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.