Too much TV...but

I have always been particular about what Cole watches on TV. Back in my pre-parenting days, I was one of those who said I wouldn't use TV as a babysitter...well, any parent knows how difficult that concept is to keep to in reality...hence, PBS kids or commercial free Noggin are the two channels I will let Cole watch as I clean, shower or attend to email.

He loves Dinosaur Train, Bob the Builder, Wonder Pets, Dora, Max & Ruby and Franklin. Cole can sing the opening songs to any of them and name the characters (he is the first to correct me too when I identify someone incorrectly). Cole gets very upset when Dave and I watch anything else, "I can't watch the news" he groans and whines with such angst. In all honesty, I can sympathize with him in part since the news is less than uplifting 99% of the time.

Anyway, the other day while Cole was playing without the TV on, running back and forth and being the boy that he is, in a state of constant motion, my second kid Tucker was attempting to find a spot away from Cole's activity where he was safe from sudden and quick movements. He does love to sleep on the couch laying on our throws and pillows or Cole's blankets. It upsets Cole when it is something of his because he can't dislodge the article once Tucker settles in. Anyway, Tucker innocently was just being himself and was about to circle around and plop down on Cole's fav blue blanket. Cole in a very shrill voice shrieks, Tucker no swiping, Tucker no swiping...and pulls the blanket out before poor Tucker could lay down. I started laughing...I guess Cole is absorbing a little too much of Dora the Explorer dialogue. However to soften the guilt I feel due to this obvious overindulgence of TV time, he did count to ten in Spanish the other day to my astonishment so I figure he is indeed thankfully learning something from his time in front of the screen.

Happy Third Birthday Pickle!

I remember vividly my first night post-delivery with Cole...Dave had gone home to get some sleep and pick up Tucker from our friends. It was the wee hours of the night and the nurses kept bringing me Cole every 90 minutes or so because he was fussing. He had jaundice so he was attached to the biliblankets making it all the more difficult to maneuver to nurse him while recovering from my C-section. I couldn't get out of bed without quite a bit of cursing and grunting and yet my calls to the nursing station went unanswered so I managed to get myself sideways on the bed holding Cole with one arm, bracing myself on the bed rails, praying I would be able to lift Cole into his bassinet so I could rest. By the time I nursed and they finally came to take him back to the nursery, 90 minutes had almost passed. It was like living in the twilight zone, my mind and body exhausted from labor and now struggling with mending from major surgery. And yet, as much as I dreaded the door opening again on the heels of just moments of sleep, I eagerly (and anxiously) anticipated Cole's return to my arms even more.

Moments of three years ago are etched in my memory. Some more faded than others. However I do vividly recall the first time I called him Pickle. That very same night, alone with him I remember looking at his wrinkled up nose, bruised noggin and puckered lips, he looked like a pickle and hence his nickname was born. I have called him that consistently ever since.

Happy Third Birthday Cole! You will ALWAYS be my little pickle!

My little farmer...

Dave and I have said many times, that Cole has much of his great-grandfather Roger in him. Much like Roger's schedule, Cole has operated on farmer's hours since day one. Three years into his life, he is still an early riser, ready and wanting to play literally from the moment he lifts his head. To see him is like watching someone turn on the switch from a battery-run toy. There is no gradual wake up period, no ease from warm covers or a groggy morning mood, he is up like a shot. He comes bounding into our room every morning and despite our futile attempts to get him to snuggle down for just 30 more minutes, he gives us about 10 minutes to catch up with his chipper morning state. "Come on MOMMY, open your eyes", "Come on Daddy, wake up". He turns on the lights and races around in a frenzy until we finally give in (or give up)!

With his internal clock rising between 5-5:30 am, it is plenty dark this time of year. He recently asked on a cold dark November morning "where is the sun". I replied "the sun is still sleeping, it is not ready to wake up yet, it is too early". With a hearty laugh, Cole says "no its not".

...get up and try again...

