Our Trip to Deer Forest

Chris had to work today, so Jonathan, Alex and I needed an adventure. I decided we'd go to one of my favorite summer attractions - Deer Forest. This was THE highlight of my summer from ages five to ten. I fondly remembered listening to the tinny speakers in Storybook Lane, and braving the herd of deer with an ice cream cone filled with food pellets in my hand.

The drive up to Coloma went well, and the parking lot was mostly empty. I'd called ahead to make sure they were open - had I not, I think I might have assumed they were closed. We walked through the gift shop and I forked over $48 for tickets, a bucket of animal feed, and an elephant key. Alex and Jonathan immediately took off running in separate directions. Jonathan found a little helicopter he wanted to sit in, while Alex grabbed a handful of food and headed towards the llama corral. When the herd of llamas - really quite large animals - came thundering over, I learned the Bear is pretty good at walking backwards.

We fed sheep, a cow, goats, miniature horses, and baby pigs. Alex insisted on wrapping his fist around the feed, so I taught him to throw the food into the pens. Jonathan was brave enough to let a few animals eat from his hand, but he tended to pull back, making the poor animals stretch their necks to the utmost. We watched the adult male deer pacing in their pens - Jonathan announced "They're having a parade!" In between animal feedings, I did my best to degrime Alex's hands. They have huge dispensers of alcohol-based sanitizer scattered around the park, and it really was his favorite part of the whole day. He ran up to every station and tried to push the pump handle.

Deer Forest has added some carnival style rides, and at $48 admission I intended to ride every one. So Jonathan and Alex rode boats, carts, and ladybugs. We all got on the Ferris Wheel, where I did my best to stay calm. Jonathan loved whooshing up to the top of the forest canopy and down again, and Alex stayed snuggled against my hip. At the tiny roller coaster, I got worried that Alex would be thrown forward in his seat, so I had them stop the ride to let us off. Jonathan insisted on finishing the ride alone and did fantastic. Some of the grownups who rode got off looking pretty green, but Jonathan hopped down with aplomb and came over for a high five.

There's no more dancing chicken, who must have given up the ghost in his little vending-machine cage a long time ago, but there was a pony hitched to a metal wheel for pony rides. Jonathan held on tight to the saddle horn and pointed out that the pony lacked seatbelts. Both boys climbed all over the play structure, with Alex shouting "Lide! LIDE!" in frustration that he couldn't navigate the ladder up to the largest slide of all. We also "panned for gold" by sluicing sand to get some little chips of colored stone.

After a takeout picnic from Panera Bread (which inspired half the park to leave to go get some for themselves) and a train ride through Storybook Lane, it was time to go. I offered to get Jonathan a special treat from the gift shop, and he chose a bag of M&Ms. The boys shared them as we drove home, falling asleep only two minutes from the house. Jonathan was so tired he curled up in the laundry pile as soon as we walked in. However, we all smelled like goat and grime, so I insisted we all hit the showers. After a thorough scrub, neither Jonathan nor Alex was willing to nap much. They're both sacked out now directly after dinner - but first they had to tell Chris all about their adventures.

Number Nine

Alex wants so much to be a big boy like his brother. Combine that ambition with the fact that he is without fear, and we all have our hands full watching the Bear.

Last month I thought I'd introduce Alex to "two-six." That's what Jonathan used to call it when I held his hands to help him walk up the stairs. We'd count the steps one at a time, and his first sentence fragment was "Two-six!" (Actually, I think there's a blog post about that, which is making me feel pretty old all of a sudden.) Anyway, Alex was totally charmed with the game. He decided that crawling was obsolete, and now insists on holding on to the railing and walking up and down the stairs on his own.

In addition to the walking, which he's so impressed with, he seems to be pretty interested in counting. He's adding words daily right now, and I noticed he would say "Un. . . ooo. . . eee" as he went slowly up the stairs. We went for our usual walk around the neighborhood the other night. Jonathan pedals his tricycle and Alex rides on his push-trike. One of the highlights for Jonathan is the driveway with the basketball hoop. There are numbers painted around the key for shooting practice. Jonathan likes to ride over all eleven in order.

As we approached the hoop, Alex hopped off the trike. I tried to put him back on, but he stuck his legs out so his feet hit the handlebars and I couldn't wedge him into his seat. Then he twisted around and pitched himself forward so I'd put him down. He ran over to the closest number - it was a two, in a bright yellow circle. He reached down to pat it with his hands and yelled "NINE!" We told him "Very good, Alex, that's a number, but it's a two." He looked down on the ground, and said "Oh." Then he ran over to the three and shouted "NIIIINE!"

