Fall!

Ah, Fall!  There is a fire in the woodstove, our house smells like homemade applesauce, and leaves are on the ground everywhere.  We have been to one farm or another almost every weekend since late summer berry picking.  Add one Fall Festival, visits to the CSA and the community garden, and a trip to CT.  We're managing to squeeze the most out of the leaves before they go!  I feel like we must be getting the hang of this place because we now have favorite apples.  Early season: honeycrisp, midseason: macoun, late season: mutsu/crispin.  Not that we have sampled every variety but I've certainly tried more apples this year than ever before.  And it's true that the ones at the grocery store don't come close.

This frame is part of the sculpture tour at our favorite farm

This month has been smoother sailing than many in the past (and we can only imagine many to come).  When the thunder clouds do roll over Ronan it is often so dramatic it is almost comic.  The corners of his mouth literally turn down, he turns away, and runs off to his room (not infrequently putting himself down for a nap in the process).  He has also begun to employ a theatrical cry designed in part to show us exactly how uncool he thinks the situation has become.  The funny thing is that I vaguely remember occasionally exaggerating a cry as a kid for just that reason.  Obviously I had no idea how easy it is to spot.

Ronan has, for some time now, drawn elaborate squiggles and called them specific things.  "This is a dump truck flying down the hill to a pond."  Earlier this month he drew the first squiggles recognizable to adults.  As an official studier of rodents, I couldn't be more proud of my son's first representational drawing.  I'm not sure whether he thinks of it as a rodent or not, but that's what I see (aerial view).   The second was dubbed a horse.  Since then I've only seen squiggles (many of them in glitter paint) and he is starting to tackle the letter R.

Ronan's first representational drawings

This month we had a great visit from Grandma/Grossvater and another from Tata/Boo.  Why people don't visit us in February is a mystery to me but Lolo/Popo are visiting next weekend!  I'm starting to wonder if we need better guest towels and also if all our friends have strange nicknames.  I appear to be mostly nickname-proof at thirty-whatever.  

Ro has either inherited our night-owlishness or been forced into it, but a blissful side effect is that that boy can sleep until 8:30am.  Some days we wake him up!  Many days he'll toddle into our room and climb in bed for a cuddle.  This will be more endearing when he no longer smells like pee-soaked pullups, but I love it anyway.  Often the cat gets roped into the cuddle and fortunately Gandalf has grown into the perfect kid-cat (perfect grownup-cat too).  Other days we get woken up by a serenade of some very fast ukelele strumming.  Once, Ro hopped into bed and held the flexible, clip-on book nightlight above his head while asserting that he was an anglerfish who lived in the deep deep ocean [and a fairly convincing one].  This morning was a bit alarming though...he came in and announced he'd been hard at work making sawdust in the office!  Since he likes to saw a log we have in the basement I was relieved to find that he was making it by sharpening pencils, and not by trying to make his way through the legs of the desk.

Yesterday was a busy day between a morning halloween party, a midday lab field trip, and evening plans to see our favorite local band at our favorite local cafe.  Since we napped first we got there a bit late, only to learn they were too crowded to seat us.  Fortunately Ro had a plan: "We could just make Mac 'n Cheese and put on a CD of Kitchen Party in our home."  And friends, that is exactly what we did.

Quotes:

R: How big is my heart?

D: It's about the size of your fist

R: Oh, so it's the same size as my bladder when it has pee in it!

R: May I be excused?  Because I want to move my ladder and see if this switch turns on these lights.  Because you never know!

R: Do you know what?  I never want to vacuum mama up 'cuz she's my bestest friend.

R: Mom, we're best friends, right?

A: Right!
R: Mom, do you know why I'm hugging you?
A: Because you love me?
R: No, it's because I'm a little bit chilly.

[Ro sees a little yellow flag on a wire that is marking a buried sewer line]

R: Oh, is someone going voleing here?

A: Actually sometimes people use those flags to mark things besides burrows! 

R: I am nice to all the living creatures.  

R: [To Tata] Let's go upstairs and read books and spoon!  Yeah, and if we see a tyrannosaurus we won't bonk him.

[Pushing one magnet across the floor with another without touching]

A: Whoa, why does it move like that?

R: It's magnetation!

R: Do you know something?  Outside of Nate's house, he has a lot of were-rabbits.

D: What!?

R: Yep.  They're in a cage.

