Crafting with August can be a difficult thing. He is a very sensory learner, always wanting to touch things to experience them first. So, when I get out the glue, paint, markers or crayons, he has little to no interest in putting them on paper or whatever other material we’re working with. He instead wants to squish the glue and paint between his fingers. He wants to color all over his arms and hands with the markers. He wants to break the crayons into as many little pieces as he can. He mostly wants nothing to do with paint brushes or any tool other than his own fingers. As a result, usually our crafts involve just getting out the play-doh or the finger paints so he can be hands-on.

The other day, I thought I’d attempt a craft that I’d seen a brief picture of on the internet somewhere. It was one of those fleeting moments where I was on a search for something else and came across a picture of an alligator made out of an egg carton. So I stored the image away in my brain somewhere to come back to later. Several weeks later, after saving two egg cartons, I thought I would attempt the craft with August, at which point we could look up interesting facts together about alligators and crocodiles and talk about the differences between the two and it could be a great teaching tool. What’s that quote? “The best laid plans of mice and men often go awry,” I think it is. Well, perhaps it should be, “The best laid plans of mice and mamas often go awry.” I put the little alligators together by myself (thinking that would be a bit advanced for him) and then presented them to August, telling him that we could paint them together. August immediately picked up his and started banging it against the table making growling sounds. The texture of the egg carton had prevented the glue from sticking. So as he banged, the eyes and tail immediately came off and went flying across the room. So, I took a deep breath, taped them on and preceded to get the paints out. August immediately dipped his fingers in the paint (which was something I had been anticipating) and started painting his alligator. This lasted literally 30 seconds before he started rubbing the paint on his arms, then on the table, then on his face. The alligator, at this point, was completely insignificant to him. I attempted several times to encourage him to wipe some of the paint on his alligator. This was usually responded with, “No, I’m doing sumping else.”

I continued to paint mine in the hope that it would get him more interested, but it never did. In the end, we had these:

They actually didn’t turn out too bad. Unfortunately, my other mistake was that I attempted this craft right before nap time. When I went to wipe the paint off of August’s face and hands and neck and ear, he preceded to throw a fit. It’s challenging to explain to a two-year old that, while you appreciate his artwork, it must now be scrubbed off his body. While this wasn’t the most successful craft project, I’ll certainly keep attempting. Next up? A brown bear made out of paper plates!!

Eric and I had been letting August’s hair grow out for quite some time now. For no particular reason. Just to try it out. It actually turned out to be a bit of a controversial topic within the family. Some approved; others weren’t so sure. A mother of one of August’s little friends said one day, “I love your hair, Gus, even though it’s long.” Hair length on boys can apparently offend social norms for some people, something I hadn’t really thought about much until now. Nonetheless, Eric and I continued to grow it out. It had finally reached the point where it was staying out of his eyes, and what did I do? I decided it needed to be cut. When it comes to longer hair on boys, there’s a fine line between looking unique and interesting and looking… well… girly. And I simply felt we’d reached that fine line. So this morning August sat and watched Toy Story while I cut. (Yes, it took the entire length of the movie. And then some.)

The Before:

And the After:

The conclusion? He’s my lovable boy either way.

Sometimes I wish we all spoke like two-year-olds. With their language skills still developing, there are many things they don’t know how to communicate. As a result, they get very creative in an attempt to find a way to communicate when they lack some of those skills. And it’s really very refreshing. There’s the ability to just make up words when the actual word is unknown. Or to randomly add syllables, consonants and vowels to words. Or to simply stomp on the face of correct grammar. For example, this past winter August had a thousand colds. Several of these colds involved watery, gooey eyes. (He actually had conjunctivitis pretty severely in both eyes at one point. Poor little guy.) His way of describing this condition was to tell me: “I have snotty nose eye.” I found this to not only be hilarious, but actually more expressive and pictorial than simply telling me his eye was watering. I often now find myself embracing these tendencies and the language of “Augish,” invented by August Murray himself, a language that is actually quite complex and interesting. I will share with you now various aspects of this language.

Terminology (*Note: All of these words are very important in the language of Augish and are used at least 10 times a day in various contexts):

sumping = something

bopped = jumped

bammies = pajamas

paba = pacifier

dinosaurus = dinosaur

the P.B. = the television

deg-deg = cookie (Like all languages, Augish is continually evolving. Although August can now clearly say the word “cookie” and has been able to for some time, when he was first learning to talk he only referred to cookies as “deg-deg.” And he often still talks about using the word “deg-deg.” If one were to use this word around August now, he would know exactly what you were talking about. Thus, the words are synonymous and interchangeable in Augish.)

