Ivan plans his Halloween costume

"For Halloween I want to be an alligator, just like Bella," Ivan told me today.
"I don't want to be Mickey Mouse."  Ivan was Mickey Mouse for the past two years.
"When was Bella an alligator?" I asked.
"When I was three," he responded.

He's correct. For last year's Halloween, when they were both three, Bella was dressed as an alligator.

Sent from my iPhone

Ivan: drying hands

"Ivan, dry your hands!" I reminded him, after he washed his hands but started walking out of the bathroom

"No. I have a better way," he responded. "I have an extra way on my shirt," he said, as he dried his hands on his shirt smiling naughtily at me, running off to play.

Ivan wonders why I came here

"Mama, why you came here?" Ivan asked me today in the car as we were driving home from the beach.
"Why you came here to our home from where you were born," he clarified.

"I came with Baka and Didi to see what it's like to live in America," I answered.

I guess he's realizing that I'm originally not from here and what that means. Now, it really would be a good time to take him to Croatia.

van tries to classify Elmo

"Is Elmo a type of animal?" Ivan asked today.
"Elmo is a Muppet," I answered.
"What?"
"Elmo is a Muppet," I repeated.
"What?
"Elmo is a puppet," Andy attempted to clarify.
"Oh," Ivan responded.

I assume he doesn't know who Muppets are, but he does know about puppets--they explored them as a topic in summer camp. He even made his own puppet (piece of paper on a stick), and built a puppet stage (as summer camp photos indicate.)

Ivan reasons where squirrels live

"Squirrels live on TV and on airplanes. One time I was watching TV with mama, dada and Allen and there were squirrels on airplanes and they were going to take people away," Ivan told us today.

I have no clue what he was talking about and referring to.

Ivan on gravity and catzilla

"Noah can break gravity. I can't. He's stronger than me. I can't break
gravity," Ivan told me today.

Then he immediately segued to ask:

"Is there a catzilla on this island?"

Andy and I have no clue who catzilla is, or where he picked that up.

Mama I'm learning the voice you're learning

"Mama, I'm learning the voice you're learning," Ivan told me today.
"Sruju." Struja is the Croatian word for electricity (or 'trissity as he says it in English).
"Now you and me need to teach dada. Then dada will teach Allen. No, then mama, dada and me will teach Allen."
"Struju," he repeated.

Even though Ivan fully understands Croatian, he refuses to speak it. He says he can't or don't know how. (And when he was learning to talk, the first words and sentences he'd say were in Croatian. However, as he became more verbal, especially this past year at preschool, English took over.)

I've been quizzing him for months what's a Croatian word for this and that, and the words I ask about are the words just used in a conversation with him. He never wants to tell me. He says he can't. I've tried telling him that if he and I speak Croatian to each other, it's like our own secret language, but he didn't by it. I've tried telling him who else in preschool speaks another language with their mom (Kimia, Andre, David, Eddie, etc....). I noticed that kids whose both parents speak another language at home, will speak that language with them, but if it's only one parent who speaks it, then the kids are more reluctant to speak it.

In any case, I'm tickled that he's expressing interest in it.

Ivan not napping

"I will not nap ever," Ivan declared. A few minutes later, he was in nap-land, with snuggled with his oversized friends.

Ivan: Nose bleed

This morning out of the blue, Ivan's nose started bleeding. Seconds before he and I were quietly practicing writing in his journal. Then he got up to go and play by the couch. A second later, he was flying into the bathroom. I followed him from the couch to the bathroom. There was a trail of blood. By the time he got to the bathroom to grab tissue, he had blood all over his shirt and hands, and all over the floor. Allen, of course, was right behind me, grabbing the chance to enter and explore the bathroom.

After I managed to remove Allen from the bathroom, I went to help Ivan. One on hand I was surprised, how he knewwas on what to do--to run to the bathroom to grab tissue--while on the other hand, he was really scared. I laid him on the couch and pried Allen of him, who, of course, wanted to climb on Ivan to play.