D: You know, I think those are probably normal rabbits.  [and also at a different house]

R: No.  They're were-rabbits.  They're *this* big!!  [holds arms about a meter apart]

D: Can you get out of my way so I can get the toilet paper?

R: What's a politer way to say "get outta my way" is to say excuse me.

After a waiter asked us if we wanted dessert, we told Ro that instead of having dessert there we could go to the frozen yogurt shop he loves, across the street.  He was a little confused that maybe the restaurant got their desserts from across the street too.  Upon the waiter's return...

R [to waiter]: Do you know what?  Most restaurants make desserts in their own kitchens.

Waiter: Oh, we do that here too.  Would you like a cookie from our kitchen?

R: Actually, we're going across the street for dessert.

Just found this note from our babysitter this summer:

Ronan and Josie are discussing allergies (particularly the difference between dust and dust mites). Ronan thinks for a second, and then declares, "But Josie and me are both allergic to poop." 

Grownup house quotes:

Today was a really long week

[Friday morning]: I just have to make it through the day so I can get to the weekend, so I can make it through the weekend to a new week, so I can get through the week to the weekend.

You know you want to see the pictures of costumed kids in a bounce house...and many more here.

A new semester

Then (Sept 2011)

Now (Sept 2013)

The jack-o-lantern mushroom came back this year!  The mushroom is smaller this time, true, but also that boy got big.  Evidently we have been in our house for two years!

Ronan delights in running past and then asking if he was so fast he was a blur.  He is, life is, work is, everything is right now.  The semester has started and I forgot what this felt like (good thing).  We are committed to not make life easier exclusively by ditching the fun stuff so we have still managed to play with house guests, do lots of berry picking, and take a little trip.

State of the Ronan:

You know what's hard?  Learning units.  We have numbers and they are one thing to master, but that a hundred seconds is shorter than one day is properly baffling.  Frequently Ro's solution is to leave them out entirely, telling us that he is a million strong, or a hundred tall.  Just a moment ago he said that pepper can make a billion thousand dusts.

Walks here are gorgeous!

He is fascinated by bodies.  Having learned about dinosaur bones he wants to know about our bones, and after an episode of the Magic Schoolbus he got really into digestion.  But understanding our biology comes with a dark side.  He is a little worried about what happens to make bones come out in dead things and this leads into his big fear.  He is currently seriously worried about death.

It started slowly, with wanting to know how long he would be alive and how long we would.  And he got a little upset that he would live longer than us.  Then for a few nights he started crying at bedtime because he didn't want us to ever die, and he didn't ever want to be dead.  It's a hard thing to comfort someone about, since I don't know that any of us really ever come to terms with it.  And it's hard for a three-something to understand that if their body turns to dirt that they don't feel it.  So we talk about how the feeling part of you isn't in your body anymore and that you become part of the universe.  Beyond that we had to have a little parental conference to get our stories straight.

I'm pretty sure Ronan has better manners than I ever did as a child.  Or at least he delights in playing the adult and pointing out when the grownups are doing it wrong.  I have been accused of chewing with my mouth open, forgetting to ask to be excused after a meal, and occasionally of not taking my shoes off at the door.  D was recently told he needed to floss!  The upside is he also compliments: "Mom you look so beautiful today" or "you are doing a so good job."

It's amazing to watch him cope with his feelings these days.  Something will disappoint him or not go as expected and there will be this moment of wrongness and quiet.  Then he will run off into another room, or get visibly upset, but most often if we can catch him in a hug at just the right moment (right after the quiet) he will take a few seconds to feel really sad and then emerge just fine.  What a change from the tantrums of earlier in the year (fingers crossed)!

Events and happenings

This month we had a visit from friends in Boston, headed to the lake house of D's boss, and went to a music festival and visited friends.  It turns out that Ronan has a knack for boat steering, turning and aiming us right at different house targets at some speed!  We had a particularly great time at the music festival, enjoying one of Ronan's favorite musicians (Elizabeth Mitchell) in addition to some of ours (Sarah Jarosz, Mike Marshall & Edgar Meyer, etc.).  It was held in a giant sculptural playground and unlike every other music festival was quite mellow and uncrowded but with plenty of ice cream.  Plus we got to stay up late talking with friends and enjoy mornings with pancakes and french toast!

More pics here as usual (new ones are at the bottom of the album).

Driving the boat!

At the festival

Ro Quotes:

I'm magical.  I can turn a person into a boot!

