One week and all is well

Parenting has a persistent way of reminding us that all plans and good intentions are subject to change without notice.  One week ago today I heard Calvin wake up from his nap and start his usual afternoon monologue, about a half hour of every word, phrase, and memory he can come up with.  It's always such a joy to listen to him that sometimes I spend that extra half hour of "free time" sitting outside his door eavesdropping.   Usually we let him wake up on his own terms and wait for him to call us before we go get him, but last Monday, when 45 minutes later he still hadn't called for me and his usual chatter had become disconcertingly quiet, I took matters into my own hands and barged into his room.  Imagine my surprise at finding him more than half way out of the crib already, hanging by his forearms and lowering himself over the side, toes reaching for the floor.  The first thought through my head, of course, was "well, darn, there goes the confined sleeping stage we'd planned to hold on to until he was at least three."  As soon as Jon got home Calvin helped him take the side rail off his crib, making it effectively a toddler size day bed, they installed a guard rail over half the bed side (so he won't fall out), and we had a small celebration at dinner to mark this wonderful next big boy step.   Calvin took the change in typical Calvin fashion; he was excited about sleeping in the "new" bed, and he seemed to listen intently when we told him that once he climbed in bed for the night or nap he was to stay in bed until mommy or daddy came to get him.  After the 3 Bs –bath, (tooth) brushing, and books–we tucked him in and again reminded him of this important rule before dusting off and plugging in the reliable old baby monitor and preparing ourselves for what could have been a difficult night of lots of discipline and little sleep.  As it turned out, the only thing the baby monitor was really good for was listening to his night time banter, a redux of the post nap monologue (and this, by the way, is a really good use for the thing and I'm not sure why we didn't think of it earlier).  It's been a full week now and Calvin has consistently remained in bed and slept his full nap and night schedules (hear the sound of me knocking on wood as I type this).  And we've discovered a great secondary benefit in not having to lift our nearly 30lb toddler over the high crib side.  Sometimes a change of plans is a good thing.

Two year portraits

We got them taken on June 17, but just got the digital thumbs today.  These four are our favorites, but there were nine total shots, which you can see in the Two Year Portraits photo album.

 

Already a stand out at two

It's hard to believe that we have already arrived at that point in our parenting lives when our family calendar is defined by various children's activities.  Calvin may not be in school yet, but strangely enough the year end has brought with it a plethora of celebrations and activities: last Friday morning we attended the Summer Reading Program Kick-Off Party at our local library, complete with cake, comedian, and petting farm; on Tuesday we will attend the first of two year end picnics, this one being for his dance class, then the second one, for his music class, takes place next Friday.  The most notable of all these events, however, was the one that took place today - his very first dance recital.  The performance has been a whole year in the making.  Calvin and Cortney started the weekly classes last September.  At the first class Calvin mostly watched and asked to be picked up, but his improvement was steady from there, and by show time today he was incredibly willing to walk out on the stage of the rented middle school auditorium (with his mother, of course, and the other toddlers from his class) and go through the small, choreographed circle dance that we have been practicing since that very first class oh so many months ago.  He "performed" very well, only forgetting to twirl one time, and his determined calm throughout the whole affair was refreshing, but what really made him stand out amongst all his dancing peers?  Of all the performers, ranging in age from 2 years to 4th grade, he was the only boy.

The superfluity of pictures this month has warranted a second June album, so more pictures can be found in the new June 2008, too album.

The first haircut

We figure this milestone needs no catchier a title than just that - his very first hair cut.  It probably wasn't altogether necessary - I've trimmed it up myself a few times over the past year or so - but we were getting tired of the patchy look, not to mention waking up to crazy hair guy every morning, so we planned for today to be the day.  We'd heard enough horror stories, so in preparation we spent the last week reading books, singing songs, and telling stories about big boys getting hair cuts, and the last few days talking about the specifics (the big chair, the mirror, the cape, and the scissors), so that in the end, rather than shock, the kid probably suffered from day-after-Chrstmas magnitude let down.  But for all that, the actual haircut went by without incident.  Calvin was classic Calvin - contemplative, curious, watchful - and neither cried, nor cracked a smile, until one of the stylists handed him a yogurt covered pretzel.  He got a certificate with a pouch of hair to take home, too, and as we were leaving remembered to thank the nice lady, too.  Probably the best part about the whole experience was the whole experience.  In an effort to embrace our new small town existence we actually walked to town and patronized the local (and old fashioned) shop in downtown Dexter, complete with old-style barber chairs filled with chatty older men (all of whom were greatly entertained, but whether by Calvin or by his camera happy mother it's hard to say), then finished our errands by walking to the bakery, the card shop, the library, and lastly the grocery store, with Calvin happily chatting away about his new haircut while reclining in his buggy, er, stroller.

The rest of the multitude of pictures can be found in the May 2008 album, of course. 

Soynut butter. It's what's for lunch.

Doctors take all the fun out of life.  No peanut products until at least three years?  But isn't that what all kids crave after a long morning on the jungle gym - a peanut butter sandwich, carrot sticks, and milk?  This is worse than no swimming for one hour after eating on a hot summer day at the lake.  But have no fear!  There are always work-arounds.  Every time we've fired up the stove to sear a veggie burger, popped a leftover dinner in the microwave, or preheated the oven to make a quesadilla we've longed for the easy days, still a year away, of quickly slathering a piece of bread with that nutty, creamy concoction readily available in a (glass) jar, and now we have our answer.  Soynut butter.  No, it's not the same thing, but don't tell Calvin that - he has nothing to compare it to, and obviously he's in heaven with it.  Can't you tell by the soynut butter mustache?  It's his new favorite two word phrase, and it's what's for lunch.