Weird things Cole does while he eats

He flicks food, especially dried peas.

He dips chicken into hummus.

He refuses to let me heat up cooked pumpkin and eats it cold instead.

He dips his hands into cups of water or juice.

He digs his thumbs into soft foods, so we'll often find holes in his cucumber or demolished pizza slice.

He chews his food and then spits it out.

He pours water onto himself.

He likes to "clean" his food in milk or water.

He likes to dangle food over the floor and then OOOPS! drop it.

He likes to put food, especially fruit skins, onto his arm or the tops of his hands. Then he admires them.

He likes to put his food on the table in front of his plate and eat off of it there.

He likes to put his food underneath his plate and then "look" for it.

He'll hold his fork with one hand, but grab the food with the other.

Instead of sitting still, Cole constantly pushes his chair away from the table and then attempts to eat from the table.

When he eats a bread product, instead of eating the softer part first, he starts by eating the crusts. And if the thing dare have butter on it, he'll eat the center first.

Sometimes he'll put his foot up on the table while he's eating.

Foot up, meat in hand.

In terms of what he eats, Cole favors meats, grains, and fruit. He's not as crazy about veggies, potatoes, and he doesn't eat cheese by itself much anymore. Even though his habits are weird, we chalk it up to the quirks of toddlerhood.

Cole eating his yogurt with spoon and hand

Cleaning the bunnies

A usual occurrence

Sleep: Revelations

One night last week Cole was fighting sleep something fierce. I had probably been trying to get him down for an hour. Finally I asked him: Why won't you go to sleep. And he answered. He admitted "I don't like going to sleep."

It was what I always knew. But I had never heard him say it.

Then this past weekend we were playing peek-a-boo with him in his room. He started to burp a few times in a row and we realized we were getting him over excited and right near bath time. So we stopped and I started to read him Sleepy Bunny. When we got to the part where we put the covers over Bunny, Cole whined "Noooooo!" and tried to close the book.

Finally, last night during the 2.5 hours it took me to help him fall asleep, he started howling, "I don't like going to sleeeeeep!" Then he started to fall asleep standing up. Go figure.

You know winter is really over when...

In the same day we do this at Hunter Mountain....

My husband and child are not wearing coats and they are on snow. Something must be wrong. Oh yes. It's 70 degrees.

Best photo I could take of Cole's first ski-lift ride.

I want to go on the lift?!

....we also do this:

Cole heads for the butterfly bush to do some watering

Where's the ant?

It's official folks: the local ski mountains have closed, the sun is here to stay, the pollen is settling on our cars - springtime is definitely here.

Wherein we party (kind of) like we used to

Long before Cole was even a twinkle in our eyes, Keith and I used to party. A lot. I worked nights at the newspaper, so when I'd get home around 10 p.m. we'd go out for food and drinks and stay out till at least 2 a.m. I used to live, literally, a hop and a skip from our favorite bar in New Paltz.  Nowadays we can't even keep our eyes open past 10 p.m., so when we got the Facebook invite for Peter's birthday party at a bar in Kingston that started at 9 p.m., we weren't sure we'd be able to make it. Luckily though, Grandma Carolyn came over and made it all possible. We had a nice dinner at home just the four of us and then we headed out while Gramma helped Cole complete his nightly routine. We bought some clothes at Kohl's (when else can we go clothes shopping???) and then we headed over to the Stockade Tavern. It was a total blast (and we only had a couple drinks each!). The only thing that posed a challenge was actually waiting on line for our drinks. We're so used to going out to restaurants where they also serve alcohol. We haven't been out to a bar just to drink since before Cole was conceived. The most fun part about the night was the U-Haul that Peter rented to house his photo "booth."  The Stockade is spacious, but it couldn't handle the ruckus that a photo booth would cause, so Peter came up with this brilliant idea to park the U-Haul on the street out front. He even paid a SUNY student to man it and guard the camera.

Click here to see the pics from the photo booth. Keith and I are on page 1, 5, 8 & 9. But you can certainly take a look at all of the other hilarious photos on the other pages too.

Peg and I in the bar

Peter in his photo booth

Our little winter enthusiast

So now that winter is clearly OVAH (insert Queens accent here), I figured I'd post about our little winter enthusiast. As many of you know Dada is a HUGE winter enthusiast. He gets enthused about winter because the snow means he can snowboard. We both like winter because of snowshoeing and, since we bought our winter hiking boots last year, we also like winter because we can still go hiking in the snow. But there wasn't much snow this year, and this winter has been the mildest anyone can remember. I mean we're living right now in May weather. It's been in the 60s for the past two weeks and some days the temperature goes up to 70. Absolutely insane for March and for what's still supposed to be WINTER until next week. But I'm not complaining, really. I mean the only snow day our district used was for the freak snow storm back on Halloween. So we're getting 4 days back as a result.  And they're giving them to us in April and May, when the weather will hopefully be just as nice.

