Rocket Ride

I finally caught Jack on camera with his imagination running rampant. Now you can experience the rocket obsession for yourself!

Rocket Ride

No Embarrassment

When we left the house this morning Jack was carrying a broken crab toy (last night’s bedmate), his magnedoodle (he is drawing again!), and a rammekin full of honey nut cheerios.  He was happy as can be wearing a Superman costume shirt under a red and black plaid jacket, with David’s bike helmet turned backward on his head so that the piece that normally braces the back of the head became a mask through which he breathed loudly a la Darth Vader.  He looked very “special,” especially considering that his hair stuck up out of the slits in the bike helmet.

My kid is awesome.  I love this stage where he has no self-consciousness.  I know it is too short a time in a person’s life and I rue the day it starts to fade (although I am still not embarrassed to goof off publicly…).

Unbelievable!

I was having issues trying to get Jack to go to sleep.  We would read our bedtime stories (three books usually) and lay down and snuggle and then he would climb all over me or kick me or hit me or whatever until either he fell asleep or I lost patience completely.  A few nights ago, after about an hour of trying to get him to go to sleep, he decided to up the ante and started stripping…I left the room and hid in the dark dining room, head in my hands, shaking with anger while listening to Jack yell for me.  David stepped in and distracted Jack, diapered and clothed him, and got him in bed.  Jack asked for me so he told him to wait there and he would get mama, then he walked out.

Here’s the unbelievable part – Jack fell asleep almost immediately.  I didn’t go into the room.  Yesterday was a similar situation – after an hour of trying to get him to sleep and fed up with being treated as a bounce house, I left the room and grudgingly asked David for help (yeah…it’s hard for me to ask for help).  He repeated his previous experiment – went in and got Jack to lay down, told him to wait for mama and walked out, closing the door behind him – and Jack fell asleep without a peep.

Tonight we changed it up.  I gave in to the awesomeness that is ‘David the natural step-parent’ and on his suggestion, I read to Jack and got him to lay down, told him I’d be back in a bit and to wait for me, then left the room.  I fluttered around outside the door for a bit waiting for him to call or cry.  I didn’t even hear a peep.  He fell asleep without making a sound.  When I looked at David he had a huge grin on his face and I guarantee he was thinking, “Yeah, I am so rocking this step parenting thing!”

I’m in awe of both the males in my house.

Grateful for imagination

Jack was not happy about getting up this morning.  From the moment he opened his eyes he was upset.  “We have to close the door!  We have to go to sleep!”  I wish, kid!  He spent the next 45 minutes or so yelling at the top of his lungs because he didn’t want to get dressed, didn’t want to watch George, dropped his piece of friendship bread, and then OMG my chocolate egg is broken and I wanted to crack it open but now I can’t!!!  Yeah, you can see how I tried to use bribery when all else failed.  And even the bribery didn’t work.

What did?  A SPACE HELMET.  I told Jack that if he got dressed he could wear the space helmet (David’s bicycle helmet) and we could go to outer space.  He changed his attitude immediately.  We got out of the door within 10 minutes.  I convinced him my car was my spaceship and we were going to take off!  He counted down to lift off at every stop sign.  He was smiling by the time we got to daycare.  I then told him he needed to find some rockets and teach his fellow astronauts about space.  Off he went to look for rockets among the daycare toys!

I lied to my kid - a huge, bald-faced, complete lie.  And I will do it again and again if it gets him out of the house in the morning and saves my sanity.

A story from Jack

There is a car and it goes into the street.
When the car goes faster it goes FASTFASTFASTFAST in the road.
And when the rocket goes up it goes way high up.
When the car goes down and crashes it turns into a dragon.
AND THEN YOU TURN INTO A SPACE RANGER!!!
And the space ranger says “and beyond!”

Flying is in, monsters are out

Jack’s imagination continues to explode.  Last week he was calling everything cylinder-shaped (from a toilet paper roll to a screwdriver) a rocket.  When he would inevitably lose one of his “rockets” he would ask me where it was.  To which I would reply, “Which rocket are you missing, honey?  Your screwdriver rocket?  Your bee rocket?  Your flashlight rocket?”  He would specify and a’hunting we would go.  We play rockets by launching them into outerspace (or “outerface,” as he says it because he has trouble with pronouncing the sc combo) and big rockets must sound louder than little rockets.  He then began (a few days ago) to take small red or orange toys and hold them underneath the rocket as the fire needed for blast off.  The letter magnets on the fridge are all now arranged as rockets.  And, if you didn’t know, we count UP to 13 before blast off ’round here (um, who taught my kid to count?).