Dad I want to tell you something.  Did you know that I want to tell you something?

D: I need to remember to give something to Mama
R [walks over and picks up iPhone, holds down button until it beeps]
R: Siri, remember to give something to mama.  
R: [to dad] Now is it on your list?

Deep questions...
R: Mom, where do babies come out?
A: There's a part of a woman's body called the birth canal...
R: Is it like our butt?
A: Well it's not part of our digestive system.  But it can let a baby out.
R: It's basically like a valve!

Dada, how did the whole universe get made?

Funny pronunciation:
Ambliance instead of ambulance.  Sadrin instead of Saturn.

July quotes I found lying around!
[Ro is biting each blueberry in half and splitting it with D]

D: Thanks!  It's so nice to share.  Sharing makes everybody happy!

R: Yeah, *very* happy.  And it's like they don't even wanna lose that feeling.

A: You have very long eyelashes!

R: Why?

A: Because you're a beautiful boy.

R: Yours are very short.

Three and three quarters

Ronan on Laguna Arenal in front of Volcán Arenal

Late monthly update but what a month this was!  We finished up our trip to California and were home for a scant 5 days before heading to Costa Rica for 11.  We are finally just enough caught up that classes starting Tuesday isn't a total disaster, but boy was all that travel worth it. 

Ronan is a pro-traveler for someone so generally cautious (and whose first word was "uh-oh").  He's done a lot of it for a three year old (let's see, cross country trips at 5mos, 7mos, 8mos, 1yr, 2, 2.5, 3, 3.5; Germany at 1.5; Costa Rica at 3.5; camping every year, and long drives to and from DC).

His enthusiasm for travel is aided by a love of planes.  He adores pilots and overcomes all shyness to talk to people with wings on their lapels, no matter what they might be in the middle of.  He pores over the pictures of planes in the magazines and can't wait for his first sighting of an airbus 380 (he also wants to see a Tesla for what it's worth, and identifies every Mini, Fiat, VW Bug, and convertible we drive by).  

Costa Rica

We went all over Costa Rica with friends, a rented SUV, a guidebook, and various maps.  The electronic ones were essential (as roads aren't signed).  We stayed in 7 places over 11 days, most of which I would recommend highly.  We ate casados (rice/bean/veggie/cheese or meat plates) for nearly every meal and cooked them upon returning home because all other food seemed strangely wrong.  We soaked in hot springs, hiked to light blue waterfalls, kayaked, swam and snorkeled in the warm ocean, felt the softest sand I've ever touched, saw monkeys and tons of birds and iguanas, rode horses, got muddy and wore through our hiking sandals, read books, and were generally offline for the longest stretch in recent memory.  We slept really well, rising early and going to bed soon after dark.  I would go back in a heart beat.

Ronan in the sort-of-a-kid-carrier backpack crossing the Rio Celeste

Ro is of an age where we needed to bring almost nothing special for him.  We had some books on an e-reader for bedtimes, an inflatable swim vest for all the water stuff we did (packs down small), and a frameless kid carrier/daypack (Kelty transit 1.1) that is unbulky enough to bring as a carry on and use for regular loads (pictured left).  Ro's big accomplishment for the trip (besides being adventurous) was to do most of a hike (~2 miles) on his own, on very muddy terrain over huge rocks and roots and up and down hills.  I was tired by the time he pooped out and none of the rocks to climb over were my height.

When invited into the cockpit on our return flight home from Costa Rica, it turns out what Ro really wanted to say was this: "Did you actually know that when I get home I'm going to be three and three quarters?"  Kids do seem to love growing up.

Ro
We have officially entered the know-it-all phase of development.  Ronan loves to learn things and then teach them.  About half the sentences out of his mouth start with "did you actually know that..."  What's amazing to me is how much he does know.  He knows Mars is dusty, that you can tell whales aren't fishes because their tails go up/down, that anglerfish live in the deep deep ocean, and that space just keeps going.  This all makes it more charming when he says "I knowed that already".  

The other half of Ro's sentences start with "why."  Boy can a parent get tired of that phrase.  Why is the sky blue? Why does air absorb light? Why not blue light?  Either way you end up at chemistry and physics pretty quickly or at "because."  And either way it's turtles all the way down.

• Pictures of Costa Rica are here.
• Other new pictures from this month are here (or will be after Tuesday).

