Tooth fairy comes to the Denham house for the first time....

Cole was a late teether so we haven't been surprised that he hadn't lost any teeth yet. He kept asking when he would since many of his friends had lost multiple teeth already. Then one day, he noticed his bottom front tooth slightly wiggling. He was afraid to play with it too much and was all concerned that it would fall out and he would lose it. I could see him checking often with his tongue to see if it was still connected.

One evening while at karate, they were grappling (controlled wrestling) and I suddenly saw Cole's face freeze. He put his hand up to his mouth and sure enough the tooth had come out. He ran over with a huge smile on his face. Luckily, the blood was minimal and I wrapped the tooth in a wet wipe and off he went back to his lesson with a gap in his grin.

He beamed the entire drive home and couldn't wait to write his note to the tooth fairy.

Rockstar in the making...

Cole has taken quite an interest in this season's THE VOICE. We began watching the show towards the end of the fall season and Cole got into it and became an instant fan. He also took a shine to Adam Levine (he liked Cee Lo Greene too but more because of his outlandish outfits and quirky expressions). Anyway, when the ads began after Christmas talking up the winter season with the two new judges, Cole couldn't wait for it to begin. He was even "playing" it with our babysitter. He likes to set up some of his stuffed animals as contestants and he and Kathy take turns as judges offering their criticism.

Well, the evening THE VOICE began, Cole was so excited. He was jumping up and down as the individuals sung with hopes that Adam would turn around. Adam is very particular so he didn't turn around much that night (nor did he very often for those first few episodes). Soon after Cole had me downloading Maroon 5 songs onto his playlist and was singing the lyrics out loud from the back seat of the car on the way to just about anywhere.

He also began "tattooing" his forearms with the ink pad and stamp that his swim lesson place leaves out for the kiddos post-swim. I didn't put two and two together initially and it wasn't until we got home one night and he pulled up his sleeves to show Dave and says "just like Adam" that I realized he was actually emulating his favorite rockstar.

Then one weekend afternoon, he comes upstairs with an astounding replica of Maroon 5's album cover, from memory only! He had seen the cover as he scrolled through his playlist on my IPHONE in past weeks and he went and created his own copy. I was dumb struck.




Then the Grammy Awards were on one Sunday evening and Cole heard that Adam would be singing with Alicia Keys. It was already past his bedtime but he begged us to stay up so he could watch them. It was obvious that he truly really really wanted to see them sing so we let him stay up and he stood fascinated as the duo sang.

Cole knows that THE VOICE is on Monday and Tuesdays and constantly asks on the way home from karate or whatever activity if we will make it home in time. :-) When I update my IPHONE, it shows about 146 "plays" of Maroon 5's song Daylight. You will see the outcome of so many listens below. I have to say as much as I groan that the song stays in my head for days, I love to see him grooving and taking such an interest in music. Enjoy the clip, we certainly have!

Cole with Adam Levine singing Daylight from David Denham on Vimeo.

It has been like a light switch turned on...

We have been so fortunate that Cole was given an amazing kindergarten teacher this year, Ms. Kollodge. After his time spent at Montessori with the best staff, we feel very lucky to have made the transition to our public school system with continuing excellence. Cole LOVES school and everything about it, even his homework (yes, he has homework but it is only 5-10 minutes and is vital to reinforcing what he studied that day). I have had the privilege to volunteer for two hours each week in his classroom and I can say having worked with those students who are struggling that I support homework (even in kindergartner) 100%!

Cole is eager to share with me (most days) each afternoon what he learned or what they did. Since the fall, he mastered his kindergartner sight words and moved on to 1st grade ones; he was folded into an advanced math class in November and he now flies through concepts meant to be learned a year from now.

He has always enjoyed being read too, Dave and I each night got into a routine of reading upwards of three books to him for as long as we can remember and he actually gets upset should it be a late night or for some other reason, books are missed for an evening. We attempted to get him to read to us around the holidays this past year but he would push back and say he was tired or the like. He would pick out familiar words but putting sentences together was still a work in progress for him. Similar to his mom, until he feels confident doing something, he'd rather keep it under wraps. :-)

I'm not sure when but some switch was turned on for him in the past several weeks. Cole literally overnight went from reading his daily "Book in a Bag" hesitantly and with frequent pauses (as he sounded out words silently) to fluid and flowing with inflection and tone. I was wowed and watched his smile grow as he realized he was reading effortlessly. Every since that "switch" turned on, he has been a reading machine. Even unfamiliar words that I think he will need assistance with, he breezes through. Signs, TV banners/ads, newspaper headlines, cereal boxes...you name it, he reads it.

I have always loved books, I have stacks of them bedside and I've grappled with the thought that hard copy editions might be a rarity when his generation raises their own children. With digital technology replacing textbooks and a large percentage of the mediums that the reading public are utilizing now that certainly seems the trend. Hopefully Cole's bookshelves will always hold actual books but as long as he embraces reading and its life long importance to learning and growing no matter what his age, this mom will happy.

Reading His Daily Book in a Bag Homework Assignment from David Denham on Vimeo.

Our little fish (a swim update)...

Cole continues to take swim lessons each session and he thoroughly enjoys them (more the splashing, jumping and underwater antics). However, it is the one activity that he struggles at a bit, it always has been. Typically we have repeated levels several times until he is able to graduate which is totally the way it should be. Swimming is not a skill that should be rushed to learn nor should be one that has exacting parameters based on age or the like. I'd much rather him have a respectful hesitancy in/around the water until he feels confident than an absolutely fearless one. Here are some video updates of his back and front stroke. He is much more comfortable on his back than with coordinating his breathing and strokes while moving along on his front/belly.

Cole Swim Lessons-Winter 2013 from David Denham on Vimeo.

Cole Swim Lessons-Winter 2013-Front Crawl from David Denham on Vimeo.