This weekend he created the “baby chicky” game.  This involves swathing himself in blankets, sheets, or curtains and announcing, “I’m a baby chicky in the nest!  Cheep cheep!  And you’re the mommy chicky!”  This morphed a bit over a couple of days when he started hoarding his toys to create his nest.  His pseudo-rockets (comb, bee toy, screwdriver) as well as other random items are piled onto the bed, then he lays on top of them and pulls the blanket over his shoulders.  “Can you be in the nest?” he asks.  This hoarding chicky nest maker game is now a giant part of our bedtime routine.  If something is missing, he demands, “Where’s my screwdriver-nest?  Where’s my bee-nest?”  The specification of which object he is talking about has definitely stuck in his brain.

The downside to imagination is…nightmares.  Jack sleeps more fitfully now and has woken up to call for me a few times.  The most recent nightmare apparently involved monsters and aliens fighting, ”and I was sssaared, mama, ’cause they were sarrrry.”  I’m sad because Jack used to love monsters.  Not so much anymore, I guess.

Multiple personalities

A lot of parents worry that their children won’t do XYZ when they go to daycare because of how they do things at home.  I’ve heard (and sometimes shared) concerns about sleeping and eating habits.  But here is the reality: kids are better behaved at daycare.  I don’t know if it’s the herd mentality or the fact that at home he feels the need to assert his independence, but it’s pretty amazing the things Jack will do at daycare without any fuss at all.

• At home Jack runs from me when it’s diaper changing time, but at daycare he will lay down when the other kids are getting diapers changed and demand that his be changed, as well, wet or not!
• Jack fights sleep at home (unless he is *really* tired) and has very strict policies about being in his bed with only a sheet covering him.  Also, Mom must lay down with him and we can’t forget to read at least three books.  At daycare, he will ask to take a nap and lay down on the floor with toys clutched to his chest.  He rarely sleeps less than 2 hours and no snuggling or reading is necessary.
• Many a day Jack has bemoaned going to daycare, claiming that he does not want to see his friends, and then when we get there he lights up and runs off to play without giving me a second thought.
• Shoes are always a struggle.  You may all remember that I had to buy the same exact style of See Kai Run shoes in the next size up and hide the fact that they were new from Jack.  I have many other pairs of shoes for Jack, as well, which he will not wear at home but will wear at daycare.
• Jack favors cucumbers and apples and cheese at home.  At daycare he prefers corn and carrots and pasta.
• When I dance or sing at home he tells me to stop with a glare.  At daycare he is the star of the dancing/singing show!

What can you add?

Our Little Astronaut

Jack’s obsession with rockets rages on and has even expanded.  He now dictates which youtube videos of rocket launches we watch (they usually have to have a countdown, fire, and announce “we have a liftoff!”).  He will sometimes even consent to watching moon landings and shuttle orbits.  I took the opportunity Sunday night to begin educating him on our galaxy, but quickly realized I need to do some more research because I couldn’t remember the names of all the planets.  I knew there used to be nine and now there are only 8 because Pluto is now considered a dwarf planet.  (Side note: don’t you love it when they backtrack on the things you were taught in school?  Shouldn’t we all be notified by mail of the book revisions?)

Joe reminded me yesterday that Jack has had a fascination with the moon and stars since he was a baby.  This is the longest he has been interested in anything – longer than drawing and Curious George combined (although I believe the Curious George movie was the inspiration for his interests expanding to rockets).  So perhaps he will be an astronaut or astronomer!

One thing is clear – we need to get some more space-related educational materials.  My cousin recommended a movie called Space Chimps, but I think we need some more books, as well.  Any recommendations for toddler-friendly space media?

And I Quote…

Me: “Jack, why is it that every time I’m totally fed up with you, you then go and do something totally adorable?”

Jack: “Because I’m two and a half.”

