"I Eat"

As I ate dinner with the boys the other night, without John, I was trying to make conversation.

Mandy: "Chris, it looks like Baby Alex is enjoying his dinner, don't you think?"
Chris: "Alex is not a baby. Alex, are you a baby?"
Alex: "No."
Chris: "Alex, are you a little boy?"
Alex: "No."
Chris (quizzically): "Then what are you, Alex?"
Alex: "I eat!"

True enough.

Baby Chicks

Eggs
Originally uploaded by mandy&john

More from Silver Spruce...

Chris came home weeks ago explaining that they had an incubator at school, then a few days later, that there were eggs in the incubator. At the Mother's Day Tea I got to see the eggs, and Chris stole the camera to take this picture of them. Today when I picked him up he was more excited than normal. Most of the chicks hatched last night, but one of them waited for his class today. He said Miss Diane called him over to see the baby chick "using his egg tooth" to climb out of the egg, and then how it walked, jumped and rubbed against the other chicks. Pretty exciting for a little guy - I'm pretty sure I've never seen a chick egg hatch myself!

Mother's Day Tea

IMG_1652
Originally uploaded by mandy&john

We love Chris's school, and here's one of the reasons. To celebrate Mother's Day at Silver Spruce, Chris made me a bracelet, wrote out name cards for me and for himself (with dotting of letters from his teacher), and decorated them. He then brought me to our table (with the help of his friend, George, as he had rushed in before he had been shown exactly where his table was), pulled out my chair for me, and poured our tea in real china. We then chatted over tea and strawberries. The whole thing was adorable, although it was a miracle I ever got into or out of the tiny chair at the tiny table.

Eggs!

This Easter (actually, the Saturday before when we were dying eggs) we let Chris try an egg. We'd been letting him have things with eggs baked in, but we hadn't been brave enough to try egg by itself. He ate the whole thing and had no reaction. After a few more tries we were pretty convinced he's over the allergy.

Since then we've re-introduced eggs into our regular breakfasts. Chris is still tentative (since he was fully aware that he couldn't eat them before). Given a choice he'll opt for the non egg breakfast, but his curiosity usually gets the best of him and he almost always tries the eggs.

Alex, meanwhile, is loving it. This morning, he had three hard boiled eggs for breakfast. Yesterday he had two scrambled eggs. We may have to get our own hens soon...

Where is Alex?

I had Alex today for lunch and his nap time. He played by himself nicely while I made a mess of preparing grilled cheese and reheated soup. Since he was being so good, I let him know that if he could keep playing by himself after lunch, he wouldn't have to nap right away. He usually goes down right after lunch.

When we had finished eating, I sent him off to play while I cleaned up the kitchen. I had inexplicably made a mess out of that simple meal and it took a good 10 to 15 minutes to get everything in order. Once the dishwasher was going, I went to check on Alex (who I hadn't heard a peep from) and then get to work. There was no sign of him in the living room or anywhere on the first floor. Upstairs was just as silent and the playroom was empty.

I found him in his bed, under the covers, with his pacifier and giraffe. He smiled at me; I closed the shades, kissed his forehead, and shut the door.

My little flying reptile

The boys were watching TV this morning as I was cleaning up the kitchen. A show was on about dinosaurs and their diets. It included Pteranadons and how they eat fish. Alex pointed at the TV and said "I do!" (pronounced: Ah noo!) and then "Fish!". I asked him if he wanted the leftover fish in the fridge and he nodded and then proceeded to eat the small bowl full of baked Cod I gave him.

Thank goodness PBS doesn't run ads for Froot Loops.

Interior. It's snowing out side and there is a boy whining with both legs in one leg hole.
Chris: (Whining) I can't put my pants on!
Me:  When you're ready to pay attention, I'll help you.
Chris: You sound like a teacher.