Mommy's Little Bookworm

Bedtime tonight was a rather sweet sight.

Picture Miles, naked from head to toe, standing on the toilet brushing his teeth (after his bath).  See how grown up he looks brushing his front teeth, just like Mommy and Daddy?

Picture that tiny nude butt running, giggling, into his room.  Throwing himself on his bed, covering himself with pillows, so he could not be dressed.  Pretending to sleep, though his eyes were wide open.

Picture a freshly-cloth-diapered (but otherwise still naked) toddler, asking for "ook!"*

See him reaching for two of his favorites, clapping excitedly at his favorite parts.

Watch as he opens one, and begins trying to read it to me.  Fairly well, considering he's not even two.

And then, as I sang him lullabies, he drifted off to sleep, one book tucked under each arm.

*Yes, my child speaks Librarian.

The Itsy-Bitsy Spider. . .

Went up the water spout. . .

Down came the rain and washed the spider out. . .

Out came the sun and dried up all the rain. . .

And the itsy-bitsy spider went up the spout again.

Yay!!! Best.song.ever.

More, please?

Brave

One of the best parts of motherhood, so far, has been the discovery of qualities in my child that I, as an adult, still struggle to attain.  I am so incredibly proud of Miles' innate sense of what people need, of his charisma, his dancing ability,* his absolute love for all creatures.

But, most of all, I am proud of his courage.  He is so little, and the world is so big.  And yet, he faces every new situation with enthusiasm.  That doesn't mean he isn't afraid.  He is, rather often.  In almost all new situations, he will keep a hand on me, for reassurance, until he has decided that it is safe.  But that fear never stops him from exploring.

I realized this once more last Thursday, when we visited the Children's Farm again.  On the playground, he kept returning to the swing, even though each little push terrified him.  He would ask to get down, then return to it a few minutes later, determined to try again.  In the goat pen, he once more played with the goats freely, while much older, bigger kids backed away in fear of a bite or some other imagined danger.  On the sidewalks, he ran with wild abandon from one exhibit to the next, while most children walked a half step behind parents for protection.  He explored open green spaces.  He peered inside buildings.  He petted a cow that was literally taller than me.**

I am so proud of my brave little explorer. :)

*Hell, the fact that he has way more skill in all physical activities than I'll ever have.  It's kinda sad to realize that a 19-month-old is better at catching a ball than his mother. . .

**And giggled when it made a cow pie, but that's a fairly normal reaction, I'm told, for a boy. :)

Rock!

As I have mentioned on a few occasions, Miles seems to be in love with all animals, wherever he encounters them.  Whether it's the neighbor's dog, our cat deigning to come upstairs for a few moments, or the goats at the children's farm, Miles has a deep love for all creatures.

And, as you can imagine, this love is not limited to living creatures, but also extends to stuffed animals and the like.  One of his favorites is the rocking horse he got from his grandfather for Christmas.  He loves to rock on it, shouting "Rock!" at the top of his lungs over and over again.

Yesterday afternoon, I turned on the television for a few minutes' reprieve.  I had intended to turn to Qubo, but the reception was horrific, and thus, nothing would come on.  So, I was flipping channels, trying to find anything else to entertain him for a few moments.  I stopped on each channel, only to have him shake his head and say, "uh-uh", time after time.  Until I got to PBS, and a documentary about wild horses in the Rockies.  He stared, enthralled, for a few seconds, then whispered in awe, "Rock."

We watched that documentary for a full thirty minutes before I finally turned it off. :)

Growing Up

Remember this adorable shot?  Miles was only about two months old.  It remains one of my favorite pictures of him.

Then, when he was about six months old, I took this photo for comparison.

Here he is again.  Same basket.  At 18 months old.  It's crazy to see how much he's grown, no?

My baby is growing up so quickly!

The Goat Whisperer

Tuesday morning, we met up with Miles' friends Elliot and Audri, and their mommies, for a day at the children's farm.  It's this amazing, idyllic little working farm, geared toward teaching children about farm life.  Of course, the kids are mostly interested in petting the animals and playing on the playgrounds.

