Milestone Minutiae

Haircut!

2008-08-19T08:38:00.000-07:00

In Spring, I gave Luke a buzz cut at home. But his hair is so thin and blond that I realized I couldn't do that in the summer - his scalp would burn. So all summer long his hair has gotten longer and longer, and crazier and crazier.

He's seen Emmett get haircuts before, so I started talking to him about going to get a real haircut. He seemed to like the idea, so yesterday we gave it a try. As we left the house, Luke wanted a haircut. When we got to Cookie Cutters (a "kiddie" haircut place, with videos, toys, and seats like firetrucks, planes, etc), Luke didn't want a haircut. But while he watched Emmett get his haircut he changed his mind.

He did great! He was a little apprehensive about the cape, but happily watched Curious George while the stylist cut his hair. He squirmed like a normal kid, but never got upset about it. And now he looks so cute! (I'm getting a photo gallery ready, so you'll see the haircut as soon as I get that up.)

Minutiae at the Bouncy Place

2008-08-13T14:48:00.001-07:00

Luke learned how to climb up to the slides today! Emmett helped him the first time, providing a little support. Once he was at the top, Luke wasn't really sure he wanted to slide down, but did when Emmett held his hand. After that Luke was going up and down all by himself. He fell off once and was a bit upset, but was willing to climb back up and slide again.

Sick Baby

2008-08-07T22:06:00.000-07:00

Luke was sick yesterday. The acute (throwing up) part was pretty short, just a few hours, but he was miserable and mad. When Emmett got really sick as a baby, he'd become calm. It was sad, but it was easier to deal with than a baby who is mad!

When he was getting ready to throw up, he'd tell me his belly button hurt. Cute, but still so sad. The good news is that it started just after lunch, and by dinner time he was running around playing and feeling fine.

Pitch Man

2008-08-04T07:24:00.000-07:00

When he was younger Emmett always skipped commercials when watching TV, but now he watches lots of them.

Now Emmett comes up to me almost every day with questions like, "Would you like to make money on EBay?" or "Would you like to store some of our stuff in an off site POD?"

He also wants lots of stuff they advertise to kids on TV, like Blendy Pens. Lucky for me, Costco had them so we tried them out. The first time Emmett tried to blend some colors, the "fusion chamber" broke. Some of the pens seemed much drier than others so the didn't blend well. We returned the set to Costco, and I tried to explain why things advertised on TV might not be of very high quality.

Foiled again.

2008-08-04T07:19:00.000-07:00

Did you know that your second kid won't be exactly the same as your first kid? It's trouble, you know.

Emmett always loved taking baths. So before a bath, I'd say to Emmett, "Do you want to take a ... walk? Do you want to take a ... picture?" and so on. He'd get excited, sometimes yelling out "Bath!" and sometimes just heading off to the bathtub before I even got to "bath."

Luke has enjoyed baths, but not as much as Emmett. And over time he's come to hate getting his hair washed, so he's not particularly eager for a bath. I tried my little "Do you want to take a ..." trick with Luke a few times, but he never responded quite the same way. Last night I skipped the lead in and said in a normal voice "Do you want to take a bath?"

Luke said he wanted to take a walk.

Creating a geek.

2008-07-23T22:19:00.000-07:00

Emmett was learning to read digital clocks at the same time that we were doing mental math problems before bed. I pointed out to him that he could always look at the clock and get a math problem - add two of the digits, or add the hours to the minutes, or whatever. I only mentioned it once, and it was at least 6-8 weeks ago.

Tonight as we were snuggling before bed and I turned down the brightness on his clock a bit. He's been having trouble getting to sleep and I thought brightness might not be helping. He asked me to turn it up, though, because he wanted to see it easily to get math problems! Then, as it was 9:43, he did 9 + 3, and at 9:44 he did 9 + 44.

Apple in mine pocket.

2008-07-19T20:56:00.001-07:00

After swinging today, Luke picked up an apple and brought it into the house. (For some reason, the apple tree is dropping lots of little immature apples right now.) He carried it around for a while, and then I showed him that it fit in the pocket on the front of his tee-shirt. He laughed and said, "Apple in mine shirt." He doesn't confuse me vs. you (I don't remember him ever really doing that, but it's a typical stage). Still, so far always uses "mine" instead of "my." "Lotion in mine hand," or "Bring me mine drink."

