Charlie's adorable words

Charlie's language has exploded in the past 9 months. Everyday we here new words and phrases, and it is so much fun conversing with him. I just spent 4 hours in the car with him, and most of the entire we spent talking...talking about this workerman and that workerman, what they were doing, what they were eating, tow trucks, trees, birds, airplanes...everything and anything that he could see and/or think about. At times I secretly roll my eyes and think how great just silently singing to my tunes would be, but really I love conversing with him. When he says something we don't understand he asks us to do this: "T T T", as if trying to get us to sound out the word. It is very smart and cute, and once in a while the word he is trying to say really does start with a T. He talks to his sister all day long and I have noticed recently that the baby understands most of what he says to her, and follows his directions.

Here are some cute things he says:

Nedermind

peanut bubber

yamwhich - sandwhich

youp- soup

I nofeedingdatdood - he says his like it is all one word, and it is very understandable, I am not feeling that good.

That'd be cool

i yove you

tank you

your welmom

yunk- skunk, you see he substitutes all of his s's for y's

Big Aunt Tate

Baby Aunt Tate

He has a million different ways to say yeh....different tones, different nods of his head

ponge (sponge)

I need my yocks and yoes (socks and shoes)

deemum a mam (discovery museum)

I know there is so much more that I am forgetting.

He really is the sweetest, cutest, most curious little guy, and I cherish every small moment with him.

So what's new..

A lot of people ask me this, and I ask a lot of people the same thing. When I am asked this I find that each time I stutter....ahhhh welll not much, mothering stuff. And then later I think....that was a strange response, but really each day is filled with funny stories, creative games, outdoor adventures, and cooking/cleaning experiments....so while I have a moment of peace and quiet (both kids are napping!) I will share some of our latest doings. Oh, and sidenote since I no longer think to ever carry a camera with me it has been an added bonus to have the iphone, although the quality isn't great it has been wonderful to catch random moments:

This is our post-lunch, pre-nap clean up time together. I put music on and try to clean up the toys and sweep, naturally children love to help, and here are my great little helpers...

Today we were having so much fun gardening, and looking for salamanders that when I came to find out what Kate was doing (she is famous for eating dirt and rocks), I found her laying in our asparagus patch. Then I realized it was close to 1 and quickly approaching nap time...woops

Kate is picking up signs daily, she knows cat, dog, pig, cow, duck, bird, tree, more, milk, eat, water, poop, diaper change, sleep, light, gorilla, monkey, drive....this is her sign for tree.

Adam rototilled (spelling?) the garden this past weekend, and ever since the kids like to spend most of there time "working" I get a little nervous when I watch Charlie heave the huge hoe over his head and slam it back down into the dirt, but he actually is pretty careful

This is a new part of our evening, and I highly recommend it. We light the candle, read a few stories, turn off the light and talk about our day...I LOVE IT and so does C

Our newest thing is to occasionally go out to eat, here is our breakfast at the airport yesterday, both kids sat happily for 35 minutes watching the planes land and take off. This was Charlie's breakfast, of course in true Charlie fashion he choose to eat most of my eggs instead.

Our couch is no longer a couch. It is a trampoline part time and a garbage truck the other times. Again my new challenge is to sit back and watch the kids make up there games rather then constantly put everything back in it's place, it isn't easy but I am getting better at it.

 This probably looks gross to you, but I am proud of it. It is seitan scaloppine with lemon-olive sauce. It was great, everyone including kids devoured it.

 

Kate's favorite thing in the world is the zoo, and the petting zoo is the funniest thing to watch. She raced around laughing at the goats, doing the dog sign, and doing this silly walk. She was also totally in love with the ducks, this is her duck sign.

   

Adam used to take Charlie to the zoo every Sunday and they loved it. Recently Charlie asked if I could take him and when I tried to lie to him about the animals sleeping and the zoo being closed, he rejected my answer. He was right! The zoo is super easy to take two little kids, and we all have so much fun. Here is the cutie:

Since the puffer (train) has been closed for over a month, we always treat ourselves to a ride on the carousal. I try to get him to go on the animals that go up and down, but he has a real special relationship with this giraffe. Se La Vee

  

And a day doesn't go by where both kids don't stand by the window and check out what is the happenings. Our favorite things to see are: garbage truck- hands down, bikes, motorcycles, school bus, kids playing, kids skateboarding, birds on wires, dogs pooping...

