Books Before Breakfast

Last week, tornado sirens woke us at 5am and we all trooped down to the basement.  Our basement is in the traditional 50's style -- cold cement floors, stacks of boxes and forgotten toys.  Ohhhh, the forgotten toys!  Toys that were discarded years ago as too babyish were suddenly treasures.  The boys played and then Matthew discovered the old rocking chair.  "Hold me!"  he squealed.  "Hold me like I'm a baby!" 

Cameron, much too chipper for so early in the morning, gave an excited monologue as I rocked my 'baby.'  "I wonder if it's a real tornado!  What if it hit our house?  What if we were like, 'Doh, doh, doh, I guess we can go upstairs now, the sirens have stopped!' and then we went upstair and the HOUSE was GONE!"

Fortunately, when the sirens did stop, we opened the door at the top of the stairs and the house remained.  But now we were all wide awake and up really early . . . "I'm going to read Harry Potter," announced Cameron.  He settled on the couch with his book.

"I'm going to read, too," said Matthew.

"Oh, do you want me to read to you?" I asked.

"No."

"Well, I don't know if Cameron will read to you right now.  He's in the middle of his book."

Matthew marched to the book shelf, haughtily selected a board book and stalked over to the couch.  "I said, 'I'm going to read,."

He sat down next to Cameron, opened his book and began, "Hi.  My name is Emily Elizabeth.  I have a dog."

He recited the book from beginning to end, word for word, flipping the pages at the right time.  When he finished, he closed it and said, "I did it!  I can't believe it!  I CAN READ!  I can't believe I did it!  I read the whole book!" 

Cameron better finish up Harry Potter soon.  Matthews's right on his heels!

When Santa Says No

As mentioned previously, I cook and bake.  A lot.  Matthew loves to help me and I think that this is a vital skill for him to learn.  With his food allergies, there's a reasonable likelihood that he'll be doing a lot of cooking and baking in his adult life.  That, or eating a pretty boring diet.

Currently, Matthew's specialty is licking spoons and bowls.  Stirring comes in a close second, probably followed by pouring which is, to be honest, sort of touch and go.  For a while, though, he's expressed an interest in having his own kitchen tools.  In particular, he is desparate for his own vegetable peeler.  "No problem," I told him.  "I bet that Santa could bring you a vegetable peeler and, if you're reaaalllyyy good, maybe a few measuring spoons and a bowl."

"Yes!" said Matthew.  "And, one of these."  And he held one hand flat, made the other hand into a fist and rubbed it over the flat hand.  ????

"A vegetable peeler?" I repeated.

"Nooooo!  One of those things."  He repeated the motion impatiently.  "Those things!  For . . . for . . . making little slicing?"

My 3-year-old wants Santa to bring him his very own mandoline slicer. 

Two Weeks or So

Matthew started preschool this week.  He has been anxiously awaiting this moment ever since we toured his school over six months ago.  We drive past it every day on the way to Cameron's school and every day Matthew would say, "Am I going to my school today?" 

It was exciting to finally answer, "Yes!"

Matthew marched into school like an old pro, giving me a quick thumbs up.  Slightly taken aback by his confidence, I lingered a moment and then made my retreat.  I secretly snuck back in after Matthew was settled in his classroom and spent the next few hours observing him through the Top Secret One-Way Mirror (TSOWM). 

Only parents are supposed to know about the TSOWM.  Cameron didn't know about the TSOWM in his school for years, finally figuring it out in kindergarten.  But on the drive to school that morning, Cameron helpfully said to Matthew, "Matthew, when you get to your class, look and see if there is a mirror.  Then go up to it and wave, because Mommy is probably on the other side of it."  So much for Top Secret!

It was so much fun to watch Matthew at work.  After the teacher demonstrated unrolling a rug, Matthew got his own and attempted to unroll it.  He placed it the wrong way though, so each time he pushed it the whole roll just moved along instead of unrolling.  After several attempts he corrected his error and patted his rug contentedly.  I watched him draw a picture ("A butterfly and a target," he later explained to me), do a tearing paper work with intense concentration, do a matching work with the teacher, and work on the sandpaper numbers with another teacher ("This is three," he said pointing to the three.  "And here's another three!" as he pointed to the eight.) 

I stayed long enough to ensure that the food allergy rules we had set in place were followed at snack time, then used my remaining hour to run an errand and put gas in the car.  It. Was. Amazing.  Running errands with no kids is SO much easier!