Tonight he wouldn't let me put his pajama shirt on because he wanted to keep the apple in his pocket. I had to take the apple out after he was asleep so he doesn't wake up when he rolls onto it!

Push me on swings!

2008-07-19T20:27:00.000-07:00

That's how it usually starts, with Luke demanding "Push me on swings!" Emmett is always up for getting pushed on the swings, so I spend a lot of time out back pushing the boys on the swings. I'm lucky the swingset has shade most of the day!

Once on Mythbusters, they tested whether it was possible to make a playground swing do a complete 360 degree circle around the bar. I stared counting pushes like this: "One... Two... Three Sixty!" I push a little harder each time and Emmett loves it, squealing and laughing. Luke demands the same treatment, but I don't push him quite as high.

Emmett has a friend who swings very high and jumps right off. He hits the ground with a thud like a sack of bricks, but jumps right up to do it again. Emmett wants to jump off too but he's sane, so he's started practicing from much lower. I wonder how high he'll go?

Lately Luke has started throwing his head back while swinging. Well, he threw his head back once or twice and then thought better of it. I can tell he's thinking about it, though because he cautiously looks up. Today, he decided to cross his legs while on the swings. I'm not sure why, but he crossed his legs and said, "Look at me!" Then Emmett copied Luke for once!

Go, Luke, Go!

2008-07-17T08:45:00.000-07:00

One day when I was out watching Luke ride his scooter, I started saying, "Go, Luke, Go!" over and over in a singsong voice. He really loved it.

The next day he came to me and said, "Say go me go!" It took me a bit to figure out what he wanted, but I did. Now he sings along with me, singing "Go, me go!" He also likes to sing "Go, Emmett, Go! Go Daddy, Go! and Go, Dogs Go!"

Make and Take Fireworks!

2008-07-15T21:11:00.000-07:00

That sounds safe, right? So when an e-mail went around about a guy having a make-and-take fireworks class, I immediately signed Emmett up.

Emmett and David went to the class, where they cooked up smoke bombs, packed ground blooming flowers, fountains, and other fun looking fireworks. David seemed a little unnerved by how casual the instructor was about it all, but there were no fires during the class and no fingers were lost in the process.

We're looking forward to lighting the fireworks next week. Well, all except for that one with the wings. We'll only light that one if we can find a very large and very empty parking lot.

You know your TV is too big when...

2008-07-11T20:48:00.000-07:00

You often find your five-year-old watching a program with the menu taking up three quarters of the screen. Then you notice that the top right quarter where the program is showing isn't that much smaller than your old TV.

(He does this because he's trying to turn on some particular program, but he gets distracted by what's showing in the preview pane.)

You're telling me.

2008-07-11T20:44:00.001-07:00

Tonight while nursing to sleep, Luke poked my breast a couple of times and then said, "ampy." I looked back at him and smiled. "Happy?" I said.

He looked back at me and said, more clearly this time, "Empty!"

Again!

2008-07-07T22:06:00.000-07:00

I guess I should be thankful that it took 21 months for Luke to hit the stage where he shouts "Again!" at the end of each book I read him. Over and over. Previously, I'd hand him the book and he'd happily take it back to the bookcase and get another book. Now it's unusual to read more than one book in a sitting. Sadly, Luke hasn't even figured out taking turns when Emmett is reading with us. He throws little fits when I put his book down to read Emmett's choice. I'm hoping he'll catch on quickly!

Feed ducks!

2008-07-05T10:27:00.000-07:00

Luke has been wanting to feed ducks, so this morning we went to Wheeler Farm where they have lots and lots of ducks. Actually, they have a bunch of ducks and then they have zillions of Canada Geese.

We showed up with our bread and the mass of them - over a hundred at least - started slowly moving towards us from almost all sides. It was like Night of the Living Canada Geese out there! I picked up Luke and Emmett stayed close by my side while we fed them. Fortunately Emmett didn't freak out.

