Monday, July 02, 2007
Monday, June 25, 2007
Monday, June 11, 2007
Thursday, May 31, 2007
Poor Gabriel
Yesterday when I went to pick Felix up after school, his teachers were telling me about the latest development in Felix's social life.
Miss Milica: Felix has a girlfriend! Felix, who is your girlfriend?
Felix: Riley!
MM: Poor Gabriel. He is going to be jealous.
F: (gleefully) Gabriel is going to be angelus!
Turns out, Felix had been crying and upset because he didn't want to go play on the playground earlier in the day (it was too hot -- the poor wilting flower). Riley gave him hugs and made him feel better. Awww....
Miss Milica: Felix has a girlfriend! Felix, who is your girlfriend?
Felix: Riley!
MM: Poor Gabriel. He is going to be jealous.
F: (gleefully) Gabriel is going to be angelus!
Turns out, Felix had been crying and upset because he didn't want to go play on the playground earlier in the day (it was too hot -- the poor wilting flower). Riley gave him hugs and made him feel better. Awww....
Thursday, May 24, 2007
Wednesday, May 23, 2007
Know Your Gas Manifolds
Strolling along Argyle Street.
F: Daddy, that is a gas manifold.
K: You're right, Felix.
F: (pointing to some old pipes on the side of the building) What do those do?
K: Well, it's hard to say, Felix. They could have had gas, electricity, water...you can put a lot of things in a pipe...(floundering)...Hey, what's that?
F: A fire hydrant.
K: What comes out of that?
F: Fire.
*****
On a dandelion kick.
F: This is my favorite dandelion of all the north.
*****
Expanding his horizons.
F: I want to listen to special music.
K: What do you mean? Do you want to listen to different music?
F: I want to listen to different music, like Flaming Loose! (Flaming Lips)
*****
Polite conversation-starters.
F: Daddy, I was just going to show you my aardvark.
and
F: Daddy, what do you think of my balloon?
*****
Sometimes, as Felix lies in bed processing the day, it's all I can do to keep up with him. A couple of weeks ago, after an exciting Cinco de Mayo party at the Davieses, I was listing all the fun stuff we did: chalk on the sidewalk, blowing bubbles, smashing a pinata, playing Guitar Hero....
F: I told Maddie, "That is an electric meter."
Then Felix asks what's inside a doorbell.
K: Well, let's see, there's a button outside by the door, and it's connected to a wire that leads into the house to a bell or some chimes.
F: I was sitting under the table at Kevin and Michelle's house listening to the doorbell.
Which is true--though it happened last summer. Then he remembers seeing some doves on a telephone wire at the Davieses.
F: Grandma and grandpa like doves.
K: Do you like doves, Felix?
F: No. I want to bring a dove home.
K: You want to bring a dove home?
F: I want to bring Fred the Dog home. (From Big Dog, Little Dog)
*****
In the morning.
F: Mommy, I was shrieking and spitting and there was a thousand doorbells.
M: Was this in a dream?
F: Yes...I shrieked and spitted inside someone else's house and the round doorbell keeped on ringing one two three four five six seven times.
*****
Me, neither.
F: Mommy, I've never heard of a red fire truck robot.
M: Red fire truck robot?
F: I don't know that.
*****
Felix enjoys dining out.
F: My favorite restaurant is Rique's Restaurant. Daddy's favorite restaurant is Chinese restaurant. Mommy's favorite restaurant is Pankistani restaurant. Cosmo's favorite restaurant is Lebanese restaurant. Grandpa Tom loves Japanese restaurant.
Which is interesting, because I don't think we've taken Felix to a Japanese restaurant since he was old enough to remember--or even talked about it.
*****
An invitation from a friend.
F: Gabriel wants to Chuckie Cheese with me.
*****
One night, after Felix listened intently to "Hobo's Lullaby."
F: Daddy, my hair is not turning gray. My hair is orange. Daddy's hair is not gray. Daddy's hair is still brown. Cosmo's hair is not gray. Cosmo's hair is yellow. My hair is not turning gray from orange.
*****
Felix, rubbing his head morosely after bonking it.
F: I got my head all hurt and bruised--now I won't have a head anymore!
*****
Faking it...still working out the logic.
F: I feel a little bit sick because I am not going to school this morning. So: no school for me!
*****
This morning as we came out of the building, I tugged on Felix's arm to urge him on toward the bus. He started to run, then tripped and sprawled headlong. I picked him up and examined him for damage.
K: Felix, where did you hurt yourself?
F: (indignant, through tears) In the driveway!
*****
Today after school.
F: Mira doesn't eat meatballs. She is a wegetarian.
K: Are you a vegetarian?
F: No, I'm a boy.