I picked Matthew up and as soon as he got in the car he said, "I can't WAIT to tell Cameron that I went to school!" Followed by, "How long was I there?  Two weeks?"

Soccer star

When Matthew was a baby, Cameron took a soccer class.  Matthew would crawl to the window, pull himself up and smoosh his face against the glass.  He'd watch the action with clear envy written on his face and sign "ball, ball."

So today was a long time coming.

Matthew started soccer class.

He could hardly wait to get out on the field and kept saying to me, "Do you think I'm going to be goalie?  I'm going to say to the coach, 'Hey coach.  Can I be goalie?  'Cause I want to be goalie.'"  He wasn't goalie since there is no goaltending in 3 year old soccer class.  He was happy to run around, practice his dribbling (and stealing the ball, which was not part of the drill but whatever . . . he's advanced!) and make some impressive shots on goal.

When we left he said, "When's my next soccer class?"

"Next week," I answered.

"Tomorrow?"

"No.  Next week."

"Today?"

"You already had soccer class today."

"Today again?"

He loved it.

Celebration

This year, Matthew was clear that he was going to have A Birthday Party with Friends.  So, this weekend, he did.  There were cupcakes, there were activities, there were presents and best of all, there were friends. 

We even were joined by cousin Ella, who is adored by Cameron and Matthew.  In her presence, Matthew is magically transformed.  There's no more, "I'm a big boy" talk.  Suddenly, it's "Mama, hold me.  I'm a baby.  I want my binky.  I want a bottle." 

But today, Matthew was back to all big boy, all the time.  I mean, he is THREE.

Age 3

Matthew is now officially three years old.  This was the first year that he seemed really aware of his birthday -- he informed me that he WOULD me having a party with friends, and that we'd be eating baseball cupcakes and that he'd be THREE.  Or . . . was it six?  seven?  It's so hard to keep track when you're . . . wait?  how old again?  Oh, right!  THREE!

I could hardly wait until Matthew's birthday morning, when we planned to surprise him with a basketball hoop.  He spotted it in the basement a few days early though and then repeatedly asked, "When do I get my basketball hoop?"

It was still exciting to see him playing with it, so happy to be a big boy.

After playing hoops for a while, he asked if we could go bowling.  He got his ball stuck between the bumper and the gutter twice, but he had a blast and looked so cute in his bowling shoes.  And, he nearly beat me.  What can I say?  My hand-eye coordination has never been much to brag about . . . as opposed to my ultra-athletic toddler!

For his birthday dinner, he requested "Grilled corn and scallops, with strawberry shortcake for dessert." Pretty sophisticated palate for a 3-year-old! We topped off the shortcake with some homemade vanilla bean sorbet and I'm pretty confident it's the best kid birthday meal I've ever eaten.

So suddenly, I'm the mom of two big boys!  And I'm looking forward to all the fun we'll have together this year!

Big Boy Negotiations

Yesterday, a day the boys had been eagerly awaiting finally arrived:  the day they would share a room and get a BUNK BED!!!  We've been talking it up for weeks, hoping that enough pre-big boy bed enthusiasm would make for an easy transition.  This worked magnificently until it was time to actually go to bed -- posing for photos in the bunk bed, climbing the ladder, admiring the sophisticated robot bedding ("Look!  The other side is gray with squares on it!  We can CHOOSE which side we want!") was a whole lot different than actually, say, sleeping in the bunk bed.  At least for Matthew.  Very sweetly, Cameron presented Matthew with Henri, his beloved bear, to make him more comfortable for his first night in a big boy bed.  This, to my grave disappointment, was not enough.  After about two hours of book reading and light dimming and increasingly less patient encouragement from me, the little guy big boy was finally asleep and I creakily stood up to find that, despite the racket, Cameron was fast asleep in the top bunk.  Success!

Matthew was up three times during the night, sobbing, "I don't want a bunk bed any more!" I did a lot of hand holding and back rubbing.  Cameron slept through the first two episodes, but sat up cheerily during the 5am round and said, "Hi mommy!  It's morning!" 

"It's five in the morning," I corrected.  "Go back to sleep."

"Then why are the birds chirping?" he asked.

"Birds wake up early.  Go back to sleep."

David slept through all of this leading me to think that the moniker "that man that I live with who helps me take care of my kids sometimes" might actually be appropriate for the late night hours.  As I comforted Matthew he said, "I need a snack."

"It's night time," I replied.  "You can have a snack in the morning."