When our bread was gone they gave us a little more space, but were still all around. Luke decided to pick up a leaf and wave it at the geese, who responded by hissing at him. Yikes! Stepping between them and yelling at the goose wasn't as effective as I'd hoped. Those geese have no fear! But they did move away a little, so I left Luke on the ground. After a while, another family came to feed the geese so we were left in peace to play around the nearby stream. (And they were left with two screaming little girls until Daddy rescued them by picking them up.)

This and that

2008-07-04T21:00:00.001-07:00

Some things quietly work their way into our lives without notice. Here are a couple that I've recently realized:

Luke has stopped sucking his thumb. I can't remember the last time I saw him doing it.

At Spanish school each day, Emmett makes a craft and "buys" a prize with his tokens. Of course, Luke wants whatever Emmett has just made or purchased. And more often than not, Emmett willingly shares them with Luke. Things he's just gotten. Amazing.

Why mom?

2008-06-24T21:33:00.000-07:00

Luke's new favorite phrase is "Why mom?" In case you were wondering, Emmett has not outgrown this phase yet, so now David and I get to answer at least twice as many questions in a day. And you know that every answer is greeted with another "why."

David has realized that single-word, technically correct answers tend to curb the strings of whys. Here's an example from earlier today:

M: Luke, stop standing on my foot.
L: Why mom?
M: It hurts.
L: Why mom?
M: Biology.

When I'm feeling like it, I do go on and on about nerves, chemical signals, and the importance of knowing when your body is being damaged so you can avoid it. But if I'm not, the one-word answers have been working.

Here's another example from last weekend when we were at Costco:

E: Mom, where are the high tables for standing at when you eat?
M: Oh, they're in the other Costco. This isn't the same Costco that we saw them in.
E: Why?
M: Well, that Costco is near your school, and this Costco is near our house.
E: Why?
M: Geography.

Other common answers include "physics," "etiquette," and "safety." Much easier than explaining liability insurance to a five year old. Which I tried to do, in response to "Why does that ramp say "no skateboarding?"

Did you hear? Luke can talk!

2008-06-14T20:37:00.000-07:00

I know you're probably sick of "Luke said it" posts by now, but this one is great. Riding in the car, Luke said, "Turn on Jamie, please mom!" He has a sweet halting manner to his speech right now, and that was a clear and correct sentence! (He wanted to listen to the CD of Uncle Jamie's music.)

Another good one:
Luke: "Emmett squirt me!"
Mom: "And did you squirt Emmett?"
Luke: "No."
Mom: "Really? You didn't squirt Emmett?"
Luke: "Emmett run away!"

His singing is improving, too. Today, David heard Luke singing (with pretty good intonation):

In the tiki room
In the tiki room
birds sing words
flowers croon
In tiki room

Not bad for a not-yet-two-year-old.

Back seat conversations

2008-06-14T20:31:00.000-07:00

It's lovely to have two boys. Here's what I've been overhearing lately. The only background you need is that Luke has started saying "Guess what!" You say "What?" but he never replies.

Luke: "Guess what!"
Emmett: "What?"
Luke: "Guess what!"

Luke: "Guess what!"
Emmett: "Chicken butt!"
(giggles and laughter from both of them)

Emmett has also taught him "Guess why... chicken thigh."

Then Emmett made up this one:
"Guess cook!"
"Chicken cook!"

I don't get it, but it is apparently hilarious.

This evening, Luke made up one:
"Guess what!"
"Ride giraffe!"

These exchanges can go on for a loooooooong time.

Worst lullaby ever.

2008-06-13T21:06:00.001-07:00

When Emmett was a baby, he slept on my chest most nights until he was heavy enough that it was no longer comfortable (20 pounds?). It was really nice, but Luke never liked it. Now that he's not nursing at night, he's willing to sleep in my chest. In fact when he wakes up, putting him on my chest is one of the best ways to get him back to sleep. Have I mentioned that he weighs 24 pounds?

After a long busy day today, Luke was having trouble falling asleep. So I pulled him up onto my chest and started singing lullabies. I cycled through a few, but he kept popping his head up and saying "No!" Then he said, "Tiki Room!" So I started singing the Tiki Room song, and he put his head back down. But then at the end of each line, he picked his head back up. His nose was less than an inch from mine and he was grinning, so of course I laughed. He laughed too and put his head back down. Fortunately, it only went on for a minute or so.

