At my last pre-natal appointment, baby was in the cradle position -- meaning lying on his side as if I were cradling him. The doctor took my belly measurement and said I was right on (35 cm at 35 weeks), but also said it was probably not an accurate measurement because he was lying “in the lower right-hand corner of your uterus.” HA! I knew I was lopsided. So basically I feel all the kicks in my left ribs, and the head movements on the right side.
Never one to give up easily, I asked the same unanswered question I ask at every appointment: so is this baby gonna be huge, or what? I told her Evan was 9 ½ pounds. She said she didn’t think this one would be that big, but 8 pounds wouldn’t surprise her. 8 would make me happy.
Evan updateEvan is doing great. I’ve been reading him this book about being the big brother. On one page, the baby is crying, and big brother is comforting him… on another, baby wants big brother’s toys, but big brother gives baby his own toys (something I really emphasize to Evan)… on another, baby sleeps a lot and big brother is careful to be quiet… on the last page, big brother decides he likes being big, but concludes “sometimes I still want to be the baby.” Every time I read it, Evan says, “Evan baby too…” and lies down in my lap sucking his thumb (which is terribly sweet, but lasts about 10 seconds before he gets distracted/bored). He has also grabbed the daycare baby’s pacifier and bottle on a few occasions and said, “Evan, baby?” Is he already regressing even though little brother isn’t here yet?
In non-baby news, Evan can count to twelve! He speaks very clearly, and sometimes I hear him counting to himself.
The other day, he was fighting naptime in his room by himself, and I peaked into his room to find his bed in total disarray, books all over the floor with a couple torn up, the furnace vent removed (I later found stickers and toys down there), and he was in the process of taking apart his lamp. Today the same thing happened, and he took the cushions off his rocking chair and was saying, “own chair… own chair… own chair.” He talks to himself a lot, and I often hear him reading to himself, repeating some of the pages almost word-for-word.
Although running the daycare is often stressful (especially now that I could use a 2-hour nap every day), I love watching Evan do these things. It’s funny because I used to think that it was crucial to stay home with a baby, and I was glad I got to do that with Evan, but I thought staying home with a toddler was no big deal. They can get their social interaction at any daycare center. But I’m selfish and I want to witness this stuff first-hand. And I remember when my mom stayed home with me and taught me my colors, and I want Evan to have some of those same memories.
I've had a few people ask what we do all day (at the daycare), so here's my response, for all to enjoy...
Typical Daycare DayThe three kids arrive (2 toddlers and a baby) around 8:00 am, and they play at the train table with Evan. They fight over trains, and bargain with each other to trade trains (though they don’t understand that just because they are saying please and offering a trade doesn’t mean the other person will comply. Potential for crying is high.) Then they run back and forth downstairs, hiding under blankets and saying about themselves, “Where’d he go?”
At 9:00 we have breakfast. Evan refuses to sit in his chair like the other kids and often crawls under the table to eat food off the floor, a habit I’m convinced he does only because it really irritates me. New rule: get out of your chair, you’re done eating (plate removed). He is stubborn though, and pretends like this doesn’t bother him, and goes into the other room to play alone.
10:00—I announce it’s time to go outside, and the kids protest and say no (yet when it’s time to come back inside they practically lose their minds with disappointment). They run at top speed back and forth on the deck, pushing push-toys. Today Evan got a long stick and put it across the deck so Austin couldn’t cross, then raised it just in time, then lowered it after Austin ran through… this is hilarious to them. They then cover their trains with dried leaves and say things like, “oooooh nooo… Gordon, stuck. Mommy [or Andrea], help!” Then they scoop leaves into pails and carry them around with great importance. Then they move big rocks from one location to another, saying, “Oh, rock… heavy… heavy.” Then they play on the slide and in the playhouse, and say “bye bye” each time they close the door. When I say it’s time to go back inside, they protest and Evan usually runs away from me, resulting in a time out. Once inside, they dutifully (reluctantly) put their shoes and jackets back into the closet.
Inside, we play with Play-Doh (trains get stuck under dough), and they form balls out of dough, and we make imaginary things out of dough (like a clump of dough is an airplane); and they color. The kids are not allowed to eat the Play-Doh. I recently discovered Evan will crawl under the table to eat it. I can’t believe it took me two weeks of wondering, what is he doing under there?
When I announce lunchtime at 11:00, they run to the kitchen like starving madmen, even though breakfast was just at 9:00. They eat pretty quietly while I feed the baby at the table, but once they are almost done, they start snorting and making other unattractive noises to make the baby laugh, which always works. Afterwards, they put away toys and sit on the potties and get Pez if they produce something (or at least try).
12:00, my favorite time of day… we head upstairs for naps. They are always excited to go upstairs -- even Evan, who hates to nap. We all read books, I put the other kids down, and then have some mommy time alone with Evan. He cries bitterly when I say goodnight -- as if the world is ending -- for approximately 30 seconds. Then I hear him reading and talking to himself and at some point he falls asleep. The other kids all go down with no problem.
After naps, crankiness is often the norm and I decide I hate my job and shall quit at once. Then I turn on kid music (doesn’t Elmo have a wonderful voice?) and we read books or dance, and everyone, including me, is happy again. More free play. Snack time. Potty time if we feel like it. Sometimes Sesame Street if I didn’t get an adequate rest and feel cranky. More coloring and talk about numbers. Clean up the joint, parents come, and I collapse.
