We're very lucky.
Jack is the sort of child
we all assume we'll have
when we decide to have children,
and the sort of child
less experienced parents
congratulate themselves for.January and February 2004
March and April 2004
May and June 2004
July and August 2004
September and October 2004
November and December 2004
Blogs we read:
2005-12-16 - 15:40
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Winter Wonderland!
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The weather has been gorgeous for the last couple of weeks! Snow, snow everywhere, just like it should be this time of year! Jack loves the snow as much as Rod and I do, and takes every opportunity to wade into it. That was cute when it was up to his knees, but now that the snow is well over his hips in some places, it's downright hilarious! He struggles to lift snow-heavy feet up past his waist to step over the mounds of snow, and then either topples over, or gets stuck with his foot wedged into the drift halfway up. I stick close, so he only has to reach for me, and I help him to get his balance and then he's fine -- but at two and a half, Jack is very independent. He waits until he's absolutely sure he can't do it.
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Of course, he has the option of sticking mainly to the well cleared sidewalks and roads, but that wouldn't be any fun! So, he treks across the unmarked drifts at every opportunity. It's is gradually dawning on him though, that it comes at a price. He hates to have wet feet and trousers -- but once he's trekked through deep snow, the snow that's left on his trousers melts and then gets his socks wet, and they wick the moisture into his shoes, and...ick. We have snow pants for him, for when we intend to play in the snow, and I guess if Mamma was smart, she'd put them on as a matter of course. But Jack has a high 'core temperature' like Rod and I do, and he gets too hot very easily. That could make trips very hot and uncomfortable.
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It's a funny thing. I didn't have a car when TJ and Corey were children, and we just automatically dressed in warm layers any time we went outdoors, because every trip involved standing at bus stops and long, long walks. With Jack, we have a car. Most of Jack's adventures involve trekking to the car, a nice warm ride, and then trekking from the car indoors. Dressing really warmly is not only not really necessary, but it's not a good idea since if he gets too hot in the car he'll really freeze when the sweat gets chilled. So now, despite my experience with TJ and Corey, even when it would make sense, I forget to dress Jack in those extra winter layers.
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Anyway, with the snow deep and fluffy and coating the trees, everywhere we go, the landscape is glittery and magical! And this weekend, Jack and I are joining our playgroup friends for a sledding adventure. It will, as far as I know, be the first time that Jack has ever slid down a snowy hill. Since I haven't done that since 1967 or so, it'll be a very "interesting" time all round. Oddly enough, I can't wait.
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Last week, Rod and Jack had a play date with Miss Calesta and her sweet babies on the day after the first real snow of the season fell. They tried to make a snow man, but the snow was so cold it wouldn't pack, so they satisfied themselves with building a snow mountain. It's a lot warmer today, so Rod mentioned thinking they might go out and try their hands at a snowman once Jack gets up from his nap.
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Have a wonderful Yule!
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People who know me well will be amused and perhaps amazed to hear that I have relented about celebrating Winter Solstice with Jack. I never much cared for the season, and all the hype related to it usually left me depressed and gloomy rather than filled with joy. Somehow, though, with Rod and Jack, it's different. In part, perhaps, because Rod, while he really wants to celebrate the season, is happy to let me define that celebration however I want to.
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I was a bit slow to warm up, but as I opened it up to ask what *really* makes the season something special for our family, I have found things that are really a *lot* of fun! Especially with Jack!
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Jack and I have made a lot of Holiday greeting cards and Victorian style ornaments for our friends. We have also made cookies -- and we will be making a large batch to take to a Convalescent on Christmas day. (Reindeer peanut butter cookies and snowman sugar cookies -- thanks to Auntie Shelley, who taught us how to do that!)
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We skip the tree because I find that it clutters the small space and is so depressing and such hard work...but we do decorate the mantel and we now have a "Winter Village" we put up (and take down, and put up, and...).
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We did the cookies last year and we decorated the mantle. This year, we added cards and had an ornaments party with a few young friends and we added the Winter Village. I think it'll grow over the years as I get more used to not saying "Humbug" and Jack gets older and more dexterous. I'm not sure what we'll add next year ... but it should be interesting.
