Brushing off Dirt... I am a Snowman... and Pushing

Caleb is a very clean boy... he does not like to get his hands dirty! The first few times Caleb fell outside and got dirt on his hands, he studied his palms, gravely concerned. He was anxious to get the dirt off, but not quite sure how to do this without Mommy's help. So I taught him to brush his hands together to make the dirt fall off, and he caught on immediately. Now every time he falls and gets his hands dirty, he will brush his hands together and look at me proudly. That's my sweet clean boy!

The boys are both learning so many new things. They can locate the following body parts: Nose, eyes, ears, mouth, hand, and foot. Caleb also thinks that he is a snowman. One day I was reading him a book that had a snowman in it, and I pointed to the little snowman embroidered on the bib of his green overalls and said "snowman!" Well, ever since then, whenever I read to him about a snowman, he will carefully and proudly point to his chest. He is always so proud of himself for remembering this and I just don't have the heart to tell him the truth- that he's not a snowman!

While Caleb is very interested in carefully admiring his environment... art, flowers, books, Joshua is all about action. He loves running and jumping onto the couch, and he loves to push and move things. He will push their little walker wagon, their big riding wagon, laundry baskets, the tall chairs at Halmoni and Grandpa's house (we're not too fond of the noise that makes), doors, and even his brother! Today I spent an extra half hour outside with Joshua after Halmoni took Caleb inside, just so he could push their big red wagon all over the yard and up and down the sidewalk. Every time I tried to guide him into the garage, he started to cry- genuine big tears, as if I were interfering with an important mission. At one point he was having a difficult time pushing the wagon up a grassy hill, and oh my did he grunt and strain, exerting every ounce of energy his little body could exude! Suspecting that his cap was perhaps getting in the way of his pushing, he even paused to remove it from his head mid-push. I eventually had to force him to take a break from pushing and carried him into the house kicking and screaming. Joshua is one determined (and strong) little man!

An outing to the National Gallery of Art

Today we took the boys downtown to the National Gallery of Art, since Caleb has expressed an unusual interest in art. He would express more interest in some pieces than others, and would let us know when he was ready to move on to the next painting. When he lingered particularly long at one painting, I asked Joe "what's this one called?" and he said "I don't know" so I looked, and it was Joshua commanding the Sun to stand still upon Gibeon, 1816 by John Martin. We feel that it's more than a coincidence that this painting featuring the eponymous Biblical Joshua and Caleb was the one that our young art enthusiast seemed most drawn to!

We also encountered this sculpture, c. 500-480 BC, depicting the legendary twins Remus and Romulus nursing from their mother the she-wolf, a scenario that strikes rather close-to-home for us! The similarities are striking, aren't they? ;) There's a photo of Joshua and me standing next to this in the museum in the March '07 gallery.  

Eye!

Caleb has learned a new body part, and he can say it, too! If you ask him where his eye is, he'll point to the general vicinity of one of his eyes and say "EYE!" He has known where his eye is for about a week now, but today when he poked me in the eye and said "eye!" was the first time he put two and two together. What a smart muffin!

This past week Joshua has gotten in several new teeth, including a couple of big ole molars. Needless to say, none of us have been getting much sleep lately!

Also, I have figured out a way to make the boys stop crying (provided that they're not crying b/c they're hungry or hurt)- comb their hair! Today Joshua was shedding tears over a toy that Caleb snatched away (usually it's the other way around) so I got my hairbrush and started combing his hair, and he stopped crying almost immediately. Then Caleb insisted that I comb his hair, too. Then later on they wanted their (already dry) hair blow-dried. These boys and their hair!

16 Months Old

Caleb peed on the potty twice yesterday! The first time I put the boys on the potty, I made a "shhh-shhh" sound effect to try to encourage them to pee. Now, every time the boys sit on the potty, they say "Shhh-shhh." They are learning new things every day. If you ask them where their hands are, they will show you, and if you ask our little animal-lover Caleb "where is the horse?" he will point to the horse among an assortment of animals. Same thing for a bunny. Joshua has learned what a hat is and will always find Grandpa's hat and take it to him and insist that he put it on his head.

The boys are becoming more independent and adventurous. They prefer to feed themselves, if possible. They are quite good at holding a banana and taking bites like a grown-up. They won't eat it if I cut it into baby-sized chunks. Lately I've gotten into a baking mood and have been baking whole grain bread, buckwheat waffles, and whole wheat cinnamon rolls from scratch, and the boys have enjoyed eating those as well.

Caleb and Joshua love climbing up onto the couch and onto the end table where our home phone is stationed. They like dial random numbers on the phone and "call" their friend the operator who always informs them that the number they have called is not valid, and they will hold the phone up to their ear and "talk" back to her. If they hear the phone ring they will run over to it and start "talking" to it.

Oh, and you may have noticed that I've finally gotten around to adding some movies to the website. I'll be posting more when I get a chance, so check back often!

Potty Learning

Today Joshua and Caleb both peed on their little potty for the first time! I put them on it after they woke up from their naps this afternoon, not really expecting them to do anything, but they both peed! Previous attempts to make them sit on the potty just made them mad, but they seemed to enjoy it this time around. I think the novelty of being in the forbidden bathroom distracted them. I think I'll try to put them on the potty from now on when they wake up in the morning and after naps. At nearly 16 months I know it's a little early for potty learning, especially for boys, but it would be great to postpone a few diaper washings, if nothing else!