But back to our little winter enthusiast. As you know, we (particularly I) love to hike. And back in the fall we didn't want a little cold weather or snow to deter us from doing that at least a few times throughout the winter. So we bought Cole a pair of awesome insulated and water proof hiking boots. We also bought him a pair of snow boots from Children's Place, which - while they weren't as awesome - did the job when Cole played in the snow in the backward (Cole's new word for backyard).

Here's what Cole likes to do in the snow: hike, look at branches, pick up sticks, eat the snow, and - you guessed it - snowboard!

Here are the details:
1) Cole hiked a mile with Keith at Mohonk recently. A freaking mile. There was no carrying or baby wearing involved whatsoever. Just Keith and Cole walking to streams, along paths, on wooden boards that crossed muddy areas. We think if this is possible at 21 months, imagine what he will be capable of in a year or two. Maybe one day we could even go on a backpacking trip with him. That would be so awesome.

Come on, Dada!

Apparently, the only way to get away from one stream was to tell him there was another stream coming up.

2) Keith and I went on a hike with Cole after it snowed and Cole would have been able to walk the whole  way if he had not been so distracted by the snow. So in order for us to get moving, Mama did some baby wearing.

"I want Mama stick?"

Mmmm, snow.

3) Keith bought Cole a snowboard about a month ago. He took him around in it in whatever little amount of snow we had left in our yard. He even practiced with him (on a rug) in the house when there was no snow at all. Then we got another small snow storm and he took him for a ride down a little makeshift hill in our front yard. The boys loved it.

Again? Again?

Again? Again?

Not sure which I like better, snowboarding or sledding.

4) We went to Belleayre Mountain last weekend and took Cole snowboarding at the base of the lower mountain, using a pulley Keith had installed on the snowboard. Cole was obviously the youngest and cutest snowboarder there. He was so enthusiastic about snowboarding that he squealed with glee pretty much the entire time he was on the snowboard. We are planning another trip to Hunter Mountain tomorrow.

"Eeeeeeeeeeeeee!!"

"OH! He so cute!!!!" (yes, that's my son, the ham.)

Afternoon Academy: The early days

At the Afternoon Academy, I sometimes let Cole break the rules. It only makes Dada mad every once in a while....

Most of you know that I am a teacher by trade, but, since my certification and education is in teaching adolescents, I've got my work cut out for me with this early childhood education thing.

Being home with Cole has definitely given me an opportunity to learn more about the way the child's mind works. More importantly, I get to spend some true quality time with him. My time is focused. When I leave work I know I'm done for the day. Because if I'm lucky, after I've put him down, I might have just enough energy to make my lunch for the next day and maybe, just maybe, write a blog post.

We do lots of things together - most organically and only a few pre-arranged or planned things. For instance, I've been trying out some Montessori activities with him (thanks to Randalin for the Montessori inspiration), so that is something I've thought about in advance. Also, I get books from the library every two weeks, so when I bring them home, I'm expecting that he'll want me to read at least one to him. And that one might lead into another, and so on. Those events are what I've planned because I think they will help him with his development in some way or another. That's the "academic" part of Academy. But in Cole's world, academy is still school and school is still cool. (plus, Mama loves alliteration so I couldn't help myself with the name).

The rest I just let happen. This philosophy is very similar to the way Dada operates Home School. Cole and I may sing and dance to Jewel's Twinkle Twinkle (this song seriously never gets old). We may push the shovel around the house like a vacuum. We may feed the cats. We may run from the dishwasher in the kitchen to the alarm clock in the bedroom (well he may run and I may watch) multiple times just because we can or because we think we're being chased. We may play with his Little People toys, or Duplo blocks, or new wooden building blocks. He may color, or paint, or draw on his chalkboard or read a book or two together. We may even watch an episode of Yo Gabba Gabba. And as the days get longer and the weather gets nicer, I imagine we'll be able to play outside after dinner.

Things aren't always easy. I have to constantly be with him because there is no other parent to say, "I got him." Plus, he is still doing the exact opposite of what we tell him to do.

"Don't pull the plug." He pulls the plug.

"Don't dump the plate onto the table." He does it anyway.

"Get down from the couch." He climbs higher.

"The nail clippers are not for your skin." He tries to clip his bare belly.

