The Funny Things He Says Part 2: Birthday Theme

Isaac cut into a colorful pile of playdough cake he was making me for my birthday. He pointed at a red spot. "This is the pit of the cake mommy." Then there was a long pause, "The thing about cakes is," he continued, looking up and into my eyes, "That some cakes have pits, and some do not."

Later that evening, he asked me, "What day was I born?" I answered, "You were born September 10th."  His eyes got really big. "Same day as my birthday!"

The checkout lady at the food coop asked Isaac how old he was. With a huge smile and his messy haired head thrown back, Isaac shouted, "I'm 10 o'clock!"

The Forest School

Classwork

We joined the Forest School in Prospect Park this session, and are so tickled by it. It is just so dang sweet.

An average class is like this: We all walk to the "classroom" together, quietly (hard for me, yes), and then stop to sing a song about a lark who says "cookoo". After we arrive, we play in the mud with sticks, little shovels, pails and cups of water. A hand washing song is sung, and the kids line up to swish their hands in a shiny metal bowl filled with warm water.

Snack time is awesome: There is an earthenware plate covered first with a little red checkered towel and then with crispy and sweet sliced apples. They pass around cool hibiscus tea in tiny white ceramic sake cups, and homemade bread with either butter or apple butter. Isaac always pauses as if making a great decision, and then announces, "apple butter!"

After snack we do a bit more exploring. Today we went fishing with sticks at the dog beach. We caught some dogs! There was an especially big and nice one named Lily.

We finish with a circle time full of sweet songs about nature and bugs, say bye-bye, and then play with "kites", or little bits of silk tied to sticks.

The thing that makes all this so wonderful is how incredibly gentle it is. All of the kids classes I have been to with Isaac up until this one have been really loud! This is really quiet. The singing is quiet, and the games are quiet. The exploring leaves them space to discover without rules. It's quiet enough that I notice myself, or catch myself wanting to tell Isaac to do something, and then realize he's very capable of figuring it out on his own.

Thank you Forest School!

The End of Naptime??

Lionel, Hiss, and Woofer in there all by themselves :(

Nooooooo!!!!!!!

I beg you Isaac, please please please please, don't give up on it yet. 

I might cry (daily) if you do. 

My dad said one of his big lows of parenting was when we gave up our naps. And he survived. But how?
I cannot imagine.

I'm also wondering how this old house is going to survive Isaac bouncing in his crib like a toddler piston.
Even worse, out of the crib!

Poor house! Poor me!

The Funny Things He Says

About to say something.

"Bouce!" I asked him what a bouce was and he said with a big smile, "A bouce is a bunch of girls!"

We were driving to Queens and had to make a turn through a crazy intersection where the traffic light was broken. Jeremy zoomed around at just the right time and I said, "Yaay Daddy!!", to which Isaac responded, "Was he co-oppa-waiting!?"

At the beach in the cool water, Isaac called out to the world, "Oh! Oh! Oh! Oh! Oh water, oh sky! Oh boats!, Oh fish! Oh swimming! Everything is Oh! Oh! Oh!"

We were talking about the house down the block where they were putting on a new roof. I was explaining about siding, and beams and how maybe he would see them when we walked by, and he said, "I hope the workers are wearing a shirt."

A Big Moment in the Life of a Little Baby

She found her thumb!

Satisfaction is here

Why is the Sky So Blue?

I love that he's asking questions like this!

I've been wondering when Isaac would ask!
Well, today he did.
Though funnily, he didn't ask, "Why is the sky blue?" He asked, "Why is the sky so blue." And it wasn't even all that blue. Funny little guy.

Jeremy had studied up on the subject a while ago in preparation for this moment, and explained that it had to do with the way the light is refracted through the air. Though if you want a more in depth reason, look here

I always thought it was the reflection of the oceans. Wonder who told me that!?

Breastfeeding Mommas: Be Careful of Mother's Day Massages!

It was my gift certificate from last year, and I wanted to use it up before it expired. So I went and laid down on my belly for an hour. It was a lovely massage. I felt very pampered and a little smushed. Two days later I have the beginning of mastitis! My milk duct is clogged and I feel like I have the flu.

So, the moral of the story is to use your massage gift certificate before it expires, but lie on your side and not your belly!

 And if you do get mastitis, La Leche League has some helpful stuff to say.

happier breastfeeding times ~