Our boys are approaching the age of true engagement. They play with each other, sometimes fighting, but mostly playing, and can have conversations with us. Gill's conversations, of course, are more statements of need or an assertion of "no" or "yes" but he clearly understands so much of what's going on. It's delightful. Ed and I enjoy so much of our time with them. Occasionally, one or the other of us gets to take time with just one boy. Jonas might join me in feeding Tiga at the Johnson's house. Gill might come along with me to the store. Yesterday, while Gill and Ed napped, Jonas and I went to the neighbors' house (Tracy and Dave) for an open house brunch. He was mostly mindful, and I immensely enjoyed having him with me.
Today, we brought the boys to Little Monkey Business because it is bitterly cold outside....too cold to play, and we've been home together for 3 days now. It was time to get out and let them run wild.
The place was quite busy with like-minded parents, so it seemed challenging at first. Jonas played while Gill hung back, seeming to be a bit overwhelmed by the crowd of kids and parents. Eventually, Gill warmed up and the place thinned out. Climbing into an elaborate structure to reach a slide, Jonas was having a blast. Gill wanted to join. Because we couldn't easily reach Gill to help him, I told Jonas to look out for him. We discovered that he took this rather seriously. He would wait for Gill at the top of the slide, then pull him down with him. Jonas would slide down on his belly, feet first, arms outstretched, pulling Gill down in the same position (on his belly) but head first, arms outstretched. They looked like a pair of giggling love bugs. It was precious. Jonas would hang on the slide, patiently waiting for the slower Gill to make it through the obstacle. At one point, another kid tried to push him down the slide by pushing on his head. Jonas got quite upset. He is a sensitive kid when it comes to bullying. Gill can often make him cry, though Gill is often the one crying. However, when Gill cries, it is in anger and outrage that he can't have someone. Jonas usually cries because his feelings are hurt.
Jonas is our picky eater. He told me yesterday that he doesn't like meat. He prefers anything sweet or starchy. Corn, pancakes, bread / toast, fries, candy, cookies, green beans (canned only), fish sticks, waffles, grapes, french toast, cereal, hot dogs, sausage, pizza, pears and pickles. Gill's repertoire of favorite foods is a bit wider; he loves olives and will try almost anything. I worry about the levels of sugar and salt they ingest.
Speaking of eating, Gill loves to use his tongue - when he eats and otherwise. He is obsessed with the pacifier, though seems to not notice when it's not in his mouth. Today when I handed him a drink, he put his hand to his mouth to remove the pacifier that wasn't there. He often does this. He really only needs it at night, though we let him have it anytime. While he's playing, we can see him with his tongue sort of hanging out. Last night, he ate his cookies with no hands, reaching down with his mouth like a dog to lick the icing. See the video here. What's up with that?
Jonas knows one "curse-word" - dammit, and when he senses my frustration, will sometimes caution me not to say it, even though I haven't. "Don't say dammit Momma. It's a bad word." Right now, he is watching Power Rangers on the iPad. I don't like to let him watch that, but he apparently found it on his own on Netflix. Why does he like it? I can't understand it.
We read books to the boys at night. Usually, Gill is upstairs before Jonas, so he picks a few out early. All you have to do is tell him to get a book, and he runs (not walks) to the shelf and pulls out some of his favorites. Right now, he likes "Brown Bear" and "The Bridge is Up" The picture dictionary is always a favorite, and any book that has fold out flaps is a hit. It's amazing how much they both like to read.
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