Gramma Gramma



Grandma Gibs, Gramma Gramma (with Cal)
and Nanny (July, 2009)

I don’t know very many people who had a great grandmother to hug early in their lives.  I had one (my dad’s grandmother).  Cal has had three – Grandma Gibs, Gramma Gramma and Nanny (my Grandma Reiter passed away long before I met Dan).  The significance of this is probably lost on Cal.  At almost four years old, he doesn’t really understand his relationship to all of these people (his relatives) he sees regularly and with whom he has DNA in common.  He will tell you that Grandma Reiter is Mommy’s mommy and Grandma Leatherman is Daddy’s mommy; but I don’t know how much he “gets” that and understands these two relationships are the same as the one he has with me.

For me, seeing mine and Dan’s grandmothers hold Cal and then two of them hold Ella was a different kind of special than seeing our mothers hold them.  The relationship that we had with our grandmothers was one of genuine happiness and respect, one that was rarely contentious and one that was always simply satisfying.  That’s how I remember it, anyway.  They are our link to the early third of the 1900s, having lived during the Great Depression, a World War or two and Lou Gehrig’s streak and illness that stopped it.  Wow.  And they are major factors in the fact that Cal and Ella exist today.  These great grandmothers held our parents, us and our kids in their arms – I just find that to be very fascinating, special and sweet.

Cal was only 8 months old when Nanny, my maternal grandmother, passed away. Ella never met her.  For both of the kids she is really only “remembered” through pictures and any stories about her that we may share with them.  When Ella says “no” gesturing assertively with her hand in the air, we say that she reminds us of Nanny who would do the same thing.

This past Saturday, Gramma Gramma, Dan’s paternal grandmother, passed away after a battle with pancreatic cancer, diagnosed early this year.  Her battle included surviving treatments that had other negative effects on her body and one that demanded she endure significant pain (physical and, I’m sure, emotional).

I have an impression of what Gramma Gramma was all about based only upon 7 years of family gatherings and occasional “ad hoc” visits to her house.  I believe she was emotionally strong, had opinions, wasn’t afraid to voice those opinions, was proud, valued family and adored her many grandchildren and great grandchildren.  I know she had an appreciation for gardening and was skilled and knowledgeable about it; and it is this trait of hers that I hope to instill in my kids.  I will try to regularly recall with them that Gramma Gramma was a really good gardener and that they have that in them somewhere.

This past Sunday was absent any plans, so we drove down to Dan’s parents’ house to spend some time with them.  It turned out to be a nice day with nearly the whole immediate family.  It was unplanned, not overly sad and just nice to be together.

Anyway, we hadn’t yet told Cal and Ella that Gramma Gramma had passed away the day before.  On the way down, Dan decided to do so, taking this approach from the driver’s seat, radio turned down low: “When we’re at Grandma’s and Papa’s house and when you see Papa, make sure you give him a big hug and tell him, ‘I’m sorry you lost your mom, Papa.’ Because Papa's mom, Gramma Gramma, passed away and is with Squeaker <Cal’s first cat> now.  Okay, Buddy?”

I don’t remember exactly what Cal said in response to it, but I do remember that we weren’t left with the impression that he was listening.  Oh, well, I thought; it was a good try.  And then I turned the radio back up.

It's not that I forgot this chat; I just didn't have any expectations that it would be taken any further. I was wrong. We had been at Dan’s parents’ house a couple of hours and just happened to be in the living room when Papa walked in the door.  The moment he was taking his second step into the house, Cal exclaimed from across the room, “I’m sorry about your mom, Papa. She’s with Squeaker now.”

It was brief, to the point, unemotional and a little rough, but his saying it warmed our hearts nonetheless.

Earlier today, Gramma Gramma was buried next to her husband who passed away 7 years ago, just before I met Dan. It was a beautiful day for many family and friends to come together to celebrate a beautiful woman's life.  She will live forever in our hearts, memories and shared stories. RIP, Gramma Gramma.  We love you.