Except Miles.  I don't know exactly what was going on with him that morning, but he was whiny and unhappy the entire time we were there.  I had opted to leave the stroller at home, since normally he won't sit in it for more than a minute or two at a time.  Unfortunately, that left me carrying him all morning, since he had no desire to walk at all.  I had resigned myself to the fact that Miles was not going to enjoy it at all.

And then we saw the baby goats.  Suddenly, he wanted down, to walk into the pen.  The second he came through the gate, half a dozen itty-bitty goats surrounded him, and his delight was palpable.  He petted them, and followed them.  At one point, he even sat down with them.  Several babies surrounded him, nuzzling him gently, and asking for more scratches from his little hands.  The grin never left his face.

Litany of Cuteness

I don't do these often enough, considering all of the cute things that Miles does every.single.day.  So, here is a list of some of the latest stuff.  Enjoy!

• When he rides his rocking horse, he shouts "Rock! Rock!" the entire time, and rocks so hard I'm afraid the horse is going to do a somersault. 
• He loves to cuddle with the dog.  And by 'cuddle with', I mean 'lay on'.  The dog gets him back by tickling Miles' feet via licking.  Uncontrolled giggles follow.
• Throws toys and yells "Csh!" [Crash!] when they hit the floor.  Funny when it's a ball.  Not so funny when it's Mommy's cell phone. . .
• He is thisclose to being able to put his pants on all by himself.  He still gets them twisted when he puts them over his legs, and he always forgets to pull up the back, so his butt is always hanging out.  Other than that, though, he's got it down.
• He runs to the window, yelling "Truck! Truck!" every time the garbage truck or a delivery truck drives by.  Pulling him away from the window before the truck is out of sight is absolutely impossible.
• He pats his leg, and makes kissy noises to call Dominic.  If the dog doesn't come right away, Miles says, "Doggy!" in a really growly voice.  It cracks me up.
• Miles loves to get treats (chews, really) for Dominic.  I open the cabinet, and Miles reaches in and selects two treats, which he then happily gives to the dog.  
• He calls anything sweet a "cook!" [cookie].  Even fruit. :)
• When we watch television in the morning, he loves to lounge against me.  I drink my coffee, and he sips on his milk.  It's a nice, low-key way to start our day.
• He climbs all over our bed while I get dressed in the morning, usually jumping up, and tossing himself into the pillows, yelling "csh!" the whole time.
• Alternately, he will lay down on the bed, pull the covers up to his chin and take a few deep breaths through his nose, pretending to sleep.
• When he sees me putting on deodorant, he points to it, signs please, and then raises his arms.  I tickle his armpits with it, after I've put the lid on.
• If you ask him if he's stinky, he'll sniff really loudly.  If he really is stinky, he'll follow that up with "yesh".
• He now says "maa-maw", when he wants to talk to grandma, and "g'paw" for grandpa.  It's pretty stinkin' cute.
• When you ask for a hug, Miles will curl up on your chest and cuddle in.  Melt.

Work + Toddler = Hilarity and Mess

If you didn't know this already, I am a working mom, who takes my son to work.

Yesterday, that combination was amusingly difficult.  As you can imagine, it can be that way, from time to time, what with having a toddler in an office environment.  But hey, I like a challenge.

Honestly, Miles was perfectly well behaved for most of the day.  He played quietly.  He helped me carry papers to and from the copier.  He doodled on scratch paper.  He crashed his trucks together, and danced to the music in his head, and generally was just a completely delightful child.

Until he decided he wanted to play with my computer.  While I was across the room.  The next thing I knew, he had deleted half of the audition appointments I have spent two weeks making.  I'm not even sure how.  But he did.  And they appear to be irrecoverable.  Ugh.

It was funny, though, because he was utterly proud of himself for figuring out how to get to the computer in the first place.  He sat there, proud as a peacock, grinning from ear to ear.  All I could do was sigh.