Quotes:

8/5/13
R: Mom, what does ironic mean?
A: [totally fails at explaining in 3-year old terms]

8/9/13
A: I wonder if Diego would like to see that
R: Well, Diego's in the TV and I don't think he knows how to come out
[N.B. Watching Diego was awesome before heading to a rainforest -- Ro wanted to see sloths and monkeys and asked if he was old enough to go on a zipline. (No)]

8/25/13
R: Peaches are the best
A: I think blueberries are even better
R: Grapes are the best
A: You're the best!
R: I'm not the best for eating.  I'm the best for hugging and snuggling.

9/2/13
R: Dada, look what I found-- what's this?
D: That's a hairpin.  Maybe Shira uses those to keep up her hair.  Mama doesn't use those, because she uses hairbands instead.
R: Yeah, is Shira Sasha's mom?  Siri doesn't use anything, because she's a machine.  Well, she uses electrical things inside.

Wood fired hot tub at the riverside

Beginnings and Endings

Friends

This is an age where friendship means a lot to Ronan.  Gone are the days of "parallel play" where kids played along side each other but looked to the grownups.  When a friend comes over, they are off to their own world.  As often as not, playdates begin by stripping naked and then dressing up in diapers, big cat costumes, a friends' dress, or nothing at all.  I'm not sure why they are so eager for play dates after spending all day together in daycare, but see if you can guess what these kids want:

Since last month, Ro witnessed fireworks twice, once near the local park a week before the 4th and once in Vermont on the night of.  Both times the displays were impressive and VERY CLOSE BY.  A big difference from the distant shows I'm used to with city living.  Vermont was gorgeous and convinced Ro (and his parents) of the joy of pond swimming in hot weather.  A few days later we went camping at a local lake with our camping friends and once again the water was a highlight.  We've had a stinky hot week this week (coinciding perfectly with the dates I've needed to do field work each day) so I am ready for something cooler.  

In addition to making strides in the swimming department, last week Ronan just figured out the pedal bikes at his school.  Here is his first stretch at preschool.  Moments later he was navigating the turns through the whole loop!

As the productive phase of summer draws to an end and the travel part begins (before the prep-for-classes part), we instigated a party for our best friends here before they go away.  I feel lucky to have had three great years of hanging out (many times weekly) with the parents of Ronan's best bud.  (Fortunately the parents staying behind are pretty cool too).  That same day we got the sad news my uncle had passed away from cancer.  I have many great memories of him from my childhood and it makes me think about the lasting impressions we make on each other.

Going away party...sniff

We ourselves will be heading away to Cali in December for a while (likely the endpoint of this blog).  It's amazing how much of a home this has become in three years.  There is much I will miss while we are gone!


Ro Quotes:

R: I like a variety of foods.  First I like a sandwich.  And second, I like frozen yogurt.  Third I like ice cream.  And fourth I like mac and cheese.

[takes an unexpected turn]

A: What would you wish for?

R: A magic wand.  So that if someone wanted to sit down after hard work brooming up a mess I would just wand away the chair!  And if someone is trying to drink an ice cold glass of water, Zoop, Zoop, no glass!

A: Can I have a hug?

R: Sure, cuz I have lots of hugs left in me.  

A: That's good -- you have a lot of hugs in your future.

R: I have like 23 hugs.

R+S: Let's play "we eat boys on toast"!          [I think this comes from a school book about a giant]

R: You know what mom?  When I am downstairs, Maile goes upstairs.  And when I am upstairs, Maile turns around and runs downstairs.           [now why might that be...?]

R: Guess what?  I'm a little thirsty because all the water evaporated outta me.

Parents repeatedly asking "what do you like" and "what else do you like" generated this list:

    Thunder, black pepper, thunderclouds at night, beavers in the afternoon.

Play date dress up:

(As always, more pictures are here)

The great outdoors

Backyard beast

4 Summers

Each summer we reap the rewards of living in this climate when the world turns lush and green.  We have spent many a barefoot hour in the yard searching for worms or salamanders (we caught and temporarily housed an Eastern red spotted newt) and romping about.

Ro took his first self-powered hike of almost three miles down one of our favorite trails last weekend, and we took a brief detour to visit the log at the entrance to the trail by our old house.  In four summers, Ro has transformed from a baby to a boy (July 2010-2013)!

Brain spurt
Sometimes days pass one by one and it's as if none of us (grownups especially) are getting older.  Other times it's clear that something big is happening: a growth spurt, or a brain spurt.  Ronan is in a brain spurt.  