Gramma Gramma with Ella
(December, 2011)

Good News and Bad News

Our Toilets

At 4 years old, Cal’s been using the toilet almost exclusively for awhile now.  I say “almost exclusively” because he’s in a Pull-Up – or Underjam – when he sleeps at night and oftentimes when he naps at home.

While I can count on one hand the number of daytime accidents he’s had since we made the transition from diapers to big-boy undies during the day, we have found that Cal does occasionally need some “oversight” when he uses the toilet.  This “oversight” includes reminders for him to wipe, flush and wash his hands, things (particularly that first one) you would think don’t need to be said but, well, do.

Ella isn’t far behind.  She has just recently started showing an interest in the “big-girl potty,” so we dusted off the barely-used potty chairs and put one in the frequently used bathroom downstairs and one in the kids’ bathroom upstairs.  She’ll say either “Ya Ya potty” or “diaper off,” and this is our cue to put her on the potty.  To date, it ends up being a lot of work for nothing – after a minute sitting (playing) on the potty, she’s up and headed for the stool by the sink so she can wash her hands, leaving behind an empty, bone-dry potty.

This past Sunday, Ella had just plopped her buns on the potty when Cal came storming in, declaring he had to “go poopy.”  The toilet was open, so I told him that he could use it while Ella was finishing up on her potty.  Cal didn’t like this idea, claiming “I want some privacy, please.”  My brain flashed forward to a few minutes into the future, and it wasn’t a good scene; so I decided to cut Ella’s round on the “big-girl potty” short and grant Cal his request.

But before Ella and I left, I had this conversation, nose to nose, with Cal:

Me: “Cal, look at me, please.”

Cal looked right into my eyes.

Me: “We’ll give you your privacy, but I want to make sure that you do three things.”

Cal was still looking into my eyes giving me the impression I had his full attention.

Me: “After you’re finished pooping, I want you to wipe your buns, flush the toilet and wash your hands, okay?”

Cal: “Okay.”

Me: “Okay, what did I ask you to do?”

Cal responded with some form of the three requests I had made of him in the correct order. Satisfied, I left with Ella, shutting the door behind us to give Cal his “privacy.”

A few minutes later, Cal emerged from the bathroom fully dressed (shocking – oftentimes, he emerges bare-bunned, undies and pants strewn on the bathroom floor) and declared, “Mommy, I’ve got some good news and I’ve got some bad news.”

Yikes.  This was a new one.  He must have skipped one of the three things I asked him to do.  Please tell me he wiped his buns and skipped flushing or washing his hands.

“Well, give me the bad news first,” I responded, heading toward him outside the bathroom.  Cal retreated quickly into the bathroom.

Despite my request for the bad news, he proceeded to give me the good news first, which was that he wiped and was able to prove it because he hadn’t flushed yet.  I praised him, reminded him to flush and then asked him, “So what’s the bad news?”

He flushed the toilet and said something about the toilet paper and maybe where it came from, but I couldn’t really make out what he meant.  In the end I concluded that he doesn’t know what the phrase, “I’ve got some good news and some bad news” means exactly just yet.  Not sure I’m ready to teach him that.

If You're This, Then You Do That

My dad came over to visit on Sunday.  He got to our house late afternoon, stayed for dinner, read Cal a couple of books and put him to bed and, in general, enjoyed some quality time with some Leathermans during and after all of that.

Cal's "A Beautiful Day" drawing (11/18/12)

The kids were pretty excited about Grandpa’s visit.  It gave them a good reason to be on their good (tolerable) behavior (which they do for everyone but Dan and me) and to show off some of the new things they’d been doing, like drawing and the “sweetie tackle” game (fka “soft tackle”).  Cal showed Grandpa some of the pictures he’d drawn over the course of the weekend and drew a new one for Grandpa to take home with him.  He also tried to incite Ella into a game of “sweetie tackle,” to which Dan and I were amenable, so much so that we helped him set up a safe “sweetie tackle” zone, complete with mats, giant lion and giant giraffe to soften the falls.  Here’s how Cal first approached getting Ella to play “sweetie tackle” with him:

Cal <in his nicest, sweetest tone>: “Ella… Ella… do you want to play sweetie tackle with me?”

