Their Own Men

Felix is on his sixth day of potty training today and he's doing an amazing job. Yesterday morning when we got to school I took him to the bathroom, and, once he was comfortable on the seat....

Felix: You want to close the door.
Keir: Do you want me inside our outside.
Felix: You want me to be outside.
Keir: (Dutifully closing the door and standing outside, holding the door closed with his fingers just peeking over the top.)
Felix: You want me to let go of the door.
Keir: (Dutifully letting go of the door.)

* * *

And Cosmo is getting ready to crawl! He has a perfect butt-in-the-air, starting-blocks stance, but then flops down on his tummy. But last night he was pulling himself forward with his hands and elbows. He's going to put it all together soon, I can tell. At daycare they're already moving him to the toddler side because he is pulling up on everything.

Go Cosmo, go!

Serious Numbers

Felix loves numbers and counting. This morning we did some serious counting on the way to school.

Felix: ...seventy-eight, seventy-nine--what number comes after that one?
Keir: Eighty.
Felix: Eighty-one, eighty-two, eighty-three, eighty-four, eighty-five, eighty-six, eighty-seven, eighty-eight, eighty-nine--what number comes after that one?
Keir: Ninety.
Felix: Ninety-one, ninety-two, ninety-three, ninety-four, ninety-five, ninety-six, ninety-seven, ninety-eight, ninety-nine--what number comes after that one?
Keir: One hundred.
Felix: Eleventy-one, eleventy-two, eleventy-three, eleventy-four....

His teacher, Miss Carol, told me that yesterday she put him to sleep at naptime by counting to two hundred. Later, she asked him what comes before two hundred and he said "One hundred!" She believes he will be a physicist. She also wants him to learn Chinese.

* * *

It's Felix's fourth day in big-boy underwear, or what we sometimes encouragingly call, "Oscar underwear." This morning Felix wanted to wear a pair of his "Oscar pants" (swishy, nylon shell track pants).

Felix: You look just like Oscar.

No More Diapers for Felix

What did we do this weekend?

As promised...

We had a great time with Grandpa Tom a few weeks ago.


Here's Felix at his favorite exhibit at the nature museum.


For Halloween Cosmo was a little animal with black ears. I intended for him to look like a cat but we decided later that day that he looked more like a bat. And Felix was a knight.


This weekend Felix got his first professional haircut.

I Forgot!

Felix loves numbers. Lately, he's been marching around the house chanting a new number:

Felix: 877-366-8924...877-366-8924...

That's the number to call if you want to pledge money to WBEZ, Chicago's NPR affiliate.

* * *

Felix is showing more and more interest in the potty, and we're planning to make the switch to big-boy underwear next weekend. Of course, one of his favorite things about using the toilet is flushing it. This has caused an interesting update on our environmentally friendly "if it's yellow, let it mellow" policy. The other morning, after peeing, I turned around to wash my hands. I heard racing footsteps and looked up in time to see Felix charging down the hallway, a maniacal grin on his face.

Felix: I forgot! I forgot to flush the toilet!

He pushed past me to the other side of the toilet and flushed once, then again for good measure.

* * *

Pictures this weekend, we promise.

Head-Bonking

Felix has a few rituals he likes to observe on the way in to school each morning. He likes to walk on top of the curbs in the parking lot, to note the air-conditioners in the school windows, and to hang out in the newly built shelter at the back door of the French School. The back door is steel, painted blue, and doesn't have a window. I cautioned Felix a few times about standing in front of it, as someone could come out and bonk him on the head with the door.

Mission overly accomplished. Now, as we walk by the shelter without stopping, Felix gives it a wary glance.

Felix: Someone might bonk you on the head.

I think he now thinks that someone is standing on the other side of the door, just waiting to jump out and bonk him on the head. Well, at least we get to school faster.

Has He Been Listening to Sting?

This morning, as Marya was getting ready to go to work, she gave Felix a hug.

Marya: Goodbye, honey. I love you. I have to go to work now.
Felix: We'll be together some day.

* * *

Earlier, while simultaneously hobbling down the hall and tugging the hems of his pajama bottoms downward:

Felix: You don't want your ankles to get chilly.

Learning to spell

Felix can spell a handfull of words:

"F-E-L-I-X spells Felix"

"C-O-S-M-O spells Cosmo"

"M-O-M spells Mom"

and usually, "D-A-D spells Dad."

But on Sunday it was different:
"D-A-D spells no."

Fine Distinctions

On Fridays, we bring Felix's nap blanket home from school so we can wash it. For some reason, he wanted to carry it. He made it down the stairs, out the door, and on to the sidewalk before he dropped it. He stopped and stared at it.

Felix: That's trash.

There are so many fine distinctions to explain. If we make him throw dropped food away, why not a blanket?