Ivan was scared and freaking out, crying "I want dadda. I want dadda. Dadda is better." It stung a bit that he wanted dadda, not me.

Then I took him upstairs and laid him in bed. He thought he was sick, so we measured his temperature. He was fine. I plopped Allen in the pack-and-play so he wouldn't be hanging off Ivan.

Ivan just wanted to be comforted and babied.

"I had a blood tection," he kept explaining to me, and later to Andy.
 "It was a blood tection."

I have no clue why his nose started bleeding. Probably because he's contantly picking it. And although a nose bleed is not dangerous, when that blood starts gushing and gushing, it's scary because it doesn't look like it will ever stop. Ivan never had a nose bleed before, so he must have been really frightened. My poor baby.

Ivan: Nail biting and a chewie

Ivan's nail biting, which has been going on since last fall is really getting to me. I don't like it and I'm concerned about it for many reasons. (From it's a unsightly habit and his fingernails will look awful to wondering whether it's just a habit or whether it masking some other anxiety or nervousness.)

As a result, I've tried everything from ignoring it, hoping it would pass, scolding him and telling him to stop, to bribing him and telling he unless he stops that something will or won't happen, such as he'll get this or won't get that, or Santa will come or won't come. But nothing has worked. On the contrary, I've even caught him trying to bite his big toenail, while we were driving in the car the other day.

So when we went to Sandy Point Park a few weeks ago, we saw that Seger that a "chewie" around his neck. It's a silicone plastic tube which he can bite on. His moms got it for him on an advice of an occupational therapist, who suggested it to help Seger with some sensory issues they've identified he has. It's basically a pacifier for 4-year-olds. But I wondered whether it would help Ivan stop biting his nails as it would give him an outlet to bite something else. So I asked Ivan whether he'd like a chewie. He said yes. But of course, since I ignore most things he says he wants because I'm not sure whether he means it or just says it, I haven't acted on it yet, and because I wonder whether getting a chewie would stop the habit or just replace it with something else.

But since we saw the chewie fingernails, every time I scold him to stop nail biting, he reminds me to get him one, including this morning:

"I told you, if you don't buy me that chewie, I will never stop biting my fingernails," he told me very determinedly.

"I told you, but you're not listening. You'll have to go to time out," he added this morning. 

Y Pool with Yulia and Leila

Ivan and I went to the Y pool today with Yulia and Leila. We had a great  time. Ivan and Leila played in the pool really nicely. While neither could swim they kept walking back and forth in the "middle pool," where water came to Ivan's neck. At his own pace, he even tried putting his face under water.

When we arrived at the pool, he was, of course, initially really interested in exploring and examining water filters. Other kids don't even notice filters, but that's always the first thing he notices--and must figure out how things work.

We were in the pool from 10:30 a.m. until 2 p.m. or so. Leila and Ivan played really nicely. I was surprised because I don't think that they ever played just the two of them. Usually it's a bigger group of kids. And the last time we saw Leila at the playground at the bottom of Dale earlier in the summer, Ivan and Leila didn't even acknowledge each other, as if they never saw each other.

After the pool, we went to get ice cream at this little doll-size hut near the edge of the lawn area. Ivan very eloquently told the girl in the hut that "I want vanilla and chocolate with sprinkles." He insisted on placing the order himself and absolutely refused my help. However, I had to intervene because the hut didn't serve scoops of ice cream, but rather prepackaged ice creams. So for the confused girl, I translated Ivan's order  into a vanilla cone dipped in chocolate.

I was proud of Ivan for wanting to order ice cream on his own, eloquently putting in his order and wanting to be independent. When it comes to ice cream, he knows what he wants.

Allen: My toe; water at bed time

This morning Allen, frustrated that I was in the kitchen with him but not paying  full attention to him while he was playing with the plastic electronic book, in protest, he dropped it on my pinkie toe. I shrieked in pain. Allen started laughing. Then thinking it was funny and wanting to hear me scream again, he bit my thigh. I screamed again.

Now, my toe is deep purple and has tripled in size from swelling. Everyone who's seen it has agreed that the toe is probably broken.