Ella <short and un-sweet>: “Nyo.”

Cal <as if he was asking for the first time>: “Ella… Ella… do you want to play sweetie tackle with me?”

Ella: “Nyo.”

And then they turned their attention to something else, I can’t recall exactly what. But Cal wasn’t about to give up on the game.  He soon declared from out of nowhere and loudly for all to hear:

“If you’re little and you have a Bears shirt on, you have to play this game with me.”

I don’t know that Ella actually realized that she fit that description, but she ended up playing one round of “sweetie tackle” with Cal.

Meanwhile, I was thinking about what Cal had said.  Where does he get this material? I automatically think about the movies he seen. What movie could this be from?  Is this something he learned at school?  It was certainly a creative angle.  And then he did it again.  This time, it was Grandpa he was looking to engage in some activity.  We had just finished dinner.  I don’t recall what it was he was looking for Grandpa to do, but this is what he said, smirking and looking at my dad out of the corner of his eyes as he said it:

“If you’re big and have a Grandpa-sized head and have gray hair, you have to try this with me.”

Like with Ella, what it was he was looking to try with my dad, I don’t recall.  But we all knew who fit that description and laughed pretty heartily at what Cal had said.

Facebook Posts, September, 2012

Here are my Leatherkid-related Facebook posts from September, 2012. They are unedited and should generally be assumed to start with "Carla Reiter Leatherman..."

This was the month of some notable runs outside with the kids in the BOB and "fights" with Cal about his pants -- he didn't like very many of them, but had (in his head) valid reasons for not liking them.  The posts on the 16th and 17th were fun to see again.  My clear favorite this month was the helmet post on the 1st -- it was CLASSIC and is still used today!

September 1, 2012

is gearing up for a run with Ella Bella outside this AM... one of my favorite things to do!

September 1, 2012

was just informed by Cal that he needs to wear a helmet while he rides his motorcycle so he doesn't bump his "Grandpa-size head." It is big!

September 2, 2012

asked a pantless Cal this morning after he sprinted excitedly up the stairs if he had his new undies on. His response? "Yeah, they fit my BIG, ENORMOUS buns!"

September 5, 2012

Ella, dressed "like a princess" (per Cal) for her first day in Miss Morgan's class.



Princess Ella (9/5/12)



September 6, 2012

had a rough morning with the kids (one in particular... name starts with a C... born first) and hopes it's not an indication of how the rest of the day is going to go.

September 8, 2012

hears some footsteps upstairs but can't tell if they're big or little just yet... still happily amazed my feet have been the only ones in this house up and about until now.

 
 


September 9, 2012

just had this exchange with Cal, initiated by him:
Cal: "Mom, I broke my orange table. It cracked in half."
Me: "Your red table in the toy room?"
Dan <in the distance, clarifying>: "No, the orange lap pad."
Me: "How did you break it?"
Cal: "I stood on it."
Me: "Why did you stand on it?"
Cal: "Because Ella and me wanted to play a game."
Me: "What game?"
Cal: "The 'Fall-Down' game."
Me: "Ahh." <but of course>

September 12, 2012

thinks our long-sleeve-and-long-pants-wearing Cal took the news that Ella would NOT be wearing the long sleeves and long pants that he had picked out for her pretty well today.

September 12, 2012

must've watched a stair-traversing Ella open and close the gate at the base of the stairs 20 times on our way up for bedtime before taking matters into my own hands and picking her up and just carrying her, now crying the whole way.

September 15, 2012

worked with Cal to remove all pants that had one of the following from Cal's selection so as to make getting dressed for the day less tense: strings, big pockets, swishy and/or have sparkles (which I learned to be the gathering at the ankles).

September 16, 2012

learned from Cal this AM what mommy and daddy seagulls say to their kid seagulls: "Just get dressed without whining about it."

September 17, 2012

Cal to Dan yesterday, both eating a Tostitos "scoops" chip: "It's like a bowl... or a coffee filter."

