The Bambino Adventure: January 2008

Tuesday, January 15, 2008

First Story

Mike here:

This morning, Spencer and I were goofing off in the living room, playing and hanging out.

There was a handy pocket-size "French at a Glance" paperback on the table which had been unearthed from Lydia's collection. Spencer picked it up, started flipping through it, and then carefully folded the front cover back to the first page. "I'm gonna tell (or was it 'read'?) a story."

"Ok Spencer, tell me a story."

And then, lo and behold, Spencer told his first original story -- reproduced and published here, exclusively, at thebambinoblog:

One day I went for a walk with my friend daddy.

There was a large kitty.

(all exact quotes so far, Spencer flips a page in "French at a Glance")

He said, "meow!"

(flips a page)

I petted the kitty. He was soft.

(another page turned)

There was other large kitty. He sat on the car.

(some prompting here, 'What happened next, Spencer' I said. Another page turned. Then, deliberately...)

There was a doggy. He said, "woof woof."

Spencer turned up from the book and looked at me. "You're telling a story!" I said amazed. "What happens next?"

"Find mommy," Spencer said. Which I took to be a real-world command rather than part of the story.

So we did. And she was just as amazed and enthralled as I was by Spencer's first story.

Which, you have to assume, is only the first part of a trilogy. I mean, what was the other kitty doing sitting on that car? And to end on the doggy's oblique, "woof woof" -- ? There has to be a payoff for that in Part 2, right?

Whether there's a follow-up or not, our little boy's imagination is clearly on the rise.

Already, a storyteller!

Monday, January 14, 2008

Lunch with Daddy

Today Daddy met Spencer and I for lunch at Meltdown. Spencer and I arrived first. The minute we walked in, Spencer inquired where Daddy was. I explained that Daddy would be there shortly, placed our order and grabbed a table. As I was putting Spencer in his high chair, he told me that he likes his Daddy. "Daddy loves me," Spencer said next. Yes, he does, Spencer. Yes, he does.

Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson

Mike and I enjoyed a rare evening out tonight for the premiere of "Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson" at the Kirk Douglas Theater. A rock musical based on the life of, you guessed it, the seventh President of the United States, Andrew Jackson, the play was our favorite of the season so far. The parallels with today's political era were striking. We could imagine the play's anthem, "Populism, Yea, Yea," being played out on the campaign trail. This evening was made possible by the generous support of our friends, Anna and Damien, in whose capable hands we left Spencer.

Wednesday, January 9, 2008

My Oh My

Kate and Wendy met us at Lindberg Park this afternoon. Spencer and Kate were delighted to be reunited once again for their regularly scheduled Wednesday play date after a break for the holidays. For a brief while, they both were engaged in the same activity. Spencer would slide a toy down a tube where it would reappear to Kate's delight at the other end. It was wonderful to see their enthusiasm.

Hooked on Fitness

Spencer and I attended a new class this morning - "Hooked on Fitness." The class coincidentally is taught by our neighbor. Sophia, another familiar face, was there as well. After spending a few moments sitting back and observing, Spencer jumped right in when the time came to clap his hands and stomp his feet. He especially enjoyed playing catch although in his version, he throws the ball over his head and runs to "catch" it. His next favorite activity was playing drum with aluminium pie pans and wooden spoons.

After class, we headed over to Sophia's to spend the afternoon with her. Sophia and Spencer are becoming more imaginative all the time. Today they decided to feed a stuffed pink beagle that Spencer dubbed a pig with imaginary food. Then Sophia thought the "pig" seemed sleepy so they all pretended to nap on the staircase.

Monday, January 7, 2008

The Library

The library is one of Spencer's very favorite places. I promised Spencer that we would go this morning but by the time we made it there, he had fallen asleep in the car. He was very upset to open his eyes and discover that we were back at home instead of at the library as promised. Needless to say, Spencer did not feel like drifting back off to sleep.

Realizing that a promise is a promise, I put Spencer in the stroller and headed off to the Culver City Library. His favorite library with the park out front is closed for renovations so this would have to do. We headed to the children's section where we curled up together with a few books and read several stories over and over. The fresh air and reading must have done him good because back at home, fortified by a snack, he finally napped for nearly three hours, awaking a refreshed and affectionate little boy once more.

Sunday, January 6, 2008

Navigating through a break in the rain

We made a visit to the Target just up the street from our house. Spencer saw lots of shapes and colors he was happy to point out as we navigated the aisles. He was equally engaged in the scanning machine at the end of the aisle that told you how much an item cost. We weighed two separate sets of measuring cups, looked at the price of each, and made our decision. "I like this one," he said, holding up the superior of the two. And the more expensive one - the kid has good taste.

