Ethan on food processing

We were roasting marshmallows at Expeditions Unlimited family camp. They had “campfire ready” marshmallows that came as big, flat rectangles. Ethan speculated as to how his was manufactured: “It was run over by a steam roller.”

Another Ethan first: He drew a face.

An Eliana first: She laughed.

Eliana had just finished lunch and was in a particularly smiley mood as I laid her on the changing table. This prompted me to start a little musical rendition of “The Fish With the Deep Sea Smile” by Margaret Wise Brown. Eliana liked it and smiled all the more. Then just into the second stanza, she shared her first laugh.

The next generation’s view of technology

Ethan was rummaging around in the bedroom and pulled out my watch, which I admittedly never wear anymore. He shared with me his view of the technology: “This is for when you don’t have an iPhone.”

Bedtime independence

Beth was shopping tonight, so I had the two kids. As I started feeding Eliana, I asked Ethan to come inside for his bedtime story. Once in his room, I sat on rocker with Eliana while Ethan changed into his pajamas. Next he brushed his teeth and went potty. After I read him some stories, he realized he didn’t have his bunny. He thought it might be outside. Looking out the window, he was distressed to see his froggy shoes (green Crocs) on the deck. So he went downstairs, brought them in, and located and picked up Bunny along the way.

Other than rock, feed, burp, and change Eliana, my role was limited to reading, giving a few directions, praying, tucking in, and (fortunately, lest he grow up too fast) winding up the music boxes.

Another Ethan first: He inferred an occupation.

I said to Ethan, "See the man in red? He's the burgemeester. The man next to him in the black cape with yellow trim is the town crier. Do you know what the burgemeester does?” He said yes, which he often does even when he doesn’t know. So when I asked him what the burgemeester does, I expected a shrug and an “I don’t know”, at which point I could tell him that he decides whether the streets are clean enough for the Holland Festival parade.

Instead, I got a confident, “He makes burgers.”

Another Ethan first: He made himself a sandwich.

The first three family members to rise this Sunday morning were Eliana (about 4:00), I (a minute later), and Ethan (about 6:30). Ethan wanted a peanut butter and honey sandwich for a pre-breakfast snack. It wasn’t the typical breakfast snack, but I didn’t see any reason why not. It occurred to me that Ethan was probably ready to make the sandwich himself. And other than a little help squeezing the honey, he did.