September 18, 2012

had an early morning complete with a postponed run on the treadmill because of an early waker, Ella (pleasant at first) crying for me through my whole shower... and then some, whiny Cal in a soaking wet Underjam... again, cat food put in the water by my helper, and this feeling that my offshore co-worker wasn't in the office to get the work I sent to him last night done.

September 19, 2012

"You're not hearing me. I'm going to go for this run with Mommy, and then I'll play trains with you."

Ella in jogger (9/19/12)

September 24, 2012

Cal to the 15-month-old in the play area at Chick Fil-A just now: "Hey, Little Buddy."

September 26, 2012

confirmed this AM that the sweatpants with no strings, no pockets, no "freckles"/"sparkles" and that don't fall past his ankles should be wearable by Cal without a fight. Mommy: 2, Cal: 31



Cal in jogger (9/29/12)



 

September 29, 2012

Cal squeezed into the BOB for a 3-mile run with me this AM!






Ella, pre-5K (9/30/12)



September 30, 2012

Ella, helping me find the Start line for this 5K at Nequa this AM. We just found it but can't figure out which direction we start running!

 

Ella, post-5K (9/30/12)

September 30, 2012

Happy Ella in the gym post-5K and post-banana this AM.



 

 

 

 

 

 

September 30, 2012

got the scoop from Cal just before bed about how your heart thumps faster and louder when you exercise (yeah, he said that) and how he had to be careful not to wake Ella up with his loud-thumping heart. So I asked him if I could hear it, to which he responded, "yes" and proceeded to tap his belly hard with his hand and ended with, "see."

Anatomy of the "No Tackle" Sign



"No Tackle" Sign (Cal, 11/11/12)

On Sunday night as I sat at the computer desk in the “toy room” trying to solve some new iPod and computer issues, Cal and Ella started playing a game that seemed a little rough to me and that I was certain was going to end with Ella hurt, screaming and (within the realm of possibilities) bloodied.  The game was a game of tackle, and Ella may have been enjoying it even more than Cal.

Here’s how the game went: They’d stand with their backs up against the wall at the back of the “toy room.”  Cal would say something to the effect of, “GO!” and the two of them would take off running “full speed” toward the closet at the front of the room and dive head first with arms breaking their falls into the carpeted floor a few steps short of the closet.  Ella would typically dive first, followed immediately by Cal who would lunge on top of her as though he were tackling her.  They’d laugh, get up, head back to the back wall and start the process over again.

This went on only a couple of times before I finally wised up a little and uttered the phrase, “okay, Cal, not too rough, okay?”  He actually heard me and responded by changing the game up again so that it would be a game of “Soft Tackle” (so named by Cal).  It was the same game they had been playing; however, instead of falling on top of her, he’d lunge over or around her – Ella was doing all of her falling herself anyway, so this worked for me and kept them entertained.

A few rounds into “Soft Tackle,” Lion entered the picture.  Lion is a big stuffed animal that Santa brought Cal last year for Christmas.  Lion is longer than Cal and lays flat and floppy on the ground.  He’s like a big pillow, really, and the kids started diving into Lion instead of into the ground, which, unbeknownst to the kids, had the effect of extending their game a bit before I stepped in to put an end to it.

After a few more rounds of “Soft Tackle,” I decided to announce that “Soft Tackle” needed to end – no more tackling for the evening.  It was time to settle down a bit as “Jammie Time” was right around the corner.

To my surprise, the kids did not put up a fight – they stopped “Soft Tackle” and turned their attention to drawing.  We have a drawer full of scrap paper that I collect at work and bring home for the kids to draw on.  Ella, not yet showing much of an interest in drawing, initiated the transition to drawing by opening the drawer and pulling out a piece of paper.  Cal followed.  I gave them some random crayons we had sitting on the desk, and both headed to the kid-sized table across from the desk to draw.

With the kids content and not demanding my attention, I got back to trying to solve my iPod and computer issues.  What seemed like a long time before being interrupted was probably only five minutes.  The interruption was Cal asking me how to spell some words he was looking to write on his piece of paper.  I glanced at him as he asked and wrote; but I didn’t look closely at what he was doing until he was finished.  While I do like to watch him draw and write, this time I enjoyed seeing the end product – what I’m calling the “No Tackle” sign – for the first time, piecing together how it came to be from the series of questions he had asked me.

