Strange Machines

It is that developmental time again when babies start learning to crawl, even when they wake up at night, a little perplexed why they are on all fours, and that’s when they call for Mom.

In Jade’s case it started about a month ago, I’d find her looking rather confused, on all fours, so cute in her baby night dress, just wavering. I’d take her in my arms and nurse her back to sleep.

Tonight, she even cried when she felt me move an inch away. But soon she was asleep again, till the next 4 legged wake up call, till morning when she discovers cute animals on her bumper walls and looks upon them in intrigue and amazement.

Actually, I do school Jack but usually on the go.

Language

When we’re in the car we have a chat about anything under the sun. We converse on the go and I explain things to him as we see them. I gently correct him if he is incorrect. He gets it right pretty fast. I read that that is the best way to improve a child’s language. Just talk to him.

Creativity and Imagination

At lunch we use activity books for play with his Playmobil or Lego figurines and cars in imagined scenarios (they have pictures we pretend are cities or homes or parks or zoos. We take the family to the zoo for example or through the catacombs to look for treasure.

I recently bought some Lego characters from the Indiana Jones trilogy (with beige faces!) and some came with a map, torch, and whip. Very useful with his maze book which features tunnels and treasure!

Sometimes he’s happy to work on his dexterity by colouring or working on mazes or just drawing. Makes it easy to pop food in his mouth once he’s past his feed-myself threshold.

Science

I try to answer all his questions honestly and scientifically as I can, explaining as simply as I can concepts of our world I’ve long taken for granted.

Why is the tree green? Why are the clouds white? What is dry ice? If I don’t know I tell him I’ll find out. He finds it all fascinating and soon we’re in a chain of whys.

Coffee helps keep the good cheer.

Math and the Value of Money (and How to Wait for What You Want)

He’s been wanting to buy toys so I make it a point to tell him the price of things. What is expensive and what is a reasonable price. He will only buy well-made toys after 3 years of brainwashing. :p

Big and/or expensive toys are reserved for Christmas. He’ll ask me, for Christmas? I say okay. These are over $20.

He is allowed to buy a toy under $10, preferably around $5 with my approval. Sometimes I see something *I* really want and I buy it for him. I try not to mention price during that instant…

He rarely sits on rides since I explain to him that $1 can pay for one hour of parking or half a bubble tea (which he loves). But of course, Grandpa always indulges, when I am not around, of course.

Physical

Today, with his daddy’s blessing and much cheered enthusiasm, I bought Jack 3 Lego foam swords and 2 shields and we had such a ball play fighting. It’s great exercise for the children and he and his cousin Kaitlyn had a marvellous time.

They also played pirates with a cardboard box and their stuffed friends. And my Mom played the Cyclops whose food they stole!

Daddy takes him to the playground 2-3 times a week. He plays non-stop with other children or with Dad.

I’ve never said no to his climbing at home since he tried the very first time. I’d tell him to make sure what he is climbing is stable and to hold on tight with his hands and he would never fall down. And that those were the rules of climbing.

(It is so typical of our culture to say, no stop climbing, you will fall. But I never let that negativity pass through my mouth and Jack ignores anyone who says that. Kids only hear the word fall. Then it becomes a self-fulfilling prophesy and eventually they become too scared to try anything. Sorry, had to rant about that. He has never fallen while climbing.)

Usually when we are out, I let him climb and run as long as he is not disturbing anyone, along empty walkways and empty sections of a cafe. I’d be the crazy mom running with him chasing me from the loo after changing his diaper.

It’s fun to be silly. Heck, we were all silly once. Wasn’t it fun?

This would be Jack’s second kiddy birthday party ever. The first he was around 2, stayed with me all the while. But today he keenly sat with the other kids to watch the storyteller narrate a tale. He also excitedly received a balloon sword and played swordfighting with several kids, primarily with a 6 year old boy who he managed to disarm.

I was proud that he wasn’t afraid and didn’t even stand down when the older boy returned with help to defeat him, lobbied a few other smaller boys including the birthday boy, to help, but the smaller boys all decided to tackle him instead. Later the boy even brought an older girl to help him and the two older kids were carrying balloon swords attacking Jack. He held his own.

Jack fought bravely but his Dad and I stepped in to intervene when they abandoned their swords and started to use their fists (but never hit him… yet). I don’t think the kids were being mean, maybe got carried away by the game. But the sight of two 6 year old kids getting ready to punch my kid was hair-raising.

Jack was still enthused and told me, “Mama, I wanna fight.” I told him he was brave and good to not hit anyone but once the other kid didn’t want to play anymore it was time to stop. He understood, and thankfully didn’t seem perturbed that the older boy was upset at being defeated by him that he actually employed help to beat him.

At school this will probably happen. I am glad my son will not be bullied and it is my job to teach him to know his strength and never to be a bully.

