Gratitude (and Belly Buttons)

Dear Teo,

ALL WHO WANDER ARE NOT LOST  -  This evening, you and I went for a walk (you rode your tricycle).  We went about a half mile, and during the course of our excursion, your bike changed from a fire truck to a riding lawn mower to a motorcycle.  We forgot your real helmet, so I put an imaginary helmet on you, and every couple blocks you'd ask me to change your helmet to a different color.  We stopped to look at a pear tree, a green muscle car, and a house that you said was "not mine house" but "I live there someday."  We talked the entire time.  I love you.  I love hearing your thoughts and sharing time with you this way.  It truly fills my heart.

Wonder

SHOW ME THE BEE-BOO!  So . . . you've started this thing where whenever you nurse, you put your finger in my belly button (bee-boo) . . . a tangible symbol of our connection.  One day, when you were playing in the sprinkler, you got sprayed in the face.   You said, with some urgency, "Mama!  Open up!"  "Open what, Teo?" I asked.  "See bee-boo!" you hollered, I think because you needed just a bit of comfort. 

 Relaxing

"COME HOME MOMMY" - One day when you were having a tough time waiting for me to get home from work, Grammy came up with the ingenious idea of singing a "Come Home, Mommy" song.  You and she made it up together, and it really comforts you. 

Friendship

Play

Investigating

Interesting discovery -  One day, out of the blue, you commented, "Mommy, I not have dog bone in mine foot."  I was #1 amazed by the length of your sentence, and #2 totally boggled as to how you came up with that conclusion.  I didn't even know you knew what a bone was! 

 Independence

Getting Bigger - Grammy always tells you that you get bigger when you sleep.  So, occasionally you'll crawl into bed and tell me "Go sleep, mommy.  Get bigger."  This is about the easiest way to put a kid to bed I can imagine (of course we read about a hundred books every night, so it does take a long time to actually reach the point of sleep, but I'm not complaining!). 

Exploration

Favorite Saying:  When I say "Jeeze Louise" you giggle like nothing else, and then say "Again, Mommy" over and over.  

Connection

Galloper -  One of the special things that you and Papa do together is a weekly bike excursion to Bounce gymnastics.  When you get home, you always have a lot to say about the things you see on the bike ride.  Sometimes he takes you to see some horses in a nearby field, and feed them carrots and apples.  After one of these outings, Papa drew a horse on your chalkboard and called it Galloper.  Now you love to gallop around the house singing "Galloper, Galloper, Galloper!"

 Curiosity

GIVING THANKS - We've started singing a new song as a way of expressing thanks for what makes us happy.  "Give thanks to the Mother Earth.  Give thanks to the Father Sun.  Give thanks to the plants in the garden where the Mother and the Father are one.  Give thanks, give thanks, for all good things give thanks."  You've caught onto this idea and now say "thanks" for so many things.  "Thanks coming home, Mommy."  "Thanks cooking fish, Papa."  "Thanks home.  Thanks river.  Thanks train."  You offer a great reminder to me to stay in touch with my own gratitude.  

 Pure joy!

21 Months - Papa Love, Sweet Mama and Honey Pie

Dear Teo,

Here you are with your beloved "Animal Train."  You and Papa have created a game, repeated daily, where you direct Papa which boxcar to put each of your toy animals on. You then ring our Tibetan singing bowl (which you call the "ding-ding") to make the sound of the train signal. 

The mailman, "mail-mail guy" is another current interest of yours.  You check the mailbox with Papa each day, and you like to deliver postcards to your playhouse.  One morning you and I made a card for the mailman to say "Thanks mail-mail guy."  A few nights ago I made this felt mail bag for you.  

Tossing rocks in the lake at the arboretum outside Junction City.

Much to my delight, you have started calling me "sweet Mama," a phrase you picked up on because Grammy calls her kitten "sweet Abby."  You like it when I call you "Honey Pie," another Grammy-ism. 

Very happy at a party (not a birthday party, mind you), for our friends Lane and Amy. 

 

 Nature walk in a field near our house.  

 Masking Tape Nature Bracelet

Childhood adventures - Into a Troll Cave

Shadow drawings: Mama, Oceana, Grammy

 Playing the piano with your friend Lucy

Sand play with Oceana

 

Just like papa.

 

We celebrated Fathers Day this month.  You helped me bake Papa a "Happy Cake."    I also made him this wordle out of phrases that you use to talk about him and the special things you two do together.  

20 Months

Dear Teo,

You had a break-through this month . . . You realized that the point of the library is BOOKS not COMPUTERS!  This is pretty exciting.  I take you there most weekends, and you've always been more interested in pounding on the keyboard than browsing the books.

A couple weeks ago, I pulled a train book called Choo Choo off the shelf and started reading it aloud.  You were hooked.  The computer didn't stand a chance now that trains were involved!  You marched through the aisles saying, "More train books!"  So, we checked out three train books, and that night you slept with Choo Choo next to you in your bed.  

Playing with the sprayer that Papa got for you!  Hours of fire fighter fun. 

 

 A visit to the duck ponds with your friend, Oliver.

 

Looking for Easter eggs with Oceana and Grammy.

 

 

Muffin tin printing.

 Giving Grammy a bouquet on Mother's Day.

 Body painting.

 Slide painting.

 Hedge painting.

 Yarn noodles and "hot tea" in the tub.

In my classroom with Lane.

 With my long-time friend, Natalie.

 With Natalie's daughter, Robin.

A little chef.

 Public Works Day!  You got to explore a fire engine, police car, street sweeper, tractors, and more! 

A prince and a princess.

A Day at Dorris Ranch

Dear Teo, 

A few weeks ago, we spent an afternoon at Dorris Ranch - the oldest hazelnut orchard in America.  It is such a special place to me.  Every time I go there, I think of a walk I took there with my dad years ago.  It is also the place that we held his memorial and afterward walked through the orchard with friends and family. 

On this sweet spring day with you and Papa, I was reminded what a magical place it is - a place where the abundance of nature and the order of man have created something stunning and alluring - long orchard rows, the tumultuous over-full river, moss- and fern-cloaked trees, and ever-present birdsong.