"Something vvveeerrrryyy special?" he asked.

"If you sleep in your big boy bed all night, all the way until 7am, then you will have a very special snack tomorrow," I gave in.  I was thinking a couple of chocolate chips, but Matthew knew this was a big opportunity. 

"A big boy cake?" he said, to my surprise.

And thus, he was convinced to stay in bed until the morning.  I awoke to the sound of two little big boys running down the hallway.  "Let's see the Big Boy Cake!" cried Cameron.  Apparently, they figured that I would have gone straight to the kitchen at 5am so the cake would be fresh from the oven when they woke up.  Sadly, they were forced to wait HOURS for the cake to be done.  "With sprinkles," instructed Matthew when the cake was finally ready.  "A Big Boy Cake with sprinkles."

Here's hoping night two in the big boy bed is a little easier on mama.

Before and After

Before:

Matthew went to an African American barber shop this morning. He was actually pretty excited about it. "Mr. Charlie gonna cut my hair," he kept saying. I was nervous. The first hair cut did not go well, despite the Bob the Builder DVD and race car chair. How would he do at a real barber shop? Great, it turns out. No tears and the results are super cute!

After:

Da Doctor

Today, the boys had check-ups with their pediatrician. While not a fan of laying on the table, being measured, having his ears checked or getting shots, Matthew loves nothing more than a good chat. So the following conversation ensued during Cameron's check-up.

Doctor: Cameron, where do you sit in the car?
Cameron: In a car seat.
Matthew: Me too! I sit in da car seat!

Doctor: Cameron, what do you like to play with?
Cameron: I love to play with my Legos!
Matthew: I have da Legos! I play da Legos with Didi!

Doctor: Do you like to play other things, too, Cameron? Do you like to ride your bike or swim?
Cameron: Yes.
Matthew: Daddy ride da bike. I like da soccer. I kick da soccer ball. I kick it -- POW! -- I pop it high!

Doctor: Well, I can see that Matthew's quite a talker! Picks up Matthew's chart and jots something in it. Cameron, can you hop on one foot? Can you show me that?
Cameron: OK. Hops on one foot.
Matthew: Look at me! Look at me! Hops on one foot, then the other.

Doctor: Uh, wow. That's, uh, pretty impressive for a 2-year-old. Huh. Picks up Matthew's chart again and makes a note. OK, Cameron, now I'm going to tap your knees with this little hammer. Tap.
Matthew: I try dat! I do dat too!
Doctor: You want me to tap your knee Matthew?
Matthew: Yay!
Doctor: Tap.
Matthew: Ow! You hurt me!
Doctor: I just tapped your knee.
Matthew: No, you popped me. Dat ouchy!
Doctor: Sorry!

In the end, both children were declared healthy and developing normally. "And Matthew's gross motor skills," said the doctor, "are, well, there's no concern there. And his verbal skills are . . . well, he's certainly putting words together into phrases."

"Okay," said Matthew. "Sticker? I go now."

Expect the Unexpected

I took the boys to a hula hooping demonstration at the park today. They were both fascinated by the hooper who finished off her act by spraying herself down with water and performing with a flaming hula hoop. (Seriously. A hula hoop. On fire. All I could think was, "If my kids see a woman set herself on fire with a hula hoop, the Parks and Rec Department will be hearing from ME!)I thought Cameron would be excited to try out hula hooping (minus flames) himself, but he preferred to catch frogs and fish.

Matthew, however, couldn't wait to get in on the action. First he struggled with a large, heavy hoop.

Awww, isn't he sweet, I thought.

Then he spotted a child-sized hoop and . . .

Who's dat?

So, Matthew got his first hair cut. Which makes it sound soooooo simple. In actuality, I spent a few weeks stressing over it. Where should I take him? Clippers or scissors? Does he have to have a shaved head? And . . . well . . . I loved his curls. And I didn't really want to cut them off. And moms are supposed to know stuff like where and how their kid's hair should be cut.

Eventually, a friend gave me the name of the woman who cuts her son's hair. I called and said, "Ummm, my friend said that you know how to cut black hair. Is that true?" I know, I'm sooooo smooth.

Matthew began the adventure as clueless as his clueless mommy, dancing to Bob the Builder and honking the horn of his car/seat. But once the combing and clipping and cutting began, he could have cared less about Bob. "Stop it! No! Mamaaaa!" he sobbed. Fortunately, the stylist was unphased by the drama.Matthew continued to fuss even when the hair cut was finished, but recovered with the aid of some fruit snacks and a visit to the slide. He looks very cute and still has some curl left. I think he's still a little unsure of the new look, however, as he promptly donned this bucket after a look in the mirror.