We noticed it earlier this month when we stopped being able to use big words around him without getting interrupted.  He wanted to know what each word meant, and how to use it.  What does "mosy" mean?  Diagonal? He also asked about Slumber, Injury, Diurnal, Disagree, Stalking, Archeology, and dozens I don't recall.  What most surprises me is when he retains them, correctly using the words nocturnal, eventually, and trilobite in daily speech.

Then he started adding numbers, fairly unprompted.  Over the monitor I hear him ask his dad for numbers to add, and as he adds each pair he announces his conclusion as if in a spelling bee: "two plus two equals four."  That first night in late May he also added 2+3, 1+3, and 3+4.  He's started getting into minus, but it's clearly a bit trickier.  He regularly counts up to 37, stops, then tells me that's how old I am, which is WAY WAY older than he is.  

Letters are less interesting, or at least he still shows no interest in writing them.  He does occasionally try to spell things, for example he told me that the way to spell "Moo" is M, zero, zero.  He's been able to spell Ronan, Mama, Dada, Josie, and a few other things for months.

Temper(ament):
This age is challenging, as in we are constantly being challenged by Ronan.  Almost anything suggested by a grownup is met with disdain out of some sort of toddler principle: thou shalt not agree with thine elders unless it involves getting sugar.  If I want to listen to music in the car I have to let it come on and then turn it off so that it is Ro's idea that we turn it back on.  If I skip a track, it is sure to be requested.  I have been conditioned by my toddler that any initiation of an action on my part (turning on the music for example) will instantly be met with an opposing edict.  And why do we become such pushovers to these little tyrants?  Because with 300 potential battles a day, we need to win the ones that involve leaving the house wearing clothing and brushing teeth before bedtime.

Perhaps as part of all this challenging, negotiation has become big.  At one daycare pickup I offered to wait for an extra trike loop around the yard.  How about 5 more?  Ronan asked.  How about 4 more?  When that didn't work, he went to three, then sensing that two would be insufficient victory, he went back to 5.  It is fascinating to see which human behaviors require no instruction.  Who knew lawyerly bargaining would be one (besides, you know, any of you who have done this before).

In that vein, it's interesting to note that a natural competitive streak is emerging.  Winning is important and it almost doesn't matter what the winning is about.  I'm the best water pourer.  I got to the planter first.  We both won.  Recently Ro declared "I love Indian food more than you."  I tried to coax out that what he meant was that he loves it more than I do (doubtful at best) but he remained staunch in his phrasing and the potential that mom ranks below Indian cuisine.  

It remains important to save face: "I knowed that already".   And a desire to never be involuntarily alone: "mama, I want you to stay here and never ever leave."  Or  "We aren't going to die for a long long time.  Maybe 50 years.  And you are not ever going to die before me."  Sigh. 

Fundamental aspects of human nature are laid bare in toddlers.  I feel like this all helps me understand grownups a little better.

Separations

Playing records at school

We've had a few really terrible daycare dropoffs this month, especially on mornings when Ro's best friend was out of town.  We've started to ease the transition by reading a book each day as a ritual, and Ro has become reflective about the whole thing.  He knows that if he gets sad when we're gone he can look in the "family book" to see pictures, and he sometimes likes other reminders of home as well.  One morning he declared that his dad and I needed matching Dora bandaids to his, in case we started to miss him while at work (then we could each look at our bandaid and think of Ronan).  Other kids in the class have been a big help.  A. regularly declares that her mommy is a plastic surgeon who works in the hospital.  One morning S. came over to say:  "Ronan, let's go play!  It's OK that your dad has to go.  He has to go to work.  You know he's gonna come back, right?  Yeah, it's OK.  Let's play because we're friends!"  

S and Ro have become fast friends in recent weeks, between a shared music class, trips to their house, and J's absence.  It's a relief to see him branching out, and fun for us too. 

Recent photos

Quotes

R: I don't need to be teached anything.  I knew that.  When I was a baby, I already knew more things than you did.

[Listening to Phish]

That song mom put on is very nice for me

R: Do you know why I don't want a peanut butter and jelly sandwich?

D: Why?

R: Because after I wanna hug mama.  And she can't touch peanuts.

R: Dada, you need a matching bandaid too, for if you have hard goodbyes.

R: This is my painting of a bear.  It eats babies.  But not real babies, just pretend babies.  Because paintings don't have mouths. 