In true dramatic Miles fashion, he replied by throwing his head back and sighing.  Thanks, kid. :)

The Entertainer

Yesterday morning, we went to toddler story time at a local library.  Since it's designed for toddlers, the format included lots of music and finger plays, with two short stories.  It's supposed to encourage the kids to get up and move a little.

So, I was floored to see the almost perfect circle of almost perfectly behaved toddlers, sitting quietly in their moms' laps the entire time.  Seriously, these kids, none of whom was more than two years old, sat quietly, just enjoying the show.

Meanwhile, my adorable son stood up right away, and decided that the center of the circle was a stage.  He danced.  He jumped.  He spun in circles.  In short, he performed for the other kids and their moms.  Occasionally, he would run around the perimeter, trying to get the other kids to join him, but to no avail.  It didn't seem to worry Miles, though.  He just went back to performing, completely comfortable with having the spotlight all to himself.  And at the end of each song, all of the toddlers would clap.

And Miles would toss both arms in the air for a moment, as if to say, "Ta da!"

Best.kid.ever.

Tuuuuck.

So, yesterday, Miles and I went to Target to pick out a birthday present for Daddy from Miles.  Given Miles' complete hatred of most shopping excursions, I have to admit that I was expecting the worst.  I had no idea what I was in for.

We were without a cart.  For some reason, Miles has decided that the primary use of a shopping cart is to dive out of it.  Several times, I have managed to somehow catch my son mere seconds before he crashes into the floor.  Somehow, motherhood has turned me into some sort of disaster-sensing ninja with lightning-fast reflexes.  Highly useful, considering my child seems determined to bash his head on . . . well, any and every hard surface in sight.  In any case, I've found that, as long as we're not in a hurry to get anywhere particular, it's highly preferable to just allow Miles to walk.

There we were, meandering through the store, just the two of us: Miles darting off to look at the wall of TV's or display robot in the toy section, Mommy trying desperately to keep him from pulling all of the nicely-folded polos off of the racks.  Still, for the most part, it was a far calmer excursion than most.

Eventually, we had our items, and began making our way toward the checkout.  Halfway to the front of the store, Miles suddenly veered off into the women's clothing.  As soon as his feet touched carpet, though, he carefully laid down, then rolled over.  He flung a hand dramatically over his head, and said,

"I tuck."

For a moment, all I could do was stare at him with an open mouth, thinking,  "Wha. . .?!?!?"  Laughter bubbled up and out, before I could stop it.  After a few seconds, I managed to ask, "You're what?"

"I tuuuuck," he repeated, drawing it out for maximum theatrical effect.

"You're stuck?" I guessed.

"Ess. I tuuuuuuuuuuuck."

I leaned over, and tried to pick him up.  Toddlers have this neat trick where they turn into really heavy, but really limp spaghetti; he did that, all the while pointing down, shaking his head, saying, "Uh uh! Uh uh!"  I put him back down.  He carefully, but dramatically, threw himself back to the floor.

"I tuck."

Not knowing what else to do, I walked a few steps away, out of his eyesight, but where I could still see his shoes.  Sure enough, he caught up to me a few seconds later, chattering on as though nothing had happened.  Twenty steps later, he fell to the floor again, this time in the middle of the main aisle.

"I tuck."

It took half an hour to travel the fifty feet or so to the registers.  I couldn't help but laugh.

Focusing on the Positive

In a week that has been filled with such joys as a broken engine, a teething toddler, and a Highly Stressful Work Environment, it would be easy to whine today.  In fact, part of me wants nothing more than to do just that.  But, whining solves nothing, so instead, I'm going to try making a list of the cute things Miles has done lately.  Those usually cheer me up. :)

