Griffin has become quite the little mimic lately. We’re starting to really watch what we say for fear it will be repeated in his sweet tiny voice. Here are some highlights:
Careful honey! – Griffin says this to himself whenever he’s in a precarious position or doing something I’ve told him is dangerous. It’s adorable (except for the doing dangerous things part).
‘Scuse me! – He’s gotten in the habit of saying “excuse me” to people when they are in the way of his desired path or if he accidentally steps on someone, but he’s also been saying it to plants, beds, toys, etc., as in, “Scuse me, tulip!”
Come on! – I’m not exactly proud of this one as I know it comes directly from me and my big mouth when I’m frustrated. He even uses the exact intonation and context, like when he’s trying to open a container of play dough and the lid isn’t coming off, out flies, “Come on!!” Ah, well. At least it isn’t “mother-trucker-asphalt.”
Orange sun, Mama! Good morning, Mama/Daddy! – We bought a night light for Griffin a while back that is a moon when he’s supposed to be sleeping/in his room and a sun when it’s ok to get up. It’s worked really well for us, and even the mornings when he opens his door too early and I have to remind him to wait until the orange sun appears and then he can say, “Orange sun, Mama!”, he just says, “Ok. Bye-bye!” It is just about the sweetest thing in the world to hear him exclaim in his little voice “ORANGE SUN, MAMA! GOOD MORNING!” from behind his bedroom door. He is just so happy and excited, it’s hard not to start the day with a smile.
We’ve had a wet, cool spring here in Minnesota, so the arrival of summer has come like a flash! All of a sudden, the trees are full with foliage, gardens are exploding with all the colors of the rainbow, the sun is shining, and the outdoor festival season has begun. One of the things I really love about the Twin Cities is the Season of Celebration, otherwise known as summer. There is no shortage of celebrating the warmth and extended daylight with music, art, theater of all kinds, restaurants spilling out onto the sidewalks, and plenty of places to play, play, play.
Griffin and I enjoyed our first festival today, the Flint Hills International Children’s Festival in downtown St. Paul, and it really felt like a true kickoff to summer! We started our visit with a theater performance at the Ordway called Corbian the Dinosaur (check out the link! It’s really cool!) It was billed as a “glow in the dark adventure,” and it seemed right up his alley. This was Griffin’s first professional theater experience, though, so I wasn’t sure how long he’d last. But to start off, he was fascinated by the theater with its gold railings, velvety seats, and lights along the aisles! I chose seats close to an exit just in case we needed to make a quick escape, but as soon as the lights dimmed, he settled into my lap and watched. the. show. for. an. HOUR! I couldn’t believe it. He was entranced by the glowing figures, loved to clap with the audience, and yelled out, “ALL DONE!” whenever a scene would end (we’ll work on theater etiquette at some point!). A smashing success!
Next we headed out across the street to Rice Park where there were vendors, free art projects, and shady spots to watch people dancing on the side of a building. Seriously. These acrobatic building dancers called Project Bandaloop were AMAZING. Actually, I thought they were incredible and mesmerizing while Griffin was all into the bronze Peanuts sculpture of Lucy reading a book that we were sitting next to. Ah, to each his own.
The icing on the cake was nearly an hour spent in a public fountain seemingly made for water loving kids (and Griffin is most definitely a water loving kid who sometimes asks for a bath 3 or 4 times a day). Hamm Plaza was transformed into Discovery Garden (check out this time lapse video of it being made), which really should have been called Joyful Garden. I wish I had brought our good camera, but here are some shots from my phone of Griffin in the midst of pure summer bliss:
Griffin plunks himself down in the fountain!Kids were lining up to stand in front of the little waterfall.Beautiful art that begs to be played in is the best!
All in all, a fabulous start to summer. Bring on the adventure!
