Even More Random Observations

Some more random observations:

Felix has a calendar, and every morning he enjoys putting a star on the new day. This has led to some productive discussions about dates and so forth. The other day, as we were leaving school....

F: Good night, Miss Alex. Good night, Paula. Good night, Ford. Good night, Ian. See you tomorrow. Tomorrow will be Wednesday, February 28. Wednesday, February 28 is the last day of the month.

Miss Alex's jaw just about hit the floor.

* * *

At night, Felix is developing some amazing stalling techniques. Usually this consists of an urgent summons and then the whispered conveyance of some arcane fact. His memory is astonishing, though: often he'll discuss things that happened six weeks or even six months ago....

F: Daddy! Daddy!
K: What, Felix?
F: (whispering) You went to the mall and you rode a 136 bus [ed's note: actually a 36 bus] away from Ainslie. There were elevators there. There were alligators [escalators] and there were elevators.

* * *

We also talk a lot about manners. The other morning as we were leaving the building, a bus pulled into the stop. I really didn't want to miss it....

K: (shouting, running with Felix tucked under his arm like a football) Stop the bus! Stop it!

Someone at the stop told the driver we were coming and we made it on board. After we took our seats....

F: I said, "Stop the bus!" That wasn't very nice. [We've talked about how saying "stop" and "no" to your family is bad manners.]
K: Do you think I was rude because I didn't say "please"?
F: Yes.
K: You're right, I should have said, "Stop the bus, please!"

When we got to our stop, the driver opened the front door and let someone on, then started to pull out. We were at the back door of a double-length bus.

K: (shouting) Open the back door, please! Back door!

The driver stopped, opened the door, and we walked to the curb.

F: I said, "Open the back door!"
K: Was I polite that time?
F: No.
K: I said, "please." But I had to shout because otherwise the bus driver wouldn't hear me.
F: That wasn't polite.

* * *

The Designated Drinker, Jr.

Last Thanksgiving, we gave Felix his own tiny cocktail glass and some sparkling cider. He loved making toasts so much that, to this day, he will make a toast at the drop of a hat -- and it doesn't have to be with drinks, either. He'll toast you with a piece of toast. Anyway, the other day, he remarked....

F: You like to drink out of a cocktail glass.

And the other morning, he told Marya....

F: You want to make daddy a cocktail.
M: It's a little bit early. But maybe we can make him a cocktail later in the day.

* * *

Today, March 4, Felix strummed first a ukulele, then a guitar, while singing a few lines from "Never Did No Wandering" (from the "Mighty Wind" soundtrack). He doesn't know any chords, but just the act of singing and strumming together seemed significant. He even drew out the last line, "Never did no wanderin' after...allllllllll....."

* * *

From time to time, both kids surprise us by doing things we didn't know they could do. Yesterday, I was playing with Cosmo and he just casually started stacking blocks. They were cardboard blocks, too, the kind that are open on one end so they can nest -- and he even turned them so the opening faced down. And today, Felix put on his own jacket. Another, "Hey, I didn't know you could do that!"

* * *

Felix is turning into quite the jokester. Frequently, he'll simply invert something....

K: It's time to go potty.
F: It's NOT time to go potty!

...which, frankly, isn't all that funny. But tonight, he looked at his fruit salad and said....

F: This is a honey-DON'T melon.

* * *

Felix got into a star-sticker frenzy tonight. First, he put a sticker on my forehead, then Marya's, then Cosmo's. Then his plastic aardvark. Then each of our chairs. Then the couch.

F: I never seen a blue star on a couch before -- it must be wacky around here!

Then he came back to my chair, a little sticker-drunk.

F: You want to put a sticker on daddy's -- you already put a sticker on daddy's chair.

Then....

F: This aardvark must want a star. [another of his aardvark family]

* * *

Poor Cosmo gets short schrift here because it's easier and more entertaining to report Felix's blossoming conversational skills. But Cosmo is chugging right along. He's taking several steps at a time, once in a while a half dozen. He can climb like a monkey -- he almost got up on the window sill the other day. And he's hilariously headstrong. If Felix tackles someone, Cosmo takes a few steps and launches himself right after. He takes a beating pretty regularly -- Felix will sit on him on purpose and by accident -- but dusts himself off pretty well. In a couple of years I think he'll be holding his own. And we can't wait. Keeping the two separated -- Felix doesn't want Cosmo to play with his toys just as badly as Cosmo wants to play with his toys -- takes a lot out of us.

I think Marya's going to post some pictures now.