Cole has entered the stage of pretend play and it such a joy to listen in and watch from afar. He animatedly talks to his trains as he strings them along on his track, through his set's tunnels and over its bridges. He loves to attempt to put them all together in one long unit and take the tight turns without having them fall over. He knows to slow down but often they still teeter and totter and derail nonetheless. Eight times out of ten he says "Oh NO, they crashed", the other two out of ten times and typically late in the day when his mood is less willing to accept frustrations, he'll scatter the trains in a fit (which I totally feel like doing myself some days when things don't go my way).

Anyway, this morning as he played within earshot of my desk, I heard the trains fall over and him exclaim "Oh no, Thomas you fell...are you okay...get up and try again"...I just about fell off my chair, as those are the exact words (insert Cole for Thomas) that I have used for a long time now when Cole has fallen (at the playground, in the house, in the yard...) I inched my way to his playroom door as he righted his trains and took another go at that tricky curve. He maneuvered them adeptly this time and let them coast down the hill, a huge smile erupting on his face. He then said "see Thomas we did it", he was so proud of himself and so was I.

Ole King Cole...

Ole King Cole (aka The little Prince) was not quite a very merry soul...just shy of three, he didn't enjoy much getting into some get up with a shiny hat...only because I coaxed him with PEZ candy was I able to get him to keep the crown on for pictures...then he forgot about it for a time, only to throw it off once he remembered it again...trying to reason with a pre-schooler about anything out of the norm is an exercise in futility...trying to explain that he must ring the doorbells of strangers, smile, say Trick or Treat, get candy from said strangers, say thank you and venture on happily to the next strange house isn't exactly a task any parent should find a breeze to do just way too many things to ask of a little guy...Cole has had stranger anxiety since birth and here we are as parents asking him to be cute and polite while staring at people he has never seen before...oh well, there is always next year...

Go Forth and Sing No More

Since the night Cole was born, I have sung to him...I have never ever had a very good voice, but for the past 2.5 years, my significantly off-key style suited my little guy just fine. It was the ONLY thing that calmed him during 4 months of colic, restless nursing sessions, during emotional meltdowns, at bedtime as he turned and tossed to settle down, through sicknesses, while in the hospital, and in the recovery room after his surgery. My belting a tune also made him smile during happier everyday occasions like while running errands, driving to and from school, or puttering around the house...I have 80 or so songs on my IPOD that are varying versions of children's classics, ones I know every verse to and that have more playtime than my workout mixes (LOL).

The fact that my inner songstress made my kiddo feel good did wonders for my motherly ego especially when none of my other maternal tools would work. It was a blast when he began singing with me as we belted out DOWN BY THE STATION together.

However, recently Cole has issued me a cease and desist order...anytime I begin singing now, he firmly says, "No Mommy, no singing, Stop...". If I defy his request, he vehemently covers his ears and begins repeating "stop it, stop singing" and runs from the room (if he can).

Another phase, one I cherished for the past 1035 days or so has been shelved. In my life pre-Cole I was extremely reticent about singing in public even in college after imbibing too much and I have never been talked into joining a group at a party when the karaoke machine came out as I knew then I'd never be in tune but motherhood gave me bravado and an opportunity to see if the sound of my voice (out of tune or not) could provide a state of calm for my little guy. Obviously I have not improved my abilities over the course of his life and he is able to now tell me so...This mothering thing is hard on one's ego...I can't wait until he points out the "lines" around my eyes...

The "power" of a pre-schooler....

Cole has a dislike of the wind...he always has...he would squirm in his stroller as an infant/toddler if a strong breeze blew his way and contort his face as if he was being tortured...more recently over the past 5 months he has balked at having the windows open in the car because the wind ruffles his hair which makes him agitated instead of relaxing him as it does the rest of us especially since our season of having open windows is so brief...so we are out walking Tucker tonight with a brisk wind stirring up what is left of the swirling leaves, Cole had been complaining for the 15 minutes we had been walking about the wind and thus walking backwards to avoid it (smart kid but it was slowing us down immensely) and finally he had had enough, he began yelling loudly...NO MORE, STOP WIND...as if a switch had been flipped, the wind ceased...it gave me goose bumps...it was as if a higher order granted the request of my son if only for a short time...without missing a beat, Cole said "thank you wind"...as we turned the corner, the winds picked back up and gusted back to their aforementioned speed and the whining began again but my goose bumps remained the entire rest of our walk...