Overall, Allen was good today but hard to put to bed. He wouldn't calm down to nurse and be lulled to sleep. Finally, he calmed down and acquiesced to bed time. But he woke up around  11 p.m. crying. When I went to check on him, he was awake and handed me his empty water bottle. I tried nursing him, but he didn't want the boob. He wanted water. So I filled up the bottle, gave it to him, plopped him back into bed and he went back to sleep.

It's funny because in the last few months, Andy has gotten him to go to bed with water, which he now likes to have in his crib. He doesn't want milk , probably because I'm still nursing him. When I try to  give him a milk bottle before bedtime, he rejects it; he wants the boob. I don't know how much more milk I have and whether it's milk he's after or the whole experience of snuggling with me and engaging in making funny noises with me.

I wonder if he'll want the milk bottle after I stop nursing him. I actually don't mind that he prefers to go to bed with water instead of milk--although he shouldn't drink any water since he's so skinny--since that was a  habit that was really hard to break with Ivan.

Ivan worries about Andre

"I miss Andre," Ivan told me in the car this morning as we were driving to the pool.

"Andre isn't in the green room anymore, he will never be in the green room again," he said.

"Well, Andre is a five now and he will be in the kindergarden room now. Next year you'll be, too," I tried explaining why Andre who's a year older than Ivan wasn't in the green room for summer camp nor will be in the green room this upcoming school year.

"Andre isn't in the green room anymore. I worry about him," Ivan concluded.

I wasn't sure what to say. What is he worried about. Where did he pick up that phrase.

Allen: Water, faucets, toilets

Like most toddlers, Allen is obsessed with water, faucets, toilet  paper and toilet.

He constantly wants to be at a faucet or the garden hose, have the water run at full speed and spash it. Or flush the toilet after dumping paper in it. Or just unroll the toilet paper and play with it. Typical toddler stuff.

He also loves his toothbrush and toothpaste. Every time he sees it, regardless what time of the day it is, he wants it, grabs it and walks around with it. He likes to climb to the sink, turn on the faucet and do a very
complicated pretend teeth brushing session. And we are not allowed to help, or take the toothbrush away.

This week he's started a new thing. When he's naked before bathtime, he positions the stool in front of the toilet, steps on it, grabs his peepee and points it to the toilet. But he doesn't pee. He doesn't know how. He probably doesn't know what he's supposed to do either. He must have seen Andy and Ivan peeing in the toilet, so he's copying the motions without knowing what they're for.

Allen vocabulary

Allen vocabulary includes the following terms:
Crahcra = cracker
Popo = Posa
Doh = dog
Aba = auto
Mama = mama
Mama = drink
Kaka = chocolate
Bah = Bob, the fish
Gogo = togurt
Dada = everything else
Noh = nose
Ne = no
Da = yes
Didi = didi
Baka = Baka

World according to Ivan: hair gel

The latest example of the world according to Ivan:

Only boys and dadas put hairgel in their hair. Mamas don't need it because they have gel in their skin.

Ivan: Bedtime stories sampling

After two days of "adventurous" bedtime reading, where we read a couple of new stories and which I subsequently heard Ivan recite to himself during play time (such as Madeline), we're back to the old favorites: policeman, sailor dog and  Crispin's Crispian.

We've been reading those three stories every night since February, when he got the book for his birthday. He has memorized these stories, and can recite them as I turn the pages. He also calls me out if I forget, omit or mess up a word. And in each story there is a place where he thinks the text says one word where in fact it says something else. But if I read what the text actually says I get corrected that I have to say the other word. For example, in policeman in the dark he's convinced that one sentence ends with holster, where in fact the word is hand, but I always have to remember to say holster, not hand, or else....

But it was only tonight that he asked me, "Mama, what's a burglar? Mama, what's a sheep dog?" which is what the policeman in the dark story is really all about. So have we been reading this story for the last six months without him understanding it?

