Category Archives: Toddler Age

Paul’s Reading

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I like to read and I’ve been wanting to make reading with Paul a special project, so I decided to read 1000 different books with Paul before he starts kindergarten. I started last December, and I though it would be hard. 1000 book sounds like a lot! But just a few months later, we’re almost to 300. It’s so easy to add a few more picture books to the library bag when we’re there, and Paul has loved going through all the books and finding new favorites. We read most books (of those 300) more than three times before returning them to the library, and a handful each week are read more than a dozen times. He loves to read!

I’ve been taking lots of videos of Paul reading his books. Here are just two. The first is the very first one I took, back in January, when I found him, unexpectedly, emptying the library bag to read the books himself. Paul is reading an opposite book and Little Boy by Allison McGhee. That second book refers to a big box on each page, and I think I can hear Paul saying “big box.” Video taken January 25, 2010.

And then, here is my absolute favorite video. Paul is reading himself Chicka Chicka Bom Boom. He loves the pages at the beginning and end with the letters. And you’ll notice his sensitivity to others: he kisses the letters better when they get ouchies. His favorite letter is blacked-eyed P. He also loves BOOMing. Video taken about April 2, 2010.

Cache River Wild Life Area (AKA Jumping in Puddles)

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It has been a long time since our family went anywhere, so we took advantage of the no Sunday responsibilities weekend on Easter and drove to southern Illinois to the Cache River Wild Life Area — a state park. Mommy and Daddy took some pictures and Paul enjoyed going for walks and jumping in puddles. Mommy really wanted to see an Easter sunrise and she got her wish!

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About to Jump (taken April 3, 2010 by Mommy)

We also gave him a (very cheap) digital camera and he had fun taking some of his own pictures.

Nice job, Paul!

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(I would say maybe he needs practice focusing, but I promise, this camera is so cheap I don’t know if better focus is possible!!)

Paul’s New Word (AKA Toilet Humor Has Begun Already)

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Ryan and I watched a movie one night a few weeks ago called Parenthood in which an eight-year-old boy was singing a song he’d made up about diarrhea. For some reason, Ryan brought it up during dinner, I think to rub in the fact that some day our little boy will be creating his own creative songs about bodily functions and waste.

“Diarrhea!” Paul laughed, since he could see it made us laugh too.

That would have been fine. OK, one day of a new word. Then suddenly, last night at dinner, two weeks later, in the middle of his bite of pizza, Paul called out very loudly, “Diarrhea!” Without any reminder, he suddenly remembered his new word!

Since he kept saying his new word very loudly, in a moment of brilliance insanity, Mommy decided to take the matter in her own hands and explain just why diarrhea isn’t a word we talk about at the dinner table. After all, Paul didn’t even know what it was! Surely he’d be disgusted to realize he’d been talking about poop.

Unfortunately, Mommy’s plan failed miserable, as you can probably figure out. The rest of dinner was filled with Paul’s conversation thus:

“DIARRHEA! Diarrhea is icky poop. Really icky poop. DIARRHEA! DIARRHEA! Icky poop. DIARRHEA!”

And then, of course, after dinner, Paul wanted the diarrhea to come out. He sat on the toilet for 10 minutes saying, “Diarrhea! Come out!” Hey, at least he’s back to sitting on the toilet!

Great. I thought I had a few years before Cub Scouts’ toilet talk. Apparently, it has begun.

Happy Boy

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I was talking pictures of every room in the house for our home inventory file and Paul thought he’d smile for the camera. We’ve been playing outside for hours every day this week, and we’re in today because of snow! Boo hoo, Chicago!

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“Take a picture of my train too, Mommy!”

Ouchies

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(1) While carrying the step stool across the bedroom, Paul tripped. His chin and neck landed on the stool’s corner. Ouchie!

(2) Paul decided to try to talk on the pay phone at the library, despite my calls to come back right now! When he reached for the receiver, it fell and hit him in the nose. Ouchie!

(3) Paul likes to sit on the rocking ottoman in his room and look out the window at the world. The other day, he fell off and the ottoman tipped on top of him, cutting his leg. Ouchie!

(4) I was a big meanie and before Paul’s bath, I took off the bandaid from ouchie number 3. This was, apparently, the biggest outchie of all. He cried like you couldn’t believe, yelling “Ouchie! Ouchie!”

Note: All of these ouchies were on the same day. It was just a bad day, I guess.

Why Do I Love This Picture So Much?

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Painted by Paul, February 2010

I am not a “post it on the fridge Mom,” probably because my mother never was. But this painting by my son has been in the place of honor for weeks. I love it.

Paul asked me to take a turn, so I added the red border around it. He did the rest. I love how the colors are washed out in the middle. I love the vibrancy of the purple and the green (it doesn’t show up well in the scan). I just love knowing how much fun Paul had in painting it. It is his masterpiece for age 2 and a half.