Why oh Why oh Why

The title of my post could cover many a scenario...like why oh why oh why am I so behind in blogging, or why oh why oh why do I have a child who doesn't need sleep like his mother does, or why oh why oh why when Cole asks WHY for the umpteenth time today does my brain short-circuit as it tends to do with monotonous repetitive activity.

I am going nuts with this stage of toddlerdom. I try to be witty and thoughtful with my replies but one can only be respectful of WHY when attributed to true questions not to every nitpicking thing one does during the course of a day...granted this stage of inquisitiveness is balanced with my absolutely entertaining verbal little boy who graces me with renditions of all his favorite songs now or his description of his day when I pick him from school. He comes running full tilt into my arms and bursts out with his memories of the past few hours as if he has been formulating what he was going to tell me all day...that gives my frazzled self a shot of happiness like no other...I just hope that this WHY phase fades as quickly his interest in couch jumping...

First Day of Montessori 2009-2010

Where does the time go? I remember the very first day I dropped Cole off at Orono Montessori in 2008, I barely contained my tears as I left him in the hands of almost complete strangers. At the time, I second guessed our decision to enroll him since drop offs were so heart wrenching (for both of us) but I have watched him thrive with his peers and learn so much from his teachers and Montessori environment.

I love to watch him in the playground when I pull into the parking lot to pick him up. I never know where I'll find him, one day pushing a truck, the next a grocery cart, one day digging in the sandbox, the next making dinner with mulch chips in the playhouse. On rainy days, I glance around the corner and watch him raptly listening to storytime, singing or dancing, laughing and playing. My heart skips a beat as it remembers not so long ago, the sobs and the "mommy don't go". We've come a long way.

Wasn't it just Memorial Day???

I truly am aghast that it is mid-August. The only reason that I figure I cannot explain how the past two months have snuck on by is that in direct opposition to our winters here where time creeps by hour by hour as the frigid winds blow and cabin fever is easily acquired, Minnesota summer days are less scheduled and we spend every possible waking (and not working) hours outside. This is also my reasoning for having a blog absent of entries since I have been spending far fewer of my "me" hours actually sitting at the computer. We eat alfresco almost every night and I have kept to my word about watching less TV this summer and reading more. Cole helps me water the flowers and Dave with the garden after dinner. It is amazing when the sun doesn't set until almost 10pm how much more TIME you feel you have. From November through April (at least here in the tundra), the days seem to end at 5pm and everyone hunkers down for hours vegging out before bedtime, hence my more prolific winter postings.

Anyway, Cole and I have made use of the long days and have explored so many new playgrounds and parks this summer in attempt to make use of the wonderful weather we have had since May. It has not been a hot summer and though it has been fine to run around and play outside, it has not been a great pool/beach summer. So we have taken to coordinating playdates with our friends at some great outdoor venues this year! Compared to even last fall, Cole is leaps and bounds a far more adept climber and confidently scales the ladders and jungle gym bars with ease. He has little fear (which is good and bad I guess) and I try to let him play without too much of my motherly caution ringing out.

Dave built a cool sandbox for Cole in June and not one day goes by when Cole doesn't ask us to "come play in the sandbox with me" with those Coca-Cola eyes and lilting voice just begging for us to come and get sandy. He gets quite bossy though once you have joined him, indicating what he wants you to do and build so maybe he'll be a CEO or architect someday!

Cole also has become quite the Pele with the soccer ball. He has a straight shot kick that is direct and on target 9/10 times. His ability to aim and shoot with such strength has amazed Dave and I. We both played well during our days on soccer teams so Cole must have our combined DNA with this skill. He also has quite an arm as exhibited both outside where we are allowed to throw balls to Tucker as well as inside where we are still learning that we roll the ball as explaining to him that outside we throw and inside we roll is like expecting him to understand the difference between inside voice and outside voice. This is what I frequently see on his angelic face as he is told once again, "Cole, please stop shrieking, we are inside, we need to use our inside voice"...blank stare....processing processing...does not compute.