On the climber

Three and a half!

So much happens so fast here in summer!  May transformed the landscape: there are flowers and leaves everywhere, we run into neighbors on the street and at the common house, and people linger outdoors as much as possible.  We moved our picnic bench onto the porch and ate dinner outside.  The nights got warm, but the days were dry.  I almost forgot how bitter I was about April!  (I know, all you Californians are bored by weather talk...)

DEVELOPMENT

Ro turned 3 and a half this week -- a fact of which he is quite proud.  He couldn't wait to get there (all his classmates are older than him) so we celebrated with a mini cake with half a candle in it (the half candle was his idea).

Ro's class

Part of the mixed-age classroom dynamic is that the 3-year olds learn from the 4- and 5-year olds.  5-year old boys happen to be excellent at creative insults and the threes are practicing name calling of their own.  Ronan was awarded the dubious accolade from his teacher of being the most creative name caller of his gang.  "You ceiling fan!" he'll cry.  "You sticker bum!"  We've shrugged off a few instances of "stupid goat" and the like, and so far he doesn't seem to realize these are any worse to the grownups than "you fupple-whap".

Ro has gotten very good at counting, and his generic very large number is always 55.  Units remain more elusive, so he might say he is 55 long, the Eiffel tower is 55 inches, and he'll be a grownup in 55 minutes.  Apologies to those of you over 55, but your age is an inconceivably large number.

He's asking questions that show just a hint of how he puts things together.  He knows about bones and blood, and asked whether because your bones are inside your skin they are all messy with blood.  We talked about how blood travels in tubes and now he shows us everywhere he can see his veins and when he falls inspects to see if the pipes have broken.

Ro is very interested in problems.  I may have ignited this with a bedtime story, but it's taken on a life of its own:

R: I have a problem.  It's an itchy bite.
A: Sorry sweetie!
R: So what's your plan for a solution to the problem?

A: Want to go to the new frozen yogurt store?
R: I want to go to Go Berry
A: I thought we could try the new store.
R: I have a solution.  The plan is today we can try Go Berry and tomorrow we can try your frozen yogurt store.

He is mostly not napping, but has had some stunning early bedtimes, falling asleep in my arms at 6 at a restaurant (and sleeping through dinner, the drive home, and the transfer to bed) and also at home.  The same has happened to me, since parenthood began.  

Comings and Goings  This month we visited friends and used their excavator to move dirt and rocks from one place to another.  Ro got to help articulate the arm and was quite taken with it.  We attended a gymnastics birthday party, took after-school trips to the park, restaurants, music together classes, and friends' houses.  A bunny raised her pups on the school playground, there was a school bike rally, Ro has started swimming lessons again and was just promoted to the class with 2-3 year olds (from the babies section).  

School yard buns

David traveled and so did I, spending a few great days in Cali after giving a talk.  I returned home to good work related news and the end of the semester.  I just got a FitBit pedometer (so let me know if you have one), which is how I learned that I logged more steps watching a couple toddlers for an afternoon than the day I went for a three mile run!

Ro's best bud...moving in a few months!

Listen with a toddler.  In May, Ro has gotten into Irish bands, sea shanties, and the donkey song on his Music Together CD.  Top hits:

1) The Unicorn (Irish Rovers) -- I loved this as a kid
2) Paddy's Green Shamrock Shore 
(many versions: Kitchen Party, Thile/Marshall, High Kings)
3) South Australia (Hootenanny/Nields version)


QUOTES:

A: Are you all done [eating frozen yogurt]?
R: No, 'cause I didn't get a rain freeze.

A: You got the long side of the wishbone!  You get to make a wish.
R: I don't wish anything.  Except I wish I could be at Nana and Papa's house.

[D is struggling to change Ro into a pull-up while he's asleep.  Ro stirs just enough to say:]

R: Dad, you're really nice!

D: Ssshh, I'm just putting a pull-up on you.
R: Yeah!  That's why you're really nice. 

D: Do you think that the bigger you get, the more stuff you can remember in your head?
R: Yes, and I lock it in my mind.

R: Dad, do you know a fact?  My fact is I would like to sit in this chair.

R: Mom, I want you to know that I always get to choose everything and that's for real.  So you have to do everything I say.

This reminds me of a video that had me in stitches earlier this week.  Conversations with my 2 year old (video)  This could also be titled life with a three year old!  

