sen_no_ongaku | 4 years, 4 months / 1 year(!) (Reply)

J's music lessons continue apace, and he's on the verge of doing playing with both hands! Very exciting.

We're looking at K-1 programs for him to join; the frontrunner is a charter school that adopts the principles of Venezuela's El Sistema, with lots of daily music from day one. Barring that, there are some pretty good public options. We can't wait for him to enter Kindergarten, mostly so that he's in a stimulating environment on a daily basis, partly so we can STOP PAYING FOR DAYCARE. Because goddamn.

Though he hasn't had much opportunity, he is super into building Legos. We will try to focus on feeding that.

His reading is getting better and better; he can occasionally puzzle out words he's not familiar with, and can sometimes correct himself when he gets something wrong. We'll sometimes take parts in a story ("Um...I'll be Elephant, and you'll be Pig"), and I love hearing him not only read the words but give them personality.

Favorite fandom right now is Phineas and Ferb, which I strongly recommend to everybody.

Conversations:

"J, poop is an it, not a he. Please don't anthropomorphize poop."

"Don't eat things you find inside your own body."

"Mommy, do you have a penis?"
"No, I have a vagina."
"...Is that English for 'penis'?"
__

G has taken his first steps, and though he practices his walking every so often, he's unconvinced as to its utility.

He's also babbling much more, and is maybe starting to tie phonemes to objects...? He used to have a specific sound for the cat, a high keening that might have been meowing.

Speaking of the cat, Oob continues to be his favorite thing. Right now he likes putting his face on the cat again and again. Unfortunately, he misinterprets her swats as play, so we're trying to adjust his behavior towards her.

He continues to be super good-natured, even requesting strangers for hugs. He is, however, definitely starting to understand when we are preventing him from fulfilling his goals.

Very recently, pointing has become a thing.

When he's sleepy, everything is funny. Especially the cat using her litterbox, or J's antics.

I can't put my finger exactly on why, but I suspect he will provide as much mischief and trouble as his big brother.