I'd love to end this story with "then he put his head down and went to sleep" but the real ending took way longer than that. He's asleep now and neither of us was traumatized, so it's a happy ending, if not a short one.

More conversations with Luke

2008-06-13T20:59:00.000-07:00

Here's what Luke loves to talk about in the car each day. To get a realistic experience, put the emphasis on "Where's" in each question.

"Where's Daddy?" At work.
"Where's Gaba?" California.
"Where's Gapa?" California.
"Where's Lucy?" California.
"Where's Zoe?" California.
"Where's Wiley?" California.
"Where's Oma?" California.
"Where's Opa?" California.
"Where's Jake?" At home.
"Where's Jenny?" At home.
"Where's Emmett?" In the car.
"Where's mom?" In the car.
"Where's me?" In the car!

Repeat ad infinitum.

David swears that when I'm gone, Luke asks "Where's mom?" hundreds of times.

Stomp!

2008-06-09T14:09:00.000-07:00

Emmett has been watching Stomp Out Loud on DVD for a couple of years now, and he loves it. So when I found out that Stomp! was coming to Salt Lake, I immediately bought tickets. I was a little worried about the nearly 2 hour run time (with no intermission!), but Emmett really likes the DVD, so I figured we'd be ok.

We had a great time getting dressed up and going to the show together. It was a great performance! There was much more humor than I was expecting, and Emmett laughed right along. He was a little tired in the middle during some of the quieter parts, but when they brought out the big noise for the final few numbers, he was on the edge of his seat bopping and laughing again.

Which reminds me - when I looked around a couple of times during the performance, no one in the audience was moving. At all. People! It's STOMP! Rhythm! Noise! How can you sit still through this? Emmett and I sure didn't. We were having way too much fun.

They remember everything!

2008-06-06T22:09:00.000-07:00

After going to the zoo, Luke was talking about the animals. Conversations with Luke are a little tough right now - he only strings 1-3 words together, but if you pay attention you can figure it out. He said "ride... giraffe." After confirming with him that he wants to ride the giraffe, he said "neck" so I knew he wanted to ride on the giraffe's neck. When you repeat what he's saying back to him filling in some blanks, he lets you know if you've got it right or not.

Then we were talking about the tiger. Luke wanted to ride him, too. David and I joked that the tiger would like to hold Luke by the neck.

Today when I was putting Luke to sleep, we talked about the zoo again. He said "tiger... neck... hold me." Thankfully, I'm pretty sure he doesn't know that tigers are suffocation killers, so this shouldn't be causing any nightmares.

Bedtime for Luke

2008-06-03T20:26:00.000-07:00

It's quite light at bedtime these days, so often Luke finishes nursing before falling asleep. He'll crawl out into the co-sleeper and lie down with his head on his pillow. He'll arrange his blanket, snuggle with his stuffed giraffe or teddy, and we sing some songs. His favorite song is "Hop Old Squirrel," which just runs through a bunch of things the squirrel is doing - hopping, wiggling, jumping, etc. Luke suggests other verses, too. While moving around the teddy bear, he'll say "wiggle bear" and smile when I add in that verse. He also likes to include dad, Emmett, Jay and Jacob (two boys in the neighborhood), and all the dogs he knows, Jake, Jenny, Wiley, Lucy, and Zoe.

In the end, he usually asks to nurse again to fall asleep. But a couple of times, he's fallen asleep while holding my hand. Which is also very sweet.

Emmett draws!

2008-06-03T20:24:00.000-07:00

Emmett made me another drawing the other day. This time it had hearts in it! And a hand in the shape of the sign for "I love you." I think he said he traced his hand, but he knows how to draw hearts!

Kisses from Luke

2008-06-03T20:21:00.000-07:00

Luke has learned to give kisses. But when you ask for one, you have a 25% chance of getting kiss. The other 75% of the time he says, "No, lick it!" and licks your face. It's my fault, I can't help laughing when he does it.