Constantly entertained, finally changing
This isn't supposed to be All Kid, All the Time, but it has been, mostly because work has been spectacularly sucky. I found myself in a situation that was completely unexpected and very negative, and it's lasted since October. This was coincidentally the entire span of my current pregnancy. How crummy does it have to be that I was looking forward to the first three months with a two-year-old and a newborn as a vacation? Yeah, that bad. Fortunately, things took a turn for the much-brighter last week and I will be returning to my old schedule come fall. I'll even be able to walk to work. Whee.
My little bean (soon to be the big bean, I guess) is going to be a very funny big brother. We hadn't told him about the new baby, both because of the lack of time sense that is typical in toddlers, and the fact that he doesn't forget anything. All I needed was for him to be asking every hour where the new baby is. We did get him a Mercer Mayer book called The New Baby and my folks gave him a book called I'm a Big Brother Now, both of which emphasize being GENTLE, and ASKING MOMMY AND DADDY before handling the baby. We're emphasizing those points, because I really don't want to hear *thud*scream*..."Mommy? Drop baby," coming from the other room. I'm really hoping he'll be better about the baby's ears than he is about the dog's. The night my parents gave him the book, we started explaining that we, Mommy, Daddy and Bean, would be having a new baby. I told him that the baby is in my tummy right now, and when he's done growing he'll come out and live with us. He walked over to the chair where I was sitting, very gently rubbed his hand over my belly, and said, "Baby!" I said, "That's right!" He then started rubbing my left boob, and said, "TWO babies!" which sent every adult in the room into hysterics. I was eventually able to explain that only the belly bump had a baby in it. He's been very interested since then...lots of peeking under my shirt and rubbing of the belly, with comments like "Gentle," and "Mommy Daddy Bean baby in Mommy's tummy," Yesterday he declared that the baby would come out of my belly button. I told him that no, that's not how it works: fortunately he didn't ask for clarification.
On Sunday morning, I read the newspaper as usual. Bean likes to look at the other side of the page while I'm reading the comics, or "da funnies," as he calls them. When I'd finished and left the room, he hopped up in the chair with the comics and began perusing them on his own. I was able to get the camera and take a couple of photos.
My little bean (soon to be the big bean, I guess) is going to be a very funny big brother. We hadn't told him about the new baby, both because of the lack of time sense that is typical in toddlers, and the fact that he doesn't forget anything. All I needed was for him to be asking every hour where the new baby is. We did get him a Mercer Mayer book called The New Baby and my folks gave him a book called I'm a Big Brother Now, both of which emphasize being GENTLE, and ASKING MOMMY AND DADDY before handling the baby. We're emphasizing those points, because I really don't want to hear *thud*scream*..."Mommy? Drop baby," coming from the other room. I'm really hoping he'll be better about the baby's ears than he is about the dog's. The night my parents gave him the book, we started explaining that we, Mommy, Daddy and Bean, would be having a new baby. I told him that the baby is in my tummy right now, and when he's done growing he'll come out and live with us. He walked over to the chair where I was sitting, very gently rubbed his hand over my belly, and said, "Baby!" I said, "That's right!" He then started rubbing my left boob, and said, "TWO babies!" which sent every adult in the room into hysterics. I was eventually able to explain that only the belly bump had a baby in it. He's been very interested since then...lots of peeking under my shirt and rubbing of the belly, with comments like "Gentle," and "Mommy Daddy Bean baby in Mommy's tummy," Yesterday he declared that the baby would come out of my belly button. I told him that no, that's not how it works: fortunately he didn't ask for clarification.
On Sunday morning, I read the newspaper as usual. Bean likes to look at the other side of the page while I'm reading the comics, or "da funnies," as he calls them. When I'd finished and left the room, he hopped up in the chair with the comics and began perusing them on his own. I was able to get the camera and take a couple of photos.