Lessons learned after Zeke's first time painting

Zeke has had some children's paints for a while now. I hadn't opened the box yet because...well because I feared the mess and didn't want to deal with it.

But we borrowed I Ain't Gonna Paint No More from the library recently, and despite its horrific grammar, it was an adorable read that threw Zeke into an obsession with painting. It was suddenly something he must experience.

(Baby Danced the Polka has thrown us into a similar obsession with dancing...at naptime. I need to be more careful about what books I'm bringing home...)

Anyways long story short, he found his paints while I was organizing art supplies. And for some crazy reason I decided to just go ahead and get it over with.


Lesson 1: Be fun more often. We really enjoyed ourselves painting...because I allowed us to enjoy it. I know that on a different given day I would have made both of us miserable with this. Instead of worrying about the mess, I just sat and painted. It was nice. And in the end, it wasn't even a big mess.


Lesson 2: Trust in Zeke. I deliberated for a long time: Do I just give him one color? Wont he just mix them all and get crazy if given too many options? But since I wasn't allowing myself to be a scrooge I went again and gave him 6. I carefully placed a brush in each color and showed him how each brush matched and belonged to just that color, but I didn't actually expect him to get it.

He did. I dont give my kid enough credit.

Lesson 3: As soon as he can handle something that's not 100% washable, buy Zeke some quality paints. It's been a long time since I've used children's paints and I was a bit horrified. The colors had no depth, and the consistency was slimy and runny. Maybe not for everyday use, but I think nice acrylics or watercolors would be worth it. The cost wouldnt even be that much, honestly, when you consider that since nice paints are so easily mixable I'd only need red, yellow, blue, and white.


Oh and I though it was worth mentioning, while Z and I got our art on, Malachi taught himself to pull up and walk across the couch.
"What? This old trick? It aint no thing baby." (Mal also read that book with us.)

"Now if I could only reach that truck..."

He finally decided to risk it, reached, and promptly fell on his face. After rolling onto his back, however, he realized he could then reach it and decided that maybe it hadn't been such a bad move after all.

Ages and Stages

I feel like, with a second child, it's a whole new set of "milestones". I honestly couldn't tell you the first time Malachi rolled over. I didn't notice, despite the fact that I have Zeke's first time written down to the day.

And I dont have any exact date for crawling with Mal either. It's so gradual, what counts? Josh said any forward movement. But I always thought that was cheating. With Zeke we decided to count 3 "steps" in a row without falling or stopping as officially crawling. But again, with Mal? No one was watching him that closely.

When he started crawling over to the dvd player/computer/any blinking light and turning it off it felt like a whole new stage, though. I thought "I remember this"; It's the "I can crawl and also I love to push buttons" stage. He is pretty dang proud of himself every time he does it, and it wont stop for at least 6 months.


And this stage? I remember this. Quantity over quality, I call it. Zeke liked to have 200 spoons when he did this, but Mal prefers the house binky collection. Since both boys were pretty fond of binkies, and both boys were very particular about brand and style (and liked different brands and styles from each other) we have quite a few. Mal likes to find "his" and separate them from the bunch. They have to be Nuks, with the handle, 6 month size, and silicone nipples. He tastes each one and all the Mam brand, newborn size, handle-less, and rubber nippled binkies get thrown off the tray until he only has the "perfect" ones left.

Then we start over.

As a second-born he gets to do whole-new stages, though, that Zeke never did. Like "do everything I can to annoy my big brother" and "throw a fit every time I can't do something my brother can". Can anyone tell me when THAT stage ends? 18? 25?

Zeke is also onto new things. Giving me an insight into what to look forward to with Mal in a year in a half.

Like tantrums whenever we leave....anywhere.

And on a brighter note, telling me stories. They always begin "Whoah Look!" And then he proceeds to tell me all about the owl he saw in our tree. It was looking for its babies! It was saying "whoo whoo whoo". Or the dog. It was in the sky. It was digging in the dirt (in the sky?). It was green and it was sooo big. Then a hippo came. And IT played in the dirt. And they were friends.

His language has just exploded. Last night before bed he told Josh that he wanted to "party all night". I would blame Josh on that one but he asked ME where Zeke learned it.

Maybe he's just a natural rock star?

Malachi- 6 months

My Malachi turned 6 months yesterday.

I cant believe how time has passed, and how he has grown.

He crawls now. He sits unassisted.

He laughs all the time. At everything. He smiles for everyone that will stop to talk to him.

Its a pretty goofy smile.

My Mal.

He loves his kitties. And his brother. He loves to hold his foot while he nurses., and to lay in the grass looking up into our oak tree.

Its hard to imagine life before him.

I'm trying to savor this one

Daddy, holding a wildly jumping baby, says "This boys' legs are getting strong, I think it's time I bring up the jumper from the basement." and though my mind knows that it's true, my heart cant help but whisper "no".


At dinner time, as Mal reaches and strains for my plate, finally grabbing a piece of bread and trying to stuff it into his mouth as fast as can be, I get that same gentle look from across the table, "He might be ready for some cereal soon, maybe we should pick some up at the store." And my heart of heart pleads, "No, he's still so little..."


This child I am trying to savor. Every moment I'm trying to hold onto because I know from experience that these moments wont last long. In those few minutes of afternoon quiet, when I know I have the choice between taking a nap, or tackling the laundry, or maybe reading a few chapters, I find myself instead just watching him sleep. So soon and he will be a defiantly independent toddler, so soon and he will be a man. And my heart says "no."


Not my oldest child, God willing not my youngest. I know my time to savor Malachi will perhaps be the shortest of all my children.


My happy Malachi. Easy-going and ever-patient, he is easy to sometimes overlook. He has a story to tell, though, this child. Born talking and I don't think he has stopped once since. And I cant wait for the day that he finds the words to tell it. I will be his most avid listener.

But at the same time I whisper "no". Our stories will diverge, at some point. There will be parts I dont know, parts he doesnt want to tell me. Words meant for other ears.

But at least I will know his first word was mine.



Josh refuses to hear it, but he's said it at least 6 times now.