He actually pointed at our reflections in the mirror and said, "Mama, daddy, and . . . who's dat?"

He did tell Cameron about his hair cut though, saying, "Nice lady cut da hair." Typical boy, trying to act all tough and never mentioning the tears and trauma!

Can't Take My Eyes Off Him . . . Really

As soon as he was old enough to stand, Matthew started climbing. It turns out that this is not a passing phase. I have no recent photos because the climbing has become too hazardous for me to pause and take a snapshot.

We have a small step stool that Cameron uses to reach the sink. Matthew also found it helpful for reaching the sink and then, one day, it occured to him. "Hey! If I moved this thing, I could reach other stuff too!" Every time he can get his hands on the step stool, he relocates it to someplace interesting. Occasionally it's cute, like yesterday, when he used the step stool to climb up on the couch and sit down next to Cameron. More often, it's terrifying, such as using the step stool to reach the stove. Last night, I thought I had the solution to the climbing: no more step stool. Brilliant, right?

Then today, I sat Cameron at the table with his lunch. I strapped Matthew into his high chair, pushed on the tray full of food and walked into the kitchen to grab my own lunch. Within seconds, Cameron called, "Mommmm-yyyyy! Come see what Matthew's doing!" When I walked in the room, Matthew had somehow wiggled out of the high chair restraints, crawled over his tray and was now sitting, smiling, on top of the table. *gasp*

Taste of Independence

Matthew has experienced his first taste of independence in the form of a famous circle of whole grain oats – the Cheerio. Over the weekend, instead of putting Matthew in the highchair for a snack, David poured a few Cheerios in a small plastic bowl and placed it on a low table. Matthew promptly upended the bowl and then scrambled madly to eat as many Cheerios off the floor as possible before David swept them up. David filled the bowl again, held it firmly on the table and guided Matthew’s chubby little hand into the bowl to select a crunchy O. For the next half hour, Matthew played, occasionally pausing for a visit to the bowl. Each time he found that the cereal was still there, just waiting for him, he smiled in mild surprise. When at last the bowl was empty, he squalled with disappointment. He followed David to the kitchen, whining, and watched as the bowl was again filled. Then, realization dawned.

This bowl – this portable receptacle of whole grained goodness – why, it was his ticket to freedom! No longer would he be forced to halt his play to be strapped down behind a tray. No longer would he have to choose between food and fun. No longer would he be confined and controlled – He. Had. A. Bowl. Now, now he could eat his beloved Cheerios at his leisure! He could munch on a handful between laps around the train table. He could take a few bites, break to play cars and return for more. It was revolutionary.

David placed the bowl on the table and Matthew’s bare feet pounded on the hardwood floors as he toddled madly to his bowl. He reached in, double fisted, and shoveled handfuls into his mouth with gusto. He clapped his hands joyously. Overcome with emotion, he spun crazily in a circle, chortling, then bent over to put his head on the floor in a kind of yoga baby downward-facing dog of celebration. His overwhelming exuberance at this simple step towards autonomy was adorable. It was heartwarming. And it was terrifying as I thought, “Boy, are we in trouble when this kid gets a hold of the car keys.”

One Wonderful Year

Today is the one year anniversary of Matthew's homecoming! On the one hand, I can hardly remember life without him. On the other, it seems impossible that a year has passed. Matthew has brought so much joy to our lives. We feel so lucky and blessed to be his parents! Here are a few shots that show Matthew as he really is:

Full of laughter,

constantly exploring,

and always, always on the go!

Today Cameron said, "Matthew's first mommy probably thinks about him alot. I bet she misses him." I don't write much about Matthew's first family, but I think of them every day and I think Cameron is right. Matthew's birthmom must have loved him a whole lot to make the decision she did and I hope that when she thinks of him she is comforted to know how loved he is.

Vacation Highlights: Matthew

Before heading to the west coast of Michigan, Matthew had fun visiting with family. He loved playing peek-a-boo with Aunt Ellen.

As always, Matthew took every opportunity he got to grab a handful of Cheerios, which cracked Grandma Linda up.
Once we had reached the west side of the state, we hit the beaches. Matthew quite literally hit the beach. That sand is hard to walk in!