* * *

Last night, Felix was being especially silly before bedtime.

Felix: You are flapping your arms like an airplane.

* * *

As we make the transition to complete bottle-feeding, Cosmo (and we) are having some rough nights. But he's growing fast. He can sit up by himself and hardly ever falls over, and tooth number five is coming down. And he eats cereal and pureed fruit like nobody's business.

* * *

We're having a fun time with Grandpa Tom. Pictures soon!

Auntie Iris

We had a super weekend, Auntie Iris.
Thanks for coming!

















































Felix and Cosmo's first bath together.

Finally, He's as Big as Cooper

Cosmo went to the doctor yesterday for his six-month checkup. His new stats: 16 lbs. and 27.5". Now we know why our shoulders are so sore.

Is This How Evel Knievel Started Out?

The other day, I was in the living room and Marya was in our bedroom while Felix and Cosmo were in their room. There was a loud thump, and then we both heard Felix's voice.

Felix: You are jumping over Cosmo.

We rushed into the room and found two grinning boys. Cosmo, lying on his back, was smiling up at Felix, who had just jumped over him.

Later we explained how Cosmo is still squishy and therefore not eligible for games of "Cosmo Slam." Yes, just like Cooper.

Felix: You can't play Cooper Slam.

Mango Shake

Felix: "We are going to Argyle street. Yay! Argyle is your favorite street."

As many of you know, Argyle is our neighborhood's "main street" and is home to lots of restaurants featuring among many other yummy items, fruit shakes and bubble teas. Here's Felix enjoying a mango shake after a meal of fried spring rolls and rice noodles.

What Dragons Like

We've been singing "Puff the Magic Dragon" this week, which seems to have replaced "MacPherson's Lament" as Felix's favorite song. It figures--"Puff" has a real downer ending, too. This morning, while I was getting dressed and Felix was playing in his room, I heard him say, "He wants to hear the song." I peeked around the corner and saw that Felix had both opened our jumbo songbook to the correct page and dragged his stuffed dragon over for a look. First I melted into a gooey puddle, then I ran outside shouting, "My god, he's only two years old!"



Later, Felix brought the dragon into the bathroom.

Felix: He likes to drink milk.
Keir: Your dragon?
Felix: Yeah.
Keir: What does he like to eat? Does he like to eat pizza?
Felix: No. (Like, duh, dad.)
Keir: Does he like to eat horsemeat?
Felix: Yeah!!

Then we went to school.

He's Already Gnawed through the Slats on His Crib

I've been too busy to post this week, but I did just want to share one important fact: Cosmo is now cutting his THIRD tooth. An upper. So those gummy nibbles are starting to get a little dicey....

Weekend Fun

A few weekends ago we took Felix downtown. It's been a while since he made the commute for school, so it was very exciting for him. We went for a ride on the train around the Loop, then went to the Bean...


And last weekend had some fun in the park...

Cosmo x 3

Montana

Finally, some photos from our Montana trip...
Can't wait for next summer!

Teeth, Lights Out, Public Transportation

On Wednesday, I discovered that Cosmo has not one, but two lower teeth coming in. I guess it's good to get it over with, but his mouth is really hurting him. He's chewing on everything in sight--except the baby bottle, which seems to feel worse than everything else.

*****

Also on Wednesday, Miss Carol, Felix's teacher, reported that, at nap time, Felix lay down on his cot--and then pulled a harmonica out of his pocket and started playing it! Everyone was very excited by this development. Both Miss Carol (who once played flute) and Miss Alex (who used to play the harmonica) report that Felix has excellent harmonica technique. (I think they mean he blows with great gusto.) I had known at some point that he had a harmonica in his pocket (it's my old one, engraved with my name, from Grandma and Grandpa McCulloch) but obviously forgot to take it out before school.

Personally, it makes me think of a prison movie, where all the inmates are lying in their bunks and some guy takes out a harmonica and plays a soulful blues number. I wonder what Felix was playing?

*****

Tonight in the bath, Felix put an 8 and a 1 together.

Felix: That's an 81 bus.

(Certain visitors to Chicago will be able to confirm that the 81 Lawrence runs from the Jefferson Park station to within three blocks of our house.)

Cosmo's First Tooth!

First, the news. Cosmo has his first tooth! I discovered it while he was gnawing on my hand (mmm...soft and gummy...ow! bitey!). I can't get a picture of it, so here is a picture of Cosmo.



On Sunday we went to the Indiana Dunes with the Davieses. Felix enjoyed catching up with his good friend Madelyn. After some time on the beach...



...they hiked up a very tall sand dune together.

Tonight, Felix wanted to be photographed brushing his teeth.

And that's the news from Lake Michigan.