Oops. Oh, look… over a year has gone by since I properly updated last?  So much to catch up on.

My first order of business is: the kid loves books.  LOVES BOOKS.  I remember, months and months and months ago, being disappointed because I would sit him on my lap and try to read to him, but he had no patience for it.  He just wanted to flip through the pages, himself, and look at all the pictures on the pages.  Now, he cannot get enough of being read to.  It all started with a set of “mini masters” books that I came across at a cute little store that I love called “Burnt Sugar” in Fremont.  The “mini masters” are little board books that feature a particular artist (for example, Van Gogh) and several of that artist’s paintings, accompanied by (sometimes random) rhymes that tell little stories about each of them.  Felix, at just barely over 2 years old, can identify great works (such as Starry Night) by sight & name and walks around begging, “Read Matisse?  Read Degas?  Read Monet?”  And he pronounces them correctly.  “Read Gauguin?”  Freaking awesome.  (I started this post a couple months ago when he was just a month over 2 years.)

So we started reading him the few books we had laying around, for him, which I quickly got sick of.  I headed over to the library and picked up about ten more books, which will have to be traded in for new ones, soon.  He LOVES BEING READ TO.  Within a couple of weeks, I’ve already gotten sick of the library books I brought home.  I have never seen a 2 year old with the ability to sit through so many books (and some long ones, at that) – but I mostly pick up longer stories, because he seems to like those best.  He sometimes sits on the couch or our bed, flipping through each one while reciting all the words to himself, which he’s already memorized.

Did I mention he just turned 2, a few of months ago?

I’m trying to keep track of the books we’ve read & his favorites (this blog is, after all, meant primarily as his “baby book”, electronic version).  I don’t remember the earlier “baby” books, but no matter.  The stuff we’re reading now is far more interesting.

The first “mini masters” books I picked up were a set (from Burnt Sugar).

Mini Masters Boxed Set : The set includes Dancing with Degas, A Picnic with Monet, A Magical Day with Matisse, and In the Garden with Van Gogh. While the “stories” for each book are pretty simple (usually about frolicking and seeing sights during the day then going home to bed or to rest), they aren’t terrible.  Plus, it’s fun to review so many great works while teaching your little one about art.  Felix seriously has several words from every page of every book memorized, already.  After going through these 4 books, I sought out a few others and plan on getting the few more that are yet remaining.

 

 

 

 

 

Painting with Picasso: Another from the “mini masters”, see above.  This one wasn’t in the set, but there’s about 10 other “mini masters” books I need to pick up.  I think the Picasso book is my personal favorite.

 

 

 

Skippyjon Jones: This book cracks me up.  It’s about… well, I’m not really sure what it’s about.  It’s about a cat/kitten that likes birds and likes to pretend he’s a dog (specifically, a Chihuahua), but that pisses his cat mother off – so he gets sent to his room to think about how he should act like a cat but starts fantasizing about being a member of a gang of chihuahuas, instead.  And he saves his chihuahua friends by busting open a bumblebee full of beans.  BEANS!  Seriously.  Right?  What the hell is all that?  But it’s uproariously fun to read (I’ve been trying to give him some Spanish here and there) and just too wacky to not be fun.  Felix loves it and loves to yell out the Spanish rhymes as I’m reading.  Since starting to write this post, I’ve picked up other Skippyjon Jones books (there’s several), all of which are fun.  I’ve used of all my possible renews at the library, so we’re going to have to purchase this one.

More “mini masters” I’ve picked up:

I expect that when I finally get around to taking him to to see the Gauguin exhibit at SAM (Seattle Art Museum), he’ll be running around pointing to the paintings and reciting the poems from books.  Or calling out the names of the the painting.  And everyone around us will think, “My god, who is that genius child?” cause… he kind of is.  *smile*  He also sits through Olivia Saves the Circus, The Snowy Day (which he was reciting when he went outside during our Big Snow Storm) and various Eric Carle books (of The Hungry Caterpillar) fame.

I also enjoy Bruno Munari’s Zoo, which we’ll have to purchase & check out more of that author’s books.  The illustrations are quite unique.

 

 

 

I have been speaking some Spanish to him and he loves to randomly ask “como estas?” throughout the day.  I’ve also been listening to French language podcasts in the car (both to brush up & relearn my own French as well as for his exposure) and with perfect diction, he says, Je t’aime maman!

His speaking, in his own language, is out of this world.  I don’t really have much to compare him to, I only see the looks on people’s faces when he speaks.  Though we occasionally bump into other people with kids his age and I’m struck by how very different his manner of speaking is.  Longer sentences, clear pronunciation, huge vocabulary.  I told him we were going t see the chiropractor again, today (for me, not him), and he spent the morning saying, “Ride to the chiropractor!”

He starts Montessori preschool in exactly two weeks.  (Be still, my beating heart.)  I would love to keep him home with me, every day, for another couple years.  People keep going on at me about all the freedom & time that I’ll have, but that’s just not the sort of thing I think about.  I haven’t been aching for “freedom” or more time.  This kid is so easy going & such an independent player that I tend to sit around thinking I have too much time on my hands that I’m not using very wisely.  I love these days with him.  But no… I saw the readiness and realized that the best thing, for him, would be to start preschool, now.  So off he goes.  I have yet to tell him how much fun he’s going to have without getting choked up, every single time.  Pretty much everything we’ve done with him has because I’ve simply followed his lead.  This kid… he’s something special.