Two and a half

Jack is an amazing little boy.  I’m shocked by how quickly he is maturing in so many ways!  Some of it is frustrating but it can be hilarious at the same time.  A few days ago he started using the words but and um.  Our conversations went something like this:

Jack, would you like some cheese?
But no.
Really?  Aren’t you hungry?  Maybe yogurt or raisins?
But no.
Well, why are you awake in the middle of the night if you’re not hungry?
Um, no.

I think you get the idea…

The boy is obsessed with doing things that adults around him are doing.  If I am wearing a coat, he has to wear one.  Same with shoes.  This can be annoying when he doesn’t want to wear a coat or shoes because then no one else is allowed to wear them, either.  He is clearly trying to figure out rules and order in the world around him.  It’s funny when it’s not aggravating.  It comes in handy when he wants to help with household chores.  I don’t like it so much when he gets bossy,  “Mama, you take your shoes off!”

Recent interests include planes, trains, dinosaurs, The Muppet Movie (mainly rainbows and Fozzie Bear), tools, balls, and Wii (“Look Mama, I’m playing tennis!” as he swings his dino to and fro).  He also loves to wear my shoes and carry my purse.  He is not quite as enthusiastic about monsters or pirates as he was a few months ago but they are still in the top 10.  He loves his stuffed animals and usually carries one everywhere we go (especially Big Mouse and his bunny).  He is fantastic at pretend play, acting out various scenarios with his toys and stuffed animals.

He hates shoes.  He loves his sandals, which are clearly not appropriate for this time of year, and he will consent to wearing his replacement red/brown shoes for limited periods of time before screaming to get them off.  I bought a couple other pairs of shoes and try to let him choose which shoes he wears but he is so not into it.  We have 4 pairs of See Kai Run (including the sandals), some Converse, and a pair I bought at Kohls and he will only wear the sandals and the red/brown shoes!  Is this an age thing???  I’ve been relying a lot on reverse psychology.  “Jack, we can’t go outside unless you have your shoes on.  So you stay here and I’ll see you later.  Bye bye.”  He generally straightens up and demands his shoes at that point.  I usually only pull this when he is going to have to walk.  Mostly I could care less whether he wears shoes or not, but he’s not going to be walking around our apartment complex barefoot.

Jack is neat and quite concerned about order.  He puts away his shoes when he takes them off (even when I am not paying any attention to it), asks for wipes to clean his hands when they have stray bits of food on them, pulls his “sleeping blanket” up to his neck in bed, and gets really upset if daily routines are disturbed.  When we get home from daycare, we take our coats off, then our shoes, then we sit on the couch and have milk.  When coats go on they must be buttoned or zipped, and thumbs have to make it into the designated compartment of the mitten.

After 2.5 years, Jack has finally decided that our cat Wicket is his friend.  This means that he doesn’t climb on top of him quite as often – sometimes he will sling his arm over Wicket’s back and say “He’s my friend.”  Wicket still hasn’t learned to stay away from Jack, though.  It would be a lot easier to protect him if he didn’t go running right back to Jack after we extract him from a wrestling match.

And diapers…Jack is clearly aware of what is going on in there but still refuses to consider the potty.  A couple of weekends he asked me, “Do you want a new diaper?” because he had pooped (he often asks me questions that he wants me to ask him).  When I ask him if he has peed or if he needs a new diaper, though, he replies, “No, I don’t want a new diaper.  It’s all better now.”  So I’m keeping it low pressure but talking up what big boys do and reading books on the subject.  Jack sees what goes in the toilet and likes to tear pieces of tissue off the roll to throw into the bowl.  He stands in front of his own little potty and pretends to pee.  He obviously has the right idea but is not taking the initiative.  I’m not concerned about it, though.

He is still a chatty little guy.  He will sit in his carseat on road trips and have conversations with his toys.  Sometimes he repeats things he has heard: “You don’t push your friends.” and “You sit down right here for time out.”  and “Fucking cats!” which was a mistake on my part when Wicket and Blue tripped me with their fighting underfoot.  Ever since a truck stopped for no reason on the highway, he has been repeating, “Stupid truck blocking traffic!”  Hilarious.

I’m having tons of fun with Jack.  I’m so lucky to know and nurture this kid!  He is growing into the happy, confident, creative little boy that I saw glimpses of when he was a baby.

