Dad picked up Grafton at little early today from school so that they could meet Mo Willems at a book signing in South Hadley. Once there, we picked up his latest book, "Knuffle Bunny Free", which Mo signed for us. (He also told us to look for a cameo of the pigeon character from his earlier books, after we mentioned that we were big fans of the pigeon.) The protagonist, Trixie, loses something dear while taking a plane ride, which we recently did ourselves ("we" = "Dad"), leaving Grafton's "Blueberries for Sal" book on the plane ride down to NC. Grafton loves his new Knuffle Bunny Free book, which I think we read to him four times today already.
After the book signing, Dad and Grafton went for a walk in the MHC sports fields, watched the college teams practice their respective sports, and the proceeded to get drenched by a soaking rain, before heading back home.
While we're here, I'll mention that Grafton finally took a solid tumble down the staircase to the den. He slipped on his PJ's pant cuff, leaned forward, but with nothing to latch on to, slide down 3 stairs head first, hit his lip on the bottom step, and then completed the maneuver with a full somersault, landing in the den on his back, staring up at the ceiling. He cried, but was uninjured, and was back to playing within a couple of minutes.
With the help of a stool, we learned that Grafton really enjoys playing in the kitchen sink, catching the running water in his open bottles, and then pouring it out. Again and again and again. This is great, since we can now cook dinner in the kitchen with him nearby, in one place, and wholly entertained.
Tuesday, September 28, 2010
Leader of the Chorus
Today's "Toddler 3 Daily Communication Form" had this note written on it:
Grafton like watching the rain through the open windows today. He also had the whole class singing along with "Nana PopPop coming soon"!
Sunday, September 26, 2010
Tower of Cars
As parents of a toddler, we were having our typical Saturday night fun by shopping for groceries at the local big box store. As were we finishing up, we strolled down the aisle of kids toys. We passed by a rocking horse, which Grafton refused to try out. We passed by baby toy after baby toy, none of which were of any interest to our son. But as we approached the end of the aisle, we entered the hallowed ground of miniature die-cast cars. Grafton immediately took possession of the Hot Wheels Dynamite Blaster Launcher (with 5 cars), held it up high and yelled "This One! This One! Buy It!" We laughed at his exuberance and ability to hone in on his favorite toys. While Grafton continued examining his new favorite toy, Daddy was checking out the other selections of die cast cars nearby. Grafton, seeing that Daddy was interested in a different box, came over to see if there was anything else that could possibly be better than the Dynamite Blast Launcher. And indeed there was! It was a tower of see-through plastic, which stood taller than our child, and packed with so many cars and vehicles that it would be years before he would have the number skills to count them all (there were at least a hundred cars in there). This was clearly a package worthy of a big box store, being of a scale that was at home alongside 8 gallon jars of mayonnaise and 20 lb boxes of over-sized muffins. After the few milliseconds it took for Grafton to recognize this treasure trove of vehicular joy, he lunged at the box, seized it with a strangling hug half way up its length, pulled it from the bottom shelf, and started jumping up and down with it, while he squealed in a voice that was too loud even in a big box store. It took a while for us to calm his excitement, but we were eventually able to extricate the item from his rigamortis-like grasp. With the simple phrase, "Let's keep looking," Grafton calmly decided to follow us down the next aisle, perhaps with the expectation that an even better selection of toys was possible. In fact there were larger truck toys on the next aisle, each of which Grafton reached for in turn. And with incredible restraint and understanding, he put each one back of the shelf when we explained that we were not going to purchase it, and that we should "keep looking." While that line seemed to do the trick of letting us move on, when the end of the aisle arrived and Dad repeated it one more time, Grafton happily turned the corner into the next aisle, and said "more trucks." And so Dad, knowing there would be no more toys to see, felt a sudden pang of guilt and remorse at the misdirection he used to get Grafton to move on. But not quite enough guilt to go back and buy any of the toys. Of course, Grafton's birthday is not far off, and perhaps there will be a way to make up for it.
