metaphortunate son (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
metaphortunate) wrote2013-02-13 09:07 pm
metaphortunate) wrote2013-02-13 09:07 pm
Entry tags:
state of the Junebug
We had a truly shit week and a half. A combination of:
1) some kind of disease, maybe a cold, maybe the flu, fevers, cough, runny nose;
2) FUCKING TEETHING
3) the baby learned to say "no"! This is very exciting for babies! When they learn that they can say "no" they want to say it all the time! Even to things that they want! So we would offer him something, he would say "no!", we would take it away, and he would sob and sob because he wanted it and also he was in pain and hungry so his emotional resilience was zero.
I am pretty sure that part of the problem was that he wasn't eating enough because his mouth hurt, so he was hungry all the time. I think that was an issue because once we started giving him extra milk, he was like a different baby. (Specifically, a better baby.) And then the goddamn teeth broke through, and since then he has been inhaling everything in sight and acting like an angel. A very loud angel with a small, repetitive vocabulary that he makes up in determination and volume, but an angel nonetheless.
Things that are very important to the Junebug at the age of 19 months:
1) Water. We were at the beach this weekend, and his brain made the connection that that huge thing out there was all made of water. He could not get over it. Water! Just like what comes out of the faucet! Water, mama!
2) Mama and Dada. Apparently there is some herder somewhere in his ancestry. He wants us both in the room and in sight at all times. If not, he ceaselessly calls for whoever's missing.
3) Buses. The Wheels on the Bus book, the Pigeon bus book, and of course, the buses we ride every day.
4) Sirens. He has to make sure I acknowledge every single siren that goes by and he also needs to frequently look at the fire engine in his Richard Scarry book and go "wee oo wee oo."
5) Dogs, still. Especially locating dogs in his picture books.
6) Food omg. All different kinds of food. Especially bananas. Also locating the banana on each page in Good Night, Gorilla.
7) Shoes and hats. We try not to put them on him indoors, but there are frequent requests for them anyway. If he's wearing shoes, sometimes he even has to pause during meals to point out his shoes so you can marvel at their shoeness.
8) Elmo. Dear god, Elmo. His daycare has a little stuffed Elmo who they make say things like "It's time to clean up!" and one of the other kids there apparently sometimes brings her Tickle Me Elmo, and as far as I know, this is all it took to create a deep and powerful Elmo affection. Unless the daycare has a secret TV that they're wheeling out when no parents are around, or something.
He has this one set of pyjamas that my cousin gave him that have Cars characters on them, that he doesn't wear very often because they're not footie pyjamas. But he wore them like one time a month ago. And he kept pointing at Lightning McQueen on his sleeve and saying "Elmo! Elmo!"
He hasn't worn those pyjamas for weeks, but no matter what he's wearing, sometimes he'll still point at his sleeve - totally Elmo-free sleeve - and say "Elmo!"
9) Saying "no!" which is still the best thing ever, even if he has sadly learned that it does not always work. I can't remember who it was who said that their parents tried really hard to keep them from learning the word "no", which left them tragically unprepared for setting boundaries. Obviously a terrible idea. I would not do that. But I'd be lying if I said I didn't see the temptation. >___<
1) some kind of disease, maybe a cold, maybe the flu, fevers, cough, runny nose;
2) FUCKING TEETHING
3) the baby learned to say "no"! This is very exciting for babies! When they learn that they can say "no" they want to say it all the time! Even to things that they want! So we would offer him something, he would say "no!", we would take it away, and he would sob and sob because he wanted it and also he was in pain and hungry so his emotional resilience was zero.
I am pretty sure that part of the problem was that he wasn't eating enough because his mouth hurt, so he was hungry all the time. I think that was an issue because once we started giving him extra milk, he was like a different baby. (Specifically, a better baby.) And then the goddamn teeth broke through, and since then he has been inhaling everything in sight and acting like an angel. A very loud angel with a small, repetitive vocabulary that he makes up in determination and volume, but an angel nonetheless.
Things that are very important to the Junebug at the age of 19 months:
1) Water. We were at the beach this weekend, and his brain made the connection that that huge thing out there was all made of water. He could not get over it. Water! Just like what comes out of the faucet! Water, mama!
2) Mama and Dada. Apparently there is some herder somewhere in his ancestry. He wants us both in the room and in sight at all times. If not, he ceaselessly calls for whoever's missing.
3) Buses. The Wheels on the Bus book, the Pigeon bus book, and of course, the buses we ride every day.
4) Sirens. He has to make sure I acknowledge every single siren that goes by and he also needs to frequently look at the fire engine in his Richard Scarry book and go "wee oo wee oo."
5) Dogs, still. Especially locating dogs in his picture books.
6) Food omg. All different kinds of food. Especially bananas. Also locating the banana on each page in Good Night, Gorilla.
7) Shoes and hats. We try not to put them on him indoors, but there are frequent requests for them anyway. If he's wearing shoes, sometimes he even has to pause during meals to point out his shoes so you can marvel at their shoeness.
8) Elmo. Dear god, Elmo. His daycare has a little stuffed Elmo who they make say things like "It's time to clean up!" and one of the other kids there apparently sometimes brings her Tickle Me Elmo, and as far as I know, this is all it took to create a deep and powerful Elmo affection. Unless the daycare has a secret TV that they're wheeling out when no parents are around, or something.
He has this one set of pyjamas that my cousin gave him that have Cars characters on them, that he doesn't wear very often because they're not footie pyjamas. But he wore them like one time a month ago. And he kept pointing at Lightning McQueen on his sleeve and saying "Elmo! Elmo!"
He hasn't worn those pyjamas for weeks, but no matter what he's wearing, sometimes he'll still point at his sleeve - totally Elmo-free sleeve - and say "Elmo!"
9) Saying "no!" which is still the best thing ever, even if he has sadly learned that it does not always work. I can't remember who it was who said that their parents tried really hard to keep them from learning the word "no", which left them tragically unprepared for setting boundaries. Obviously a terrible idea. I would not do that. But I'd be lying if I said I didn't see the temptation. >___<
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Intelligent design my shiny metal ass.
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I wish I could say that they eventually grow less fond of "no," but so far they're still just as into it. I've tried my mother's trick of giving them limited choices (because theoretically "no" is not an answer to "would you like hot cereal or cold cereal") and also her trick of asking questions I suspect they will want to answer in the affirmative ("I'm elbows-deep in suds right now, would you still like my help in five minutes?" versus "Can it wait five minutes?"). I still get "no"s more often than not, and I can't even get properly upset about it because gee, whose genes are those? Oh that's right, MINE. Gah.
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Also, I have records of teething sucking a lot, but I literally do not remember it any more, except as a couple flashes. I'm pretty sure that is adaptive.
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And eeeee, SHOES. I remember the SHOES part quite well. And dogs and everything reduplicated between unaided vision and books.
I have killed my earlier comment upthread because I realize I typed without thinking. Sorry.
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When the Junebug is older, look for the Pigeon activity book--SteelyKid is delighted with it now, it is huge and has lots and lots of fun things to do. Plus, Pigeon.
(I was given a T-shirt that said "I have dreams you know!", but unfortunately it is way too small. One of these days I will replace it.)
This too shall pass, and in the meantime there will be buses and shoes and bananas!
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(Anonymous) 2013-02-14 08:37 pm (UTC)(link)Harimad
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teething is the absolute fucking WORST, though. Baby Nephew is driving everyone to distraction with the hellish combination of teething + constant case of winter sniffles/whatever is going around daycare.
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