• "Reading".  Miles will sit in the recliner in his room (where we usually read to him), and pull books off the shelf.  He will turn the pages and point to pictures, and occasionally, 'read' it aloud.  I am thrilled beyond belief at his obvious love of books.
• Blowing kisses.  It's his way of saying, "I love you," and it melts my heart every.single.time, even if I'm not on the receiving end.
• Playing his toy guitar.  For Christmas, Miles got an toy electric guitar that plays five or six classic rock songs.  In our recent toy cycling, the guitar came out (and the annoying piano thing got put away - yay!).  Miles has been carrying his guitar around, playing it, and then dancing to the music.
• 'Helping' me at work.  Miles likes to sit on the corner of my desk and rearrange the papers and other items in my paper trays.  Luckily, at this point in the season, they're relatively empty.  :)
• He also enjoys taking dictation.  I will hand him some paper and a crayon or pencil, and he will scribble on the paper while I talk.  If I stop talking, he stops writing, and looks at me, as if to say, "Is that all?"
• High fives.  Last night, we had our first audition workshop for the kids' group that I direct.  Miles came and hung out with Daddy for most of the night, but he would occasionally grace us with his presence long enough to do a little dance, blow a little fire, and run around giving absolutely everyone a high five. The girls in my group were positively smitten with him.
• Pretending to drink out of empty cups.  He will tip them all the way back, as though he is sucking out the last drops, and then puts the cup down, smacks his lips, and says "Ahhhh!"
• Actually drinking out of open-top cups.  If you put a tiny bit of water into the bottom of a cup, he will drink it.  Only about half ends up on the floor.  "Ahhhh!" is still an important part of the process.
• Swimming in the bathtub.  He loves to lay on his belly and kick his feet, and swim with his arms.  No idea how he knows the proper arm movements for swimming, but he does.  I can't wait to get this kid back in the pool this summer. :)
• Helping with absolutely everything.  Taking trash to the trash can.  Wiping up spilled milk off the table.  Choosing his own clothes (out of two options).  The juice ritual.  Vacuuming.  Putting toys away.  Turning the television on.  Putting the dog in the kennel when we leave.
• Knowing when I need a cuddle.  This week has been rough.  Miles knows that, and is trying to help me by crawling into my lap for a much-needed cuddle that sometimes stretches into twenty minutes or more.  Part of it is his own discomfort, I know, but it sure is nice to have those cuddles on a bad day.
• Chasing the dog with a giant green balloon.  I don't know why, but he's decided this is fun.  Luckily, the dog agrees, and they play this game with wild abandon back and forth across the living room.  It's all I can do to just sit and giggle the entire time.
• Watching the "Cucks!" [trucks].  Whether it's the garbage truck, or a delivery truck, or an 18-wheeler, this kid loves his trucks.  He gets so excited to see them.
• Having conversations.  When I'm working in the kitchen, he will come in, and lean on the doorway or wall and talk to me.  Just like Bethany and Stacey do when I am cooking dinner.  This usually ends when he gets distracted by trying to help me.
• Pointing at all sorts of things.  If a regular point doesn't elicit the correct response, he will turn his hand sideways, upside down, and all sorts of random angles in an attempt to more accurately point at whatever it is.
• Clearly saying all sorts of new words, complete with ending sounds.  Some favorites include: hat, hot, T<raspberry> [TV], up, cup, pease [please], shuce [shoes], cat, light, taytu [thank you], owsi [outside], dat [that], esh [yes], and essue [bless you].

Science Museum

Saturday morning, Miles and I made the twenty minute trek to our nearest science museum.  We played in water, and did several other fun things.  Then, I remembered I had the camera.  So, here is an overview of our adventures. Enjoy! :)

Playing at the train table in the toddler room.

Wearing a foam ring as a crown. Still in the toddler room.

The truck at the indoor playground.  We played here for quite
awhile, as well.

Playing with the magnetic gears.  He had a great time figuring
out how they worked.  So cute. :)

Riding the glass elevator.  He loved watching everything go by,
and the doors that wrapped around as they opened and closed.