 

When I told Adam that I had spent 60 dollars on 12 beautiful silk scarves for kate's birthday, he couldn't believe it. But after looking at this picture, can you understand why I would do such a thing? And by the way...these scarves have become hats, skirts, ropes, parachutes, rivers, grasses......

  

Once a week he goes to ice cream with Pa, but if that doesn't happen I pick up the slack....

  

And of course we have hard times like this picture shows. Where we are all having an off day...usually happens because we are tired and hungry.....

 

But on the very same day we have moments like this.....

  

Our couch....company actually sits on the floor on these cushions..dare we put our couch back together and deal with the wrath of sir charles.

  

More and more we get to do fun things like this. We do playdough, paint, draw, and recently we started playing games: hi ho cherry-o, and candy land....don't say it to his face, but charlie is a cheater, just like I was as a kid.

  

And perhaps our favorite thing to do in the world is take walks. We take walks out to the bluffs almost everyday. Sometimes we are seen looking like this, a sweatshirt, pajama bottoms, and worker man boots, all shade of blue, all different patterns. But let me tell you that it is no easy feat to get us all out of the house all at the same time...and some battles just aren't worth fighting.

  

 Imagine how happy kate is that after 12 months of watching us walk and play is such natural beauty, she can finally walk as well. If only she would go the right direction....

So next time you ask me what's new and I look at you with a blank look it is because everyday is so full of ups and downs, adventures and escapades, hysterical moments, and sometimes some tears.....and I can't possibly put it into a few sentences, and unless you are my sister, my mom, my brother, my dad, ellie or Amy...you probably don't want to hear Every Little Thing about what I am doing and feeling!

Going Waldorf

What I loved about teaching is the constant changing. It was soley based on reflection, everyday was a new day, a new beginning, a new chance to reach the students, to teach more creatively, and do so with more patience. A bad day always came to an end, and it was usually the bad days that created space for positive change.

I feel the same way about mothering. My philosophy of parenting doesn't come to a surprise to those that knqo me. I was questioning vaxes, nursing my baby on demand, cosleeping, and practicing gentle discipline before I found out that these practices actually fall under the "attached parenting" label. And once I found mothering.com, and read books and articles that speak to the way adam and I parent, I did feel more at home. 

But there was a peace missing. A few months back I started reading the power of now, and  We are the ones we have been waiting for by Alice Walker, and a more spiritual side to me emerged.

Then I started to explore other modes of learning and teaching, different forms of education. Being an elementary teacher for four years and having many friends in public school system, I am well aware, perhaps too aware of the crisis our schools face. Leave no child behind, and the utter disaster it created, left our schools void of art, music, creative thinking, and problem solving. Pressure to teach to the test, reading, writing and math, and book work replaced all forms of creative expression. And for the first time, now that I am a mother, it really scared me when I realized that in a few years Charlie would be forced to sit inside at a desk for hours upon hours....having to raise his hand to speak, having to complete worksheet after worksheet. And this isn't a rant against teachers, I am one of them. Raising your hand is essential when you have a classroom full of children, and learning to not interrupt is a lifelong skill...as are many things that are taught in school settings.

 I tried my hardest in my classroom to teach science and social studies through projects, we started a big school garden and even ate some things out of the garden as a lesson on farm to fork. I tried to collaborate with younger and older classes so kids would learn how to work together peacefully in a school community. And yet I didn't do it as good as I would want for either of my children.

Once I started researching and reading I found the waldorf way of teaching. It seems to me that it is a way of life, a way of being, and a way of homeschooling. Despite adam being the awesome and supportive husband he is and actually letting me know on more than one occasion that it would be fine if I wanted to homeschool our children, I know that that is not something I want to. Although through my reading I have a much better understanding of why it is that many families take that route.

