Forgiving Biting and Other Developments
Dear Ollie,
You're a very forgiving boy, buddy.
You started out this week with a light bruise on your inner thigh. Sometimes your dad holds you up in the air by the knees because you love it, but I think he overcompensates for gravity by holding you very tightly. You've already healed, but he's still sorry.
You finished out the week with three bites and a large scrape along your inner wrist. Daycare is starting to get nervous when we walk in the door. Apparently you are stealing kids' toys and they bite you to get them back. Two of them broke skin. You shriek when we touch any of them. It breaks my heart, yes, but I think we'd be much worse off if it were the other way around. As much as it hurts you, I have to say, I'd rather you were bitten than doing the biting. One of these bites is on your belly, and I'll admit that it makes me giggle a little bit to imagine the scene - you take the toy and the child, seeing that your belly is the most prominent and protruding part of you, leans over and bites it. I just imagine you rearing back in slow motion like a lion on a nature show.
This scene brought to you by the same mother of the year who burst out laughing when her son was clotheslined by another kid at the mall playground.
You were fine.
Here's the good news though: The harm you've suffered physically hasn't hurt your learning development.
This week, you've told us that a lion, tiger, bear and T-Rex all say "ARRR!" That how you growl. Most kids say "roar," but you're not most kids. I just hope that it's not a certain learning cue, and in our parent-teacher conferences next week Ms. Kenzie doesn't hold you back because she failed to notice the growl in your answer.
I asked you one day what a snake said and you looked at me quizzically. Then I asked you what a boa constrictor said and you didn't hesitate before luxuriating in a nice long "SSSSSSSS!!!" I mean, what a genius.
(Your Brontosaurus, however, while he does have a nice long neck, doesn't say "sss." I know, it's confusing. You'll get it in time.)
You say "Hi" now. It's the most delightful little whisper of air.
You also babble like a BOSS. But you're adding new words all the time! You actually said "applesauce" very clearly once! Once.
Your newest phrases are "Uh-oh!" and "Oh no!" Used interchangeably. You thrill in "dropping" things off your plate in order to announce "UH-OH!" I'm a wee bit sad that it's already grown into "uh-oh" from "uh" - breath - "ohhhhhh." This past weekend at the play area, you accidentally collided with another kid and fell over. I saw it, but didn't comment on it for fear you would overplay your hand. Well, that was my fault, because for the next twenty minutes, you came over to me multiple times, fell over slowly and said "oh no!" If that weren't enough baby manipulation, each time when trying to get up you reached out to me dramatically like a dying man reaching for water. If you don't grow up to be an actor (or at least a disgraced celebrity begging for forgiveness), I'll eat my hat.
Another "uh-oh" moment was when I was slowing down at an intersection and hit some black ice. The car immediately righted itself but you could feel the teenist bit of slipping. From the back I hear, "Uh-oh!" Thanks for your confidence in Mama's driving, sweetheart.
We've been practicing with a cup at dinner and on the weekends. Even though each time has met with some spillage and groans from the adults in the room, it's been successful. You even put down Elmo (a serious feat) in order to hold your glass with both hands.
While you are still working on drinking from a cup, you have drinking the milk out of a cereal bowl and drinking the applesauce out of the plastic container DOWN. Hey, you've figured out that it gets in your belly faster, so hats off to you.
Elmo and your cow are the dearest things to you on earth. You carry them around and they eat with you, wear your shoes and even help you brush your teeth. The other day, after throwing Elmo down the stairs in a last ditch effort to delay a diaper change, you started crying for him. I decided that I wasn't going to kowtow to your evil plans, so I picked you up and carried you upstairs without retrieving Elmo. In 5 minutes, you had me scrambling down the stairs to get him in order to quiet you. Ollie: 1, Mama: 0.
You do get frustrated easily, of course. At dinner the other night, you were trying to get me to sing a song by showing me hand signals that I didn't understand. It must be a song you sing at daycare because I was singing everything I could think of. Every song I started to sing you yelled, "Nooo! Zis!" And then would do your hand signals. Even your Grandpa got in on the quiz show by singing and dancing to The Hokey Pokey. It's a shame you didn't let him finish because I would have liked to see the end of that laugh riot. In the end, I think you were satisfied with The Itsy Bitsy Spider, but you weren't pleased.
We think your favorite genre of music is classic rock. After your Grandpa Cook's heart, I see. Your dad said that you "sang along" to Led Zeppelin in the car the other day. Sunday, you got down with your bad self while sitting in the cart at Trader Joes.
And if we ever had any question about how much of a ladies man you are, we can rest assured that you have that covered. When I dropped you off at daycare on Thursday, two little girls came over and took off your coat while you just looked on. In the grocery store Saturday a pretty lady passed and you actually turned all the way around and looked her up and down. Do we have a future Vice President Joe Biden on our hands? Naw, not to worry. I caught a glimpse of your adolescent self Saturday when, at the play area, you chased around a couple of the older girls just to stare, grin and put your hands in your mouth. You even laughed a couple of times like you were in on the joke, but you so weren't. I think I have you to myself for at least a few more years.
Sorry about that, too.
You're in bed now. You would be wrapped around Elmo if I hadn't wrestled it out of your grasp so I could wash the poor thing. Now it's drying on a rack and I'm a nervous wreck that it won't turn out okay.
Please forgive Mama if Elmo isn't perfect by the time you awake tomorrow. Actually, I know you will. Because you're a very forgiving boy. Heck, you've already forgiven those brutes for taking chunks out of your skin with their new teeth. Just like they probably have forgiven you for stealing away their toys.