The Most Important Questions:

In the language of Augish, hands down the most important question to ask is: “What’s (fill in the blank) doing?” It is asked about all things. Not only about Dada or Mama or the cat, but about a plane, a clock, a building, a shoe, the wind… I could go on and on. This often requires the answerer to get quite creative. How does one answer the question, “Mama, what’s that cloud doing?” in a way that is understandable to a two-year-old? I might say, “Well, it’s floating there.” This is always then followed by the second most important question in the language of Augish, which is: “But why?” And, yes, one must include the word “but.” To simply ask “why” in the language of Augish is not enough.

Now, if I were to ever ask August “Why did you do that?” or any question involving the word “why,” he always responds by saying, “Why? Because I did.” Or perhaps “Why? Because Dada told me to,” etc. Thus, in the language of Augish, the answer must always involve both a question and an answer. It’s actually quite complex.

Names:

In the language of Augish, naming things or discovering the names of people and things is very important. If we are in the check-out line at the grocery store, he wants to know the cashier’s name. If he sees a fly on the wall, he wants to know what its name is. Lately, he has been quite focused on coming up with names for all of his “friendlies” (which in Augish is the word used for stuffed animals). Names in Augish are quite unique because they are really more like sounds than words. For example, he has named his green stuffed monkey “Ha.” Calling him Monkey or George or Sam, well, it just wouldn’t do. Other names for his friendlies include Pop, Ooo, Blah and Guh. Augish, therefore, can be a delightfully guttural language.

To conclude our lesson today on the language of Augish, I must point out that everyday August’s language skills develop as he listens to those around him. Thus, the language of Augish is a dying art. But we in the Murray house will celebrate it while we can. And I encourage you, dear reader, when struggling to name something or ask a question appropriately or find a word to adequately express yourself, go ask a two-year old. You may indeed find the answer to not only to be hilarious but more expressive than you could have ever conjured on your own.

“The only language men ever speak perfectly is the one they learn in babyhood, when no one can teach them anything!” -Maria Montessori

Well, it’s almost time for Santa to drop his goodies beneath the tree. If you find you’re having a hard time waiting, here’s some activities August recommends partaking in to help you get through these exciting hours:

Let your stockings inspire you to dance.

Wear your Halloween costume.

Pop some popcorn, get cozy on the couch, and watch Charlie Brown Christmas as many times as your mom will let you.

Take all the cushions off the couch and bounce as high as you can.

Hope your Christmas is merry and bright!

Love,

The Murrays

Today, a mother at August’s school stopped us in the hallway outside his classroom. As she knelt down in front of him, with her perfume wafting and lipstick glowing, she squeezed her fists, gritted her teeth and said, “There’s the baby who’s so cute I could just EAT his FACE.” She then turned and barked very loudly at her older son, who was carrying a small stick, “Keep your weird tree away from the BABY!” I smiled hastily, then turned into the classroom.

August seemed much less disturbed than I was, but I made sure to give him an extra little hug before I left.

Since August has started preschool, it seems as though he has been plagued with one sickness after another. It began with a mild flu bug that brought a cold and low grade fever. Then The Boy battled with a bout of diarrhea for 7 days. And then, in the wee hours of the morning this past Friday, August came down with croup. Fortunately, the characteristic barking cough is now gone, but an extremely runny nose and grouchy demeanor still lingers.

I have heard that it is quite typical of children who do not have siblings and have never attended a daycare to be more susceptible to illness. Thus, I was sure to rush out and get him a flu shot when they became available. But still I fear we may have a long winter ahead of us.

However, there are several bright sides to this situation. So far, the illnesses have been relatively mild, requiring no medication or special doctor exams. Also, I have been told that this is the best age to expose children to germs, as he isn’t too young where his immune system would be underdeveloped, and he isn’t too old where he would have begun school full-time and would in turn have to miss significant amounts of class.