Progress with Mazzy
Mom reported to Dad today that Grafton pet Mazzy for 10-15 seconds, before the cat took off for a safer spot under the bed. Either Mazzy is warming up to Grafton, or she's starting to become senile. I never expected she'd give in to a close encounter with our son.
Sunday, September 19, 2010
Pumpkins and Mazes
Grafton went pumpkin picking today with his friends, Grahm and Ivorie. We'll let the pictures tell the story.
Oh yeah, last weekend we ventured into a corn maze, and there are some pictures of that as well. Grafton was out and about doing some other things as well that weekend (scroll right see the pictures).
Oh yeah, last weekend we ventured into a corn maze, and there are some pictures of that as well. Grafton was out and about doing some other things as well that weekend (scroll right see the pictures).
Morehead Moments
Two weeks ago, Grafton headed out of town for a trip down to Morehead City, NC to see his grandparents.
He really enjoyed flying on the airplanes. On the first flight (of 4) he was very focused during the takeoff, listening to Daddy explain how the plane was racing down the runway, lifting off, and then flying up into the air. Of course, we had some turbulence eventually, and Grafton smiled and said it was "bumpy" but "fun". He only threw one minor fit on the two flights down to NC, which was fortunate considering that he refused to nap. In the Baltimore airport, he had a great time riding up and down the escalators (in his Dad's arms) while waiting to board the plane. When we arrived at the car rental agency, he had a great time climbing around the car while Dad was trying to install his car seat. On the drive to the coast, he slept for three hours--nearly the whole way. He woke up refreshed and alert, and after a quick stop for a snack on the road, he was ready to play with his grandparents. He wasted no time having fun, and had his Grandpa pick him up and place him in the bed of the Dodge RAM 1500 pickup. He loved being up in that truck! Probably because one of his favorite Hot Wheels cars is...wait for it...a Dodge RAM 1500 pickup truck. (On the trip, Grafton also finally learned to use the term "pickup truck" properly, as he had always used "dump truck" to describe pickups.) In the truck bed, Grafton found a nickel and found this round, shiny metal disc rather intriguing. We explained to him that it was money and that he could use it to buy things, or sell things (such as pizza). Grafton accumulated many more coins over the course of the vacation, thanks to Grandpa's and Dad's generosity.
On the second day there, Mom and Dad headed over to Rose's (a local department store, of sorts) and bought a few toys for Grafton, which included his first Big Wheels (well, a no name brand version of this). After 30 minutes of assembly, the rig was ready for action. Despite buying the one with the adjustable seat position, Grafton's legs were not quite long enough to reach the pedals, but he had a great time pushing himself around, with his feet on the ground. It had a perfectly-sized slot in the "dashboard" for his Dodge RAM 1500 Hot Wheels car, and he refused to ride the Big Wheels unless the truck was safely stowed in its special spot. Grafton also enjoyed riding around the driveway on his fire truck, which he seemed to remember from the last time he visited Morehead. Grafton made many pizza deliveries using both his Big Wheels and fire engine, collecting many nickels in the process, and making change for his customers.
On the third day, we brought Grafton to the aquarium. He wasn't all that interested in the aquatic life, unfortunately, and preferred to simply run around, weaving in out and of people. But he did take a little time to check out the fish, and also seemed interested in the manta rays that were swirling around an open tank. But he seemed happier once we were back outside, and made friends with a turtle before heading back.
We also brought Grafton to the beach a couple of times, enjoying what must have seemed like a gigantic sandbox to him. While we didn't have him in a bathing suit, we did venture into the water, ankle deep. While he had some trepidation at first, he was soon enjoying splashing around in the small waves, as they rolled in, tickling his knees and soon his knees and waist.
As always, Grafton demanded to be read to throughout the trip, and he became very interested in the plot of "Jack and Rick", though Mom and Dad were somewhat less intrigued by the storyline after the tenth or so reading.
