Jun 06, 2004
Something I really love about David
is how he knows, and can entertainingly recount, big chunks of obscure information.
Tonight at dinner the conversation mainly concerned iceboxes, ice houses, and so on. David told us how iceboxes worked, how the ice was delivered, what sort of ice houses it was stored in, where it came from in the first place, how people sawed it out of the lakes, how it was transported to other regions, and the rough time frame during which Americans used iceboxes. It was really great.
Usually when I ask him, "Where did you learn that?" he answers, "From railroad books." His obsession with trains, trolleys and transportation has led him to an education that includes not only (obviously) transit systems and vehicles but also economics, politics, geography, natural resources, various industries that used trains (like logging), urban design, engineering and architecture (of bridges, stations, and so on), and probably a bunch of other stuff I can't think of off the top of my head. So while on paper I'm the one with the more elite education, he sure knows a heck of a lot from voracious reading.
In this case, however, he said he thought he read the ice stuff in books about New Hampshire that were at his grandparents' camp (summer house). We were wondering if THEY ever read the books!
Jun 05, 2004
One, do, ree, roar, rive, yix, yeven, eight, nine, ten! Yay!
That's how Silas counts. We didn't even know he could say his numbers till he filled some in recently when David was counting. He liked our reaction and is now proud to do it regularly.
He also knows you point to a group of things (for instance, dots) when you do it, though I don't think he is actually counting.
He can also sing the ABC song all the way through (including an easily understandable "Now I know my ABC's, next time won't you sing with me"), even though his biggest sentences so far have probably been things like "More dookie right now".
Maybe it's time to teach him some Mekons songs.
The Mama Wars
Well, "wars" is putting it a bit too strongly. More like "The Mama Grumble Fests."
Often when one kid climbs on me to snuggle, the other suddenly wants to too. They are little enough that they can both fit on my lap (or maybe it's that my lap is big enough :-P ), but they tend to get wiggly and territorial and mildly peeved with each other.
This evening, Russell was on my lap cuddling and Silas kept coming over to snuggle too (often trying to nudge Russell off). At one point, Silas wandered away for a bit. Russell moved in for a more comprehensive cuddle and when Silas came back, Russell announced, "Mama is closed."
I think I may have to start using that as a slogan myself at times!