Ivan: what's jail, superheros, gravity and bunnies

"Mama, what's jail?" was Ivan's first question to me as he came to my bed.
"Aaahhh, it's were bad guys go after police catch them," I tried to answer.
"And in jail they eat disgusting food, yeah," Ivan replied.
"I don't want dada to be a bad guy," he said after some pondering.
"Dada and mama are good guys," I answered.
"What are superheros?"

These are all new concepts for him. He must have heard them last night during the playdate with Andre,
who's really into action heros and superheros and is a year older. Andre has superhero costumes and other paraphernalia.

Ivan really enjoyed playing with him, but I knew that all that  pretend play world was new to him. The only pretend game we play at  home is "Waterfall Mountain."

If he plays alone, he's always building and constructing something. Lately it's been bridges.

Other questions and statements from today included:
Mama, what's gravity?
Mama, bunnies don't let people eat carrots.

World according to Ivan: fire drills

"We have fire drills in preschool."

"So what do you do when there is a fire drill?" I ask.

"We got out and stand on the hill. Then fire-martian comes."

Ivan tells on Mama's refusal to give a cookie

"Dada, Mama didn't want to give me a cookie yesterday. She said no,"  Ivan informed Andy first thing this morning while we were still in bed. Those were the first words out of his mouth after he woke up.

It's true. I didn't give him a cookie yesterday considering that he had chocolate in the morning, Andy said that he had been lobbying for a cookie since 5 p.m. when they came home. Andy went to the movies at 7
with Olexa (his one rare time out) and I put Ivan to bed. He did continue to lobby for the cookie several times during the evening, but he didn't have a meltdown about it. Who  knew it would make such an impression on him.

Today I packed him a cookie for lunch. I was hoping it would be a surprise, but he inspected his lunch box before we left this morning. Seeing the cookie made him smile.

Ethan's Birthday Party

Ivan and I went to Ethan's birthday party today, which was at a farm We got there a bit late so most of the kids were already huddled around animal enclosures, feeding corn to cows and goats. Ivan hopped out of the car and ran to the animals. No trace of shyness, no trace of care where I was.  He's come a long way from a shy toddler who used to be stuck to my side at every larger gathering with many strangers. He still acts like that sometimes--like at Emir's birthday party--but mostly not. I think it also has something to do with being outdoors, in nature, learning about nature-related things. Because the first time he acted like that at a birthday party with kids he didn't know was a year ago at Ethan's birthday party, which was held at a nature center and to which we also arrived late. He was too mesmerized and interested in what was going on not notice or care where I was. Even some of the other moms (Yulia, Beth, etc) took note of such bold behavior last year.

He had fun today. He fed corn to goats and chickens, but was afraid to feed corn cobs to cows. He gave me the cobs instead to feed them.

Then when it was time to eat pizza, he ran off to sit down and wait for pizza, completely oblivious to where I was.  Then, of course, Ethan and he were the first to notice the cake, and started huddling over the cake, examining it. Very Ivan-like of him.

But then since half the kids and people were sitting at the picnic tables, while the other half were playing around the pond, he ran to the pond crowd to tell them that it was cake time and to come to the tables. I've seen him do that before--go and get people to tell them what's going on. He's so thoughtful and considerate. I don't recall ever seeing another child do that.

I think that a lot of this behavior-knowing what the rules of a party are, how to behave, what to expect next, and go with the flow--is something he's learned from going to preschool and daycare.

He was disappointed with the cake. "It doesn't look good," he said when I put a piece in front of him. It was a standard chocolate cake with white frosting. He took a few bites, but didn't eat it, which surprised me, consdering his extreme sweet tooth. At least it's good to know that he has standards and preferences when it comes to cakes.

Part of the disappointment must have been because of his expectations. On the ride up, in the middle of his explanations about how bridges and roads go this way and that way, and how cars do or don't collide, and wires, and all sorts of imaginary mashable tales about brick houses and wolfs and sharks, he said "I think they'll have ice cream at the party. And cupcakes." Unfortunately, there was neither. Just plain old cake.