April 2013

Egg hunters

Late April and the landscape is finally emerging from its cocoon.  The snow is gone but the ground was bare and brown for weeks.  We wait for the nights to stop freezing, for the grass to turn green and the trees to unfold their leaves.  When it finally happens it feels like the view at the top of the mountain, or coming up for air.  Not only is it the end of a long winter, it's the end of a long year of teaching, meetings, and waiting to breathe.  First we heard the spring peepers in the pond by our house, then the daffodils and forsythia started to bloom (first in town, then up here).  Now it's crisp, 60s and 70s, sunny and glorious but not humid.  In other words: our two weeks of California weather.

Now that the days are long and warm we see our neighbors again, we go to parks after school, we plant seeds and go for rambles. 

Our mornings have collected rituals.  Ronan goes up to his big black telephone, picks up the receiver and calls "Hello, Vitamin and Gummy Bear Delivery Service?  I haven't had my vitamins yet today."  We deliver vitamins and continue the phone conversation.  Ro moves his step ladder around the kitchen to help make coffee, to set up cereal, or to watch whatever is most interesting.

Ronan has been delightful all month.  He's comfortable at school, he is surprisingly polite and well mannered (um, thanks daycare!), and he's both amusing and snuggly.  Other than the whole waking up twice a night to pee thing, I'd be happy to stall at this age for a good long time.  Of course Ro loses it, predictably, around bedtime some nights.  When we had a dinner party he started crying woefully and finally announced that "the Alison who is not the lab-Allison ate my spinach crackers" [from the communal bowl].  Life can be hard, kid.

We have all finally gotten used to the lack of the midday nap (and no nap after school on the drive home).  He falls asleep by 8 or so, and we have our evenings back for work and rest which makes for more relaxed parents.  In the morning he wakes us up by climbing into bed and talking to us until someone gets up.  

Since last month we celebrated the festival of the oviparous fairy rabbit (as D puts it) with egg dyeing and hunting.  I took Ro to the festival of the young child where he got a henna tattoo from his teacher and got to use a fire hose.  We went to see baby animals and not-so-baby turkeys.  Both D and I had stints of parenting solo as he went to a meeting in DC and I took a quick trip to Michigan to give a talk.  Ro and I planted seeds after choosing packets from their pictures at the store.  This may have been a mistake!  Of course Ro selected the variety of pumpkin that is bigger than the toddler in the photo.  But it should be fun...I've never grown giant pumpkins before.  With our luck (and the timing on the packet), we will have enormous ripe pumpkins long before the appropriate season.  We've also seeded peppers, sugar snap peas, basil, and chard, which seem a little more straightforward.  This year we can really get our community garden plot going after sheet mulching last summer.

Ro entertains himself with friends so well we often let him do so with little supervision,  resulting in some amusing outcomes.  On one occasion he and his friend were in his room when she shouted "Help Ronan!"  We ran upstairs to find the two of them in his bed in a dark room, completely naked except for his shirt, which they apparently needed help to remove.  The thumps overhead last weekend at another friend's house turned out to be the sounds of synchronized headboard leaps onto the bed.  OK, now we know.

RoQuotes:

4-4 R: Hey, remember when we went on the big wooden swing at the playground in Germany?  We had to walk through the forest to get there.  [wait, that was almost 2 years ago!]

4-18 [looking at my old flip-phone with a tiny microphone logo on one key] 
"Hey look, on the zero there's Siri"

Tonight we had a burrito picnic outside

4-19  R to D:  You're never gonna get lost.  'Cause if you start to blow away, I'm gonna get a net, and tie it to a stake, and throw it around you, and pull you back down.

4-21  
A: what a beautiful day! 
R: yeah, and a golf cart!

4-21 
A: do you see the steeple? 
R: indeed I do

4-21 [listening to T&B's rock mix] They said roll all night long!  That's not a good idea because then they'll never grow big and strong!

[stereo]: Jack be nimble, Jack be quick, Jack jumped over the candlestick
R: woah, that's not safe!


[any time, when upset]: You're never going to be my best friend anymore!

Older quotes:

3-2
A: How many pancakes would you like?
R: 10!
A: One, two, or three
R: Why can I have only three?
A: That's how many will fit in the pan
R: Well, you could do them one at a time!

R: See what happens when I smile?  You smile too!  That's 'cause the pipes inside us are connected!

Pictures: New pics are at the bottom of this album.