0, 1, 2, 3.

Happy birthday, dear Brandt.

 

Brandt’s 3rd Birthday Party

My baby boy turns 3(!) this Friday, so we celebrated with some of his little friends yesterday. Since cars of all kinds are Brandt’s passion right now, I made that the party theme–using retro aqua and red, black and white checkers, and a road painted on a white paper table cover. And since his favorite foods are yogurt, sausage, and donuts, we had the party in the morning and served breakfast.

After everyone had eaten, we took the kids down to the basement, where we had set up a pretend car wash. We used plastic sheeting (leftover from a house project) to make entrance and exit flaps, and then hung streamers and balloons in the middle, with a fan at the end to “dry” the kids off. They had a blast running through it again and again!

I had so much fun putting this together; perhaps in an alternate life I could have been a professional party planner. Brandt’s summary of the morning says it best: “It’s my favorite party!”

Pretense

Recently, Brandt’s imagination has burst forth, and I’ve had so much fun watching it. He engages in all sorts of pretend play these days. His games run along three themes: music, baseball, and transportation.

He uses anything stick-like as a bow for imaginary violins and cellos. Items he’s turned into bows include thermometers, measuring tapes, and curtain rods. Sometimes he does air violin, and sometimes he pretends his toy guitar is a violin or cello. Here, he told me he was holding his instrument on his neck (close, son), and he’s using a still-packaged curtain rod to bow:

We live across the street from a small community baseball field. During the first half of summer, Brandt constantly wanted to walk over to watch the games. His enthusiasm for the baseball players generated his first foray into dress-up. He of course needs his baseball hat, which he’s decided must be worn forward for throwing and hitting but backward for catching. Sometimes, though, a plastic firefighter hat makes a superb baseball helmet. Then he adds whatever accessories he deems necessary for the game: sunglasses, Daddy’s work glove, even an airplane held between the teeth. Once attired for the game, his play is punctuated with shouts of, “Run!”, ” Safe!”, “Field!”, “Home run!”, and “Going, going, gone!”

If frequency gives any indication, his favorite imaginary realm is filled with things that go. We build construction machines out of any sort of blocks – bristle blocks, Mega blocks, wooden blocks. Brandt tells me what we should build (“tuck dum,” “excalalaler,” “mint kicker,” and so forth*). I devise a sturdy base suitable to his truck of choice. After that, Brandt overrides my attempts at realism with abundant towers and arms, getting ever more precarious. But in his eyes, the original truck is still there (usually with a seat for a doggie or a guy).

Brandt also likes to create trucks out of pillows. When he first started doing this, I thought Aaron must have shown him the idea, but Brandt actually came up with it on his own. He clambers onto our bed and starts to arrange our four pillows. He declares the vehicle he wants (“Loader!” “Fire engine!”) and solicits assistance (“Mama help”). I prop the four pillows into a square, and he gets in and out until it collapses. Then we start all over again.

The Boppy pillow also makes excellent vehicular source material. Added to the four bed pillows, it can be the drum of a cement mixer. Or, on its own, it functions as a “moker” (motorcycle). The other day, Brandt strapped his baseball hat under his chin, declared it a “holmp” (helmet), and rode that Boppy full throttle.

With a little imagination, chairs become pretend transportation, too. I showed Brandt how to line up a row of chairs as a train; he quickly realized this works just as well as a plane. He puts stuffed animals in each seat (leaving a spot for himself, of course). He or I will serve as conductor/pilot/flight attendant, calling, “All aboard!” or offering (pretend) lemonade to passengers. Good times.

What a treat to watch a little mind full of big possibilities.

*translation: dump truck, excavator, and cement mixer

At 2, You Also Like to Say and Sign “Cheese” for the Camera

Brandt, you’re 2 years old!

Mama recently had an appointment with the doctor who delivered you. The doctor talked about how vividly she remembers your birth, how dramatic it was. Honestly, I was surprised by her comments. Though your birth day was obviously dramatic and memorable for us, I assumed it may not have seemed so to someone who delivers babies for a living. But, no; this doctor thinks of your birth often.

“Most of the time,” she went on to say, “when I see babies in that situation” – faltering so desperately in the womb – “it’s too late.” Oh, how that statement pierced me. At the time of your birth, nine weeks too early and so sick, I couldn’t really let myself think about how close to death you were. Realizing two years later how perilous your premature birth actually was, I’m filled with awe for the miraculous gift of you. We waited so long to have you, and then we nearly lost you. The story could have been so different. God was so generous to give you and to spare you.