It's funny, because cookies and cakes and ice cream and other treats never seem to be far from Ivan's mind. Yesterday, on the ride to Didi and Baka's house from the movies (which must have been quite an overwhelming experience for him, considering it was his first time in a movie theater), he told us after some silence that "cake you share.  You can't just eat it by yourself." This cake reference was completely out of context and unrelated to anything that had transpired for a few hours before.

Except that thinking about cake and cookies must often be on Ivan's mind.

Another boy, Ivan predicts

"We're going to have another boy," Ivan told me today when I went to get him after he woke up from his nap and was sitting dazed on the bed, growling for us to come.

"Allen's growing up. He's not a baby," Ivan continued as we started descending the stairs.

"We're going to have another baby," he said.

He totally spooked me. I guess he dreamed about it, but still, it sounded so prophetic.

Haemin's last day

This past Wednesday was Haemin's last day at preschool. They had a party for her to send her off.

"We had a ce-le-bra-tion, not a party," Ivan corrected me, when I asked about it.

Haemin is moving back to Korea with her parents.

Beyond saying it was a celebration, Ivan didn't seem to react much. We'll see.

When Maddie left in December, he kept talking about it. He even brought it up in the last few weeks, when we were playing waterfall mountain and sailed to Taiwan. "Why to Taiwan," I asked. "Because Maddie is there. Maddie is no longer at preschool," Ivan said.

In February, when we were looking at his school picture to see which kids he'd invite to the party, he systematically went child by child, and then when he came to Maddie he paused. "Maddie can't come to my party," he said. "Maddie's in Taiwan." The way he did that, it was also as if he were angry and upset.

And now Haemin is leaving, too. Maddie and Haemin were the first two kids he befriended in preschool. And Maddie and Haemin were really close too.

Haemin's dad told me in the fall that every time he picks her up from preschool that she's on the playground chasing Ivan.

I know he has other friends now and seems to be playing a lot with David and Noah, Akiva and Andre.

So maybe I'm just reading too much into it. Maybe he's not concerned nor upset about it. Maybe it's me. What are the odds that two kids he gets close to end up leaving.

Ivan, Haemin and Maddie in December at the art gallery day.

Mother's Day Card



Add caption

I got a handmade Mother's Day card. It was a collaborative effort between Ivan and Allen, initiated and supervised by Andy.

 Ivan drew "corn and baby ostrich"--Andy and I are clueless where he got those references--while Allen scribbled.

Reconstruction of dialogue, as narrated by Andy:

"Allen, do you want a crayon?," Andy asked.

"Dah."

He scribbled.

"Do you want another crayon?," Andy asked.

"Dah."

He scribbled.

"Do you want another crayon?"

"Dah."

"No, Allen, that's my side!" Ivan yelled. "You can't come to my side."

"OK. Ivan. I'll put my hand to block him," Andy mediated.

"That's corn and baby ostrich," Ivan explained.

What did we do today: I slept in, and then we had a busy non-mother's day day. First, the boys went to Leila's birthday party at the Wheaton train, where they had a blast, while I attended Kris's baby naming ceremony for Lola at WES. Then I picked them up and we went to Kris's for lunch. By the end of the day, the boys were exhausted, but they had a blast. 

Cheese and Cake Concerns

"Then, we'll go and get cheesecake," Andy said yesterday while we were driving back from swim class and planning my birthday.

Silence in the backseat. A few seconds later.

"Dada, I don't want to have cheese on my cake. That be yucky," Ivan said.

In the morning, when we woke up, Andy told Ivan that it's my birthday.

"Happy birthday, mama," he said as he approached my bed.

"I don't want cheese on my cake. I like chocolate cake."

Ivan's existentialist question

As we were getting in the elevator after swim class today, two students got in with us at the last minute.

Ivan looked at them quizzically. They nodded to him, acknowledging him.

"Why are you here," he asked looking at one of them.

The student, stumped for an answer, started smiling. "Because I work here," he answered.

Ivan continued looking at them as if he wasn't convinced. Then the elevator doors opened and we all got out.

I could still hear the guys laughing about Ivan's unexpected question as they walked away.

