sleep. 

On the road with Daniel Tiger, Mr. Penguin, Mr. Mouse, and Bear

It's been wonderful to watch his friendship with with his buddy K grow. Often the only report we'll get from him of what happened at school that day is whether or not K was there.  It seems like you're never too young to have a best friend.

Three is still a time of many transitions.  In the last few months O finally gave up his binkies "to the babies," started sleeping through the night (at long last), and is beginning to use the potty (although that transition is just getting underway).  This week, his class moved up to the preschool wing at school and he is running with the big kids!  Did I mention he's also starting to give up napping?  

Metamorphosis to little boy nearly complete!

Three also appears to be in the thick of a stage I think of as "the feels" (the source of this phrase is lost to time and poor memory, but it translates to watch out for tantrums).  It started near two, but at three there are so many more big feelings, both joy and frustration.  And sometimes that frustration is so great you really do just have to lie face down on the floor, and maybe even thump it with your frustrated fist.  My favorite parental coping strategy is to note the strangeness of whatever brings this reaction on.  For example, yesterday O went over the edge because he couldn't simultaneously have and not have milk.  O: "I want milk" A: "ok, let me get you one." O: "But I don't want milk!" A: "well, let's just sit instead."  O: (sobbing) "but I want milk!" (cycle indefinitely).  Other times it is because his shirt needs to be changed, because it is dinner time, or because there is a bear in the house.  One trick, of course, is to remember that no amount of explanation ("bears cannot actually come in our house, sweetie") will actually help.  This is a challenge for (all) family members who pride themselves on logic!  

Occasionally I wonder whether, as a second child, O has experienced only a small fraction of the attention and experiences Ronan had at his age.  If that's true, he seems none the worse off for it.  O is strikingly independent, and finds great joy in all that he does.  I cherish his enthusiasm and openness at this age, the songs he sings to himself, the narration I overhear on the monitor when he engages his stuffies in conversation (complete with different voices), that dimple, and his Orion-ness.  Well, in between all the moments of the chaos, anyway.

Quotes (April-June 2018):

[As parents depart our house after a playdate drop-off]
O: They forgot Ethan!

O: I want to try chai [tries some]
A: Is it too spicy for you?
O: It's yummy for me because it has good flavor

O: Hey, I shot a dart in the bathroom.  Wanna come see it?
R: No, I'm good for now.
O: No but you have to come see it!
R: No but you can't control me, so that means I don't have to.
O: No but I can control you because I'm stronger than you!
R: .... Uh, okay .... Wanna have an arm wrestle?
[Arm wrestle ensues]

O: I'm turning into a golden cow
A: You are?  Why are you turning into a golden cow?
O: Because my mommy is a golden cow

O: I need help, I need help! I can do it all by myself!

A: We might not go if it rains
O: But rain is good!
A: Rain is good for plants, but I don't like it on my head.
O: Then grab a coat and put the hood up!

D: What do you think you might be when you grow up?
R: I don't know.  Maybe a scientist?
A: What about you Orion?
O: A kitty lion.

[Waving foam bop sword]
O to R: Want to have a battle fight?

[Repeating from a babysitter]
O: I'm not down with that right now

Word evolution in process:

• Popiscle has changed to popsicle (sigh)
• Pattern is padrine
• From Diego he learned the phrase "help, help, ayudame, ayudame" for animals in trouble.  Not sure what the Spanish words were, he turned this into "help, help, I'm using it, I'm using it!" which is hilariously appropriate to his most common call for adult attention (i.e. sharing issues).  

A census of favorites at this age:

• Food: blueberries (and whipped cream)
• Toys: diggers, magnatiles, balance bike
• Stuffies: Daniel Tiger, Baby Margaret, Big Giraffie, Little Giraffie, Bear, Mr. Penguin, Mr. Mouse, Okapi
• Song: You are my sunshine.  Also: Good morning sunshine, the Pickle song (Arlo Guthrie), The Day I went to Sea, and many others.
• Book: so many favorites!
• Game: Bonk
• TV show: Go Diego Go

Winter

Photos from the last several months are finally up! 

November through March pictures: https://photos.app.goo.gl/FnlkPHfRQFMApkRJ2

From looking back, it seems that: Ronan turned 8 and we had a party with lots of animals at our house (python, hedgehog, and bunny)!  Reminder to self: hide the Nerf guns in advance next year...  Ronan started riding a big bike and rocked it.  We enjoyed a visit from several relatives: first Grandma and Grossvater, then a big family Christmas at our house.  We built a greenhouse for the chickens (and picked up two more), and they all started laying eggs.  The boys got a bunkbed which makes joint bedtimes much smoother, and Orion started going to bed even with our babysitter (Kate).  Date night was thus reborn, including several nice dinners out and a movie. 

Over January I spent my longest time yet away from the boys (8 days!) in Panama with a bunch of Smith students.  All of us got the flu, but we still look like we're having fun in the trip pictures: https://photos.app.goo.gl/GfdmX1RtZO6bSSCC2

I also got to visit Joel and give a talk in Riverside, then we headed out to California for a rainy but still gorgeous Spring Break with family up on the coast.  Back home we managed some easter festivities and now I am in Wisconsin to welcome baby Jules to a very exciting new chapter in all of our lives!  https://photos.app.goo.gl/DbwPPmwaiy0SCRXp2

When I return home I hope winter will finally be over.

Collected random observations:
Now BOTH kids dip their pizza crusts in milk.  Weirdos.

At age 8, Ronan still believes that his mom is not ticklish.  No further comment.

Sometimes the kids surprise me by being less picky than expected.  There are now some types of Indian food, Thai food, Chinese food, and sushi the kids will eat.  Orion loves broccoli, and Ro loves red bell peppers.

Orion is at an age where bandaids heal all ills.  No break in the skin?  It doesn't matter...bandaids are still magic.

Ronan is starting to read more books, and recently liked the HiLo series and Garfield books (and some Calvin and Hobbes). I miss the nighttime reading routine (Ro and I finished Gaiman's Norse Mythology not long ago), but now joint bedtimes for the kids are more practical most of the time.

At daycare, watching "digger Dave" is a favorite event.  At some point O pointed in a book at digger Dave, and I finally learned that digger Dave is a front loader (and that he thinks all front loaders are digger Dave).

A while ago, Orion was using "yesterday" for all past time.  Like we had Christmas yesterday, as in he remembers it!

Quotes:
A: I’ll be in the kitchen, call me if you need anything.  
O: mom mo-om.  
A: what is it?  
O: anything

O: (singing to himself in the car) Old Macdonald had a chicken. Eeieeio. And on that farm he had an egg.  Eeieeio.  And on that farm he had a redlight.... and on that farm he had a green light...and on that farm he had a brown light.  Did he have a burned pancake?

Cute O pronunciations:  Pinano (=piano), popiscle (=popsicle), porkeepine (porcupine)

O: turn on the switch.  
A:I don't think there's a switch in the "O" [fabric covered letter decoration].  Is there a switch in there? What would happen if turned on switch in the o? 
O: It would sing.

I probably recorded this one in a prior month, but:
O: Orion do it by my own self