Since he's been stuck indoors the last few days, I thought it'd be nice to give him a chance to get some fresh air and walk home since Lydia needed to do some more shopping. We crossed busy Jefferson Blvd. and once we were safe on our own street, I set Spencer down so he could walk / run the rest of the way home. The rain and high winds have blown the needles and a few large branches from the pine trees that line our street every which way. When Spencer came across a branch blocking the sidewalk, he weighed his options. He looked back at me (to make sure I was still there?) and began to figure out how he would navigate the obstacle: to the right a swampy-looking strip of grass between the street and the sidewalk. To the left, a steep hill leading up to the front porch of a house. "Here, take daddy's hand, Spencer." I said. Nothing doing. He pulled his hand away and set about it himself. He decided to try his luck at stepping OVER the branch and carefully, deliberately stuck his hands out to balance himself and gingerly stepped OVER the branch. First one little leg, then the other.

There was no holding him back after that. Smiling and laughing, he took off on a full sprint past the branch and splashed into the first puddle he could find. "Spencer all wet!" he happily reported. "Daddy all wet too!" Not really, but I wasn't about to rain on this parade. He seems to be getting more sophisticated coordination every day and this little obstacle course was the latest proof. (Mike)

The Dr. Appointment that Made an Impression

Spencer brought it up, we didn't. From the backseat, he offered: "Doctor hurt my finger." Your finger, Spencer? "Yeah, put bandaid on it." Well, how did you get that bandaid off? (Let's see if he remembers biting at the bandaid when he wanted to get it off). "I don't like that." Don't like what? "Doctor hurt my finger." She did, what happened? "It was bleeding." That's right, they had to draw some blood at the doctor's office. "Yeah, put bandaid on it." How did the bandaid come off, Spencer? "I don't like that."

And that's how the doctor / bleeding finger / bandaid on / don't like that-story got started. And was repeated four times on the ride home. The poor little guy just relayed those four details four separate times over (eventually with no prompting), as if he was replaying the sequence in his head. Always the same conclusion: "I don't like that." That 2-year checkup made quite an impression. (Mike)

Friday, January 4, 2008

Rainy Day

Rain, rain, go away. Please send Miles over to play.

Blue-eyed, curly-locked Miles came over today along with his mama, Becky. Spencer's new car racing ramp was a big hit. The boys also enjoyed playing with the cash register although not in a traditional way. Rather than put the play cash and coins in the drawer, they preferred to stuff it behind the pillows of the couch and slide it in between the doors to the DVD cabinet. They must be saving for a rainy day...

Thursday, January 3, 2008

Green Bean Casserole

Spencer thinks green bean casserole is delicious. He told me so as he was chewing a mouthful of green beans. Before I could say a word, he told me not to talk when your mouth is full. Mind you I wasn't eating at the time. It's nice to know he's listening even if he's not yet practicing what he preaches.

The Shopping Cart

You wouldn't think you'd need a shopping cart at the playground but Spencer likes to be prepared. He insisted on pushing the cart to what was to be a visit to the park only we never made it there. Every few feet, he stopped to admire a pine cone, to look up at the trees, to say hello to a cat passing by. It truly is a zen approach to the world which under ordinary circumstances, I would admire however being absolutely exhausted from a late New Year's Eve, I did not have much patience for his dawdling. Spencer was not happy when half way there, the time came to turn back home. I ended up carrying him and the cart back to where we started our journey. The lesson - if you want to walk to a park with a two-year-old, learn to appreciate that getting there is half the fun.

Happy New Year!

What better way to ring in the New Year than a meal at Ruby's, a 40s style diner in Redondo Beach. Spencer took the initiative of ordering his own lunch. "I would like grilled cheese," he informed the waitress much to the surprise of everyone at the table. That's our boy!

Wednesday, January 2, 2008

December 2007 - An LA Holiday

Is that Santa peeking out over our shoulders?

Spencer loved to read stories with Grandma after combing her hair of course. He also loved to dig tunnels under the covers with Grandpa while using the flashlight to illuminate his way.

Building towers for Spencer to knock down.

December 2007 - Turning Two!

November 2007 - How Adorable

There's nothing like sitting on the kitchen floor with a good book like Curious George.

One of my favorite photos of Spencer with his Daddy.

Spencer is always happy to see his Nana.

October 2007 - Happy Halloween

Spencer, the Samurai, with his pumpkin bag. He went trick-or-treating for the first time. The most exciting part of the evening however was giving out candy to the other children, an activity which Spencer relished. It brought a new appreciation to Halloween for all of us.

October 2007 - Midwest Express

The Vanden Heuvels kindly let us stay with them during our visit to Austin.

We visited the McLeans in their lovely new home in Austin. Cassidy loved playing with Spencer.

Spencer developed a rash encircling his mouth during the trip caused by irritation from salivia being trapped against his skin by his pacifier. His back molars were making an appearance causing extra salivia to form.