And the biggest bright side is that his battle with diarrhea encouraged his first two-word phrase! I was changing his diaper one day and he looked at me with bright eyes and a big smile and shouted “Big poop!” Since then, he has taken to saying all kinds of phrases: Dada run, Mama eat, August night-night. And he came home the other day from preschool throwing his hands in the air and shouting “Hip hip hooray!” He has become quite a parrot in recent weeks, repeating things he hears, even when he clearly has no idea what they mean. It is an amazing thing to watch him develop like this before our very eyes. Even with snot in his way, he won’t hesitate to say a new word or words.

So, I can’t help but wonder, what was it that finally allowed him to cross over into this new stage of communication? Was enrolling him in preschool truly the answer to encouraging his verbal ability as I had hoped? Or perhaps the timing is mere coincidence and he was just developmentally ready? Of course, I’ll never know for sure, but I suspect it’s a combination of the two. Regardless, the decision to send him to preschool seems to have been the right one, snotty noses and all.

Last week was August’s first week of preschool. You see, when I decided to quit my job, Eric and I had already enrolled August in a preschool program. Our goal in doing this was not only to give me some time to work, but to allow August some time away from home in a new environment, around children his own age. Unfortunately, we don’t really know people who have children, much less children August’s age. None who live nearby anyway. So, his experience with other children has been extremely limited. Even though I didn’t need the time to work anymore, Eric and I still felt that August could benefit a great deal from this experience.

In addition, we decided to keep him enrolled in the hope that being around other children might encourage him to talk more. Although in the past month August has added probably a hundred words to his vocabulary, he still has not begun to form small two-word sentences, a development milestone by some standards. His pediatrician is not worried and explains there is a huge curve when it comes to language development. And I, of course, must continually remind myself of how unhealthy and downright irresponsible it is to compare my child to other children. This is in no way an indicator of intelligence or lack thereof, just as learning to walk early does not mean a child will become an Olympic athlete. All humans walk, talk, and poo in a toilet in their own time. It’s all beautifully individualistic. That being said, talking and playing with Mama and Dada is most certainly not the same as talking and playing with a fellow two-year-old. So, for these reasons we kept him enrolled in the school, but only on Mondays and Wednesdays, 5 hours each day.

So, how did his first week go you ask?

If that isn’t the face of uncertainty, I don’t know what is. This is The Boy entering the classroom for the first time. This was just before he turned around and preceded to walk back down the hallway as if to say, “No thanks. I’ll be going home now.” After I walked him back into the classroom and his teacher showed him the bucket of dinosaurs they have there, he was much more content. Eric and I were able to sneak out without him noticing.

The second day went well, except he cried pretty hard when I left. He also dumped his juice down the front of his shirt during snack time. They apparently provide the children with Dixie cups and August has really only used cups with lids. I had no idea other mothers let their two-year-olds drink from cups without lids. This seems completely insane to me. But it’s something we will work on. In the meantime, the teacher said she will give him his juice in a sippy cup.

All in all, it was a good first week. Of course, it’s hard to say if being around other children will encourage his verbal ability. Regardless, I’m excited for him to experience new things and new people. I just wish I could be a fly on the wall to watch it all happen.

The month of August has been a month of changes here in the Murray household. Mid-July, I resigned from my job. One day, after having been up until 2 a.m. working, knowing that I had several more nights/days like that ahead of me, the decision came to me like an epiphany: I simply couldn’t continue this insanity. With Eric’s encouragement, I turned in my notice a few days later. So, since August 1st, I have been adjusting to my new role as “domestic engineer.”

And here I sit 30 days later and I am still finding it hard to believe that this is my life now. It hasn’t quite sunk in yet that I can focus my full, undivided attention on my family; that I can play with August all day and not feel guilty that work has been neglected; that Eric and I can sit together in the evenings and enjoy each other’s company instead of having to relegate myself to the office until the wee hours of the morning; that I will have some time now to tend to our almost 90-year-old house and hopefully give it the TLC it needs and deserves; that the behemoth-sized load of stress that sat upon my shoulders for so long is no longer a part of my reality.

And although the month has flown by, I must say, it’s been… well, simply and wholly wonderful. A very welcome change, for sure. The Boy and I have spent our days going to parks, playing in his pool, taking long stroller rides, reading books and building Lego houses and towers.