I DO IT!!

Cole could be a great Nike spokesperson since just about everything he responds to with "I DO IT". This reply is standard for opening & closing doors, buckling his carseat strap, getting into and out of the Volvo, retrieving his sippy cups from the refrigerator, pushing play on the DVD player, putting toothpaste on his toothbrush, wiping his face with a washcloth, entering and exiting the bathtub, sliding on his shoes, pulling the mail from the mailbox, holding Tucker's leash and the list continues...of course, he shrieks like a wet hen when he doesn't get to do it and I cringe when I hear myself state "Cole, you can't always do everything yourself, sometimes Mommy or Daddy has to do for the sake of time (or more truthfully for lack of patience) knowing that a meltdown of grand proportions will take center stage. Of course he has his moments when he rather "Mommy DO IT" which typically is when he makes a mess and wants me to clean it up, wants me to carry his truck and/or him after he gets tired with 20 minutes more to go of our walk with Tucker or when I'm driving and can't pick up whatever he has dropped.

I love his independence as the apple hasn't fallen far from the proverbial tree however, the foot stomping whining that ensues when he can't do it himself sometimes has me wanting to say "FINE YOU DO IT, YOU DO IT ALL" in a adult version of a tantrum. As a parent I have these thoughts daily but I remain calm, cool and collected (most times) and let him have his momentary lapse of composure. Like a switch he shuts off the tirade as quick as it starts on most occasions as his distraction tendency is high which is lucky for me.

I just wish "I DO IT" would be attributable to going potty on the potty *sigh*...but I guess he isn't ready for that amount of responsibility quite yet!

Montana Adventure continued...

So after 15 hours in the truck, we unpacked in our room (we had to share two twin bed mattresses placed on the floor with Cole but it was FREE lodging so we certainly would just figure it out) and began the process of unwinding. That wasn't easy to do with so many people around, kids running to and fro in someone else's home and about 250 animal heads peering down at you...no joke, Larry and Matt are prolific ,and I mean that with a capital P, hunters. They eat everything they kill, hence we were in for a menu of elk, buffalo and antelope. Good thing I am adventurous and our meal discussions didn't go into detail about what we were eating, so we just ate. Game is actually very healthy and lean and the reality is that though they actually shot their prey, it is probably a more humane death than the slaughterhouses that the chicken and beef that grace our plates often comes from.

Lion's Ledge sits on a beautiful parcel of land...the backside looked out over Tom Miner Creek which gushed plentiful from all the summer rains, it was a steady hum that relaxed us as we had some drinks and caught up with our friends that first night. The laughs and conversation flowed but we were bone tired so retreated before midnight. The cool night air wafted in and we fell asleep with a full moon shining in the big picture window in our bedroom.

Cole was up early as usual, so we were up with him and before everyone else. I think the most difficult part about vacationing with others is trying to keep a toddler quiet at the crack of dawn in consideration of the others still asleep. He wanted to play with the girls who were still in la-la land. He wanted to be outside running around which we weren't ready for quite yet as we stretched our stiff bodies. Luckily we had a 7:00 am departure for Yellowstone National Park. With 7 adults and 5 kids we managed to get on the road by 7:20 which we were proud of. With a Suburban and Dave's truck we all fit in, carseats included!

The sun was shining when we turned South on Route 89 and followed the Yellowstone River (which is one of just a few rivers that flows north). By the time we got to the town of Gardner which was 20 miles away, the clouds swirled angrily overhead and thunderheads loomed over the mountains. We entered the park about 8:00 with Matt our tour guide. He is Kelly's brother who is a professional outfitter/guide for a living and lives at Lion's Ledge year round. Matt had mapped out our itinerary knowing which "tourist" spots to forgo and those that were worth the time (or energy) to see. He also knew the less visited but spectacular pull over points that were slightly off the beaten track. We drove into the park about 45 minutes before we reached our first sighting of buffalo. It had rained the first 30 minutes of the drive so our timing was perfect as we began to see herds of the buffalo right off the road. It was early enough too that we had beaten the crowds and pretty much had the park road to ourselves. We stopped for some beautiful vista shots of the hot springs up on the mountain side, the steam pouring off as the sun broke through the clouds. We continued on and saw more and more and more buffalo, some males were as large as our truck. They were shedding their coats and thus many of them had no coat on the back half of their bodies but the coat on the front half remained, it was a strange sight on an already strange looking creature.

