"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."
Sunday, April 17, 2011
Saturday, April 9, 2011
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 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.
Friday, April 8, 2011
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.)
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.)
Thursday, April 7, 2011
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.
Wednesday, April 6, 2011
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.
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.
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