Ivan tells stories

Ivan has become quite a story teller over the last few weeks. I've noticed that he takes tidbits of info from stories, songs and random things he heard and then spins them into a story of his own.

The stories always seem to revolve around giants, giant things, him running away from things, things trying to eat him up or eating something, etc.

Tonight, at bed time, after we read a story--a really cute book he had to read for his preschool book club, Dinner at the Panda Palace, and turned off the lights--he asked me to tell him a story. This was the first time he asked me to tell him a story. I introduced that concept a while ago in an effort to cut down on reading multiple stories and trying to get him to sleep. But he always refused to listen to me tell him a story, and insisted on reading another one. Then tonight, after I cuddled him and Medic, he asked for a story, and then insisted to tell it to him "now." Since my want-to-be-creative-but isn't-so-on-demand-brain couldn't think fast, I pasted together a story based on us finding a tropical turtle in our back yard (which by the way would make a good picture book, if I can get around to writing it). He liked it.

"I have a story," he then said. I wish I had a camera to record him. He talked about a giant cat, and a small cat, and the giant cat trying to eat him, but he "runned" fast past the cars, and the cat was slow, somehow then jack and jill went up to mountain...(he talked about that yesterday too, but he modified it from the song)....

"I have another story," he then said and basically proceeded to tell me a similar tale of fantastical animals and events, but this time featuring a giant turtle.

Then he finally quieted down and after some serious tossing and turning fell asleep.

He seems to have really missed me over the few days he was away. He told Andy several times today that "I want mama," he told me on the phone from Florida "mama, I want you," and my mom said he told her that a few times as well. So tonight, Ivan had a special time with mama. We ate, and then we built a bridge out of blocks, and then I tucked him to bed.)

Allen and the Modified Sleep Routine

For the last six months or so, I had been happy because it had become rather simple to put Allen to bed. While he'd still scream and uncooperative to get dressed for bed, once he'd settle down to nurse, he'd calm down. When he was done nursing, he'd unlatch, I'd get up and carry him to the crib. He would fuss and clutch onto me, but once I'd plop him in bed he'd roll over and fall asleep. However, something changed last week. Now, when he starts nursing he won't unlatch, but will suckle for half an hour or more. I don't think he's actually nursing, I think he's just suckling and has figured out that as long as he doesn't unlatch that I won't let go of him. I've tried giving him milk instead but he wants me. I also don't want to get him into the habit of nursing himself to sleep with a bottle in his mouth (I'm still haunted by my irrational and unwarranted anxiety of Ivan's rotten teeth). So after 30 or more minutes of nursing, I have been unlatching him and taking him to his crib. He hates it. He clings and clutches onto me with all his might. After I put him down, sometimes he cries a few minutes and falls asleep (or at least quiets down--it's tricky to go into his room to check because if he's awake it will restart the entire cycle) other times he cries for a long time. That's when we've tried the milk bottle (Andy, not me), or I pick him up and nurse him some more. I don't know what happened this past week that triggered this change. Maybe he's somehow sensing that his babyhood is ending and toddlerhood is beginning (not that babies are capable of such self-reflection), or maybe he's just smartened up about it, or it's a side-effect of him being overall more interactive, talkative and also afraid. Unlike before, he's now afraid of strangers, of unexpected noises, etc. It's also making it more difficult to try to stop nursing him. Not that I have really tried yet. I don't want him to stop, like Ivan did, rather than me stopping it for him. Personally, I also don't want to stop nursing him because then my baby will be all "grown up," and those baby moments will be behind me forever.

Ivan Returns from Florida

Ivan spent the last five days in Orlando with my parents. They left on Saturday morning and returned today. My mother was going to a conference, so my parents decided to take Ivan along, so my dad and Ivan to go to Disneyland, etc.

It was a successful trip. And a big trip. Among other things, it was Ivan's first time on a plane. While in Florida he wouldn't talk to us on the phone, expect for an occasional and coerced "say hi to mama."

