September 15 , 2003.
Two weeks until the baby arrives, and big brother Stephen seems pretty cool
with the idea. When we have our pre-bedtime cuddle, he often brings up the subject,
and we talk about what life will be like with the new baby -- how Mommy will have
to spend a lot of time taking care of the baby, but will still love Stephen; how
the baby will mostly nurse and sleep right at the beginning, but when s/he gets
older, Stephen will be able to play with him/her; etc. He usually brings it up,
with an intro like "I'm going to be [the] big brother!" or "The
baby's going to come soon!" Yesterday, he seemed to think that the baby would
either come through the window, or be brought to us via train. At least there
are no storks involved.
He's doing well in other ways, too. Speech has been consistently improving
for the last four months, and he's pretty well understandable to everyone now,
though of course he has his own take on a few words. "Elevator" is "ephayator",
"simulator" is "simuyator" (he loves the Train Simulator program),
and "splancnic ganglion" is "spankyic gamblion". His current
favorite game is... strange. He will "remove" various body parts (ears,
eyes, nose, lips, etc.) and hand them off to people, and get very upset if they
are not returned in a timely fashion. He takes like parts from others (especially
lips: "I got your yips!") and sticks them to whatever surface is handy.
All transfers are accompanied by appropriate noises (a pulling sound for removal,
and a popping sound for replacement). David has taken his: appendix, spine, uvula,
ego, id, and splancnic ganglion, among others. "That's MY [fill in body part]!"
being the usual reply.
Trains
are still the number one attraction. He is full into Thomas territory, and names
many of the characters by sight, but any train will do in a pinch. The aforementioned
Train Simulator (a Microsoft program that lets you drive different trains on different
routes in real time) is his favorite computer time activity -- he can drive a
number of trains that David and I haven't even figured out. He would play it for
hours if we let him. If you look at the most recent (month
40, or 3 years and 4 months) pictures, you'll see his new bed with its new
train sheets. Bob and my mom built the bed for him, and it's a stunning piece
of work, and best of all, Stephen loves it! He's got a big play space underneath,
and a raised platform to sleep on. It's given him a lot more confidence in climbing
as well, so he has more fun at the playground, too. Once his sibling is in his/her
own bed, I think it'll make a good bunk system, as the lower one will be right
at ground level, good for a 2-3 year old.
His alphabet is coming along nicely -- he can do A-K and Q-Z without prompting,
though L-P are problematic -- I think it's because those letters are rushed in
the alphabet song. He knows most of the letters by sight, though, and I think
he'll be recognizing words pretty soon.
He's still very picky. Not much more I can say about that which I haven't already
gone over in previous updates; I'm sure he's getting enough protein (loves soy
milk and soy beans) and nutrients, but it's an awfully narrow palate. I'd like
it if he'd grow out of it soon, but until then, at least he's not starving. Potty
training is stalled as well, since he doesn't -- and perhaps simply can't -- tell
us before he has to go. I gather it can take a while for some children to develop
that skill. I do hope that having a new baby will help somewhat -- maybe we can
get somewhere with "the new baby needs to wear diapers, but you're a big
boy and could wear underpants." Who knows.
The next time I update this, we'll have a newborn! Wow! I guess I should set
up a place for his/her updates, too. Until then, hope you're all well. Enjoy the
new Stephen pictures and the fall weather!
Oh, and Stephen says, "I got your yips!"
Previous Stephen updates: July 2003, May
2003, April 2003, February
2003; November 2002, August
2002, May 2002; April
2002; March 2002; February
2002; November 2001.
All content, barring that which is otherwise attributed, is ©2007 to
Jan Andrea. If you wish to use my content on another page, please email before
doing so, even for content with the Creative Commons licenses. Text/images used
elsewhere must be attributed to me. Be advised that I will pursue copyright
violations.
Trains
are still the number one attraction. He is full into Thomas territory, and names
many of the characters by sight, but any train will do in a pinch. The aforementioned
Train Simulator (a Microsoft program that lets you drive different trains on different
routes in real time) is his favorite computer time activity -- he can drive a
number of trains that David and I haven't even figured out. He would play it for
hours if we let him. If you look at the most recent (month
40, or 3 years and 4 months) pictures, you'll see his new bed with its new
train sheets. Bob and my mom built the bed for him, and it's a stunning piece
of work, and best of all, Stephen loves it! He's got a big play space underneath,
and a raised platform to sleep on. It's given him a lot more confidence in climbing
as well, so he has more fun at the playground, too. Once his sibling is in his/her
own bed, I think it'll make a good bunk system, as the lower one will be right
at ground level, good for a 2-3 year old.