Year 4, Day 281

Now that Miles is old enough to vaguely discern the passage of time and recognize numbers, we decided to introduce him to Advent Calendars this holiday season. He had plenty of fun just hunting for the appropriate number, but once he found out there was candy inside? He squealed in a way I've never heard … Continue reading Year 4, Day 281 →

Year 4, Day 118

Miles can read numbers now. For instance, he remembers that our mailbox is "eight one" and the page his favorite story starts on in his Disney bedtime book, even without looking directly at either stimulus. "Sure," you might say, "but so what? It's not like he can read words or sentences yet." This is true, … Continue reading Year 4, Day 118 →

Year 4, Day 114

As is his wont, Miles casually announced, "I got a boo-boo," this afternoon. This is a nearly daily proclamation at this point, and I asked my usual follow-up. "How'd you get that one?" "From when I fell on the playground in the wood chips at school." I offered an observation. "Miles," I said, "it seems … Continue reading Year 4, Day 114 →

Year 3, Day 205

"Miles, what number comes after 15?" "Sixteen!" "Right! And what number comes after 16?" "Seventeen!" "Yeah! And what comes after 17?" "Lollipops!"

Year 3, Day 11

A child's mind is a sponge, just constantly learning and incorporating new information. But the things that take hold are frequently surprising. For instance, where did Miles learn to count off using drumsticks? Yeah, he went a little overboard the second time there, but still, that isn't something instinctual, is it?

Year 2, Day 107

In true "parents kill all the fun" fashion, virtually all of Miles's bathtub toys involve letters and numbers. Because he doesn't know better yet and the resentment is still a few years off, Miles really enjoys passing the letters along to us, hearing us identify the name and sound, then attempting to repeat this himself. … Continue reading Year 2, Day 107 →