Nine is definitely his favorite number. We put a handful of Cheerios on his tray - he pokes two or three with his finger and announces "NINE!" He works his way laboriously up the steps - we hear "oooo. . . eeee. . . NINE!" I ask him to show me some numbers. He pulls down a box that's labelled with them, points out a four, and shouts - wait for it - "NIIINE!"

If we lose our minds, take a step at a time. . .

Parenting cognoscenti might recognize our title, which is Jonathan's version of the Blue's Clues theme song. The original actually goes "When we USE our minds and take a step at a time" but I like his better. Yes, after keeping the boys on a strict diet of vintage Sesame Street, we decided to lighten up a little and let in some Blue's Clues. The Noggin channel informs me that the show has been proven to "improve metacognition in preschoolers." I must have missed that neurology lecture in my second year of medical school, because I have no idea what that means. If it means my two boys have rapidly become obsessed with the show, they're absolutely right.

When the credits start to roll, Jonathan calls out the characters as they appear on the screen. Alex runs towards the TV and holds out one palm, then scribbles in it with his fingers. He looks like he's calling for the check in a restaurant, but he's miming writing the clues in the "handy dandy notebook" which is a staple of the show. They both dance like loons during the theme song. Jonathan looks especially cute when it's time to "think. . . think. . . think." He makes sure he's sitting down and puts his chin in both hands with a little frown.

Although the host goes to great lengths to elicit audience input, Jonathan doesn't really enjoy calling out answers. Alex, on the other hand, has somehow grasped the central concept of finding the paw prints. As soon as one appears, the Bear is at the TV screen, grunting and pointing. We give him a big hand every time, which makes him grin with pleasure. Jonathan can sometimes figure out the answer if we prompt him along. What he really enjoys are the little songs scattered through the show.

Still, some things seem to be sticking. When he gets a snack, he asks me "Is this healthy for Mr. Pepper and Mrs. Salt?" He's not convinced about my answers yet - he can't understand how something as delicious as chocolate pudding can be unhealthy - but that must represent some sort of meta-something. Perhaps we should all go watch some more to be certain.

The Beach Boys

Well, no updates recently. The boys have been at the beach. Grandma and Grandpa came to stay at the cottage for five weeks and got drafted for babysitting duty as we sorted out our childcare options. What a glorious time they all had!

Start with the breakfasts. It will be hard to go back to frozen waffles after Grandma served up homemade pancakes and crisp bacon every morning. All topped off with a bowl of fresh blueberries. Alexander almost hit thirty pounds for his 18 month checkup. They got in the habit of lunching late after a long morning on the beach, and they both proved they can shovel it away after time out in the fresh air. Jonathan's probably grown two inches - Chris noticed that his head now comes up to the second of three body sprays in the shower.

On days when the beach wasn't a great option, there was plenty to do up at the cottage. Jonathan is in love with the $9 tricycle I picked up at a garage sale. Grandpa lined up the deck chairs to make a circular track and Jonathan whips around on that trike at daredevil speeds. Meanwhile, Alex learned to stay on the deck, and invented a new game. He would carefully nudge the big beach balls under the pine tree, just out of his reach. Then he'd run over shouting "BALL! BALL! BALL!!!!" until someone came to get it out. Then he'd put it right back again.

Oh, yes, Alex is talking. His first word was "app-um" but he's got a whole vocabulary now - dog, duck, ball, water, no, owie, Wow! Meanwhile Jonathan has fallen in love with Blue's Clues and sings the songs all the time. Grandma and Grandpa can't believe how quiet it is when they're napping.

Down on the beach, Jonathan loved to drive the dump truck all around and race the boats in the creek. The creek came all the way down the beach to just before Bonga's, so they were in it all month long. Alex takes a while to warm up to the water. I would hold him on my shoulder while I stood in the lake knee-deep. He wouldn't sleep, but he'd go into a numb protest mode - eyes open, lips tightened, and hand clutching my swimsuit strap. Eventually he'd fall asleep and we could lay him on the sand. Later in the month, he got to where he would enjoy splashing around in the creek. He still thinks the lake is too big, so he goes and throws a few handfuls of sand in it every day. Jonathan has learned to put his face under the water, and it's truly a sight. He squeezes his eyes shut tight, and then covers them with his hands, leaving his nose and mouth open and unguarded. His forays underwater haven't lasted too long yet.

Right after a bright and sunny Labor Day, the weather changed on a dime and fall came in. It's raining and getting down to 45 degrees tonight. Preschool started for Jonathan last Wednesday and Miss Becky, our new nanny, has been getting to know us all. After a wonderful summer, we are all looking forward to all the routines of fall. Time to buy a snowblower - winter's not all that far off.