We parked our cars to visit Upper and Lower Springs and the tremendous waterfalls. We had a steep hike up and down on a zig-zag trail. Cole was put in the backpack which he fought but there was no way he would have been safe any other way. You could hear the roar of the water but to turn the corner and see the water rushing at such an intense pace was absolutely breathtaking. There was still snow on the north side of the rocks and the water sparkled an almost blue/green in the sunlight. You could see the water cascade and pound the rocks below. It was nature in one of its most powerful forms.

Cole had taken a liking to Morgan, the 10 year old daughter of the Mershons and wanted to hold her hand anytime he was able to be walking rather than in the pack. We stopped to take the walking loop around the Mud Volcano and some of the hot springs and he held her hand the entire 20 minutes. The buffalo lounge around these hot springs and were literally within striking distance should they decide they were irritated by the human gawkers. One had risen as we strolled by and we calmly but hurriedly continued on our way. Of course there are always the tourists who remain behind to snap pictures as the 2 ton creature eyeballs them. Oh, and I wouldn't want to be remiss in mentioning the man and his dog (which was the size of a large cat) who was straining to run after the aforementioned buffalo, barking wildly at it. Its owner was like "oh isn't that cute, he just wants to play, allowing the dog to inch closer and closer". Seriously?? Now we know why signs were posted warning of people being gouged to death every year. Stupid people are a pet peeve of mine, seriously!!

We stopped to take group photos of the kids with Yellowstone Lake and the snowcapped mountains as the backdrop. It reminded me of being in Lake Tahoe without all the development. Thousands of fir trees rimmed the lake and the color of the water was an amazing blue. There were HUGE piles of buffalo dung everywhere which we attempted to keep ourselves and the kids from stepping in. Ed picked some dried dung up and threw it in my direction as I shrieked. Cole thought that was the funniest thing and his giggle became infectious as we all dodged the dung minefield.

Our lunch time stop was Yellowstone Lodge and the infamous Old Faithful geyser. Cole had fallen asleep in the car so Dave stayed with him as the rest of us went to buy lunch and find out the schedule for the next "blow" of Old Faithful. Dave was smart to bring walkie talkies which kept our two cars communicado the entire day. The kids and guys got us seats by the geyser and the gals went to fetch eats/drinks. Yellowstone Lodge was immense. A huge log cabin with a lobby that was four stories high with huge stone fireplaces. It was something out of a movie. You could actually stay there during the summer months (the interior sections of the park are closed from late October-late April because of the snow). Dave and Cole met up with us just as Old Faithful gave us her show. In all honesty, as beautiful as it was, it didn't go as high as I had expected it to. We all expressed the same thought afterwards but it was still an experience that was a MUST SEE!

At this point, the kids had had enough so we decided to begin the trek back. Once the young ones have reached this point, it can be touch and go, so Matt was told to take the rapid route OUT of the park. Of course as fate would have it, traffic came to a standstill about 10 minutes after we left the Lodge. Wildlife has free reign and if they block the road, you wait. So we waited and waited and waited. People had gotten out of their cars and slowly down the line of cars came word. Brown Bear, Brown Bear!! People were freaking out and whispering as we inched past. The bear was up on the left hand side of the road but cars had stopped to take photos.

We snapped our requisite shot and continued on as the kids couldn't have cared less plus now the Kawashiri girls had to pee and we were nowhere near a rest stop. So we pulled off the road and the ladies ventured down the slope a bit where they promptly got stage fright as they have never before had to go potty in nature with a bunch of strangers (us) essentially watching. Needless to say, it was a rough ride home. Cole was a trooper and nodded off a few times. As long as he has snacks and water, he is good. Remember, he was used to be in the car for hours on end.

Two more posts to come on our Montana adventure...