Connor has a particular talent for moving backwards. One of the most appealing manifestations of this relates to his new fondness for reading books. He will, for instance, find you sitting on the floor and proclaim "Woo-woo-woo", meaning that he wants to go get the fire truck book. Having done so, he will situate himself a few feet in front of you and then back in, sort of like a truck backing into a loading dock, until he's plopped himself down on your lap, ready to read.
The backwards move can also be used in a very different way, however. Because we have a gate up in front of the kitchen a lot of food offers get made with Connor standing at the gate. He is very touchy, however, and if he doesn't like what's offered, or, worse if something is not provided quickly enough, he starts slowly backing away in horror. Cries and accusations of the most strident kind are soon to follow, we can be certain. Once the back-away has happened, we also know it's too late to make things up. He won't be appeased at that stage. And he's not to be mollified with a pacifier either. He'll just grab it and throw it angrily away, as if to say, "Don't try to buy me off with some cheap piece of plastic! Next time get me the fruit THAT I WANT! WHEN I WANT IT!!"
Friday, February 22, 2008
Wednesday, February 20, 2008
ELMO!!
Connor has been sick over the past 2 weeks and is only now returning to his usual impish self. In the intervening time he got to watch a lot of Elmo as it was the one thing that seemed to make him happy during a time when he had a viral throat infection, some bacterial thing and was getting like three teeth at once. At the sound of the music he would begin rocking back and forth in a kind of Stevie Wonder-like dance.
He's not so happy, however, about the fact that now that he's better, the usual restrictions on Elmo are back in place. He's been trying in fact to take matters into his own hands. He grabs a hold of the remote, points it at the TV and starts pressing buttons while yelling El-MO!! El-MO!!!
He's not so happy, however, about the fact that now that he's better, the usual restrictions on Elmo are back in place. He's been trying in fact to take matters into his own hands. He grabs a hold of the remote, points it at the TV and starts pressing buttons while yelling El-MO!! El-MO!!!
Unqualified admiration and brutal honesty
It pays with Jamie not to get too invested in some of the emotions that he expresses from day to day. On the one hand, as noted before, he can be very mushy and this is certainly heartfelt and wonderful. So, too, is his admiration for some of the relatively simple things we do. At one point, I lifted the Ottoman in our living room in search of one of Connor's pacifiers and Jamie exclaimed, "Dad, you're the strongest person in the whole world!" Not long after one of the lights in the hallway outside Jamie's room went out. This was a source of some concern for him but when I said I would change it he came running out of his room and watched with rapt attention. As I screwed the new bulb into the socket, he exclaimed, "That's AMAZING."
On the other hand, he can be a little harsh sometimes. He got invited to a Build-a-Bear party recently and participated only in the most general sense of the term, not having much interest in stuffed animals, as some of you may know. He made a kitty cat, which Sarah thought would be a winner, given his super-kitty alter ego, but when he got home I asked him if he would take care of the kitty cat and he said, "No, I don't love it; It's for Connor." Interestingly, however, kitty cat has in fact become Jamie's real first stuffed animal and he sleeps with it next to his bed. He doesn't want it in his bed. One night he explained: "Dad, I have a plan with the kitty cat. I won't sleep with it because it will scratch me, but after I wake up I will take it upstairs and snuggle it."
The fact that kitty cat's fortunes can swing so wildly helps me deal with moments like the other night when I was putting Jamie to bed. He was being a little mushy and said "Dad, I love you all the way to Mars. I love Mommy all the way to Eris." (Jamie's very up to date with the planets) And then, sensing something in his metaphor, he said, almost like a discovery, "Dad, I don't love you as much as Mommy." Ouch. Oh, well, if kitty cat can come back, maybe I can make it to Eris.
On the other hand, he can be a little harsh sometimes. He got invited to a Build-a-Bear party recently and participated only in the most general sense of the term, not having much interest in stuffed animals, as some of you may know. He made a kitty cat, which Sarah thought would be a winner, given his super-kitty alter ego, but when he got home I asked him if he would take care of the kitty cat and he said, "No, I don't love it; It's for Connor." Interestingly, however, kitty cat has in fact become Jamie's real first stuffed animal and he sleeps with it next to his bed. He doesn't want it in his bed. One night he explained: "Dad, I have a plan with the kitty cat. I won't sleep with it because it will scratch me, but after I wake up I will take it upstairs and snuggle it."
The fact that kitty cat's fortunes can swing so wildly helps me deal with moments like the other night when I was putting Jamie to bed. He was being a little mushy and said "Dad, I love you all the way to Mars. I love Mommy all the way to Eris." (Jamie's very up to date with the planets) And then, sensing something in his metaphor, he said, almost like a discovery, "Dad, I don't love you as much as Mommy." Ouch. Oh, well, if kitty cat can come back, maybe I can make it to Eris.
Thursday, February 7, 2008
Where is Connor's finger?
Connor has really continued to develop his vocabulary, both in understanding and speaking. He's sort of been working on two big fronts: body parts and forms of transportation. There is a Rescue Vehicles book of Jamie's that Connor is obsessed with. For fire truck he says, "woo-woo-woo". Whenever he wants to read the book he goes marching off to get it, happily intoning the fire engine noise all the way. He can more or less recognize and more or less name ambulances, police motorcycles and boats. Planes he's not so good with, still calls them boats. He also has a trains (joo-joo) book, which can be read infinite times. Here he takes particular pleasure in seeing a moon (MOOOON!!) cars (ahhhhh!!) and the bus. This he works really hard at saying. It comes out in two syllables: "Bah-suh". There is a conductor, too, and Connor relishes saying "All Aboard," rendered as "Ahhh-BOH!"