Lately Jack loves talking to himself as he plays. He describes his imaginary scenario (e.g. Moon Bear’s birthday and all his friends are gathered around to celebrate) and often gets his stuffed animal friends to talk too. Yeah, I think I really better get cracking with planning his 3rd birthday celebration. Moon Bear celebrates his birthday every day so I think it is a sign…

The other morning he woke up and exclaimed: “Isetan toy shop. Isetan toy shop.” I asked him if he’d been dreaming about being there and he said yes. He was looking at cars there with me and my godparents.

My Mom says he’s the chattiest of all her grandkids and certainly the most active. He’s been an avid climber and climbs everything from the couch to his Dad.

Most delightful is watching him play sometimes. He makes up the funnest games in the most unlikely of locations and once he is engrossed, it is hard to disengage him. Occasionally at cafes, he’ll start a game of getting his Playmobil friends and his cars to visit his great-godma’s house and it is a big event! They all sit around and he helps them park their cars.

I’m probably a biased Mom but he is so creative!

Everyone’s been pushing me to start him on school but I am reluctant. He does seem very ready to socialise so we might try one of those overpriced Mommy and Toddler classes and see how that goes.

Jack’s been developing in leaps and bounds. He’s the chattiest 2 year old my Mom’s ever met, she says. He talks to his stuffed animals, to us, and even to himself sometimes. And now he willingly sits in the pram although his first choice is for “mama carry”. Hey, I have arms of steel now.

Sleepwise, he is doing great too. He usually wakes once or twice a night. These days he sleeps 10-11 hours at night. And sometimes even drops his afternoon nap. When that happens, he dozes around 9pm for less than an hour then wakes up for a bath and short playtime before bedtime.

I was so proud of him tonight for napping in his carseat. He has a new cat friend he’d been eyeing during the last few visits to the hospital (for my checkups) and finally my Mom decided to buy it for him. He hugged his little friend to sleep. I was so happy!

I was really sad to read that stress during pregnancy can affect one’s baby, as evidenced here, here, here, here, and here.

I’ve been through an immense amount (to my reckoning) of unneeded stress through the tail end of my first trimester till today with virtually no support from anyone. Hence I worry about my baby girl’s brain development. Trying to stay positive has been an uphill battle.

Advice from the first article: people needed to develop greater sensitivity to pregnant women’s needs.

Yet most people are insensitive to pregnant women’s needs, simply judging from a poll taken among friends. Worse if you’re having your second. I’ve been accused of being a bad mother, lazy, negligent, emotional, overreactive… the list goes on.

It doesn’t feel like there’s any solution.

I couldn’t resist buying Jack this bear suit from Target when we were in Melbourne. He loved it and so did we!

Over the last week, his development accelerated at almost lightspeed. He started standing, walking confidently with a push cart, and waving bye bye.

Last night he read my Best Friends magazine very gently turning each page on his own.

Interestingly, the same day he was happy to tear away a page with Brangelina out of one of my goss mags. :p

He also had his first 3 bites of chocolate cake and loved it! More competition for Mom!

We were just sitting on the bed, me with my magazine and he flipping through Brain Child when I spotted Buffy at the window. His back was facing me when I said, “Hey look, Jack, it’s Buffy at the window. Say hi to Buffy.” He looked straight at the window and then looked at me squealing in delight. Later, he said “Mama” which thrilled me to no end.

If you ever have any doubt whether your child understands you, try a similar experiment. In our case, the opportunity simply presented itself and I grabbed it. It’s a wonderful revelation but it also means everyone has to watch what they say around Jack now. I do try to keep things on a positive note and ask that my family does too. Children are the best mimics.

Lately Jack has been most preoccupied with his left hand. He spends hours on end staring at it and putting it in his mouth. It’s been a source of comfort, sucking his fist. He’s soothed himself back to sleep some 7am mornings when I’d been too tired to get up.

My Mom bought some side padded thingys for his cot now that he’s too big for his sleeper. They’re of the Cat and the Fiddle (she thought I’d like it). He was so intrigued when I first placed him inside with the new sides. He stared and stared at them, cooing and shrieking in delight. At the same time, I installed his Humpty mobile and he lay there entertaining himself for over an hour.

He’s so keen to learn these days. His eyes widen when I bring out the flash cards and he smiles when he sees his favourite animals. He still loves staring at the lights and happily lies in his cot watching the Humptys turn round and round (he likes the red ones best because he’s had two bigger ones in his cot), or looking at the cat and the fiddle, the cow and the moon, and the plate and the spoon.

Last night he laughed and laughed when his aunt B carried him and talked to him. He loves to be carried and talked to. My Dad talks to him everyday for a half hour. Everyone agrees he’s going to be a talker when he grows up.

This whole day Jack has been looking at his own hand, as if amazed this contraption gripping his shirt is attached to him. He also likes Vanessa Paradis.