F: Daddy, that is a gas manifold.
K: You're right, Felix.
F: (pointing to some old pipes on the side of the building) What do those do?
K: Well, it's hard to say, Felix. They could have had gas, electricity, water...you can put a lot of things in a pipe...(floundering)...Hey, what's that?
F: A fire hydrant.
K: What comes out of that?
F: Fire.
*****
On a dandelion kick.
F: This is my favorite dandelion of all the north.
*****
Expanding his horizons.
F: I want to listen to special music.
K: What do you mean? Do you want to listen to different music?
F: I want to listen to different music, like Flaming Loose! (Flaming Lips)
*****
Polite conversation-starters.
F: Daddy, I was just going to show you my aardvark.
and
F: Daddy, what do you think of my balloon?
*****
Sometimes, as Felix lies in bed processing the day, it's all I can do to keep up with him. A couple of weeks ago, after an exciting Cinco de Mayo party at the Davieses, I was listing all the fun stuff we did: chalk on the sidewalk, blowing bubbles, smashing a pinata, playing Guitar Hero....
F: I told Maddie, "That is an electric meter."
Then Felix asks what's inside a doorbell.
K: Well, let's see, there's a button outside by the door, and it's connected to a wire that leads into the house to a bell or some chimes.
F: I was sitting under the table at Kevin and Michelle's house listening to the doorbell.
Which is true--though it happened last summer. Then he remembers seeing some doves on a telephone wire at the Davieses.
F: Grandma and grandpa like doves.
K: Do you like doves, Felix?
F: No. I want to bring a dove home.
K: You want to bring a dove home?
F: I want to bring Fred the Dog home. (From Big Dog, Little Dog)
*****
In the morning.
F: Mommy, I was shrieking and spitting and there was a thousand doorbells.
M: Was this in a dream?
F: Yes...I shrieked and spitted inside someone else's house and the round doorbell keeped on ringing one two three four five six seven times.
*****
Me, neither.
F: Mommy, I've never heard of a red fire truck robot.
M: Red fire truck robot?
F: I don't know that.
*****
Felix enjoys dining out.
F: My favorite restaurant is Rique's Restaurant. Daddy's favorite restaurant is Chinese restaurant. Mommy's favorite restaurant is Pankistani restaurant. Cosmo's favorite restaurant is Lebanese restaurant. Grandpa Tom loves Japanese restaurant.
Which is interesting, because I don't think we've taken Felix to a Japanese restaurant since he was old enough to remember--or even talked about it.
*****
An invitation from a friend.
F: Gabriel wants to Chuckie Cheese with me.
*****
One night, after Felix listened intently to "Hobo's Lullaby."
F: Daddy, my hair is not turning gray. My hair is orange. Daddy's hair is not gray. Daddy's hair is still brown. Cosmo's hair is not gray. Cosmo's hair is yellow. My hair is not turning gray from orange.
*****
Felix, rubbing his head morosely after bonking it.
F: I got my head all hurt and bruised--now I won't have a head anymore!
*****
Faking it...still working out the logic.
F: I feel a little bit sick because I am not going to school this morning. So: no school for me!
*****
This morning as we came out of the building, I tugged on Felix's arm to urge him on toward the bus. He started to run, then tripped and sprawled headlong. I picked him up and examined him for damage.
K: Felix, where did you hurt yourself?
F: (indignant, through tears) In the driveway!
*****
Today after school.
F: Mira doesn't eat meatballs. She is a wegetarian.
K: Are you a vegetarian?
F: No, I'm a boy.
Wednesday, April 25, 2007
Quoth Felix: Still More
Putting Felix to bed.
K: Whoops, I kissed your eye.
F: You want me to poke you in the eye.
K: Do you want me to sing you a song?
F: You want "Never Did No Wanderin'," song number 10. (From the Mighty Wind soundtrack.)
K: Okay. (singing) My mother was the cold north wind, my daddy was the son....
F: "Mighty Wind," song number 17.
*****
Coming home from school after Dick and Neva have left:
F: You wish grandma and grandpa could stay here all day long.
*****
Felix has just counted to 94 and then stopped.
K: Felix, why are you counting to 94? What's so special about 94?
F: (brightly) The John Hancock! You think it would be fun to go to the 40th floor of the John Hancock with that girl with the long hair.
K: Where did you see her?
F: At the John Hancock.
*****
At school, teachers and parents used to refer to the "There Musketeers": Felix, Gabriel, and Luke. (Luke is now in a different class.) The other day, Felix was counting the "Six Musketeers": John Henry, Aardvark the Aardvark, aardvark, spiky worm, silly shark, Felix. I may have taken a picture but I'm not sure.
