Monday, October 15, 2012

Hung up

Apparently I'm going to have to make some slight revisions to our fall plans. The first time I suggested apple picking to Torsten it seems that he didn't take me seriously, but when I mentioned it again he was rather incredulous. Turns out that starting from the age of four (according to him) he was forced to spend entire weekends from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. (according to him) picking apples in his grandparents' orchard, and it was miserable and difficult and as a result he hates picking apples. Plus, as he pointed out, I don't even like apples.

I tried to tell him that this could be a way of erasing the childhood trauma! We can jaunt over to the orchard, spend a few minutes picking a solitary bag of apples, drink some apple cider, pet the animals, and leave! And it would be magical and healing and he would have fond memories of how apple picking can actually be fun! But he wasn't having it. And he's right, I don't like apples (except Granny Smith). So. We're crossing that one off the list.

(The boots are still awesome, though. And the requested fall weather has totally arrived and we are loving it. And we WILL do the pumpkin patch. So, the fall plans are not a total fail.)

Unrelatedly, Callum has started making truck noises, and you guys, it's so cute. I think he's trying to say "vroom" and he does it with cars and trucks and trains, though he sometimes does yell "choo choo" when he's playing with his trains. The truck noises may be one of my very favorite things he does right now:



Also, almost 21 months is my new favorite age. He listens so much better. He eats with utensils. He talks constantly and he's working on combining two words and it feels like we're really close to him being able to full-on talk, in sentences, so that we can understand what he's saying. He dispenses hugs and his eyes are just so expressive. I was thinking recently about how I don't really start to recognize Callum in his baby photos until about 2-3 months, and I think it's because that's when you start being able to see his personality in his eyes. His hair is the thing that people comment on most (because it IS red and beautiful), but his eyes are what really stand out to me. I never really believed all that crap about eyes being windows to the soul, etc., but his Callum-ness just radiates out through his. Maybe it's because he's young and guileless, and maybe it will change as he gets older, but right now you can read him through his eyes, and I think it's amazing.

(As an update: he still has a cold but he's stopped wheezing and we haven't needed the albuterol in days.)

So, since we're talking about childhood hangups (or any kind of hangup), tell me: is there something that most people love to do that you can't stand? And if so, is it because of some traumatizing past experience, or just because you think the rest of the world is crazy?

10 comments:

  1. A. hates gardening in any form to this day, thanks to his mom's garden while growing up. Boys.

    I HATE to entertain at my house. I LOVE going to parties, mingling, etc. but I HATE having dinner parties at my house. Dear God. Who are the people who enjoy it? (My best friend loooooves to entertain and do dinner parties. He is quite good at it, too.)

    But, in a non-formal setting everyone in welcome. You are all welcome! Just don't ask me to plan and use chargers, for Pete's sake.

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  2. No apple picking?! Darn!
    I don't like to garden either. I still remember weeding for what seemed like hours as a kid. It was probably minutes. haha

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  3. I can't think of any childhood hangups at the moment, but I do need to tell you one thing: That video of Callum is freaking adorable.

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  4. Camping! As my husband says "we aren't homeless, so why do we want to pretend to be and call it vacation?" :)

    I LOVE apple picking!

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  5. Hiking. My dad loves it and he would always drag us up to the mountains on the weekends. I wish I could have appreciated the beauty of it, but I was 14 and it was the last place I wanted to be. Of COURSE, Mike likes to hike.

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  6. I HATE BOWLING.

    It's stupid. I hated being so bad at it as a kid when it was so easy for everyone else.

    It feels good to admit that in a safe space. ;)

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  7. I love apple picking, but we're not making it a family tradition. Around here, the best apple picking is in September. And quite frankly, I'm still enjoying the last remnants of summer. By the time I start thinking about fall and apples, it's already time to plan our day at the pumpkin farm. =)

    I hate Halloween. Seriously hate it. I think dressing up takes too much effort and money and time that could be spent doing better things. So, OF COURSE, Gavin was born within a week of Halloween ... I'm going to be tortured with years of costume parties. I totally deserve it. ha.

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  8. I am loving everyone's comments about what they hate (and going, oh yeah, I hate that TOO!) - I'm with Nilsa about Halloween and Artemisia about hosting parties - really, anything that requires elaborate preparation ahead of a social event I dislike. I also hate rides, like amusement park rides (we bought a family pass to Elitches this summer and I went exactly once.) I also kind of...I am embarrassed to say it...hate farmers' markets. Oh, I want to like them. I love the idea of them. I even like what I get there, usually. But I am too shy to make good conversation with the people who grow my food and I always feel put on the spot in some mysterious way.

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  9. haha, this is so fun reading what other people hate - i LOVE hosting parties, i LOVE dressing up for halloween, and i LOVE farmer's markets! i'm trying to think of some classic thing i don't like, but it's hard. jogging? baking maybe? i love to cook but baking is awfully fussy.

    that video of callum is TOO MUCH. adorable.

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  10. We should have met up at an apple orchard last October! I've never been apple picking...one day!

    I really can't stand going to pools or water parks, mostly because I have to take my hearing aid off. People still seem to be bewildered by my lack of interest!

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