And playing in the musical garden.  The rock garden sang,
the floor is a piano, and the trash cans are drums.  It was
the perfect place for my mini-musician. :)

Blowing Fire

So, I may have mentioned that my child occasionally watches that evil device known as a television, right?  Well, his favorite show is a beautiful little cartoon called, "Jane and the Dragon".  It's about a young girl, destined to be a lady-in-waiting, who has managed to earn the right to train for knighthood.  Her best friend is a full-sized, fire-breathing, snarky dragon.  This show is pure genius, in so many ways.  But, that's not the point.

The point is that this adorable show has been the catalyst for Miles' very first bout of pretend play.  He adores the show, and often gets very excited and jumps up when Dragon comes on the screen.  The other day, Dragon got really frustrated with a situation, and threw his head back, exhaling a stream of flame into the air.  Miles immediately threw his head back, exhaling sharply out of his lower lip.

I gasped.  I must have, because he turned to look at me.  "Miles?" I asked, "are you blowing fire like Dragon?"  He grinned, and did it again.  Since then, whenever he is frustrated with the world, he throws his head back and 'breathes fire'.

Then, on Tuesday, as Dragon flew off into the sky at the end of the episode, Miles threw his arms out to the sides, flapping them up and down like wings, and ran around the room, blowing fire.  He was pretending to be Dragon.

And they tried to make me feel guilty for letting him watch TV. :)

I Heart the Mall

Like, big, pink, puffy, middle-school girl-with-a-crush hearts.  And possibly flowers, too.  Which is funny, since yesterday I talked about my hatred of shopping.  And under normal circumstances, I hate the mall with the fire of a thousand burning suns.  But, on a weekday, an hour before any of the stores open, it's simply a big, open, warm place to take a walk with my crazy-busy, active toddler.

So, at nine o'clock yesterday morning, I bundled Miles into the van and drove the half mile or so to the mall.  I took the stroller in, but for most of the morning, he walked beside me, running at times to keep up with my rather rapid pace.*  We stopped at the coffee shop inside the bookstore (one of the very few stores open at that ungodly hour), where I purchased a chai for me, and a blueberry scone for us to share.  And then, we walked the mall.  Like a pair of weight-conscious baby-boomers.  Except cuter.  Every few steps, Miles would stop and ask "more, please" and I would give him another bite of scone, and he would sign "thank you" (from his ear, but whatever, his mouth was busy chewing).  And then, we would continue walking, and nibbling, sipping our respective drinks, just chatting and enjoying one another's company.

Yeah, I can totally dig on the mall.

*I try to slow down for him, I really do.  It just doesn't always work very well . . .

Cuteness Update

Newest cute things that Miles is doing:

• Praying.  Before lunch on Thursday, he folded his hands and bowed his head, and said a little gibberish prayer.  Talk about a proud mommy moment.
• Blowing on things.  He purses his lips and blows air out his bottom lip.  Most of the air goes up his nose and ruffles his hair, but he is so proud of himself. :)
• Saying, "bananananana" for the first time.  Once he gets going, he forgets to stop, though.  :)
• Giving hugs to the other young children at open gym.
• Wrestling with the dog.  They both lay down on the couch and roll around, Dominic licking Miles' face and arms, Miles giggling uncontrollably.
• Using phrases, particularly, "I want this." (Usually in regards to something he can't have, but hey, it's cute.)
• Showing his "cheese face" when asking please.  You can tell that he totally knows he's adorable, and he's milking it for all it's worth.
• Doubling over in pretend laughter whenever someone else laughs.  He even does this if a TV show has a laugh track.  It's so obviously fake that everyone around him laughs, too.
• Starting every string of gibberish with, "Ummmm . . ." and a sigh.  Like he's bringing up a difficult subject.
• Miles has a plastic dinosaur named Charlie.  Charlie has started nomming on people's legs when Miles needs attention.
• Using his toy keys to try to lock the front door.
• Sitting in his little chair that he inherited from Daddy's childhood.
• Using every appropriately-sized card like a debit card.
• Paying the cashier at every store.
• Trying to put on shoes.  His are too difficult to put on by himself, but Aunt B's are really easy.  Walking in them is not so easy, though . . .