Here's the anatomy of the "No Tackle" sign:

1. “NO”… Cal wrote this himself without assistance from me how to spell it
2. “TACKLE”… Cal asked, “Mommy, how do you spell ‘tackle?’” to which I responded slowly spelling the word “tackle” as he wrote each letter I said
3. “CANNOT”… Cal asked, “Mommy, how do you spell ‘cannot?’” to which I responded slowly spelling the word “cannot” as he wrote each letter I said
4. “ELLA”… Cal wrote this himself without assistance from me how to spell it
5. “LOUVL”… Cal wrote this himself, saying each letter out loud as he wrote it (which, by the way, I’m not sure what this means)
6. “HIT”… Cal asked, “Mommy, how do you spell ‘hit?’” to which I responded slowly spelling the word “hit” as he wrote each letter I said (and then proceeded to add a few additional letters, for what reason, I don’t know)
7. Sad face and happy face… I wasn’t sure about this one, so I asked Cal about these.  He told me that the sad face was the person getting tackled and the happy face was the person doing the tackling (but of course)

And that is the anatomy of the “No Tackle” sign (or the progression of how it came to be).  I may frame it and hang it on the wall in the “toy room” as a rule to enforce going forward.  I think it’s a good rule, really, one that may be more enforceable since Cal participated in instituting the rule on Sunday night.

A Picture for a Smile

I am one who still frequently uses a pen and notepad to capture to-do lists, meeting notes, calculations and general things to remember.  I’m a faster typer and have grown to have messy penmanship, but this is still my preferred method for these types of things.  Typing on my laptop seems disruptive in meetings and, well, a pad of paper and a pen are easy to grab in a rush.  Plus, to be honest, I’m pretty old school.  I recently asked our high school intern at my company if they still use chalkboards or if it’s all whiteboards these days.

I worked from home yesterday and had a hand-written to-do list from which I was working.  I had my laptop on the island in the kitchen and the pad of paper that held this hand-written to-do list just to the right of it.  Typical of most work-at-home days, I got a lot of stuff done but not nearly as much as I had wanted before heading out to pick the kids up from school; so I left my laptop and pad of paper out on the island with the intention of picking up the work after putting the kids to bed.

When we got home from school, I had the kids sitting with me at the island looking at my laptop.  I had promised Cal I’d show him the “thumb guard” we’ve been threatening to buy to help curb his thumb sucking (gloves, pillows, hot sauce, positive reinforcement are not working), so I found it on a website, showed him a picture of it and described to him how it works.  I even showed him a view of the teeth of a non-thumbsucker and those of a thumbsucker, to which he had no reaction. (Note: the thumb guard will surely be a post for later – once Dan and I can swallow the $70 price tag, we’ll be buying one.)

Done with computer "fun," I left Cal sitting at the island with my pen and notepad so I could turn my attention to fixing dinner and managing Ella, now screaming for me to pick her up, off the ledge.

I didn’t watch him but periodically peeked in on Cal as he drew on my notepad.  He started with letters and numbers and some miscellaneous scribbles on my to-do list.  He then moved to a new sheet and drew a monster.  Next, he announced he’d draw a princess and then proceeded to do so, tagging the sheet as “Ella.” After that he quickly drew Batman (I needed help identifying that one but clearly saw it once I knew who it was – I told him that the cape and mask are clearly Batman’s).  Last, he drew the Mickey Mouse Clubhouse with Willie the Giant standing next to it.  I smiled and praised him for his work, and then he took the notepad with him as he went to sit on the couch, I figured to draw some more.

Ella was still screaming at this time, and I had barely made a dent in fixing dinner.  With Mickey Mouse Clubhouse in my head, I asked the kids if they’d like to “watch a Mickey.”  No surprises – they both did.  So we all sat on the couch and watched the “Mickey’s Show and Tell” episode together.  Ella stopped crying and was smiling as she stood up and sat down, stood up and sat down, stood up and sat down. And Cal, as is usually the case, had his eyes glued to the TV for the episode.

