When Dad is working out on the elliptical trainer, Grafton comes running down and joins in by running laps around the staircase in the basement. Not just 2 or 3 times. More like 90. Seriously. He has run laps for 15 minutes straight, at about 10 seconds per lap. Without stopping once. I couldn't believe it the first time I saw him do this. He kept telling me we weren't going to stop until the "race was over."
When Dad is not working out, Grafton will have me time him with a stopwatch. He can hold 6-7 seconds per lap for 10 or so laps.
If Dad can get him to exert this level of effort on a hiking trail, we could start working out together on a regular basis.
Thursday, November 29, 2012
Friday, November 23, 2012
Sunday, September 30, 2012
Twitter over Blogger?
With the amount of time I have to blog these days, I should probably just start a twitter account for Grafton, because this is about all I have time to jot down:
Grafton is now:
Grafton is now:
- Willing to pee standing up, toilet height permitting (thanks to his buddy Kayden)
- Checking himself in at daycare on the computer using the mouse
- Able to tie a simple overhand knot
- Learning how to ice skate (2 lessons under his belt); he can shuffle around and get up by himself after falling down.
Thursday, August 23, 2012
Bare Mountain
Dad was on daycare pickup duty today, as Mom was away on a work trip. So as usual, when Mom's away the boys will play. This time, Grafton and Dad decided to spend their evening together hiking up Bare Mountain. When I told him the mountain's name, he said "it has that name because there are a lot of bears on this mountain!" I explained that fortunately this wasn't the case, and that its name was due to its (mostly) bald summit.
It's a fairly rocky trail with lots of big rocks to climb up and over, but Grafton did really well. He got a little tired near the end, and started resisting the idea of making it to the top. But he responded well to my encouragement that the summit was getting close. And he made it to the top on his own. We held hands over the tricky spots.
He really enjoyed the view at the top! I remember him telling me (in one form or another), "Dad, you said it would be good!" Meaning that he agreed. We saw the quarry down below, as well as the parking lot where our car was waiting for us. I think he was impressed by the vertical distance between us and the parking lot. He asked what the buildings in the distance were (UMass), and I pointed out where Ivorie, Grahm, and Sawyer's house was, on a distant hillside. And we looked across to Mt. Norwottuck, whose peak was nearly level with our own.
Unfortunately, the bugs were pretty bad at the summit, so we stayed for only a few minutes, and started heading down.
As we began our descent, I asked if he wanted to climb Mt. Norwottuck on our next hike. He said he would and then commented, "and then when we get to the top, we can look over to this mountain and see it from over there." I thought that was a very insightful comment from my little hiker-in-training.
On the descent, we talked a bit about rocks and lava and what the earth is made of, and he seemed genuinely interested. I wish I had recorded him saying the word "geology." It was very cute.
Grafton was getting tired though, and on the way down he started getting a little silly and less careful with his footing. After a few missteps and slips, I took his hand and explained how important it is to be careful when you're out hiking, trying to make him understand that it's hard to get help out here if you get hurt! It seemed to work, and he focused the whole way down. And I held his hand the whole way. Well right up until the bottom, where I thought he would be fine. And then he fell again. A little more dirt on the knees, but no damage done, and we walked hand-in-hand back to the car.
We stopped at the Village Commons on the way home for a bathroom break and, more importantly, to catch the last evening concert of the summer. And there we ran into his friend Landon and his family! After some craziness with his friend, and a carrot & Clif Bar snack, we headed home for dinner and bed time.
It's a fairly rocky trail with lots of big rocks to climb up and over, but Grafton did really well. He got a little tired near the end, and started resisting the idea of making it to the top. But he responded well to my encouragement that the summit was getting close. And he made it to the top on his own. We held hands over the tricky spots.
He really enjoyed the view at the top! I remember him telling me (in one form or another), "Dad, you said it would be good!" Meaning that he agreed. We saw the quarry down below, as well as the parking lot where our car was waiting for us. I think he was impressed by the vertical distance between us and the parking lot. He asked what the buildings in the distance were (UMass), and I pointed out where Ivorie, Grahm, and Sawyer's house was, on a distant hillside. And we looked across to Mt. Norwottuck, whose peak was nearly level with our own.
As we began our descent, I asked if he wanted to climb Mt. Norwottuck on our next hike. He said he would and then commented, "and then when we get to the top, we can look over to this mountain and see it from over there." I thought that was a very insightful comment from my little hiker-in-training.
On the descent, we talked a bit about rocks and lava and what the earth is made of, and he seemed genuinely interested. I wish I had recorded him saying the word "geology." It was very cute.
