No Circle Time

So... Daniel has matriculated to the next level up at My Gym. He graduated from "Gymsters" to "Terrific Tots." The new class required that Daniel actually pay attention to the instructor and follow some rudimentary instructions. For instance, during the gymnastics period, he has to sit on a mat with the other kids and wait for the teacher to call him so that he can take his turn. He's having a difficult time with the whole affair, he doesn't like to go back to the circle in the middle of the room and sit attentively (during "Circle Time!") after he's been off playing on the equipment and doing his own thing.

I remind him before class that he needs to listen to the teacher (Ms. Abby, who is good, but nothing compared to the recently departed and much adored Mr. Dustin), and I haul him back to the circle for Circle Time.

We had class yesterday, and while we were getting ready, I asked him if he wanted to go to My Gym. He said "play at My Gym," which gave me pause. I suspected he was telling me he doesn't like the "class" part, sitting and listening, and he was warning me that all he really wanted to do was go and play, to heck with all that other stuff. He did listen a bit in class, but quickly lost interest, and when the instructor asked him to do activities, like swinging on a trapeze, he was adamantly against it ("I don't want to do that") and sat out.

Today, Christy, Daniel & I went back to My Gym for a free play (no structured class activities). He mentioned several times, "no circle time!" before and on the way to MyGym. Later on, he told his mom:

"No Circle Time."

"That's right, Daniel, no Circle Time today. We can just do what we want."

"No... listening."

"Uh..."

Cooking with Daniel

Christy and I have been watching cooking shows again, such as "Essential Pepin" with Jacques Pepin on the Create channel. Daniel also seems to be fan of cooking shows. Tonight, while I was cooking dinner, he was also "cooking" in the kitchen with me, hosting his own show and narrating his prep step by step. "And the next step... we add sugar... and then... it's done!"

Mickey Mouse Clubhouse

Daniel has recently become enamored of the Mickey Mouse Clubhouse show on the Disney Channel. Unlike the original Mickey Mouse Club, which was a live-action affair, the Clubhouse is yet another 3D computer animated show with semi-interactive "learning activities" sprinkled throughout (much like Dora or Daniel's other current TV obsession, Super WHY). It features the classic Disney pantheon of characters (Mickey, Minnie, Goofy, Donald, Daisy and Pluto) solving mysteries with some gadget (the "Mouseketool").

Last night, as I was doing dishes, Daniel walked by on his way out to the living room to watch the mouse. "Are you going to watch Mickey Mouse?" I asked.

He stopped, turned to me, and then walked over to hold my hand while he told he quite earnestly, "He has a clubhouse."

"He does?"

"Yes. He has a clubhouse, Daddy."

The Terrific Twos

It should be noted that we are now in the midst of the Terrible, er, Terrific Twos.

Daniel has taken to asserting himself with great gusto. Now, most mundane everyday activities that we have been doing for months and years are met with great protestation. Changing his diapers, getting dressed, naps, getting PJs on, teeth-brushing and bedtime are now (almost always, but not always) met with tempestuous crying, stamping of feet, kicking, gnashing of teeth, growling, and even "growl-muttering," like a cranky old man.

On the positive side, his communication abilities are evolving rapidly. He is now speaking, quite often, in full sentences. He also is in love with books, and he's enjoying more complicated stories with more text that take longer to read. Some examples: Tiki-Tiki-Tembo, Skippyjon Jones, The Gruffalo, Henry the Explorer and If You Give a Cat a Cupcake. The days of Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See are quickly fading away.

The temper tantrums are hard for Christy and I to weather, but they're interesting because they can pass so quickly. One minute, he's mad as heck at me, and then about four minutes later, he's normal again and feelin' fine, like nothing happened. How I wish that could last forever. And Christy has done an excellent job of teaching him to take deep breaths when he's having a temper explosion. That only took me about 35 years to figure out.

Tiny Town

We awoke to rain but decided to visit Tiny Town as planned.  Daniel was a good sport about the drive (30-40 min) and eager for adventure.  The first building that caught his attention was a fire station that he could go in.  He entered, walked around and exited several times.

The train was parked on the tracks near the fire station so Daniel was able to take a close look.  Today's train was pulled by a yellow diesel engine named 'Betsy'.  Daniel also like the red caboose.

Daniel's favorite buildings were the ones he could go in.  While he was exploring a little blue windmill, the rain started up again so he got to play with the umbrella too.  He tried to open the tiny doors when he saw door knobs or handles - he was a little frustrated that he couldn't go into all the buildings.  Some of the buildings I liked best were the flower shop (with a greenhouse), the barn filled with square dancers and the storybook house.

The rain cleared and we played on the playground.  I suspect that's when we all got a little sunburned.  After the playground, I was getting hungry so we wandered to the snack shop.  Not finding many vegetarian options, we bought some gummy candies and a drink and decided to get lunch elsewhere.  We rode the train before we left which was a lot of fun.  Daniel enjoyed being on the train and seeing the extended Tiny Town along the train loop.

We ended up at The Blue Cow in Morrison after an aborted attempt to eat at the Shiprock Grille in Red Rocks.  Lunch was great - but slow arriving. Daniel played with his new train engine and explored the creekside. 

Bath Battle

Usually bath time is a lot of fun for Daniel, but last night we had a crisis when I tried to wash his hair.  Laying back in the water to get his hair wet has never been his favorite thing though he usually tolerates it long enough to get the job done.  I had purchased a cup with a handle for pouring water.  Daniel's had a great time playing with it - standing and pouring water into the tub, on himself, on Mommy.  But, when I used it to get his hair wet, he freaked.  In an act of further cruelty, I put shampoo on his wet hair so now we had to rinse it.  After much wrestling, comforting and cajoling we managed to rinse his hair.  I hope we haven't ruined bath time.

Cousin Fiona

On Monday, Fiona spent the day with us.  Jarl got the festivities rolling by taking Daniel and Fiona to get donuts (while I got a shower - big thank you).  After breakfast and some play time, we headed to the movies to see "Brave".  It was another 95+ degree day so being indoors felt like a very good idea.  We got popcorn and a cola squishee.  (I also had Raisinets stashed in the diaper bag in case popcorn didn't work for Daniel.)  The Raisinets were crucial to keeping Daniel in his seat for about 1 hr - a new record!

Daniel and I left the theater right about the time bears started fighting on screen.  Jarl told us afterwards that was a pretty scary scene.  After we left the theater, we played in the hallway until the movie ended.  Daniel found it interesting that this movie was "not the Lorax" (his first movie-going experience).

We had lunch at "beans and rice place" but Daniel was far more interested in getting his cousin's attention than eating.  When we got home, Daniel went down for and took a nap.  He only slept for about an hour, waking early enough to have more play time with Fiona.  She was a good sport and kept Daniel thoroughly entertained.

There were many tears and protestations - "don't want to say good-bye!" - when Fiona had to leave.  The tantrum trend continues.  Aside from the end-of-day meltdown, Daniel behaved well.  I think the heat, sugar and disappointment took their toll.