So what’s happening at this point in your story, as you turn 2? Well, you’re certainly playful and silly, like most toddlers. You love when your daddy chases and wrestles you. And you’re definitely starting to show the willfulness of a two-year-old. You have opinions about what you want to wear, what you will and won’t do. I’m finding that it helps a lot to let you make choices where I can. You can’t escape a diaper change, but you can decide whether it will happen on the couch, the floor, or the bed. You have to wear shoes, but you can pick which pair you want. Some of the battles seem so silly, but I’m trying to grow in compassion and patience as you go through this stage.

For a toddler, you’re very pensive. Several people have commented about how thoughtful and deliberate you are when you play. For instance, when you play with trucks or trains, you like to indicate in advance where you intend them to go, either by pointing or saying something like, “Up.” And just recently, you started doing something new with your shape sorters and puzzles. You grab a piece and, with a twinkle in your eye and a satisfied little grin, deliberately put it in the wrong place, shaking your head and saying a slightly sassy, sing-song-y “Nooo!” After doing this once or twice with each piece, you put it in the correct spot and clap for yourself. It’s delightful to see your mind at work, making up your own games.

Another recent development in your life is a fascination with the alphabet. A couple months ago, you suddenly started identifying the letters “I” and “O.” Then you wanted to read and re-read books featuring the alphabet. You somehow figured out the difference between letters and numbers; for a while, you would always guess “O” for letters and “8” for numbers. (This happened a lot in grocery store aisles, as you pointed at words and quantities on boxes.) Now you know almost all of the letters; you name them in just about any circumstance, not just in the regular order or in your familiar books.  It astounds and excites your book-loving mama to see your mind latch onto these rudiments of reading!

The last notable thing in your life these days that I’ll mention here is your attachment to some little stuffed friends. A few months ago, you became devoted (for no clear reason) to a stuffed bear wearing a bunny suit. “Bneee!” you call him, and he does everything with you. He sleeps with you, he plays with you, he sits at the table with you. If you’ve left him across the room and then encounter him again, you crow, “Bneee! Hiii!” Bunny also stands in as your surrogate sometimes. If you need a diaper change, you typically offer Bunny to get his diaper changed first. And you instruct Bunny in the same way I instruct you. You have held Bunny’s paw near an outlet, written on Bunny’s hand with a pen, and made Bunny throw toys, all while chiding him, “No, no.” It’s revealing to see how much you understand and comical to watch you seek to assert authority over your little inanimate pal. Second only to Bunny in companionship is a petite plush monkey, “Ah-ah.” Before every nap and bedtime, you ask for “Bnee” and “Ah-ah.” Other animals rotate through the gang; sometimes an owl (“Hoo”), sometimes a dog (“Oof-oof”), sometimes a wee chipmunk (high-pitched squeaky voice). I love the glimpses I get into the landscape of your imagination through your interactions with these “friends.”

I can’t wait to see what the coming year holds for you, my sweet boy!

Love, Mama

Little Valentine

Happy Valentine’s Day!

I wanted Brandt to send a Valentine to his grandparents this year, but I quickly realized most of the crafty valentines were a bit beyond his current skill set. Then I saw this idea and thought it would be a doable team effort for the two of us:

Source: marthastewart.com via Andrea on Pinterest

  

 

 

However, someone preferred looking at (and bending and eating) the signs I crafted for him to hold, rather than displaying them for photographing. I tried having his favorite stuffed animal hold a sign. I tried taping signs to the door for him to stand by. All I got was outtake after outtake.

I was ready to give up when Brandt decided to play a favorite game: namely, walk through a door, say “bye,” close the door, then return and repeat. “This could be magic!” I thought, and I set myself in front of the door to snap continuous pictures as he walked in and out. Magic, indeed!

A little printing, cutting, gluing, and folding later, we had cute cards for Grandma and Grandpa and Beppe and Papa.

Happy Valentine’s Day to them and to all of you!

Guitars with Daddy

We have a few guitars around our house–Aaron’s two bass guitars, a very beat-up electric guitar, and an antique Gibson acoustic guitar that belonged to Aaron’s grandpa. Brandt asks to play them regularly. While I’ll let him plunk the strings of the electric (or a bass, if Aaron’s left one out) anytime, playing guitar while plugged into the amp is a special Daddy-time activity.

And playing the Gibson? Definitely reserved for special time with Daddy! Many evenings, Brandt does ask for it (taking us by the hand to the high shelf that holds the case and pointing up), and Aaron usually pulls it out and strums a bit while Brandt plays the tuning pipe like a harmonica. They make a pretty good duo.