Shoe Solution

I ended up buying a bigger pair of the shoes Jack loves so much.  A day after I placed the order on TinySoles.com his big toe rubbed a hole in the too-small pair, so it was just in time.  He either hasn’t noticed the difference with the new shoes or is happy just to be able to wear his “brown shoes” without being offered other choices first.  Thank goodness I could find the same kind; I don’t believe See Kai Run is still manufacturing that particular shoe.  Yay for old inventory!  I probably should have gotten the next few sizes…

Is this a 2 year old thing?

Jack has grown a ton in the last couple months.  He is at least an inch taller and he is growing out of his size 6 shoes.  I have stocked up on bigger shoes in 7 and 8 – some cute Converse and awesome See Kai Run shoes.  Unfortunately, Jack refuses to wear them (if I can get them on, he throws a screaming fit until I take them off).  I don’t get it.  The ends of his shoes are fraying from rubbing against his toes that are obviously getting squished in there and yet he still refuses to wear any of the 3 new pairs of shoes I bought for him.

I am not sure what to do.  He can’t wear his sandals (which still fit) in the rain!  I wonder if he has gotten attached to the color of his old shoes?  Would it work if I bought him the same shoes in the bigger size?  Any suggestions?

Growing Boy

Wow, I just realized I have only written four posts this month.  Crazy!  I don’t even know where all that time went.  I guess I’ll claim to have been sitting and doing a lot of deep thinking!

Jack seems to have gone through a growth spurt.  I didn’t really notice a change in his appearance but I did take note of the increased food consumption.  Suddenly his Medium diapers are on their last snaps and his clothing stash is pretty thin even though I just bought a bunch of summer clothes in June.  He has a few pairs of shoes that suddenly don’t fit him anymore, too.  It’s amazing how quickly toddlers go through stuff!  Of course, this all happens after his birthday party.  Isn’t that how life always goes?

I’ve been meaning to read up some more on toddler nutrition.  We still have Jack drinking whole milk but I do believe at some point we’re supposed to switch to 2% or something.  I am not too worried because Jack is good about regulating his food intake, and he still prefers mama’s milk over what he calls “chocolate milk.”  I haven’t made the switch because I vaguely remember reading an essay on staying with whole milk longer than 2 years.  Nevertheless, I’d better get on that research.  Knowing the answer will relieve my anxiety about the subject!

I was finally able to get Jack to come around on squeezable yogurt!  We found some organic yogurt in tubes and I figured the novelty would renew his interest.  He wasn’t too sure for a while there but over the last few days he has seen the light.  He asked for the yogurt last night and giggled after every sip.  He ate the whole thing.

Heard Lately

Jack was looking at his alphablocks and held it up to ask me what the picture on it was.
“That’s a pineapple,” I said.
“What’s that?” he asked.
“It’s a fruit. You eat it.”
“Pineapple fruit!” he declared, then pretended to eat the block and we both laughed.

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Saturday Jack repeatedly stretched his arm out to point and mumble a sentence that I couldn’t make out.  By the end of the day it was much clearer and I realized he was quoting Mike from Monsters, Inc. saying “Leave the puce!”  He also quoted Mr. Waternoose’s line “she’s seen too much!” and copied Boo’s yawning.

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This morning he woke up in a rather chatty mood.
“Do you like Miken?” he asked me (Miken is what he calls his Uncle Mike).
“Yes, I like Miken.”  I answered.
“He’s cuuuute!” Jack exclaimed.  Hilarious!

Future Ranger?

Jack runs to greet his daddy at the door every day when he arrives home from work.  They spend quite a bit of time passing Joe’s ranger hat back and forth, then the hat tends to go onto Jack’s talking bear (you can see it on the shelf in the background – what you can’t see is that Jack broke the poor bear’s neck). 

A few days ago Joe and Jack took a walk and Joe caught their conversation on video.  They spoke of foliose lichen and crustose lichen on the trees.  I can’t tell you how bizarre it is for me to watch the little boy who came from my body identify different types of lichen.  It gets even weirder when Jack makes me draw lichen on the magnadoodle because the highest grade I ever got in Science was a C, and that was with “help.”