I love child development. This is one of the few things that really got me excited during my much misguided track to becoming a teacher (which I did not, nor will, become, so help me God). The other was language and language development, which, coincidentally, goes along with child development. blah blah blah. All that to say, I love watching my kids grow and change. I'm only ever slightly nostalgic or sad about them growing up. Mostly I'm intrigued, fascinated, awed. Proud. Yup, one proud mama, here.
So Lil'D, yesterday, started rolling over, from back to tummy. All the time. Off the couch. Oops. I thought it was his siblings rolling him over so they could roll him up like a burrito in the blanket/mat (cuz they found it funny that I said that. They also made eating noises). Nope. Not the guilty parties. And my little chubby munchkin was found doing this in his crib in the middle of the night. He also has sort of started holding his bottle. (But admittedly I still get a little sad he's eating out of a bottle. I even have dreams of nursing. Weird, I know.) He has a harder time holding onto toys, but it's coming. And of coarse, everything has to go in his mouth, if he can manage to get a grip on it. (I just hope he's not another chewy-chewy child. Two is enough. B-Boy still does this at age 5.) It's funny to watch him, though, as he gets so excited he can't contain it and nearly slams whatever it is into his face. He just can't get that bottle in fast enough, and he pumps his arms and legs, and now is starting to arch his back in an attempt to sit up to get to it faster. Look out world, he'll be comin' atcha soon!
Cheeks is the one that provides hours of amusement. She's kind of a ham. She's also a bull in a china shop, so look out there. And curious, into everything, which makes me tear my hair out. Her language is in a boom, so everyday she says something new, pretty clearly, and we are awed. She's also a HUGE copy cat, so when her sibs are yelling something, she chimes right in. Today she was chanting the Clifford song at the breakfast table. So cute!
Miss KJ is a very verbal child (just like here momma. grin.) She has an amazing vocabulary and spouts off pretty complicated sentences for a 3 1/2 yr old. She loves learning and gets so excited by it. Last night she said "Thank you for keeping an eye on my food, mommy." Not that that's earth shattering (she has better ones), but still a pretty abstract phrase for her age. Her latest achievement has been learning how to play nicely with her sister, who adores her, and whom she's not always the most loving towards. This morning I came downstairs and was greeted with a simultaneous "Good morning, mommy" as they lay side-by-side on the couch covered up with a blanket. Aw, sisters! Makes a mommy's heart go warm.
B-boy. lol. This kid... Something about him being my firstborn... anyway. I got this in my email yesterday:
Ages 4 and 5 are sometimes called the chatterbox years. Talking is how your child gets a handle on the intricacies of the language and also learns, expresses new ideas, and forms social relationships. So be patient if your 5-year-old doesn't ever
seem to pause. This is an important and necessary developmental stage — not to mention a fun one. Hearing his every thought expressed is like having a window into his brain!
Chatterbox? OH YEAH! Never seems to pause? God help me, he drives me crazy! Window to his brain? Well, lets see... He talks about guns. Deer. Antlers. Guns. Hunting. The "outdoor woods." Bucks. Does. Random things like monkeys, and trucks, and ... whatever is in his environment or on TV. And more about guns... like his daddy. He even knows some pretty complicated vocabulary, and the process for loading a muzzle loader, as well as cleaning it. Something I am dying to hear about. Over and over and over. And it is an endless telling of ALL that is on his brain. And if he's not talking, he's humming or making some other noise. Just purely for the sake of making a noise, not to mimic anything. Pent up energy due to being caged in the house. One of the downfalls of Minnesota winters. I mean, it's cute, mostly. It is a window into his brain for sure, and that's exciting. But wearing. I try not to squash him and his enthusiasm for all things hunting related. Sometimes I can't help it. I just can't listen any more.
I wish his enthusiasm would transfer to learning his ABC's. Daddy?