From the Mouth of Babes…

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(1)

The other day, as I drove to deliver cookies to my friend for her birthday, I saw my reflection in the rearview mirror.

“Oh,” I said aloud. “I forgot to put on makeup this morning.”

Paul’s response: “Uh oh, Mommy! Go home and get makeup! Uh oh!”

(2)

As I lead Paul upstairs for bed, Paul likes to bid farewell to everything he says.

Paul: “Bye bye cars! Bye bye books! Bye bye fridge! Bye bye flowers! Bye bye stairs! Bye bye Jesus [in a picture]! “

(3)

If my prayer gets too long, Paul helps me out.

Paul: “In the name of Jesus Christ, Amen. AMEN! AMEN!”

(4)

Paul has a new favorite word. From the sample conversations below, see me if you can figure out what it is.

Mommy: “Do you want to sit on the toilet?”

Paul: “Icky toilet!”

Later: “Let’s change your diaper!”

Paul: “Icky poop!”

Later: “Daddy might come home tomorrow!”

Paul: “Icky Daddy!”

Later: “Do you want some goldfish for your snack?”

Paul: “Icky Goldfish!”

(5)

Paul is a very compassionate two-year-old. If I bump my arm against something (for example) and exclaim “ouch,” he runs to me and kisses it better. When he sees the picture in his book of Cookie Monster crying (because the onions made his eyes water), he gives him a hug and a kiss. Paul has compassion on everyone and everything. When his cars crash against each other, he kisses them better.

Toilet Training Success Stories Wanted

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Given Paul’s interest in Baby Doll’s toilet training, I’m considering beginning his own toilet training come the first of February. But I’d love to know your ideas for helping it go well. No promises I’ll try your method, but please share away!

Of course, that would assume there are people still reading my bog after months of silence. If not, I understand. My life is only so interesting, as this post demonstrates.

Baby’s Doll’s Toilet Training and Other Adventures

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My son has a doll. You met him in December in an adorable picture last month. I think it’s about time I share his story.

Baby Doll joined our family back in May. I attended a local garage sale with Paul in tow, and when Paul saw the doll on the edge of a display blanket, he immediately was taken in: “Baby! Baby!” One dollar later, and Baby Doll had joined our family. We took him home, changed his clothes (because the pink was a bit too girly for Baby Doll’s preferences), and Paul promptly forgot about him.

Throughout the summer, Baby Doll occasionally appeared. “Baby!” Paul would say, rocking the doll for a few minutes before dropping him on the floor.

In early November, something changed. Paul started walking around with Baby Doll. We had not at that point given the doll a name (after all, Paul mostly ignored it) but Paul had no problems calling it Baby Doll or Doll. “Doll” does rhyme with “Paul” so it probably seemed natural for Paul to have a little friend with a name almost like his own.

Around Thanksgiving, Paul made a new discovery: if he pulled off the clothes, Baby Doll did not have a diaper on! Oh no! He was very upset, and we had to add a diaper so he wouldn’t be so upset. I think Paul had entered a new stage of his own awareness at that point, so it seemed appropriate.

But a few weeks after that, Baby Doll entered yet another stage of life: toilet training. Paul occassionally sits on the toilet. Sometimes he’s excited to do so. Sometimes he is successful. Sometimes immediately after wetting his diaper he runs up to me saying “Toilet! Toilet!” But he has not been interested in being “toilet trained.”

Baby Doll, however, has been toilet training since December. Some days Doll forgets completely and stays in the toy chest. Other days, Baby Doll must sit on the toilet every five minutes all day long. Paul is the spearhead of this endeavor. Baby Doll is always successful, even sitting on every toilet in the house every five minutes for four hours at a time.

It’s a very rewarding thing to help Baby Doll. Paul loves to cheer “yeay!” when Baby Doll let the pee into the toilet. I always ask “do you want to sit on the toilet too, Paul?” The answer is normally “No.” But I’m feeling hopeful.

Paul likes to change Baby Doll’s clothes. This began when Baby Doll’s other clothes fell in the toilet and I had to go find the box of baby clothes to change him (because, of course, Paul was upset that baby doll had no clothes on). Paul gets upset when his little 3-year-old nursery friend comes to visit and takes off all of Baby Doll’s clothes (and diaper!!). He cries and wants Baby Doll back. Then, of course, he forgets about Baby Doll for days.

Paul realized a few weeks ago that Baby Doll has marker on his head. He doesn’t understand why we can’t wash it off, since all of our markers are washable.

Baby Doll doesn’t have a different name. As I said, “Doll” rhymes with “Paul.” Any name at this point would be bit affected, I think.

So, how do I take Baby Doll’s toilet training and make it Paul’s toilet training? I’m calling for success stories at my website. I’d love to hear your ideas!