So today, when they returned, both Andy and I were in shock: Over these five days that we hadn't seen Ivan, he seems to have grown and matured. "A preschooler left and a kindergardener returned," Andy remarked. Ivan was very happy to see us and be home, but he was very important and serious.

"Yeah, you don't like shoes in the house, mama," he said when he returned and I helped him take off his shoes. "Fl'rida is warm. You don't wear socks," he then explained to me.

Over dinner, for which he had "risotto," not rice and meso, he announced after a quick potty run, ("Quickly, go peepee," I said. This stopped him in his tracks. "Why do I have to go quickly, mama?" "So you don't pee your pants." "Oh.") "There is a problem!," and lifted his eyebrows. "A problem," we asked. "There are monsters in our walls!" "Monsters?!" "There is a lion in that wall there. If we open the wall, water will come out. And there is another monster in that wall, a tiger." Andy and I were amused and laughing. Also, for the first time, he remarked "That's not fair!" over something, but I forget what was at stake.

Finally, when it was time to go to bed ("But I'm not tired, mama), we reverted to our usual routine: jammies, teethbrushing, one and then another book, lights out, hug Medic ("but Medic wants to play"), and "I'm thirsty mama. I want water." Since I was expecting that I was ready with the water. "Thank you," he said off the cuff yet very seriously, when I handed it to him. Although he's polite and uses thank you regularly and appropriately, he had never thanked me for the water. He must have picked it up on the trip. Our little world traveler.

Ivan Corrects Allen

"Dadda," Allen said to Ivan, when he and Andy returned home. Dadda and da are all Allen says. Everyone and everything is Dadda, including Dadda. "Allen, I'm not Dadda. I'm E E," Ivan corrected him.

Ivan on spring break

This past week, Ivan was on spring break. So was Andy, who stayed home with the boys.

The fact that Ivan's preshool works on a school schedule with spring and summer breaks, is making me more aware of time passsing by and him growing. And his childhood slipping away.
I wish more and more that I had the option of staying at home with him (and Allen), and keeping him at home longer. Because after next year of preschool, it's real public school time!

And Allen seems to be maturing even faster! My baby is now a rambuctious, naughty, super-busy and physical, "chatty" toddler.

I wish I could stay home more, or work part time, but I guess since neither is really a financially-feasible option and considering that my job gives me enough flexibility to attend to home things I need to do and to work from home when I need to, I really shouldn't be complaining.

Ivan and Medic: BB Again

Over the last few months, Ivan has gotten really re-attached to Medic. It's not that the attachment was ever gone, but he didn't need him as much for a while. For example, he didn't need him to sleep. But now Medic goes with Ivan to preshool , sleeps with him, plays with him during the day. I guess it's a combination of him being on the threshold from being a baby to becoming a big boy. Recently, he's often tells us that he's a big boy and that Allen is a baby. It's also probably a reaction to Allen. They love each other and play really well, but we've noticed that Ivan has been vying for attention with Allen. For example, if I say "Allen didn't eat his lunch." Ivan will respond "Mama, I ateed my lunch."

As I was going to bed now, I heard rustling in the bathroom. At first I though it was Andy, but then I realized it was Ivan. I went to see if he needed help. All in the dark, my big boy lifted the seat up, unzipped his sleepsack, peed, zipped himself up and returned to bed -- all while carrrying Medic.

It's been at least six months that he's been waking up at night to go potty on his own, which I think it's impressive, since it's been exactly a year that he's been potty trained.

On a rare occasion he wets himself or call us to help him unzip his sleepsack, but overall we are both impressed with his nighttime pottying.

What Did Ivan and Noah Play at Preschool

"We were playing firemen. We were bad guys," Ivan told us over dinner. "You were bad firemen?" "No, just bad guys." This is what Ivan and Noah were playing on the playground.

Ivan's Bedtime Routine

"Ivan close your eyes," I said after I noticed he's eyes were open some 10-15 minutes after we turned the light off to fall asleep. "I don't want to . I have a dream in my head. I'll sleep with my eyes open." Andy later told me that Ivan told him when he picked him up from preschool that he dreamed about dogcars at naptime.