(I bet you didn’t know playing the mouth organ required such fierce focus.)

{embrace the camera} jan. 12

Reading bedtime stories with my boy in a daddy-made fort:

(We’re reading The Snowy Day by Ezra Jack Keats – Brandt’s “read” gift this Christmas and a big hit!)

Note from Brandt to Daddy, Who’s in New York on Business

Look what I figured out how to do yesterday while Mama took her shower!

Come home and play with me!

Love,

B

The Elephant Says, “Happy Halloween!”

 

 

We enjoyed walking our street, visiting with neighbors and friends, and Dum Dums.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

These Days

Um, hi.

First trimester + new school year + lots of miscellaneous projects = no blogging for too long! But I’m back now, feeling well at 19 weeks (more on that tomorrow), with plenty of material for writing.

Today, an update on what Brandt’s up to these days.

By the numbers (for old time’s sake): 19 months, 17 months adjusted age. size 3 diapers. size 12-18 month clothes. 16 teeth. 19.5 inch head circumference. 23 pounds. 31.5 inches tall.

I call him “Sweet Boy” all the time, because he is. He loves to snuggle as much as ever; he’ll stop in the middle of playing to come rest his head on my chest or hug my legs for a moment. Sometimes when I hold him and pat his back, he’ll pat my arm to the same rhythm. One of his favorite games right now is to grab a stuffed animal, hug and kiss it, then bring it to me (or Daddy) for hugs and kisses. He does this with baby dolls, too, if we’re at a girl friend’s house. My heart squeezes every time.

Rough and tumble boy that he is, he loves playing with cars and trucks. He’ll happily spend long stretches pushing tractors, dump trucks, cars, or trains around the house, saying “Brrrooom, brrooom” (or his version of “choo choo”, in the latter case). He has a passion for playing in the driver’s seat of our car; he screams vociferously when removed, especially if he then must suffer the indignity of his car seat. Some of his most-requested books right now feature vehicles of all sorts: Freight Train, Machines at Work, Digger Man, Let’s Go, Wheels on the Go.

He also adores music. Every morning, he walks into the living room, points at the stereo, and signs “music” until I turn it on. Then he dances! Clapping, swaying his head side to side, bouncing up and down, and – most recently – spinning in circles. He still enjoys playing our piano. If I sing “The Itsy Bitsy Spider,” he throws his hands in the air. For “The Wheels on the Bus,” he presses his finger to his cheek and says, “Sss” (anticipating the verse where the mommies on the bus say, “Sh, sh, sh”). When he’s upset, a song can almost always restore him to smiles.

The last current passion I’ll mention is the outdoors. He would go outside rain or shine, hot or cold, day or night, if only mama was game. He’ll wander our yard, picking up sticks and rocks and leaves (and picking my flowers and vegetables if I don’t watch closely). He grabs my hand and pulls me to the sidewalk for a stroll around the block. If we go for a longer walk, he likes to push the stroller. He pats his head and points to his helmet to say he wants to go for a bike ride. I already fear how stir-crazy he’ll get when we can’t go outside as much this winter!

So there you have it. Loves cuddling, going for walks, listening to music, and fast cars. What’s not to love, little one-year-old ladies?

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Whew! So many words unleashed after bottling up my writing for so long… The remainder of this post is more for my own record, a few lists of things that I want to remember Brandt liking and doing at this age:

Signs: more, water, banana, cracker, fish (often signed with cracker, to request Goldfish), eat, hot, cold, up, milk, baby (which he most often does to tell me he wants to watch a Baby Signing Time or Baby Einstein DVD), music, bird, hat, car, phone, binky (he made up his own signs for the latter two)

Words: no, mama, daddy, ball (baw), bye (bah), button (buh), more (mo), boo, boom, whoa, down (doon), spoon (poo), bowl (bow), ding, ooh, row (when singing “Row, Row, Row Your Boat”), up, all done (ah duh), door (doh), yay, go, yummy, uh oh

Sounds: moo, choo choo, vroom, roar/growl, snoring (we pretend to be asleep and then wake up), woof & pant (for dogs), wailing like a fire engine, smack smack smack spit (what a camel says!), elephant squeal, hoo (for owls), ooh ooh ah ah (for monkeys), the smack of a kiss

Favorite Foods: bananas!, crackers of all kinds, cheese, yogurt, all condiments (including salsa!), hamburgers, macaroni and cheese (the only pasta he’ll eat), craisins/raisins, apples, pears, oranges, strawberries