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Pretty Manners
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As he sneaks closer and closer to three, Jack is growing up so fast!
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He has continued his enormous growth spurt. I'm sure I mentioned that he was a tiny guy who was still comfortable in 18 month clothes when he left for Australia in September. While he was away, he started to grow, and he is now wearing size 4T clothes, only four months later!
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We had to replace the coat we bought for him last year. When we bought it, it seemed so big that I secretly suspected that he'd be wearing it for a couple of years, but here he is, outgrowing it just 12 months later. Fortunately for us, he has set a pattern of outgrowing his current coats just as the coats go on sale for the end of the season, so we've been able to get coats at 50% off both times!
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Along with getting bigger has come development that has given Jack a new appreciation for pretty manners and some insight about just how well they work for him.
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He does experiment with being demanding and obnoxious, of course. He's two, after all! But largely he remembers to say "please, mamma" and "thank you, dad" and even, occasionally, "you're welcome".
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At first it was because we asked him to say it. But soon he noticed that people in public commented on what pretty manners he has when he says please and thank you, and our little people-pleaser decided that maybe this was a cool idea. The feedback has really reinforced his memory.
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Not long ago, when one of his little friends (who also has pretty manners) was over, they practiced please and thank you with each other and also practiced "taking turns". That's another concept he's grabbed onto and is running with! When we baked cookies recently, I tried to stir in some flour that was clinging to the side of the bowl, and Jack reminded me firmly "No, Mamma. It's my turn!" Oh my.
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Jack is now working on the distinctions between man, woman, boy, and girl, too. He asks us frequently to affirm that I am a woman and Dad is a man. He then alternates between admitting to being a boy and insisting that he's a little man. I'm tempted to pull out Kipling's "If" for him, but that may be putting too fine a point on it.
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New Toys
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How long will I get away with Jack thinking that battery operated toys just mysteriously 'stop working' when removed from their wrapping?
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Almost all toys these days seem to come with batteries these days, whether they really need them or not. For his second birthday, Jack's "Auntie Em" gave him a Fisher Price Little People Farm. I remember the toy from when I was a child -- I played with my brother's for many years after I was over the "recommended age" of five. Back in the those days (the Pleistocene, for anyone keeping track, and yes, I do miss the dinosaurs) it didn't have batteries and the "little people" were the same ones that were later declared "unsafe".
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For many reasons, I think that battery operated toys are a bad idea. They "play for" the child and impose the designers ideas on the child's imagination. I've ranted about that before, so I'll leave it at that ...=20
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Anyway, even though I removed the batteries before he ever saw it, that farm was soon Jack's very favorite toy -- he plays with it for hours at a time. He carries the animals around and plays pretend with them, imitating conversations he's heard and creating new ones.
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I had long intended to get Jack more pieces for the set to expand the play possibilities and allow more of his play date friends to join in the play when they're here, so when Jack's grandma sent money and asked us to buy him a gift, adding the Little People Stable was an obvious choice. We picked it up while he was there, and of course the first thing he did was poke the trigger to make the horse noise and that horrible, tinny little bit of tune. He played with it that way all the way home in the car -- over and over and over.
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When we got home, he begged me to "Open it please, Mamma." So, I did -- before I even took my coat off, I started cutting and untwisting wires and all the machinations required to get a toy out of its packaging these days. As I freed each piece I handed it to jack, and he ran over and added it to the farm setup. One horse, two horses, a boy, and a third horse. While I was struggling to get the stable itself out of the packaging, I removed the noisemaking capability. When I was finally able to free it and hand it to Jack, he poked once or twice on the pad that had made the racket in the car, and then without hesitation ran off and added it to the collection, and then sat down to play for over an hour.
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I was delighted.
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But one day, I know he's going to ask why. He's a very bright boy, and that moment is probably a lot closer than I wish it were. Oh well. I'll deal with that, as Scarlett says, "tomorrow".
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