I love you, little one. Sleep tight. Good night.
You're a very forgiving boy, buddy.
You started out this week with a light bruise on your inner thigh. Sometimes your dad holds you up in the air by the knees because you love it, but I think he overcompensates for gravity by holding you very tightly. You've already healed, but he's still sorry.
You finished out the week with three bites and a large scrape along your inner wrist. Daycare is starting to get nervous when we walk in the door. Apparently you are stealing kids' toys and they bite you to get them back. Two of them broke skin. You shriek when we touch any of them. It breaks my heart, yes, but I think we'd be much worse off if it were the other way around. As much as it hurts you, I have to say, I'd rather you were bitten than doing the biting. One of these bites is on your belly, and I'll admit that it makes me giggle a little bit to imagine the scene - you take the toy and the child, seeing that your belly is the most prominent and protruding part of you, leans over and bites it. I just imagine you rearing back in slow motion like a lion on a nature show.
This scene brought to you by the same mother of the year who burst out laughing when her son was clotheslined by another kid at the mall playground.
You were fine.
Here's the good news though: The harm you've suffered physically hasn't hurt your learning development.
This week, you've told us that a lion, tiger, bear and T-Rex all say "ARRR!" That how you growl. Most kids say "roar," but you're not most kids. I just hope that it's not a certain learning cue, and in our parent-teacher conferences next week Ms. Kenzie doesn't hold you back because she failed to notice the growl in your answer.
I asked you one day what a snake said and you looked at me quizzically. Then I asked you what a boa constrictor said and you didn't hesitate before luxuriating in a nice long "SSSSSSSS!!!" I mean, what a genius.
(Your Brontosaurus, however, while he does have a nice long neck, doesn't say "sss." I know, it's confusing. You'll get it in time.)
You say "Hi" now. It's the most delightful little whisper of air.
You also babble like a BOSS. But you're adding new words all the time! You actually said "applesauce" very clearly once! Once.
Your newest phrases are "Uh-oh!" and "Oh no!" Used interchangeably. You thrill in "dropping" things off your plate in order to announce "UH-OH!" I'm a wee bit sad that it's already grown into "uh-oh" from "uh" - breath - "ohhhhhh." This past weekend at the play area, you accidentally collided with another kid and fell over. I saw it, but didn't comment on it for fear you would overplay your hand. Well, that was my fault, because for the next twenty minutes, you came over to me multiple times, fell over slowly and said "oh no!" If that weren't enough baby manipulation, each time when trying to get up you reached out to me dramatically like a dying man reaching for water. If you don't grow up to be an actor (or at least a disgraced celebrity begging for forgiveness), I'll eat my hat.
Another "uh-oh" moment was when I was slowing down at an intersection and hit some black ice. The car immediately righted itself but you could feel the teenist bit of slipping. From the back I hear, "Uh-oh!" Thanks for your confidence in Mama's driving, sweetheart.
We've been practicing with a cup at dinner and on the weekends. Even though each time has met with some spillage and groans from the adults in the room, it's been successful. You even put down Elmo (a serious feat) in order to hold your glass with both hands.
While you are still working on drinking from a cup, you have drinking the milk out of a cereal bowl and drinking the applesauce out of the plastic container DOWN. Hey, you've figured out that it gets in your belly faster, so hats off to you.
Elmo and your cow are the dearest things to you on earth. You carry them around and they eat with you, wear your shoes and even help you brush your teeth. The other day, after throwing Elmo down the stairs in a last ditch effort to delay a diaper change, you started crying for him. I decided that I wasn't going to kowtow to your evil plans, so I picked you up and carried you upstairs without retrieving Elmo. In 5 minutes, you had me scrambling down the stairs to get him in order to quiet you. Ollie: 1, Mama: 0.
You do get frustrated easily, of course. At dinner the other night, you were trying to get me to sing a song by showing me hand signals that I didn't understand. It must be a song you sing at daycare because I was singing everything I could think of. Every song I started to sing you yelled, "Nooo! Zis!" And then would do your hand signals. Even your Grandpa got in on the quiz show by singing and dancing to The Hokey Pokey. It's a shame you didn't let him finish because I would have liked to see the end of that laugh riot. In the end, I think you were satisfied with The Itsy Bitsy Spider, but you weren't pleased.
We think your favorite genre of music is classic rock. After your Grandpa Cook's heart, I see. Your dad said that you "sang along" to Led Zeppelin in the car the other day. Sunday, you got down with your bad self while sitting in the cart at Trader Joes.
And if we ever had any question about how much of a ladies man you are, we can rest assured that you have that covered. When I dropped you off at daycare on Thursday, two little girls came over and took off your coat while you just looked on. In the grocery store Saturday a pretty lady passed and you actually turned all the way around and looked her up and down. Do we have a future Vice President Joe Biden on our hands? Naw, not to worry. I caught a glimpse of your adolescent self Saturday when, at the play area, you chased around a couple of the older girls just to stare, grin and put your hands in your mouth. You even laughed a couple of times like you were in on the joke, but you so weren't. I think I have you to myself for at least a few more years.
Sorry about that, too.
You're in bed now. You would be wrapped around Elmo if I hadn't wrestled it out of your grasp so I could wash the poor thing. Now it's drying on a rack and I'm a nervous wreck that it won't turn out okay.
Please forgive Mama if Elmo isn't perfect by the time you awake tomorrow. Actually, I know you will. Because you're a very forgiving boy. Heck, you've already forgiven those brutes for taking chunks out of your skin with their new teeth. Just like they probably have forgiven you for stealing away their toys.
I love you, little one. Sleep tight. Good night.
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