*****
Petting Cooper very gently:
F: I am petting Cooper gently and not hitting him in the face.
*****
On the bus to school the other morning:
F: It would be really really fun to make Mommy and Daddy a cocktail.
*****
At the playground, after Felix spotted a tiny spiderweb:
K: Good eye, Felix.
F: Good J, Daddy.
*****
This morning, Felix was standing on the toilet lid (which he fell off last night, bonking his head on the wall traumatically):
F: I want to hurt myself...ready, set, go!
K: Whoops, I kissed your eye.
F: You want me to poke you in the eye.
K: Do you want me to sing you a song?
F: You want "Never Did No Wanderin'," song number 10. (From the Mighty Wind soundtrack.)
K: Okay. (singing) My mother was the cold north wind, my daddy was the son....
F: "Mighty Wind," song number 17.
*****
Coming home from school after Dick and Neva have left:
F: You wish grandma and grandpa could stay here all day long.
*****
Felix has just counted to 94 and then stopped.
K: Felix, why are you counting to 94? What's so special about 94?
F: (brightly) The John Hancock! You think it would be fun to go to the 40th floor of the John Hancock with that girl with the long hair.
K: Where did you see her?
F: At the John Hancock.
*****
At school, teachers and parents used to refer to the "There Musketeers": Felix, Gabriel, and Luke. (Luke is now in a different class.) The other day, Felix was counting the "Six Musketeers": John Henry, Aardvark the Aardvark, aardvark, spiky worm, silly shark, Felix. I may have taken a picture but I'm not sure.
*****
Petting Cooper very gently:
F: I am petting Cooper gently and not hitting him in the face.
*****
On the bus to school the other morning:
F: It would be really really fun to make Mommy and Daddy a cocktail.
*****
At the playground, after Felix spotted a tiny spiderweb:
K: Good eye, Felix.
F: Good J, Daddy.
*****
This morning, Felix was standing on the toilet lid (which he fell off last night, bonking his head on the wall traumatically):
F: I want to hurt myself...ready, set, go!
Quoth Felix:
F: You miss Oscar all day long.
F: You love Cosmo all day long.
*****
Making an observation in the stairwell:
F: That is a cute little tiny yellow smoke detector with a blinking light.
*****
At some point, many weeks ago, Felix discovered a little pot of lip balm on the shelf above the toilet. His initial fascination with screwing and unscrewing the lid was soon replaced with fascination at applying the lip balm. Dipping a finger daintily in the ointment, he would rub some on his lips, then his nose....
M: Felix, that's lip balm, not nose balm.
F: It's nose balm!
Felix soon started rubbing nose balm on his ears....
M: Felix, that's not ear balm, it's nose balm!
F: It's ear balm!
It is now also cheek, chin, and forehead balm. He is one balmy boy, and we get balmy kisses before bed every night.
*****
Felix's memory constantly astounds us. Just a few weeks ago we were talking about his great-grandparents and I was reminding him--I thought--who Grandma Laura and Grandpa Dave are. Felix promptly reminded me that he heard the doorbell at their house through the white doorbell speaker. If my memory serves, they indeed have a white doorbell speaker. Bear in mind that this was last August.
*****
He's also performed a number of mathematical feats. We were discussing his aunts and uncles, and I listed Auntie Kirstin and Uncle Sean and also Auntie Iris--three aunts and uncles. Then I remembered that we sometimes refer to our good friends Rob and Sarah and Josh and Jenni as aunts and uncles, so I listed them, too.
F: You have seven aunts and uncles.
Also, at Navy Pier, he looked up at the roof of the crystal garden and saw a very large ceiling fan, then promptly announced that it had ten blades. After much squinting, Marya and I were able to confirm that he was right.
The last example may be a feat of math or a feat of memory, but either way we're amazed. We were out for a walk one evening and Felix looked up at large building and announced that it had 18 stories. We were flabbergasted--he was right. After talking it over at length, we started to suspect that one of us may have counted the floors for him, but it would have been last fall at least, and it hasn't come up since then. (Cue eerie music.)
Okay, that's the most egregious bragging out of the way.
*****
Felix loves to play simple word games:
M: Avocado starts with "A".
F: Avocado starts with "B".
M: It's not "bavacado," it's "avocado."
F: (laughing hysterically) Avocado starts with "C".
M: It's not "cavacado."
F: (shrieking with laughter) Avocado starts with "D".
...and so on.
******
F: You love Cosmo all day long.
*****
Making an observation in the stairwell:
F: That is a cute little tiny yellow smoke detector with a blinking light.
*****
At some point, many weeks ago, Felix discovered a little pot of lip balm on the shelf above the toilet. His initial fascination with screwing and unscrewing the lid was soon replaced with fascination at applying the lip balm. Dipping a finger daintily in the ointment, he would rub some on his lips, then his nose....