Oh, and of course, our little man turned 2 this month, a big change indeed! The party was a great success, and the cake turned out fabulously because… I didn’t make it! (I learned my lesson last year when August was the only one who ate my homemade cake. I think it was the fact that it was about the texture of a meatloaf that might have scared people away.) August’s Aunt J made the cake and it was artfully made and delicious, to boot! Thanks J

Turning 2 has brought about some new found interests for The Boy. He now loves playing with toy airplanes and trucks. His love for puzzles and dinosaurs seems to have grown a great deal, as well. Although, I must admit I have been trying to stick to outdoor activities recently. The summer is almost gone, and we have a long winter ahead of us. I do anticipate much indoor painting, play-doughing, reading and game playing in the months to come.

Yes, I know. It’s been almost 3… count them… 3 months since my last post. Sigh. The fact is that life lately has been so incredibly busy for me that I rarely have a moment to breath, it seems. I have been ridiculously busy with work in the past several months. And working from home and watching August at the same time is such a challenge… especially lately.

Even though we are about two and a half months away from him officially turning 2, I do feel as though he has already entered “Terrible Two” territory. He climbs EVERYTHING. He climbs his changing table. He climbs the chairs at our dining room table so that he can then climb on top of the table. He climbs on the back of our couch and sits. He climbs on the arms of our couch and sits. Independent play time, which used to consist of him reading books and playing with Legos, now consists of him performing some dare-devil stunt.

Outside, he enjoys scaling the very outer edge of our back deck (which is about two feet off the ground), specifically the part above blacktop.  He loves playing outside; however, he also loves running directly towards the street, where cars often drive far, far faster than the speed limit.

Going out to eat has become next to impossible. He has very little patience for having to wait for a table, then having to wait for the food, then having to actually take time to eat the food. He wants to get down and run, not be restrained by a highchair. And, of course, playing with the food has now been taken to new heights with him discovering that flinging it as far as he can is just delightful.

I could go on.

All of this, as you can imagine, leaves me watching his every move to avoid catastrophic injury, as well as feeling as though I tell him “no” more than I say anything else.

As I did with his reflux phase, his not sleeping phase, his teething phase, I’ve been trying to tell myself, “This too shall pass.” However, I do fear we may be in for the long haul with this one. I remember my siblings having “Terrible Two” type behavior beyond the age of 2. This leads me to believe that phrase is a bit of a misnomer. When people refer to the “Terrible Twos,” I think what they really mean is “Terrible Ones and Potentially Far Beyond That.” Doesn’t quite roll off the tongue as well, I suppose. But it’s like the term “morning sickness.” Ha! As if it would be limited to just the morning! Hilarious!

Saying all of this makes him sound like the worst child ever, and really he isn’t. I mean, he has many moments where he listens well and responds to reprimands. And he seems to behave perfectly fine for other family members when being taken out to eat in my absence.

But I can’t help but wonder if this behavior isn’t partly a result of him being an only child and an only grandchild/great-grandchild who is always the center of attention. I think to myself, Would he be better behaved if he had a sibling?

Then I come to my senses.

I am almost positive that having another kid right now would only be an act of self-destruction, given the current non-stop nature of my life. But Eric and I have enrolled August in a preschool program that begins this September. So, there is some relief in sight. It’s part-time, but it should provide me with some much-needed time to work, as well as provide August with some much-needed social interaction and structured discipline (that doesn’t come from a parent). That being said, I’m in no hurry to add to our Murray clan at this point.

Not sure when my next post will be, so in the meantime, here’s a picture of The Wild Boy getting ready to do something mischievous… grab a handful of my flowers, eat some dirt… Can’t you just see it in his eyes (adorable though they may be)?

And if you don’t hear from us before it’s over, have a great summer!

Eric told me he once heard Tina Fey do her own spin of Jeff Foxworthy’s “You Might Be A Redneck If…” routine, with a “You Might Be A Mother If…” routine. One of them was, “You find yourself willingly holding out your hand to accept someone else’s booger.” Another was, “You find yourself trying to put pants on someone who won’t stop dancing.”

I found this to be so hilarious and relatable that I was inspired to create a few of my own (along with accompanying visual aids.) Enjoy.

You might be a mother if…

…No room or hallway in your home seems to be complete without at least one stray sock.

…Someone has tried to eat your entertainment center.

…You find a Buzz Lightyear sticker in an unsuitable place on your toilet seat.

…You find yourself randomly picking up stray bits of brown lint off the carpet and smelling them, just to make sure it’s not poo.

…Your magazines look like this before you even get a chance to read them:

…You wake up to a face like this, and you just can’t help but be happy: