Matching Games

Yesterday Windy and I were getting ready to go to the store with John. I was changing from my work shoes into my sneakers. As I untied my work shoes on the couch, I realized that my sneakers were over by the door. The action that followed went like this:

*John lookes a little bored (by that I mean hitting me with a board book)
*Me: "Hey John, go get me the shoes!"
*John: Looking where I point, confused look.
*I ask him again; he goes over and picks up the ball next to my shoes and brings it over.
*Me: "Good John!"
*John: laughs and claps; cuteness goes everywhere.
*I try again; "Get the SHOE!"
*John: Blank look. Slightly frustrated look. Run off to grab something that isn't a shoe at all, but looks like fun.
*Me: Get up, go over to the shoes, take one and goes back to the couch.
*Me: "OK John, go get the OTHER SHOE"
*John: Happy face, run to shoe in question, brings it to me, hands it over, laughs, claps, dances.
*All: Short break for the appreciation of the galactic amounts of cuteness just generated.
*Me: (Going for broke): "OK John, now take these work shoes and put them over by the door"
*John: Smile, laugh, take one shoe, carry it over near the door, stick it in the trash can, take it out, run back to me laughing, hand me the shoe.

OK, so we have the basic skills down; now it's just fine-tuning. :)

On Pain

Last time we were at Totland, John ran right under the big boy swings as a 5 year old was vigorously swinging and got kicked right in the mouth and knocked down. He was really crying and bleeding from his cut lip and gums (his pumpkin pacifier got kicked into his mouth). I mopped him up with my sleeve and consoled the kid and his mom. It wasn't really their fault. The older boy couldn't stop, he was in mid swing. The mom wasn't right on her boy because he was a big boy and could swing all by himself. So I quickly wiped up John and rocked him until he stopped crying. He got over it and went off to play, but was sensitive to every time he fell.

John is usually a tough little guy. Once, when were were at the smaller baby park, he was all sweaty and wet and playing in the sand. Then he decided he wanted to go up the slide. He started to climb up the slide, slapping down his sweaty hand and pulling himself up by the traction of his wet hand, like a lizard. He made it halfway up when he slid down. I picked him up then I noticed that he had sand stuck to his wet hand and he had ground it into his hand climbing up like that. He was bleeding and he showed no sign of noticing! He'll run into things with his head and not cry, too. Other parents comment on this at the park.

on Monday, we took our walk down to the mailbox. I had the doggie harness on him. He wanted to cross the street so we went over to the neighbors driveway. It is a very steep concrete slope with rocks. He tried to go up it with his treasure bucket. The slope was too much for him and he fell flat on it and slid down a little. He dropped his bucket and all his nuts went rolling down into the street. Then he started really crying. I thought it was from loosing his nuts, because he didn't fall far, he was pretty much crawling up the slope. When I picked him up, however, he was just covered in blood! Way more than when he got kicked in the face. I couldn't really mop him up, because he kept bleeding. I rocked him and when he settled down some, I carried him (and the half empty bucket) back up our driveway. By the time I got to the house, he felt better and was playing even as I was getting some wet paper towels to clean him. He wouldn't let me look in his mouth much, I was worried about his teeth. He seems to have cut he gums but his teeth looked ok. I gave him a cold bottle and he eventually went to sleep.
At least I know he can feel pain, I guess.

Sunday at Totland

Sunday again. We went to church, where John ran around and squawked and Charles had to take him out into the foyer. As usual. Then we went to Berkeley so Charles can play 40K at GoB. I took John to the larger play park, Totland, after stopping at the alternative medicine pharmacy in Berkeley, Elephant Pharmacy. There, we picked up some expensive, all natural, organic cotton baby wipes in hopes it would help John's worsening diaper rash.



We got to Totland at about 3:30 or 4 and already the sun was casting off the long golden rays of late afternoon. It was the first day after Daylight Savings ended. John ran around and played. I made sure he stayed clear of the swings, since he got kicked last time.



He played in the toy log cabin there, and then got into a little car you can sit in and drive with your feet like the Flintstones. As sundown came on us, I put him in the swings, which he loves. He sat there, with a cookie clutched in one hand, the swing chain in the other. When I pushed him slowly, he took a bite of the cookie (he had it from church, he likes to carry it, not eat it). Then he started to do a slow, long lick of the swing chain! Gross! It must be filthy. He kept licking it and it was sooooo funny! Hahahaha! I would have stopped him, but I figured it was too late, he already caught plague and cholera, might as well enjoy the show.



Finally, I got him to get out of the swing as it was growing pretty dark. He ran around in the grass. Then, a little dog came squeezing under the gate. He was some sort of Jack Russell mix. He ran all over the park, eating up all the little scraps of food the babies had dropped during the day. The remaining babies chased the little dog, but he was very nice about it. He'd run away, but if they gave him food, he would throw himself down on the ground and roll on his back and let them scratch his belly! What a funny little dog! Then, a large fluffy Persian kitty came under the gate. I went over to him, but he ran away. Bad experiences with kids I guess!

I went over to the little dog and John gave him some cookie. He rolled over and we pet him. I looked at his tags. Eleanor, Milo foundation. Looked like a boy to me, but I guess not. Milo foundation rescues hard to place dogs from the shelter and then finds them homes through a rigorous placement process, after training them. The kind of place Ellen was crying about last week. Anyway, this old homeless guy who was in the park said, "That's little Eleanor. She lives next door. She always comes at night and cleans up the park. What a good little dog! Always sweet."

We said goodbye to Eleanor and went back to GoB. John drank some water from his water bottle and talked to himself for a bit but then fell asleep before we reached the store. Then we loaded him into the car and went home.

Happy Saturday

We had a really nice Saturday. We got up late (well, after Windy went and fed the cats at 9) and had a nice brunch (John got his very own pancakes!) After breakfast we went down the hill to the mailbox and walked up and down the street looking at everything. We played some more upstairs. John's favorite games are "eating my favorite book" and "taking the phone off the hook until it makes that funny noise." Then we had a nap. After our nap John got a bath, which was a lot of splashy fun. Mama made one of our favorite dinners, red beans and rice with kielbasa! She also made garlic spinach, which was really yummy. John got some spinach and rubbed it all over his face. After we cleaned that up we played some more and then it was bedtime!