You get the drift. Sometimes I try to talk in the positive (which can be exhausting because it's the opposite of what I would automatically say), or I try not to say anything at all and just watch him. But if it's dangerous (which it usually is) I have to literally move him from one room to another or give him a new idea or object to play with. Basically, we're still - to use the words of Dada during Cole's colicky phase - "changing the subject."

Even though there are some tough times, I really do treasure this time with just him. As I said before, it used to be Keith and I jockeying for time to "get things done," but now the only thing to get done is to spend time with Cole. We are so glad we made this decision. We talked about it recently and Keith got a little emotional about how happy he is with his new circumstances. Although he gets more time with Cole during the day, I don't feel resentful (as I thought I might) because now I get to know what Cole is doing while I'm working, I know he's having a multitude of enriching experiences, and I get that extra special time with him when I get home. We also get to spend weekends together, where amazingly -we are not as stressed out as we used to be. This is because of several factors: we don't see each other as much anymore so we enjoy the time we have; Keith can go shopping during the week (although this doesn't always happen); and we can spend quality family time on the weekends, and I still get some work done on Sunday mornings. I know it's not always going to be this great and there has been and will be times when it's really stressful (it is, in fact, coming in a week when Keith will do a week-long cookbook shoot for his former employer), but I wanted to share how blessed we feel.

The final thing I want to share is that I've started a One Sentence Journal. I got the idea from Gretchen Rubin's column in Good Housekeeping. It's a composition notebook that I write in just before I drift off to sleep. I write one (sometimes more) sentence about something that was memorable that day. It's usually a funny or sweet memory of Cole or Keith. If I can remember a lot I'll write a whole paragraph. But the fact that I only have to write one sentence is less daunting than having to write a whole page - like I used to do (and long since gave up on). And now I have almost a whole month's worth of happy memories - things that I may have forgotten otherwise. You know how you always say to yourself "I'll remember this" or "There's no way I'll forget this" but then the next day something new happens and you can't remember what it is that was so great the day before? That's what this journal aims to save - those memories that I never think I'll forget, the ones that I know are worth remembering, but that I just can't keep stored inside with everything else that happens on a daily basis. The other reason it is so awesome is because it helps me remember things I want to post about here on this blog. I can go back into the journal and retrieve the memory I captured.

Now for some snapshots of Mama's Afternoon Academy where, as you can see, Cole wears a lot of the same long sleeve shirts over and over (I swear this is not just from a few days - this is over a few weeks!):

Ever since Dada got this newsprint from the art supply store, Cole has been drawing mainly on paper. Hooray for newsprint!

Cole inspects an old digital camera Keith let him use (and later break).

Cole tests out the barley he's supposed to be pouring.

Mama changes the bowls for the barley and Cole starts pouring

This was the box that held his shoes and this is how it ended up a cat and toddler toy for several days after this picture was taken.

Cole gets a ride around the house in the laundry basket (one of those things Dada didn't want Mama to do, but she did anyway.) Hey, when Cranky Cole comes to town, there's only a few distractions that work, and this is one of them.

Cole likes to live life on the edge sometimes.

Cole brushes his teeth before bath

Cole enjoys looking at himself in the mirror as he cleans his face with hand soap

Cole plays with rubber ducky and his bath boat

Pre-bath, post dinner, Cole walks around in Mama's shoes

Cole dances around with his Yo Gabba Gabba friends

Another diversionary tactic I used to get Cole away from pulling the lamp plug

Our polite little tyrant

Ma, drive. (Can you believe he's starting to call me Ma? Already?)

This happens with he is in his car seat ready to go home from school.

Dada, get it.

He says this when he wants Dada to get something that is nearby but that he doesn't feel like picking up. Or it could be something that is out of his reach.

Dada, I want to drive.

He says this when he knows they are about to go out somewhere, like to story hour or to the store.

Mama, you clean.

He says this when I ask him to clean up the mess he has made from any number of meals.

Mama, hold this.

This usually is uttered when he doesn't feel like holding something anymore.

Mama, I want to color. Ma, crayons!

This is pretty obvious. We don't keep the crayons within his reach for obvious reasons: We kind of like the color our walls and furniture are already.

I want to get out! or I want to get out, please!

He usually says this when he's in the crib and doesn't want to go to sleep. He has started to learn how to climb out, but we tell him he's not allowed and he usually puts his feet back into the crib. He also says this when he's buckled into his booster seat (which is becoming rarer and rarer these days) and he wants desperately to get out, but we're still eating. We have taught him that the word "please" can sometimes help him get what he wants. I am sure that in life "please" doesn't always work, but coming from a toddler, it's freaking adorable. And it melts our hearts every time.