M: Felix, that's lip balm, not nose balm.
F: It's nose balm!
Felix soon started rubbing nose balm on his ears....
M: Felix, that's not ear balm, it's nose balm!
F: It's ear balm!
It is now also cheek, chin, and forehead balm. He is one balmy boy, and we get balmy kisses before bed every night.
*****
Felix's memory constantly astounds us. Just a few weeks ago we were talking about his great-grandparents and I was reminding him--I thought--who Grandma Laura and Grandpa Dave are. Felix promptly reminded me that he heard the doorbell at their house through the white doorbell speaker. If my memory serves, they indeed have a white doorbell speaker. Bear in mind that this was last August.
*****
He's also performed a number of mathematical feats. We were discussing his aunts and uncles, and I listed Auntie Kirstin and Uncle Sean and also Auntie Iris--three aunts and uncles. Then I remembered that we sometimes refer to our good friends Rob and Sarah and Josh and Jenni as aunts and uncles, so I listed them, too.
F: You have seven aunts and uncles.
Also, at Navy Pier, he looked up at the roof of the crystal garden and saw a very large ceiling fan, then promptly announced that it had ten blades. After much squinting, Marya and I were able to confirm that he was right.
The last example may be a feat of math or a feat of memory, but either way we're amazed. We were out for a walk one evening and Felix looked up at large building and announced that it had 18 stories. We were flabbergasted--he was right. After talking it over at length, we started to suspect that one of us may have counted the floors for him, but it would have been last fall at least, and it hasn't come up since then. (Cue eerie music.)
Okay, that's the most egregious bragging out of the way.
*****
Felix loves to play simple word games:
M: Avocado starts with "A".
F: Avocado starts with "B".
M: It's not "bavacado," it's "avocado."
F: (laughing hysterically) Avocado starts with "C".
M: It's not "cavacado."
F: (shrieking with laughter) Avocado starts with "D".
...and so on.
Thursday, April 19, 2007
Tuesday, April 10, 2007
Monday, April 09, 2007
John Hancock
We can see the John Hancock tower from our bus stop, and Felix was becoming very curious about it. A month ago he would say, at least once a day, "It would be really, really fun to go all the way to the top of the John Hancock!"and "You can't believe the John Hancock is really, really tall!"
Imagine the excitement when we told him that we would take him to the observatory. "We are going all the way to the 94th floor!" When we got off the elevator and went to the south windows Felix saw the Sears Tower and said, "Look! There's another John Hancock!" We'll take him to Sears some day but for now J.H. is still his favorite skyscraper. I took him back last Friday when he had the day off school. We were the last to get on an full elevator of tourists who apparently thought the elevator would automatically go to the observatory. Luckily Felix knew better and reached up high to select the button which read "94th floor observatory".
Imagine the excitement when we told him that we would take him to the observatory. "We are going all the way to the 94th floor!" When we got off the elevator and went to the south windows Felix saw the Sears Tower and said, "Look! There's another John Hancock!" We'll take him to Sears some day but for now J.H. is still his favorite skyscraper. I took him back last Friday when he had the day off school. We were the last to get on an full elevator of tourists who apparently thought the elevator would automatically go to the observatory. Luckily Felix knew better and reached up high to select the button which read "94th floor observatory".
Sunday, April 01, 2007
Various Animals
Some photos from Mom and Wolf's recent visit--and beyond!
Cosmo eats tiny Fisher-Price people for Grandma Nancy's entertainment; Cooper stands poised to leap clear.
Watching the seals and the otters at the zoo.
Two young rams head-butting.
Finally freed from the stroller, walkin' Cosmo can't contain his happiness.
More wildlife: ants.
Camel and bedouin rider.
Felix, nearly out of patience for photos...
...all done.
Felix likes getting cozy. ("You want to get all cozy.") Note Cosmo in lower left frame.
Cosmo likes climbing on Felix's bed. They both like wrestling.
A random picture of Marya, because she's always behind the camera lately.
Cosmo eats tiny Fisher-Price people for Grandma Nancy's entertainment; Cooper stands poised to leap clear.
Watching the seals and the otters at the zoo.
Two young rams head-butting.
Finally freed from the stroller, walkin' Cosmo can't contain his happiness.
More wildlife: ants.
Camel and bedouin rider.
Felix, nearly out of patience for photos...
...all done.
Felix likes getting cozy. ("You want to get all cozy.") Note Cosmo in lower left frame.
Cosmo likes climbing on Felix's bed. They both like wrestling.
A random picture of Marya, because she's always behind the camera lately.
Sunday, March 04, 2007
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.
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.
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