Yesterday Gerritt & I went to the library & got a library card in the evening while Daddy stayed home with Sophia. I have been meaning to go for a while & it helps that we live just minutes away from a beautiful library. We have read & re-read our books multiple times & needed some fresh reading material. I am blessed that Gerritt is into reading now. We usually read several books at bedtime with him repeating some of the words. He is experiencing a literal language explosion! He loves to talk & continues to talk even when I turn the lights out. After listening to him talk for a half-an-hour or longer & several unsuccessful attempts of asking him politely to stop talking so we both could go to sleep, I usually have to threaten him with leaving & even attempt to get out of bed before he finally gets quiet & goes to sleep. All I have to do is say, "Mommy is leaving & Daddy will sleep with you instead." Well, Gerritt can't have that because I am his favorite person in the world, so after hearing multiple, "Mommy stay!" I slowly lay back down.
What does he talk about? He will say "I love you" to everyone he cares about ("I you, Mommy," "I you, Daddy," "I you, Phia (for Sophia)" "I you, Spike," "I you, grandma Chris," "I you, grandpa Gerry," "I you, omni" (Korean for grandmother), etc.). Then he will list all of his friends from daycare (Artema, Ira, Sofyika, Hannah, Dominic, etc.). Then he will list his favorite monster trucks (Batman, Superman, Blue Thunder, Avenger, Monster Mutt Dalmation, & many others). Sometimes we play the game of guessing monster trucks by their colors or special features (What truck has horns? Which truck is purple? What truck looks like a dog?). Gerritt also loves to get multiple kisses from me. So after telling me "I you, Mommy!" for the 10th time, he always expects a kiss in return, "Kiss, kiss, Mommy!" So I roll over & give him yet another kiss. Then he decides he wants to sleep in the crook of my arm with my other arm wrapped around him, "Sleep in Mommy arm!," so I ajust our sleeping positions once again. It can go on & on, so eventually I have to put my foot down & tell Gerritt to be as quiet as a mouse & go to sleep, or I am leaving. So, lately, his bedtime has been 9:30 or 10 pm instead of our desired 8 pm. He certainly needs his sleep since he can't even wake up at 8 am ("Still tired, Mommy!) & takes 3-4-hour naps at his Russian daycare.
Academically, Gerritt is progressing right along. He has a good memory & can already count in English from 1-10. He recognizes the numbers as well. A couple of days ago he shocked us by "reading" his Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See? book all by himself. The book goes like this: "Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What do you see? I see a red bird looking at me." Then "Red Bird, Red Bird, What do you see? I see a yellow duck looking at me," etc. (you can't see what the next animal is until you turn the page). I read this book to him so many times that he memorized the sequence of the animals & gives people the impression of real reading!
Gerritt fits the picture of the firstborn perfectly. He likes to put things away (like his cars in a perfect straight line), to clean (mopping of the floor or erasing his easel), & to help. He knows where dirty diapers are supposed to go & often rushes to the garbage can to drop one off. When he urinates in his potty, he wants it emptied & washed immediately & has even attempted to dump the urine in the bathtub once. Gerritt knows what everyone around him is supposed to be doing ("Daddy go work, Mommy stay!" or "Daddy put Phia to bed, Mommy sleep Gerritt in big bed!"). He disciplines Sophia so much that he often makes her cry, "No, Sophia! No touch Gerritt car! No, Sophia!" He learned pretty quickly that if he wants his cherished car or monster truck back without resistance & tears from Sophia, he needs to distract her with another toy or an interesting object. It is so funny to watch having him drop something in her lap & then quickly grab his toy back.
Sophia is crawling everywhere! She is busy, busy, busy! She is even trying to stand up all by herself. Most of the time she ends up by the front door (she loves nothing more than to play with everyone's shoes, especially Gerritt's), or in front of Spike's kennel (she likes to open & close its door). Because Sophia is so active, she has lost some weight (she still looks huge compared to the breastfed babies). She is persistent little girl & wants to do everything her older brother does. For example, if Gerritt & I are reading a book on the couch, she'll crawl up to me & attempt to grab the book. Loud screaming follows if she is not successful, until I pick her up to share in the story time. Sophia is definitely a go-getter. She does not give up until she gets what she wants. :-)
Yesterday I had the sutures removed from my left lower leg. The wound has healed well, & it was such a relief to have the surgery behind me. I had the mole re-excision surgery 2 weeks ago on Tuesday & started my new job as a Nurse Practitioner the following day. The doctor wanted me to stay off my feet for 3 days, but how do you call sick for your first week of work? I didn't think it was appropriate, plus, I hate to stay home & do nothing. It has been ages since I've just spend all day on the couch watching movies, and, to be honest, I now hardly miss my carefree single life. Luckily, I was able to complete my 1st week at my new job without the stitches coming apart, thanks to the ace wrap & frequent leg elevation. This was the first time I brought both of my children to the doctor's appointment with me & they did surprisingly well. Everyone commented on how well-behaved they were! The secret to my success is doing these types of appointments in the morning, while the kids are still well-rested.
"The God to whom little boys say their prayers has a face very like their mother's.” ~ James Mathew Barrie