I want to go home.

When he's somewhere that he is done with, he will usually let us know.

Ma! Pick that up.

Cole said this to me once when we were coming in from his room, and I hadn't yet cleaned up our dinner plates. Like his father would, it was the first thing he noticed on his way into the dining room.

Dada, wake up.

These words are spoken every Saturday and Sunday morning.

Mama, draw a twinkle star.

He loves when I draw stars with crayons and with chalk. We've seen quite an improvement in the area of drawing with Cole after I consulted with day care. They said that they don't spend too long on coloring and when they do, there's always a task involved (i.e. draw the letter "L," draw a circle). So I started to come up with little projects like that and now he stays more focused on drawing for longer periods of time. He does occasionally still take his chalk or crayon and walk around the house innocently looking for a good place to express himself. Sometimes this involves his toddler chair, our clothes, or the dining room wall. Thank goodness this stuff washes out!

Dada, take a bath.

Cole says this whenever Yo Gabba Gabba is on. Dada puts the show on when the boys are home together and Dada needs to take his daily shower. So now WHENEVER we put the show on, Cole says this. It's an amusing association, to say the least.

Mama, lay (sounds like yay) down!

He said this to me this past weekend when Dada told Cole Mama was sick and needed to lay down. I hadn't yet laid down, so Cole gave me a direct order.

Mama, lay on the pillow (sounds like yay on the piyow).

He will say this when he lays on his pillow on the floor (with his blankie). He now wants me to join him in his daily floor laying activity.

Mama, rub a back.

When he lays down on the floor, he also likes me to rub his back.

Mama, blankie.

When he lays down on the floor he also likes his blankie on his back (before I rub his back).

I don't like it?! (sounds like yike)

It is the cutest thing to hear, and I have to get it on video because it sometimes sounds like a question, as if he's not sure why, but he also seems to be upset by it and then at the same time, he seems to know it for certain, which is why I also punctuated it with an exclamation point.

Mama, move.

Cole says this when I'm in his way.

Mama, get out.

This came out of his mouth the other day when I was poking around his wax-filled ear with my finger.

Dada, see you later.

Cole said this to Keith one morning before Keith took him to school. Keith's not sure why he said it (maybe because he didn't want to go school?), but it was funny enough to text to me.

Da, sit.

Cole says this to Dada when Dada can't sit still at dinnertime.

Ma, blueberries. (and after I give them to him): Thanks.

This kid. He now offers his gratitude freely after we give him something or do something for him that he wants. So. Freaking. Sweet.

"Mama, turn on Gabba Gabba!"
You can just tell he's a take-charge kind of guy

Sweet toothy smile as the polite little tyrant watches his favorite show.

Our little "chalkiest" - "Get me a paper towel, goddammit!" Noooo, he didn't say that. I swear.

Home School: The Early Days

There's no other name to call staying home with Dada. I don't want to call it Dada Day Care, because my husband is no babysitter. He's a father and a teacher rolled into one. So we'll refer to his time with Cole as"Home School." If he wants to call it something different, he can. We'll refer to my time with Cole as "Night School." (more on that in an upcoming post). Because I'm sure most of you are wondering how it's going, I decided to share a snapshot of their lives together. Dada promises to post something...soon.

Lesson 1: The Natural World is Filled with Natural Toys

Dada always said that if he could stay home with Cole he'd take him to the mountains. Well, he finally got his chance. At Split Rock last week, Cole learned some important lessons...

He learned the power of a stick

He learned that some rocks are too big to throw

And some rocks are just right

And when you're in the mountains you can sit anywhere you want for a snack

Lesson 2: Reading with Others is Fun

At the library story hour Cole has learned that there are other kids his age in town -- go figure!

What a good little boy!

Cole snacks away

Lesson 3: Characters Come to Life

At home, Cole has been engaging in lots of imaginary play...

Lesson 4: It's Important to Play Outside Every Day

He even gets to learn how to drive ...

Dada, I want to drive.

...and practice hiking for the springtime - all in his own backard (his word)!

I hiking!

Lesson 5: Making Your Own Decisions

He also learns the fine of art of shopping....

Cole and Dada pick up a few needed items at Stop 'n Shop

...And a little bit of retail therapy

Some fun with hats at Michael's

Lesson 6: Fine Motor Development

Sometimes he even gets to learn how to maneuver trains over tracks.

Cole at the Thomas the Train table at Barnes and Noble

All photos courtesy of Dada

Please leave some comment love if you want to hear how things are going from Dada himself.