For me waldorf is more of a guideline, a set of principles to try to live by. And like everything in my life it is not my intention to be perfect...I like to practice everything in moderation. 

Once I was able to wrap my brain around waldorf philosophies and figure out how it fit with my way of mothering...a huge light inside me went off. And within the first few days I noticed how small things can create big changes. Here is what I love so far about waldorf:

1. Having a rhythm to each day, a routine that focuses on the family. Most of our days are the same and our activities and meals and playtimes happen around the same time each day, allowing for flexibilty, naturally.

2. Involving everyone in the housework, and celebrating housework as a way to celebrate ourselves. 

3.Trying to sit back more and just watch my children play and interact with each other, letting Charlie create the games, and watch both kids' imaginations flourish.

4.declutter, declutter, declutter. I have pretty much given away or thrown out most of our toys, leaving the more open-ended ones for us to play with.

5. Singing and poetry incorporated into our day.

6. Having a meal candle, and a night night candle: This is the smallest thing that has brought such peace into our homes. Charlie gets so excited when it is breakfast, lunch, and dinner. He runs right over and watches one of us light it, and then when we are all done eating, he blows it out. The night night candles is a predictable part of his nightly routine, and after we read a few books we get really close to the candle and he tells me about his favorite part of the day. To look into his beautiful, sweet, and curious face as the light from the candle reflects upon it is truly precious.

7. Really focusing on nature and the changing of seasons (easy because we all love to be outside and live in a beautiful place, yet challenging because hmb doesn't seem to have changing seasons...) We also have a nature table now that reflects the season we are in. Ours has some twigs, moss, and pinecones collected from a hike in the redwoods, some fresh flowers to signify spring time, a beautiful card, and some small animals. It is a work in progress.

8.limitted tv time. Here is where I moderate. Strict waldorf families have no tv or video games for young children. I think a little TV here and there are just fine. 

I am sure I will learn more as I go, but for now I feel so lucky to have found this way of being. So much of it comes natural to me and it is encouraging to know that there are entire communities out there that live and teach in this way.....

I will try to capture some pictures over the next week.

Baby for sale

seriously.

no naps.

lots of poops

new teeth

lots of tears

no naps.

6 attempts.

one cranky, annoyed mother

The Ebb and Flow of motherhood

There are days like today, where everything seems to fall into place. Where you have the best nights sleep and wake up curled up next to your sweet son at 7....Where seitan can be made from scratch before the clock strikes 8 am. Where Charlie has a friend from next door come over and together they run, laugh, jump, and play for over 2 hours together. Where among that wonderful chaos the kitchen gets clean, more playdough gets made, and everyone gets fed. Where your husband comes home for lunch, and puts the baby down for a nap, and after reading 12 books and a last minute poop, your exhausted son collapses in a heap. Where the birds are chirping outside, the house is somewhat clean, and you can truly relish in silence.

It won't last long, it never does. Before long the dog may bark, the doorbell may ring, the baby will most likely wake up....but for now it is quiet.

A hot cup of tea sits waiting for me.....

When you shut one door, many open. Just when I started to feel insecure and not a part of many mothering circles. Just when I started to worry about my son struggling through a difficult stage and my children just being too damn close together. Just when I started to feel so damn tired I couldn't think straight, things changed again.

And now I feel empowered, and rested, and recharged. I feel complete, and full of playdates, activities, friends, Moms nights out.

And as my children get older there will be more dinners alone with adam, maybe a backpacking trip or real honeymoon (not that 2 nights in big sur wasn't real, because it was perfect).

How good in this moment it is to just hear the birds chirping on the wires, to hear the slight hum of the fridge, and an occasional car pass down the street. 

Because most of my day, really all of my day I hear C and K, and while Charlie's explosion of language and Kate's new words and sound effects are truly music for my soul, every once in a while it is very nice to hear nothing.