With Ella pleasantly distracted, I used the second half of the episode to fix dinner, which ended up being Mickey chicken nuggets, mac and cheese and some mixed veggies.  We ate, cleaned up the kitchen and then headed upstairs for “jammie time.”  To state it that simply is being ridiculously misleading.  Getting us all upstairs and into bed had many challenges and, frankly, put me over the top.  Once I got the kids into bed, I did the whole “I’ll just lay down on the bed for 10 minutes” thing, which almost always ends up being at least an hour and oftentimes extends into the morning. I managed to get myself up after an hour and headed downstairs to pack up my laptop, notepad and folders to take to work with me the next day.  No more work was going to be done last night.

I had a meeting first thing in the morning where I man the presentation, rendering my laptop unusable for note-taking. This is fine with me since, again, I am old school and do hand-written meeting notes. When I pulled out my notepad to page to the next blank sheet, I came upon Cal's drawings. I had forgotten about them over the course of the evening and the morning, which almost made it like I was seeing them for the first time. I smiled as I looked at each one. I proudly showed them to my boss. I shared one with a co-worker who was sad and sent one to Dan to make him smile, too.

Cal's pictures always make me smile - what a wonderful gift and start of my day!  Here are the pictures - do they have the same effect on you?

1. Letters, numbers and miscellaneous scribbles:

2. Monster:

 

3. Princess Ella:



4. Batman:



5. Mickey Mouse Clubhouse with Willie the Giant standing next to it. It looks to me like he also tried to draw Mickey but became frustrated with that:



Facebook Posts, August, 2012

Here are my Leatherkid-related Facebook posts from August, 2012. They are unedited and should generally be assumed to start with "Carla Reiter Leatherman..."

There were a lot of good posts this month! This was the month of our "staycation," where Dan and I took a week off from work to hang out and do things in the area with the kids. The "sucker" posts later in the month were fun, and I do remember very vividly the "puke/naked buns" combo incident.  There were a couple of classic "thumb-sucking" posts, too.  I think I'd have to say my favorite was the one about Cal dressing like a father -- that was such a fun yet short-lived phase!

August 3, 2012
can't believe that Cal, Mr. Honest, totally LIED to the dentist this AM:

Dentist: "Cal, have you been sucking your thumb?"
Cal <without hesitating>: "No."
Me<flabberghasted>: "What?!?!?"
Dentist: "Cal, your mom thinks you are not telling the truth. Are you still sucking your thumb?"
Cal: "No."
Me: "Whatever. Yes, he's still sucking his thumb. We talked about this ALL week."

Ella's so pretty!
(posted 8/5/12)

August 5, 2012
had a conversation about "consequences" with her 3-1/2-year-old son tonight, initiated by him. At this rate, I'm going to run out of material by the time he's 5.

August 6, 2012
is a little disappointed in the "Okay to Wake" Owl's performance thus far.

August 6, 2012

Ella happy with her hot dog at
Kops 'n Kids Day in Lemont
(posted 8/5/12)

had a nice, busy first day of our "staycation"... got haircuts, handed kids off to Dan's parents for a trip to the zoo, bought running shoes at half their original price, worked out with new dumbbells, knocked out a couple of errands, had Choo Choo Johnny's for dinner, played cards with Dan's parents, and oohed and aahed about Dan's bathroom makeover... and now I'm enjoying some quiet time with the windows open.

Fireman Cal at Kops 'n
Kids Day in Lemont
(posted 8/5/12)

August 7, 2012
had a more relaxed and uneventful staycation day #2 today -- ran, hung out with the kids and Dan, used our rehabbed bathroom for the first time, had a family picnic dinner at the prairie path and used our $20 Kohl's cash on some clothes for Ella.