Grafton was getting tired though, and on the way down he started getting a little silly and less careful with his footing. After a few missteps and slips, I took his hand and explained how important it is to be careful when you're out hiking, trying to make him understand that it's hard to get help out here if you get hurt! It seemed to work, and he focused the whole way down. And I held his hand the whole way. Well right up until the bottom, where I thought he would be fine. And then he fell again. A little more dirt on the knees, but no damage done, and we walked hand-in-hand back to the car.
We stopped at the Village Commons on the way home for a bathroom break and, more importantly, to catch the last evening concert of the summer. And there we ran into his friend Landon and his family! After some craziness with his friend, and a carrot & Clif Bar snack, we headed home for dinner and bed time.
Saturday, August 11, 2012
Two Wheelin' Time
When these come off...
and two helpful hands take their place...
and then let go...
here's what happens...
(And, here's what's next.)
Oh, and here are some photos.
Way to Grafton! Keep on ridin' and keep the rubber side down!
Friday, July 6, 2012
Capsized!
As it seems to happen every year in the Pioneer Valley, the heat and humidity rolls in right around July 4th. Today was the 6th, and so, as expected, the weather was hot and more than a little muggy. A perfect day for an evening swim! Mom was away on a work trip so it was just "the boys".
Now it's been only a week since Grafton got the hang of being in the water on his own. That is to say, he's finally happy to float around without having to hang on to one of his parents. Last weekend, he simply lost his fear of the water when he realized he could move himself around the pool (Dad missed it, but Mom was there). He now uses a kicking motion that can't quite be called "swimming", and it looks an awful lot like walking, since he still refuses to make use of his arms. But he's getting there!
This evening Grafton willingly slipped into his life vest without complaint. He had outright refused to wear this contraption up until just two days ago. He was clearly eager to get back in the water, which I was very happy to see. We had fun with our normal routine of aquatic games: Tummy "water skiing", "8 foot vertical catapult & catch", Marco-Polo (and Grafton's version, Lolly-Lolo), and Max Liquidator water warfare. Next, we took out the triangular raft so we could do some white water rafting. With Grafton on top, holding on to the two handholds, I pushed him around as fast I could and emulated white water rapids by bouncing him up and down. He loved it. But this sport is not for the faint of heart! Those class 5 rapids can be a doozy. And before either of us could see it coming, the raft flipped over, tossed Grafton head over heels, submerging him fully underneath the water. For the first time. Uh oh. He surfaced after a few seconds with the help of his life vest and his Dad's rescuing arms. I was sure the water streaming down his face was masking the tears that must already be flowing. His eyes were wide open and staring back at me in shock, and I immediately worried he was choking on water. His mouth was closed, but I was hoping he would cough up some water and everything would then be fine. Instead, he wiped his face, opened his mouth and yelled out, "That was COOL! Let's do it again!"
Phew. I thought I had just killed his enthusiasm for the water once and for all. But clearly, he loves it. I'm confident we'll have Grafton swimming for real, sans flotation devices, by the end of the summer.
Now it's been only a week since Grafton got the hang of being in the water on his own. That is to say, he's finally happy to float around without having to hang on to one of his parents. Last weekend, he simply lost his fear of the water when he realized he could move himself around the pool (Dad missed it, but Mom was there). He now uses a kicking motion that can't quite be called "swimming", and it looks an awful lot like walking, since he still refuses to make use of his arms. But he's getting there!
This evening Grafton willingly slipped into his life vest without complaint. He had outright refused to wear this contraption up until just two days ago. He was clearly eager to get back in the water, which I was very happy to see. We had fun with our normal routine of aquatic games: Tummy "water skiing", "8 foot vertical catapult & catch", Marco-Polo (and Grafton's version, Lolly-Lolo), and Max Liquidator water warfare. Next, we took out the triangular raft so we could do some white water rafting. With Grafton on top, holding on to the two handholds, I pushed him around as fast I could and emulated white water rapids by bouncing him up and down. He loved it. But this sport is not for the faint of heart! Those class 5 rapids can be a doozy. And before either of us could see it coming, the raft flipped over, tossed Grafton head over heels, submerging him fully underneath the water. For the first time. Uh oh. He surfaced after a few seconds with the help of his life vest and his Dad's rescuing arms. I was sure the water streaming down his face was masking the tears that must already be flowing. His eyes were wide open and staring back at me in shock, and I immediately worried he was choking on water. His mouth was closed, but I was hoping he would cough up some water and everything would then be fine. Instead, he wiped his face, opened his mouth and yelled out, "That was COOL! Let's do it again!"
Phew. I thought I had just killed his enthusiasm for the water once and for all. But clearly, he loves it. I'm confident we'll have Grafton swimming for real, sans flotation devices, by the end of the summer.
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