Similar to Mazzy, Seal was generally nowhere to be seen. But at one point Grafton went exploring and found the cat in Grandpa's office. He went over to make friends with her, but she hissed (and probably swatted) at him, and he came back crying. He later removed all of his toys from that room. The next day he refused to go into the room, clearly scared of what had happened the previous day.
Grafton also found Baba and Grandpa's bedroom. With Grandpa's help and permission, he went nuts jumping up and down on their bed (yes, this is what grandparent's beds are for!) Mom and Dad, hearing the ruckus, went to go check on him, and saw him bounding up and down and rolling around on the pillows. We warned Grandpa that Grafton, having just been at the beach, was full of sand! But Grandpa and Baba didn't mind, so we let him continue having his fun.
Thanks to the grandparent's help, Mom and Dad even got a few minutes alone to enjoy themselves on vacation, catching a dinner at Amos Mosquito's and a quick bike ride to see the setting sun.
He really enjoyed flying on the airplanes. On the first flight (of 4) he was very focused during the takeoff, listening to Daddy explain how the plane was racing down the runway, lifting off, and then flying up into the air. Of course, we had some turbulence eventually, and Grafton smiled and said it was "bumpy" but "fun". He only threw one minor fit on the two flights down to NC, which was fortunate considering that he refused to nap. In the Baltimore airport, he had a great time riding up and down the escalators (in his Dad's arms) while waiting to board the plane. When we arrived at the car rental agency, he had a great time climbing around the car while Dad was trying to install his car seat. On the drive to the coast, he slept for three hours--nearly the whole way. He woke up refreshed and alert, and after a quick stop for a snack on the road, he was ready to play with his grandparents. He wasted no time having fun, and had his Grandpa pick him up and place him in the bed of the Dodge RAM 1500 pickup. He loved being up in that truck! Probably because one of his favorite Hot Wheels cars is...wait for it...a Dodge RAM 1500 pickup truck. (On the trip, Grafton also finally learned to use the term "pickup truck" properly, as he had always used "dump truck" to describe pickups.) In the truck bed, Grafton found a nickel and found this round, shiny metal disc rather intriguing. We explained to him that it was money and that he could use it to buy things, or sell things (such as pizza). Grafton accumulated many more coins over the course of the vacation, thanks to Grandpa's and Dad's generosity.
On the second day there, Mom and Dad headed over to Rose's (a local department store, of sorts) and bought a few toys for Grafton, which included his first Big Wheels (well, a no name brand version of this). After 30 minutes of assembly, the rig was ready for action. Despite buying the one with the adjustable seat position, Grafton's legs were not quite long enough to reach the pedals, but he had a great time pushing himself around, with his feet on the ground. It had a perfectly-sized slot in the "dashboard" for his Dodge RAM 1500 Hot Wheels car, and he refused to ride the Big Wheels unless the truck was safely stowed in its special spot. Grafton also enjoyed riding around the driveway on his fire truck, which he seemed to remember from the last time he visited Morehead. Grafton made many pizza deliveries using both his Big Wheels and fire engine, collecting many nickels in the process, and making change for his customers.
On the third day, we brought Grafton to the aquarium. He wasn't all that interested in the aquatic life, unfortunately, and preferred to simply run around, weaving in out and of people. But he did take a little time to check out the fish, and also seemed interested in the manta rays that were swirling around an open tank. But he seemed happier once we were back outside, and made friends with a turtle before heading back.
We also brought Grafton to the beach a couple of times, enjoying what must have seemed like a gigantic sandbox to him. While we didn't have him in a bathing suit, we did venture into the water, ankle deep. While he had some trepidation at first, he was soon enjoying splashing around in the small waves, as they rolled in, tickling his knees and soon his knees and waist.
As always, Grafton demanded to be read to throughout the trip, and he became very interested in the plot of "Jack and Rick", though Mom and Dad were somewhat less intrigued by the storyline after the tenth or so reading.
Similar to Mazzy, Seal was generally nowhere to be seen. But at one point Grafton went exploring and found the cat in Grandpa's office. He went over to make friends with her, but she hissed (and probably swatted) at him, and he came back crying. He later removed all of his toys from that room. The next day he refused to go into the room, clearly scared of what had happened the previous day.