Santa's a Night Owl

"Santa belongs in the nigthtime," Ivan said this evening. "Christmas belongs in the nighttime."

Ivan utters a sentence in Croatian

"Didi, Medic daj me," Ivan asked Didi this morning. It was a first time he's used a Croatian sentence since he's started talking and became English dominant.

I was thrilled. I have been asking him on and off, why he doesn't respond to me in Croatian, when I always speak Croatian to him. "That's why, I don't know how," he always says.

He fully understands me, and knows all words, but he's never tried to actually say a sentence in Croatian, until this morning.

I also have to admit that English is a much easier language for a child to master: the words are shorter and easier to pronounce and the grammar is easier than in Croatian.

Allen's Starting to Climb

Allen has started scaling furninture. Two days ago he started climbing on Ivan's red chair. He stands up straight on it and waits for our reaction. Or he holds onto it while on it and shakes it back and forth. He likes it. It's funny. We freak out because he can topple over. He did topple over for me, and fell onto his face. But he was unfazed. He got up and resumed climbing on the chair. He's also using the chair to climb onto other furniture. Today he climbed on the blue stool near the porch door. It's funny because at 14months Ivan was just beginning to walk unsupported and had stopped cruising along furniture. Allen meanwhile he scaling new heights.

Ivan decides not to be shy

"I am not going to be shy, mama," Ivan said in the car as we were parking in front of Bella's house to go and play. "I'm going to go in and say 'surprise'." He jumped out of the car and ran to the door to knock. When Daria opened the door, he burst in yelling 'surprise.' He was very chatty with Daria, telling her all about his baby brother. "His name is Allen," he said. Ivan really surprised me that he had such self-awareness that he was shy. It also surprised me because he's usual warm-up behavior is to hide behind my legs and grumble "umh" if someone tried to engage and talked to him Meanwhile, Bella was stunned and not so chatty, because she expected Leila to be at the door, not Ivan.

Cookie logic

"Mama, did you give me a cookie for lunch?" Ivan regularly asks me now that I've packed him cookies for lunch a few times.

***

"Ivan, eat this banana," I said. "But I don't want a cookie," he replied.

***

"Finish this meat and you'll get a cookie," Andy told Ivan to get him to finish his dinner, while Ivan was cruising around on his ice cream truck.

"No, you get a cookie after a banana or apple sauce," Ivan stopped the truck, thought about it and thoughfully responded. He is correct because I always give him an option of a banana or apple sauce, if he wants a cookie.

***

"Can we bake cookies with a flashlight?" Ivan asked me as we were finishing kneading the cookie dough when the power went out due to a snowstorm outside. He even went to get flashlights for us.

Sent from my iPhone

Ivan's potty humor

It all started a few months ago in the fall. Ivan woke up one morning and potty humor and potty references explored.

Suddenly, everything started being about poop and potty, more so poop.  Every song he sings, anything he talks about, any story he tells us somehow ends with a line about poop. And all that is really funny.

Apparently, this poop humor is more prevalent about boys than girls, and lasts for a few years, other moms of boys have warned me.

And it was only last April that he actually got potty trained.

Allen is walking

Allen has started walking. He makes five sure steps and then sits down. I think he'll be  fully walking within a week. He's so eager.

Two weeks ago he discovered the stairs. Then he also figured out how  to go back down.

Today, my dad said he climbed on the train table: he brought over  the matchbox car box to use as a step .

Rather ingenous I must say.

He's so much more physical than Ivan was at this age.

I mean just the fact that Allen chipped a tooth within a month of getting it sums it up.

Waterslewp

A waterslewp. Ivan made in school. He was crafting it for two days. First day it wasn't ready because he had to punch holes. He so told Andy when Andy asked whether we can take it home.
I'm impressed that he uses an actual creative thought process and understanding when he feels that something is done.

What is a waterslewpi?

"It's for the water to go up and down," he explained making big wave like motions with his hands.

This isn't the first time he's made up terms and pretend mechanical devices.

I'm  impressed. Very creative of him.