He is also slowly learning the parts of his face. One can ask "Where are your ears?" and he will point to one of them. And then the index finger invariably keeps going into the feature in question. We've learned to ask, "Where is your nose?" last. Also, ask "Where is Daddy's/Mommy's mouth?" at one's own risk.
He is also slowly learning the parts of his face. One can ask "Where are your ears?" and he will point to one of them. And then the index finger invariably keeps going into the feature in question. We've learned to ask, "Where is your nose?" last. Also, ask "Where is Daddy's/Mommy's mouth?" at one's own risk.
Sunday, January 27, 2008
Why we want to live on 1 floor
I've been compiling a brief index lately of Jamie's many reasons for calling us down to his room. Here's a look:
Air, not on.
Air, on.
Air, making my hand float (he was 90% asleep for that one).
Dark, not enough
Dark, too much
Door, not open enough
Door, too open
Door knob, scaring me (now visible since Connor's crib was moved. Jamie's solution: move crib back, just without Connor).
Itchies, on bottom
Itchies, on face
Itchies, on hands
Itchies, on unknown body part, but very bad
Music, not loud enough.
Sniffies, I have them (often caused by crying about something previous, thus an excellent cause for a second visit).
Something scary, I heard it.
Something scary, I saw it.
Temperature, too cold
Temperature, too hot
Umm...ummm...ummm....something.
Water, needed
Water, spilled on pajamas
Woobie, lost.
Air, not on.
Air, on.
Air, making my hand float (he was 90% asleep for that one).
Dark, not enough
Dark, too much
Door, not open enough
Door, too open
Door knob, scaring me (now visible since Connor's crib was moved. Jamie's solution: move crib back, just without Connor).
Itchies, on bottom
Itchies, on face
Itchies, on hands
Itchies, on unknown body part, but very bad
Music, not loud enough.
Sniffies, I have them (often caused by crying about something previous, thus an excellent cause for a second visit).
Something scary, I heard it.
Something scary, I saw it.
Temperature, too cold
Temperature, too hot
Umm...ummm...ummm....something.
Water, needed
Water, spilled on pajamas
Woobie, lost.
Wednesday, January 23, 2008
Marvin the King
On Monday evening I was getting Jamie ready for bed, and only half-listening to the steady stream of information that comes out of Jamie's mouth all the time when I caught the words "and he was shot and killed." This got my attention and I said, What Jamie. He replied, "He was shot and killed Dad." Slightly alarmed, I asked if this was something he had heard at school. Yes, he said. Well I dont like that very much Jamie, I told him, that's not a nice thing to talk about. He said, well Ms. Belle (his teacher) told us that Marvin the King was shot and killed and today is his birthday. All was clear. Martin Luther King, you mean Jamie? Yeah, he said, and Marvin the King told us "No Fighting!"
Sunday, January 20, 2008
Night-night!
As previously noted, Connor has his sleep issues. In fact, as I write this at 6:30 AM he is snoring away on the couch downstairs, having woken at 4:30, SCREAMING with indignation at being in his crib. He seems to like the couch, however, and has now stretched out across it and gone happily back to sleep, sending me to the kitchen counter.
But one thing he has been consistently easier with than Jamie is GOING to sleep (knock wood). He actually seems aware of the desire to go to bed, something which Jamie, to this day, has almost never felt, or at least admitted to. He no longer drinks milk before bed time but we've established a very clear routine, which he likes. Having given "night-night" kisses to everyone (try and cheat him of this at your peril), we head upstairs (yes to our room still). He closes the office door and bathroom door and then marches over to the chair, gets it in and grabs "Goodnight Moon" expectantly. Connor, I should explain, has been difficult to read to from very early on. He gets impatient with the book and begins trying to quickly turn the pages, close the book, throw it, or simply beat it. But "Goodnight Moon" he loves, no doubt in part for its focus on his favorite orbiting sphere, but he also sings with excitement about the red balloon, the young mouse, the stars, etc. Upon finishing the book he loudly proclaims "Na-na" (night-night) and often points at the crib. Usually that's the last we hear from him for a few hours. There are occasionally wake-ups, with attendant screams of indignation, but we've learned that these tend to peter out in a couple of minutes, during the first part of the night, at least.
But one thing he has been consistently easier with than Jamie is GOING to sleep (knock wood). He actually seems aware of the desire to go to bed, something which Jamie, to this day, has almost never felt, or at least admitted to. He no longer drinks milk before bed time but we've established a very clear routine, which he likes. Having given "night-night" kisses to everyone (try and cheat him of this at your peril), we head upstairs (yes to our room still). He closes the office door and bathroom door and then marches over to the chair, gets it in and grabs "Goodnight Moon" expectantly. Connor, I should explain, has been difficult to read to from very early on. He gets impatient with the book and begins trying to quickly turn the pages, close the book, throw it, or simply beat it. But "Goodnight Moon" he loves, no doubt in part for its focus on his favorite orbiting sphere, but he also sings with excitement about the red balloon, the young mouse, the stars, etc. Upon finishing the book he loudly proclaims "Na-na" (night-night) and often points at the crib. Usually that's the last we hear from him for a few hours. There are occasionally wake-ups, with attendant screams of indignation, but we've learned that these tend to peter out in a couple of minutes, during the first part of the night, at least.
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