Grafton also found Baba and Grandpa's bedroom. With Grandpa's help and permission, he went nuts jumping up and down on their bed (yes, this is what grandparent's beds are for!) Mom and Dad, hearing the ruckus, went to go check on him, and saw him bounding up and down and rolling around on the pillows. We warned Grandpa that Grafton, having just been at the beach, was full of sand! But Grandpa and Baba didn't mind, so we let him continue having his fun.
Thanks to the grandparent's help, Mom and Dad even got a few minutes alone to enjoy themselves on vacation, catching a dinner at Amos Mosquito's and a quick bike ride to see the setting sun.
Saturday, September 18, 2010
Counting Teens
When Dad got home, Mom told him how Grafton's counting skills are coming along, and that he's able to reliably count from one to ten. So Dad asked Grafton again, "Can you count to ten for me?" So Grafton started counting again, but this time went, "fourteen, fifteen, sixteen, seventeen, eighteen, nineteen." Dad was shocked, not realizing Grafton could count this high. Earlier in the day, he had counted from fourteen to twenty for Mom, so she was a little less surprised, but enjoyed his double-digit counting just the same.
Mazzy Reconciliation
Grafton rarely sees Mazzy, since our cat refuses to come out while our son is at home. She'll usually just hide up in the office and wait for Grafton to go to bed before reclaiming the main house as her own. And it's rather unfortunate that Mazzy is so averse to Grafton's company, because Grafton really gets excited when he catches a glimpse of the cat.
Today, we witnessed an interaction that gave us a glimmer of hope that someday these two might actually be friends, or that Mazzy might eventually tolerate Grafton. Dad had just returned home from a bike ride, and heard Grafton stomping down the stairs from the office. When appeared in the den, he acknowledged my return, but continued with a task that he was clearly very focused on. He went over to his pile of Matchbox cars, picked one up, and trudged all the way back up the stairs to the office on his own. Worried that he was playing on the stairs unsupervised, Dad followed him up, only to watch him walk over to Mazzy and place the car down a few feet from her resting spot. Next to Mazzy was a small collection of cars that Grafton had apparently already brought up to share with her. (As it turns out Mom was upstairs watching all this unfold.) With us both up in the office, Grafton headed back down to the down to pick up yet another car to give to Mazzy. Which he did. Realizing that Mazzy had enough cars to play with, he went over to his block pile and brought one block after another over to Mazzy. All the while, Mazzy looked less than thrilled that Grafton was approaching so closely. But she refused to run away, as she had always done in the past. And Mom had been warning Grafton that he shouldn't get too close to the cat, or she would get upset and run away. He understood this and obeyed the rule, and was therefore able to enjoy perhaps the longest interaction with our cat to date.
Wednesday, September 15, 2010
When the Mom's away, the boys will play
Mom's away on a work trip, leaving Dad and Grafton to fend for themselves. (Well, with a little help from Nana and PopPop, who came by to help out on Tue.) She'll be back on Thu evening. So far Grafton has been doing well in light of the parental absenteeism--no fits or tantrums yet, though there is still time for that. He definitely has started repeating his "comfort" line "Mama coming home soon", and I keep telling him she'll be home in a day or two. Dad's doing okay too, so far! He's even remembered to brush Grafton's teeth.
Blogging Buddies
My cousin August now has a blog too! My parents have promised to read it to me everyday!
Thursday, September 2, 2010
Mmm, meat
Grafton had steak for the first time on Tue (8/30). We had a tender cut, and so we thought he could chew it easily. We cut off a few thin slices for him. Apparently, he knew exactly what it was, because when we asked him, "would you like to try some steak?" he started chanting "Meat! Meat! Meat!" He seemed to enjoy it, because he finished the first portion we gave him, and asked for more.
Where's the toothbrush?