We were lucky enough to be on the last stop of the Grummy 2011 Grandchild Tour a few weeks ago, when Andrew’s mom, Sandy, stayed with us for a week! Between all the moving that’s been going on in our lives in the past year and settling into our new home, we hadn’t seen her since last spring, so a visit was long overdue. She wanted to see our new digs and spend some quality time with Griffin, so we got to host her here in Minnesota! Griffin was quite excited that Grummy, who normally appears on our computer screen, would be staying with us. He was quick to tell her all his new words, sit on her lap for some reading, and show her around the house. Every morning he excitedly woke up saying, “Grummy? Grummy?” and would rush down the stairs saying, “Hi, Grummy! Hi, Grummy!”
One of our destinations while she visited was the Minneapolis Sculpture Garden. This is a favorite for us, as well as a great spot for taking photos. This time, once again, did not disappoint!
Spoon Bridge and Cherry & Springtime with GrummySpoon Bridge IIHidingRunnin'So BIG.Contemplative.Griffin and Grummy deep in conversation.
We also took Grummy to the Children’s Museum, on a tour of Minneapolis lakes, to the Roseville Library, on a tour of Andrew’s school, and to the Mall of America! Overall, it was a great visit for everyone and we loved having a chance to hang out with Sandy. Griffin asked for Grummy in the morning for almost a week after she went home, and he’s still calling string cheese (which was a snack unique to Grummy in Griffin’s world) “Grummy cheese.”
On a recent, chilly “spring” day, we headed to the Jackson Street Roundhouse with one of Griffin’s buddies from ECFE and his family. We knew there would be trains there, but holy cow! What a cool place! We got to explore real engines, old sleeper cars, and look at all kinds of train ephemera. A roundhouse, for those not in the know, is a circular or semi-circular structure built to service trains. This one used to service steam trains, but is no longer active and has been converted into a museum. Fortunately for us, they also give caboose rides on Saturdays, and this was probably the highlight of the trip for everyone. Having only seen “big choo-choo trains” from a distance, Griffin was in awe and had a blast.
Andrew and Griffin hang out the back of the caboose.There goes the roundhouse!A cold and rainy day, Griffin and Andrew decide to head inside.What a cool ride!
Lest one think that it’s all roses and unicorns over here, I just had to post about an epic meltdown that is in the works as I type. It’s not really Griffin’s fault: He was woken from a deep sleep by a tornado siren this afternoon (Did you know it’s Severe Weather Awareness Week?), which, admittedly, is perplexing when it happens to adults. But this meltdown has had no end in sight. First we rocked and snuggled. No comfort. Then he requested we go into Mommy’s bed. Hysteria. Then a request to read. Hyperventilating. Then a request for medicine. No dice. Then a request for water, food,…etc. I have finally just left him in his bed to hopefully fall back asleep, or at least calm down slightly. This may be one time where my immediate presence is not helpful in the least. Feeling a bit like a rookie again!
I can’t believe it’s been so long since I wrote you a letter, but I guess in all the busyness of this past year, I’ve let it slip through the cracks. We moved from California to Minnesota, Daddy has a new job, we bought a new house, and now you are two. I have been looking at pictures and videos of our last two years together and you’re already a world away from where you were as an infant…maybe even an entire solar system. I expected you to change, but I just didn’t know what it would look like. You surprise and delight me every day!
Speedy runner!
I thought you might like to know what you’ve been up to lately: You love to jump (with both feet! You just learned and are quite proud of yourself), run, and climb. Your main way of communicating is with words, saying things I sometimes understand, but more often have to decipher with context clues. One of your favorite activities is still sitting down with a book, which delights both your dad and me, and we’ve moved beyond board books to actual stories that you are often very engaged in. You want to do things by yourself, oftentimes pushing my helping hand away saying, “Griffin! Griffin!” which means “I can do it myself.” And you can. You can do an enormous amount of things yourself: drink from a cup, eat with a spoon, identify objects, shapes, and colors, entertain yourself with puzzles or trains, climb up into your booster chair, sing, climb up and down the stairs, build a tower with Legos, to name just a few. You wave at everyone and say, “Hi!” in the sweetest, friendliest voice, as if you’ve known complete strangers your whole life. You wave goodbye to everyone and everything: “Bye-bye Daddy! Bye-bye football! Bye-bye pants! Bye-bye phone!” You love taking baths. When I open up the medicine cabinet you point to the “tye-lo-lo-lo-lo-nol” (tylenol) or ask for a “car-bib” (car band aid) for your forehead. You love being tickled and chased. Our nightly bedtime routine involves you saying, “Mommy chase! Daddy chase!” and one of us will chase you up the stairs as you squeal with anticipation of being caught. Now that it’s warmer, you want to be outside ALL of the time to explore, throw rocks, dig in the sand, and look at the “tooo-lips”. You’ve even taken an interest in the “pee-pee potty” and wearing underwear, which you really like. What you like even more is taking off the underwear, running around giggling and yelling, “NAKED!!!”