August 9, 2012
went to Chicago with the fam for staycation day #3 yesterday -- did the Sears Tower skydeck, said "hi" to the lions outside the Art Institute, checked out Millennium Park and the Bean and "played" some volleyball by the Fountain... and walked the whole way... with the kids... and a volleyball... :)

August 9, 2012
spent staycation day #4 with the fam again -- ran, dropped car off to have breaks checked, spent some time with Gramma Gramma, "swam" at the pool in Lemont, had dinner with Grandma and Grandpa Fred, survived a late meltdown by our napless Ella and took an unexpected nap from about 8-8:30pm.

August 11, 2012
had a casual staycation day # last yesterday... worked out, blogged, went to a couple of stores, (the kids) napped, played baseball in the driveway, went for a jog/walk with the kids, rolled a game with the new bowling ball, (the kids) ate ice cream and a bunch of little things in between and around.

August 12, 2012
likes Cal's suggestion that he wear his "cowboy gloves" (a pair of glove liners for extra warmth) to keep himself from sucking his thumb. No kidding -- all his idea!

August 12, 2012
is so proud of Cal who, when presented with the challenge of wearing his gloves all night to keep himself from sucking his thumb, is sound asleep with his gloves still on... :)

August 13, 2012

Cal looking "like a father" this AM,
complete with clip-on tie and
self-applied pomade
(posted 8/14/12)

loves her husband because he wore a shirt and tie to work today only because his son, also wearing a tie, asked him to.

August 15, 2012
So, for a month or two now, I've been telling Cal as I put him to bed at night to get some good sleep because he needs to rest up in order to change the world. Oftentimes, I tell him that he already has changed my world. Tonight, from his bed, he declared this as I started to walk down the stairs: "Mommy, I'm already changing the world. Mommy, I don't know what 'the world' is." It was already late, so I told him I'd explain that to him another day.

August 17, 2012
gets a kick out of Cal's problems-solving ideas. Tonight it was, "I could put my pillow over my head so my thumb can't go in my mouth." Hopefully it never comes to that.

August 19, 2012
Cal and I ran this route yesterday, he in stroller, me pushing him... it was great! Just like old times, except that he's looking for more conversation out of me, an historically non-talking runner, than he used to!

August 19, 2012

had this conversation with Cal last night during his first round of getting up out of bed:

Cal: "I have to go potty."
Me: "Didn't you go potty before you went to bed?"
Cal: "No."
Me <thinking 'big liar'>: "Go ahead and go, then."Cal: "I was spitting in my bed."
Me <I know, I heard>: "Why were you spitting, Cal?"
Cal: "Because I wanted to get you to come in to my room."
Me <thinking 'it almost worked, but I would have spit on you'>: "Cal, that's not a good way to get my attention. There are better ways, like ASK me for help."
And then there was more conversation about getting slippers and wearing long pants and riding motorcycles and...

August 20, 2012
was cleaning up Ella's and Zoe's piles of puke (conveniently "plopped" adjacent to each other on the floor) when she heard a loud crash from behind the bathroom door and open said door to find Cal's bare buns "staring" back at me from the sink. Apparently, he had stinky feet and wanted to clean them after using the toilet.

August 21, 2012
sent Cal to school today dressed "like a father" - long-sleeve button-down shirt, clip-on tie, khakis, and a homemade work badge hanging from his pants pocket.

August 25, 2012
loves how Cal points out when he sees Cars characters in everyday traffic. This morning it went like this:

Cal: "There's a black Doc!"
Dan and I: "You're right, Cal - it IS a black Doc!" (It really was.)
Cal: "Yeah, I know my Docs!"

August 25, 2012
Chuckled after this one outside of the bank this AM:

Dan (to Cal): "If you're patient and a good listener, you can ask politely to have a S-U-C-K-E-R. Do you know what that spells?
Cal: "Umm... lollipop?"

August 25, 2012
So Dan explained to Cal that "sucker" and "lollipop" are synonymous. A bit later, Dan asked what's synonymous with "lollipop," and Cal responded, "Sugar." Not a bad answer!

August 26, 2012
just asked for "two minutes of alone time" from her kids. Cal's response was, "okay, I'll count to two and you'll come with me." I guess I should've asked for 120 seconds. :)

August 30, 2012
sent Ella to school in an outfit picked out by Cal (wearing his own t-shirt backwards) - blue school t-shirt, teal plaid shorts, hot pink socks and diaper. It was good enough to think I selected it and bad enough to think I don't dress my kid very well.

