Goodbye Box

In January we bought a duvet for our bed. It came in the mail in a big box. Can you guess what happened with the box?

Yes, it has been in our son's room for over a month! He likes to hide in there with a pillow. He likes to drive little cars on top of it, vroom vroom. He likes to perch his stuffed cat on it. Our friends' two children piled in there with our son, and the three of them giggled in the box. One night my husband managed to tuck himself into it and surprised us with a big peek-a-boo; hilarity ensued, bedtime was delayed. The box has been great.

But it was not designed for months of play in a toddler's rough and tumble world. We will soon dismantle it for Friday recycling. I really enjoy toys like these because they are free, encourage open-ended play, and when they wear out they can be gotten rid of guilt free.

Spinach Soup

At first bite, our son acted like it was poison. But then when we weren't looking, he grabbed my big soup spoon and was spooning it in like it was delicious. And it was.

This is modified from a Vegetarian Times recipe.

Spinach Soup with Paneer

2 T butter, divided
1 small onion, chopped
1 T thinly sliced ginger
2 cloves of garlic, peeled and thinly sliced
3 t curry powder
4 c vegetable broth
1 pound spinach
4 oz paneer cheese, cubed

1. Heat 1 T butter in a soup pot over medium heat. Add onion and cook for three minutes.
2. Stir in ginger, garlic, and curry. Cook for one minute.
3. Stir in spinach. Cook for a few minutes more, until wilted and bright.
4. Purée until smooth.
5. Heat remaining 1 T butter in skillet over medium heat. Add paneer cubes and cook five to seven minutes, until golden brown, turning occasionally. Add to soup bowls at the table.

Walking in Mud

Today we went to a nearby beach that turns into mud flats during low tide. We took off our shoes and walked in. Squish, squish, squish between our toes slid the mud. The water never got more than a couple of inches, and it had been warmed by the midday sun. It was gross but delightful. Our son bothered birds and squatted down to whirl the water with his hands, making strings of goldenrod algae dance. We squished back to the dry sand where my husband was still clean and reading the newspaper. Go in, I convinced him. It will be the most fun you've had this year, I promised. Fifteen minutes later we three were covered in sand and mud. It was the most fun we'd had this year.

What We Love at 16 Months

It's Valentines Day, a good day to reflect on who and what we love.

• Family, friends, and teachers!
• Our local library--books, play area, and occasional live music and puppet shows
• Sampling ice cream and fruit at the farmers market
• Goodnight Gorilla
• Animal crackers, raisins, ice cream, hummus, beans, tamales
• 5 o'clock bottle
• Anything with wheels
• Anything that goes woof woof, meow, caw caw or quack quack
• Dancing and wiggling
• Giving kisses, cuddles, and hugs
• Playing outside in the sandbox, on ride toys, with a ball
• Hiding in a big cardboard box that our duvet was sent in
• Telling funny stories and cracking ourselves up
• Pretending things are hats, including mushrooms
• Bath time

Hooray for Sleep Progress

Since we gave up nursing before bedtime, my son has been taking a bottle from my husband. At first I had to shut myself in the bathroom so I wouldn't hear his crying. He didn't cry for more than five minutes, but I still felt very guilty, as I was abandoning a routine that nurtured and comforted him. I swear he gave me the stink eye one morning. A few days later, he accepted the change and didn't even cry before bed. This was a relief to me, though I missed spending cozy quiet time with my baby at the end of a hectic day.

Tonight my husband had to go to a meeting, and for the first time since we've weaned, I took on bedtime duties. I expected my son to protest the bottle from me. But no! We cuddled, he drank the bottle, and he didn't even cry. I am happy that I am once again able to take part in a cozy nighttime routine.

Halfway to Spring

February 2nd marked the halfway point between winter and spring. Whether or not the groundhog saw his shadow, we still have six weeks of winter left. In France and in our home, the day is celebrated with crepes and candles and cidre. I like the idea of a special day to eat crepes in candlelight, particularly since we are in a rather drab season.

Where we live, we miss the typical signs of winter--we don't get snow, at least a few flowers are in bloom at any given time, and the ducks in our neighborhood lagoon are still quacking away rather than going south. Instead, our winters are marked by fewer stands at the farmers market, no avocados, and dark and chilly evenings. Our son has also noticed that the fat spider who lived on our front porch through fall has quietly disappeared, web and all. Every evening we check the mail, and he points up at her now empty corner.

With winter half over, our Chandeleur celebration reminds us to appreciate what is special about the remaining season. It is a cozy time, when we can light fires in the chimney, cuddle under layers of blankets, and look at the stars and moon before it is even bedtime. It also reminds us to look for signs of spring. We can walk home from my son's school in the evening before the sun sets. Our pear tree has one branch in bloom. At the farmers market, the flower stand has made a return with butter-yellow tulips and fuchsia anemones. Suddenly, a drab season has become more interesting.

Co-Sleeping

We are part-time co-sleepers. Or should it be half-of-the-time sleepers? Our son starts every night in his own crib, but in the middle of the night he usually wakes up, and he usually ends up spending the rest of the night nestled between us.

I think more people co-sleep than admit it. It starts innocently, when they are newborns and you cannot take your eyes off of them. How can something be so cute, you wonder. Or maybe you both fall asleep in the middle of the night nursing. The next thing you know, you wake up at 4 in the morning and have a toddler practicing his clapping skills and whispering "nigh nigh, nigh nigh."

I won't go over the benefits and challenges of co-sleeping. It is one of those things that you either fall into or avoid, and there is probably no going back either way.

If you are co-sleeping, you probably are tired right now and need a laugh. These instructional drawings on How to Be a Dad are so funny, so true. Our favorites are Snow Angel, H is for Hell, and Jazz Hands.