You really are one happy kid. Don’t get me wrong: you have your tantrums and frustrations, but in general, you really seem to love life. Along with this passion for living comes an immensely cuddly and affectionate personality. You give kisses and hugs, many times without a request. I hope this lasts forever, but know there will probably be a time when it will be icky to get a kiss from your mom and embarrassing to be hugged by your dad. It’s hard to imagine you older, though, so I’m just enjoying where you’re at now and savoring as much as I can. We are in a good groove these days, you and I, and life is sweet.
I don’t know when you’re actually going to read this letter. Will it be when you’re 10? 13? 18? 21? This may be hard for you to believe, but you aren’t the only one who has been changing. My heart has grown by a whole solar system since you were born, too. I love you so deeply, it’s really difficult for me to even describe it. Do you know that now as you’re reading this as a “big kid?” It’s probably hard to imagine me as a person before I was your mom, but I was. I lived an entire 32 years before you were in my life and have had many people and experiences that have made my heart grow with love, including your dad, who made it (and continues to make it) grow immensely. But you have made it grow in a different way, and in a way I could not have expected. And I thank you for that.
So happy birthday, my two year old! I do not know what the future will bring, but I do know that I live each day being thankful for you and that I get to be your mom.
Historically, Griffin has been quite the helper in the kitchen. Well, maybe helper isn’t quite the right word; maker-of-messes-and-interested-in-doing-whatever-I’m-doing-in-the-kitchen…helper. He’s also a monkey and climbs on everything and anything, and while his sense of balance is really quite amazing, he’s had a few tumbles in the kitchen off of chairs and step stools that have made me think that this nifty invention called a Learning Tower is just what we need. Basically, it’s a sturdy platform with railings on all sides that enables Griffin to get to counter height to watch and help without me worrying, in addition to making sure he doesn’t touch the hot stove, sharp knives, glasses, coffee maker, toaster, etc., that he’ll fall off a wobbly step stool or chair. We have the room for one in our kitchen now and I’ve been coveting one ever since I found out that they exist. Only thing is, they cost over $200.
Enter Grandpa Jeff.
My dad’s a handy guy. I have lots of memories of making things with him, and while I wasn’t totally into the graph paper and Pythagorean theorem, I did enjoy making things and felt a lot of satisfaction out of the many projects we’ve done together. I mentioned the Learning Tower to him on a recent visit, and he thought he could tackle the project sometime this summer. A quick “DIY Learning Tower” Google search turned up a surprising number of plans, many of which seemed even better than the original. I was psyched to know we’d soon have one for Griffin to climb on!
Well, Grandpa Jeff came by our house today on his way Up North and had a surprise for us in the back of his car: a handmade learning tower! He said he just couldn’t wait until summer to make it and knew that Griffin would put it to good use immediately. Griffin knew exactly what to do with it and climbed up to do a little dance on the platform. We are both so excited to use it and I am grateful to have such a handy (and thoughtful) dad, Pythagorean theorem and all.
Griffin watches "Grm-pa" use the drill to attach the last of the legs.