August 31, 2012

Ella in shark jams

Several days this week, Cal picked out some of his jammies for Ella to wear to bed -- here she is in his shark jams, brushing her teeth while she stands on the stool, looking just like her big brother.

Facebook Posts, July, 2012

Here are my Leatherkid-related Facebook posts from July, 2012. They are unedited and should generally be assumed to start with “Carla Reiter Leatherman…”

There were some good ones early in the month, but my clear favorite was the "moustache" post later in the month.  Cal was SO excited to wake up and see that.

July 1, 2012
Cowboy Cal eating beans for lunch because "that's what cowboys eat."


Cowboy Cal eating beans (7/1)


July 1, 2012
Cowboy Cal napping with his hat and "boots" (not pictured) because "cowboys sleep with their boots on" (I think to protect them from snakes)

Cowboy Cal napping (7/1)







July 1, 2012
Ella after having eaten only half of a homemade chocolate chip cookie. Not pictured are her hands and legs, which were also caked in chocolate chip "residue."


Ella, post chocolate chip cookie (7/1)



July 1, 2012

chuckled through this one this AM:
Cal: Daddy, remember when you put spicy stuff and a band-aid on my thumb to stop me from sucking my thumb?
Dan: I do. Did it work?
Cal: Nope.

July 3, 2012

managed to negotiate Cal out of his jeans and into some shorts this AM - Mommy 1, Cal 0.

July 4, 2012

enjoyed digging for the the story behind the missing Croc earlier this afternoon:
Me: Cal, do you know where your other Croc is?
Cal <standing with one Croc on his foot>: Yes, upstairs... I threw it at Daddy.
Me: Why'd you throw it at Daddy, Cal?
Cal: I was trying to wake him up.

July 5, 2012

wonders if she's the only person to have washed a diaper in the washing machine on more than one occasion...

July 11, 2012

wonders why she's the chosen 1am "Cal Can't Help It" (Fergie) turner onner every night and is fighting the urge to tell Cal this is a job for Daddy.

July 11, 2012

enjoyed Cal's rendition of Fergie's "Clumsy" from behind the closed bathroom door earlier tonight: "Can't help it, Cal can't help it... boo bay... can't help it, Cal can't help it... boo bay..."

July 14, 2012

is listening to Cal's tune "I want 'Cal Can't Help It' back on... I'm ready to make a good choice now...Mommy...my leg is stuck <confirmed it's not>..." and holding firm on not giving in to him. Perhaps he'll just sing himself to sleep in lieu of Fergie not doing so.

July 21, 2012

just got a character-building run in, and is now sitting outside in this beautiful weather watching her kids play in dirt. :)

July 21, 2012

just watched Ella, as she shoved the last of her Nutrigrain Bar into her mouth while making "mmmmm" sounds, get scolded by Cal, "it's not funny, Ella. Don't smirk at me - it's not funny."

July 21, 2012

thinks Cal needs to practice his "ignore it" skills a bit - I told him the best thing to do with a wasp is to ignore it, and he proceeded to "roar" at it, chase it and shake the chair it was hovering over. Then he stomped his foot and declared, "I stepped on him." I think he did.

July 22, 2012

Cal was told last night that to grow a moustache he needed to eat all of his chicken. So he ate all of his chicken and woke up with a moustache this AM!

Our moustached Cal (7/22)

July 23, 2012

was amused by this last night: Cal, from the living room after having passed on dinner which the rest of us were still eating in the kitchen, "Daddy... Daddy... Daddy Leatherman... Do you hear my stomach rumbling?"

July 24, 2012

Those who know the Notre Dame Fight Song may appreciate this exchange I had with Cal this AM. It went something like this:
Cal: "Mother Nature rains on Notre Dame football players."
Me: "Oh yeah? Why is that?"
Cal: "They shake down the thunder."

July 30, 2012

loves how Ella says her name... "Ya-ya!"

Ella winking (posted 7/1/12)