Best Buds

(this is charlie, here)

I have a lot of friends, some old, like as old as pa, and some very young like my baby sister, little aunt kate. I have taught Kate everything she knows. Here are some pics that we have taken together. I won't lie, there have been times where I haven't wanted to share with baby aunt kate, or where I have hit her hard across the top of her head for no reason....most recently my favorite thing to do is the walk up behind her real close until she thinks I am going to knock her down, and then I run away laughing while she is crying. But really, mostly we play. At first she couldn't do much except stay real close to mommy, that was hard. real hard. I had to stop sleeping with my mom, and had to learn to do things on my own...Now little Aunt Kate is my very best friend. We play together all day, and I am teaching her words, and signs and how to do fun things like throw a ball and leaf blow. Here are some pics of us together over the past year:

Before the baby came my grandma (mama) bought me this doll, Bobby. I love Bobby and used Bobby to practice gentle kissing.....

and nursing.....

Here is one of our first pics together. I am about 19.5 or 20 months, and the baby is less than a month. 

I tried to teach her how to sleep in the crib.....

but it was more fun to lay on top of her than to sleep.....

Of course, I spent a lot of time kissing her. She was so soft.

I tried to show her how to smile for pictures, but in the beginning she just sat there....

One of my favorite things to do with the baby was to play on the playmat. She loved it when I would sit on top of here....

And she loved it when I rested on top of her too.

Here I am getting better and better at holding her, which was not easy as she quickly became a chunky monkey.

I taught the baby to snuggle.

Once she started sitting, I showed her how to tickle.....

And I showed her how great it is to snuggle and sleep with mom and dad.

And soon enough I let her tackle me.

I taught her everything she knows about snuggling and wrestling...

And over the months I have gotten better at holding her even though she just gets heavier and heavier...

When she was too little to move around I would go around the house and gather up all the baby toys and bring them to her....

At Nonnie's house I showed her everything I knew about swimming and jumping in a kiddie pool, boy am I good at that kind of stuff....

Some say I am the one that pushes around the baby, but here is the honest truth....I tolerate more from her than you will ever know, she is always grabbing my hair, hitting my face, and kicking me, and I LOVE IT!

Once baby graduated out of mommies ergo I showed her how to ride in style. Whenever she would fuss or cry I would just turn around and say, "it ok baby, charlie here!"

I do this a lot, how could one not kiss those yummy chubby cheeks all the time.

Once I fully realized that keeping the baby meant she got to sleep with mommy at night instead of me, I tried to get her all excited about her crib......but I failed.

At Halloween we got to dress up like animals. Here I am asking mommy and daddy why baby looks like a bear.

And when I realized it wasn't a bear, but really kate inside I gave her another kiss

I starting doing this the day she came home, and look she is bigger now and can take it.

Around Christmas time we set up my big train set, and being the nice bro that I am, I even let baby sit in the middle....

Once she started crawling I knew I had an unfair advantage, so often times I would regress to a crawl myself, just to keep her happy....

This is one of the most important things I have showed little kate...all that exists on the outside..it took some time for me to learn how to share this sacred spot, but once I got it....I got it for good...

Next up came sharing baths. Boy that is fun. I love splashing her, stealing her toys and one time daddy dropped his very nice camera in the water while saving the baby who fell over backwards. I picked up that camera so fast, what a helper I am...

Daddy and I decided that now that the baby is walking she can come onto our courts. We haven't given her a racket yet, but we do let her pretend with a rattle. Here I am making her laugh as usual...

I try my absolute hardest to be silly so that kate will laugh at me, even in the wee hours of the morning......

We can sit together at the beach on a beautiful sunny day:

And it isn't always me teaching the baby things, she has taught me how to suck on new cabinet knobs..yum:

Now that she is so steady on her feet she can cook with me:

Playing in the snow was so much fun together. I would make silly faces and noises and the baby would belly laugh so hard!

Look at how she looks at me...she loves me!

Most recently we have discovered how fun it is to hike together, Kate has learned how to leaf blow from the best toddler leaf blower out there. At one point Charlie had all of us leaf blowing our ways through Heritage Grove in La Honda area:

And I love her!