Also on the beach, Matthew discovered his mission in life: Point out each and every bird in sight and try, try, TRY to catch one! Alas, catching a bird is easier said than done.

When not at the beach, Matthew spent a great deal of time riding in the mei tai. He rarely complained about the free ride, finding that the view is quite good from five feet off the ground (OK, so maybe five feet is a bit generous, but I am WAY taller than Matthew so it probably FELT like five feet to him!)At the cottage, Matthew discovered a little spot that seemed to be created just for him.Forget all those birthday toys, this basket is GREAT!And, of course, a highlight of the vacation for Matthew was his FIRST BIRTHDAY! He started out the day with his very favorite meal of dairy and egg-free pancakes. This kid can pack away the pancakes -- his current record is four full-sized pancakes in one sitting!
We made sure everyone knew that Matthew was one year old that day by dressing him in a special onesie. We finished out Matthew's birthday (and our last day of vacation) by letting both kids run wild at a playground in Saugatuck, where Matthew did his very best to keep up with the big kids. "Just wait 'til I'm two," you could almost see him thinking.

Matthew's party

We celebrated Matthew's first birthday a few days early. As is our family tradition, Matthew was sleep-deprived, clingy and overwhelmed for much of the celebration. (Although I greatly enjoyed catching up with many friends and family!) Mid-party, Matthew fell asleep and woke after most of the guests had departed. Thus, his first taste of birthday cake and the excitement of first birthday gifts was shared with a small contingent of family.

Since Matthew has so many food allergies, I baked his first birthday cake. Here he takes a taste of the dairy, egg and nut-free creation. He liked it! He really liked it!When Cameron celebrated his first birthday, I don't recall him showing much interest in opening his gifts. Matthew caught on right away.
He was spoiled rotten and loved every minute of it.

Matthew's Day

Today Matthew got his fourth tooth, said "Thank you" (DANNKK OOO!) and learned to sign "Read." He's a genius, right? Well, he also crawled under the train table, stood up and bonked his head again and again and again.

No Fear

Matthew, it is becoming apparent, is a bit of a daredevil. From the beginning, he has been observant, inquisitive and, above all, anxious to try out every new skill within reach. (He has also been anxious to try out every bit of mulch, lint and dirt within reach. Part of his adventurous nature, I suppose.) Yesterday, Cameron called to me from the play room. "Mommy! Look at what Matthew learned how to do now!" This was not what I was expecting.

You are dismissed

Yesterday was a beautiful, mild summer day -- just perfect for a visit to the park. While David and Cameron played tag, Matthew and I hung out on the grass. Matthew put this time to good use, practicing his latest feat: walking! He toddled unsteadily and laughed when he fell in the grass. When he tired of walking, he resorted to his patented Knee-free Crawl as the grass felt funny on his knees. He was so adorable that he soon attracted the attention of a family. The mom, dad and two kids came over to admire him. (He really is soooo cute!) Matthew obliged them with his three-tooth grin. After a few minutes, the family said good-bye and attempted to coerce Matthew into waving bye-bye. Finally, Matthew lifted a hand into the air nonchalantly, thrilling his admirers. Casually but with an air of finality he declared "Ahhh daaa." That's "all done" for those who don't speak Matthewese!

The one, the only, the BAHHH!

Matthew has suddenly grasped that sounds can be used for communication and he is doing his darnedest to communicate. All done (AHHH DA!), Ready, set, go! (SSSSSEH GA!) and old standbys like hi and Daddy are a part of his repetoire now. But yesterday he learned a word that has him fascinated.

We were at Cameron's soccer practice and Matthew couldn't take his eyes off the round black and white sphere that everyone was so intent upon kicking. "Matthew, that's a ball. Can you say ball?" I said in that rhetorical way we parents do. To my surprise he replied, "BAHHH! BAH!" I showed him the sign for ball and he spent the rest of soccer practice signing ball and repeating over and over "BAHH!" When we got home, he crawled straight to his basket of toys and triumphantly held up a ball. "BAHHH! BAH! BAH!" he shouted. And he kept at it. All. Day. Long.

He seems convinced that he needs to enlighten us all on his new discovery. Can't we see the perfect symmetry of this object? Do we not grasp the multiplicity of uses for this BAH? Licking, gumming, rolling, throwing? We clearly do not have a proper understanding of the BAH or we would never put it down. Here, he tries again, patiently repeating "BAH," holding the fantastical find in one hand and gesturing encouragingly with the other. "Come! See it! It's a BAH!"