Griffin loves going through the cabinet of board games in the basement. He dumps out the cards, plays with the dice, buzzes the buzzers, and wreaks havoc on the box corners. While he was doing this today, he started playing with a die from some game that had colors on each face. My gamer instincts kicked in and I thought, “We could actually PLAY a real game together… something with colors… he knows colors, and he kinda gets rolling the die.” So I came up with a few possibilities involving various collections of colored objects that matched the colors on the die. I wasn’t sure exactly what we would do, but something like “roll the die, then put the green thing into the box.” Not super sophisticated, but it would be a real game — with rolling dice. Yay! (Of course we already play lots of great games together — making faces, hide-and-seek, knocking towers of blocks down, etc. — but they are a different sort of game than the type with dice and moves.)
Griffin was thrilled that I was getting into it with him, but I think the logic of die-rolling or multiple steps of play still evades him. After a while, I could see the look on his face, “Daddy, why are you messing up my game???” So I let him get back to stomping on the boxes and folding up all the cranium cards. But soon, soon, he’ll be ready for the next step!
Griffin has been taking much delight in all things that zoom lately. If there’s a plane in the sky, he’ll find it. If there’s a school bus coming down the road, you can bet he’ll point it out. I decided it was high time we took a day devoted to transportation.
Let me just begin by saying that I have so much respect for folks who, either by choice or not, get their little ones around using public transportation. A car affords a freedom that I’ve been taking for granted, especially in the winter, and I realized this morning as we were rushing to catch the 9:14 bus that life would be a lot more complicated if we didn’t have our own wheels. That being said, I also really enjoyed taking public transportation with Griffin today. I got to engage with him about what we were seeing out the window in a way that I simply can’t in the car, and more importantly, we got to look at each other and interact with other people, which just doesn’t happen in the insulation of our own car.
Anyway, we received two free Metro Transit passes when we moved to St. Paul (sign up for a land line and, in addition to getting lots of unwanted phone calls for people who used to have your number, you get all kinds of free things in the mail!), and with his sudden interest in zooming vehicles, it seemed like the perfect excuse for a field trip. Fortunately, we live just a block from major bus routes, so arranging to get to the airport was as easy as a web search and walking two blocks to the bus stop.
As the bus pulled up, Griffin waved and said, “Hi, Bus!” We got on and he was beaming with excitement. We rode through our neighborhood, down across the frozen Mississippi, and arrived at the Light Rail station. A small wait afforded us the opportunity to explore every nook and cranny of the station, and then the train pulled up! We got to ride through tunnels, past lots of different colored houses and stands of trees, and finally arrived at the airport, where we disembarked. It took a little creativity to find a place where we could watch the planes (post-9/11 has made it very difficult to find a place to watch, I found out), but a couple of trams and moving sidewalks lead us to the perfect place to have a snack and watch planes take off. It was perfect.
We had a great morning together (and it was free!). Griffin got to explore his new passion, and I realized that maybe we need to be taking the bus more often, not just because it’s better for the environment, but because it might just be better for me and Griffin, too.
We haven’t had a “first” blog entry in a while, so Griffin decided it was high time. Today as we were readying ourselves to visit the Science Museum with some new ECFE friends, Griffin’s forehead met the sticking out corner near our front door and got himself a nasty gash. It’s truly a wonder that this hasn’t happened yet as he has had plenty of head bonks, but this was the first gusher. I must say, it freaked me out a little and I was struck with mild panic as I realized that one, I was alone, two, Griffin’s car seat was actually out of the car in anticipation of carpooling to the museum, and three, my kid was howling with pain and fear, there was blood everywhere, and there was little I could do about it.
Thankfully, shortly after this happened, our friends were nearly at our house, so they came in and I was able to confirm with another adult that yes, I should take him to the clinic but it’s not an emergency, and my friend was able to watch Griffin (who had settled down by then) while I reinstalled the car seat. Whew.
His wound was definitely deep and big enough for some skin glue (which he did not enjoy in the least, but frankly, they would have had to sedate him to get any stitches in there!) and he already seems to have forgotten about it. His biggest concern after it all was getting some “fooot nack” (fruit snacks) and cheese. Onward we go!
His first major wound all glued up!
Griffin didn't want the bandaid on his head and instead insisted that it go on my forehead. Sympathy bandaids are just my style.