We've been trying to teach Grafton to brush his own teeth. Mostly he just keeps the brush in his mouth and walks around with it. A few nights ago, he was in the den with his toothbrush, when Mom stepped away for a second. When she returned, Grafton no longer had the toothbrush, and Mom started looking around on the floor to see where he had dropped it. Not finding it anywhere in the den, she finally looked back in the bathroom, and as it turned out, Grafton had already placed it back in the cup where we keep it!
Fix It
Grafton's showing some new skills in taking apart and reassembling mechanical objects. He has a simple wooden car whose rear axle has a wheel that is no longer glued on. He likes to take the wheel off, pull the axle off the truck, then put it all back together. When it's apart in pieces he'll agree that we need to "fix it". More impressive was his ability to take apart and reassemble a tire gauge. At first, he was just interested in pulling out the PSI measurement "ruler" and pushing it back in. Then he realized the head of the (cheap!) tire gauge would come off (yes, a definite choking hazard). But he was able to reinstall it, which made him very happy. Then he realized that by taking off the head, he could dump out the internal spring and the ruler. Eventually he was able to reassemble all of the major pieces, sliding the spring back in, then the ruler inside the spring, and finally replaced the head. Now, the gauge doesn't exactly work anymore, but it was fun to see him figure it all out. He kept at it for a long time, repeating the steps again and again. Each time he reassembled the gauge (and the truck) he would get excited and hold up the repaired object with pride.
Funny Phrases
Grafton continues to his improve his language skills, and is talking up a storm. He's beginning to produce fairly complete sentences. For example, while reading his "Sheep in a Jeep" book, he explained to me the full story shown on one of the pages, saying something like "pigs helping sheep pull jeep from mud". There are times when he'll just go off for a full minute or so, trying to explain to us something that he's seen; sometimes we understand, sometimes we have no idea what he's saying.
He's coming up on some interesting phrases as well:
He's coming up on some interesting phrases as well:
- Daddy and Grafton went to a park, and I pointed out some shoes that were snagged up on an electrical line. This really caught his attention, and when we got back home he was describing what he saw to Mom, and told her the shoes were "high as a house"
- While at Jenya's birthday dinner, the babysitter asked him how many hands he had, and he replied "no clue"
- Whenever it's time for a new diaper, he likes to call out "New Dipah!"
- While at Target, we were looking for a xylophone for Grafton, but he found a 10-pc Collector's Edition Matchbox set, and with great excitement he pulled it off the shelf, held it up and demanded, "Buy it!" (he continued to hold it with both hands until we reached the checkout, where we had to convince him that he would get it back after paying for it)
- Also while at Target, we were looking for a stepping stool for Grafton to use in the bathroom. We found one with 2 steps, and he tried it out. After climbing to the top step, he realized he was rather high up and warned (himself) to "Be careful". (I guess we say that to him a lot!)
- Yesterday Grafton took notice that Daddy has hair on his legs, and after pulling it a bit told Daddy that he has "dirty legs"
Expensive Taste in Cars
Grafton now has twenty-one Hot Wheels/Matchbox cars. His favorite two are the 2005 Range Rover Sport and 2007 Cadillac Escalade. He likes that the Range Rover has a towing hitch on the back. By the time he's ready to drive, we'll probably be able to afford one of these cars for him--as long as it's one of the above model years!
Toddler 3
Well, as it turns out, there is currently no Toddler 2 class at Grafton's daycare center. We realized recently that Grafton is in fact in Toddler 3.
He's doing well in his new class. His teachers tell us that he's well matched with the other kids, and is communicating with them very well, and has a good understanding of what his classmates are doing. They also tell us he has a good sense of humor. He definitely seems happy with his new class, since most days when we drop him off he won't even say goodbye to us, as he gets involved in his activities pretty quickly.
He's doing well in his new class. His teachers tell us that he's well matched with the other kids, and is communicating with them very well, and has a good understanding of what his classmates are doing. They also tell us he has a good sense of humor. He definitely seems happy with his new class, since most days when we drop him off he won't even say goodbye to us, as he gets involved in his activities pretty quickly.
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