Growing Up

Just an update on our Reshen. He is SO 3, and it’s been a bumpy ride recently. He’s just super-intense. I mean, he’s always been an intense kid in many respects (was one of those super alert, wakeful babies that had very strong opinions, even from birth). But man, oh man, has he been testing us and exerting his will lately. He loves to dig his feet in about things and loudly protest if we say otherwise. Sometimes I feel like he disagress simply to disagree. His tantrums have certainly reached a new level as well. Luckily he is great at daycare and all the kids and teachers love him (which I’m very grateful for), but he really tests his mommy and daddy to no end and it’s becoming so exhausting.

On the good end, he’s such a funny, creative and smart little guy… and very affectionate as he has always been. We still snuggle while he drinks his milk in the morning and we still rock and read books before bed each night. There’s never a shortage of hugs and kisses when he is around. And when I’m feeling sick or tired, he puts a blanket on me and then brings his guitar over to play and sing me a song to make me feel better. How sweet is that? :-)

He still has a huge interest in music and instruments… the guitar is still his favorite, but he also likes to create makeshift violins or drums. He loves to watch people play music on TV. We still watch a lot of Laurie Berkner, A Mighty Wind, and Raffi. I’ve also gotten him interested in musicals and he likes parts of Sound of Music, Pete’s Dragon and Mary Poppins so far. He also likes to listen to classical music (or “pretty music” as he calls it) while we’re driving. We always try to dissect the music and figure out which instruments we are hearing. He’s pretty good at it! He also enjoys listening to Choo Choo Soul and even some of Mommy’s old cds, like Jimmy Buffet and The Monkees. But his favorite songs are still the tried-and-true Wheels on the Bus, Twinkle Twinkle Little Star and the other nursery songs that we’ve sung since he was a baby. He adds more soul and flair to them nowadays though :-)



One of his new interests is Super Heros. He’s fascinated by them. Grandma made him his own cape and he loves to “fly” around the house and save people and animals. And he likes to fight bad guys by “powering” them (by holding one arm out straight while making a very dramatic “swooshing” noise). His very favorite superhero is Batman. Not sure why, other than Reshen says that he likes Batman’s cape and all the vehicles he has (motorcycle, helicopter, etc.). He’s really fascinated with superheros that can fly as well. One day he saw a drawing of a super-hero kid and wondered outloud “How can he fly?” I quickly told him it was because he was a superhero and that real kids can NOT fly (worrying about what he might try). He responded. “Oh, well, when I get to be bigger, then I can be a superhero and then I can fly!” Very simple. As much as it kind of saddens me that this is a step away from his blissful toddler-innocence, it’s also a good thing, I suppose, as it’s something he and his daddy can bond with. They watch Super Friends cartoons together and play with their “guys” together. It’s just a step of growing up and entering into boyhood I suppose.

He never ceases to entertain us with what entertains him. occasionally he enjoys watching documentaries on PBS or shows on the food network. One day he was intently watching something on TV when I came in the room. I sat down beside him and asked what he was watching. "Oh," he answered, "They're just feeding the abalones." And he was right! He was watching a TV show about how people grow and harvest Abalones (which are a type of clam I think). A few days ago he was watching a documentary on amphibians and now he says he would like to look for frogs at night in the jungle, just like the people on TV.

Not only does he enjoy watching TV, he also likes watching the sky. He likes to find pictures in clouds. The other day while we were driving he told me one cloud looked like an astronaut and another cloud looked like a clam that had it's mouth open. Pretty clever!

Reshen had his first dentist appointment in March. He went with daddy and he did really well. He totally cooperated with the dentist and even enjoyed the cleaning. Now if we could only make his teeth brushing at home go that smoothly!

Reshen also saw his first movie in the Theater. It was for Monsters Vs. Aliens which was shown in 3D at the Imax. He refused to wear the 3D glasses, but still enjoyed it immensely. He really soaked in the entire theater expereince. He was wide-eyed the entire time. I think he also got a kick out of being out so late. On the way home he kept telling us "I'm not tired"... but he was sound asleep by the time we were home. What a big boy he is.