Thoughts and Words Ill-Sorted

I’ve heard of owls before where one partner will start a song and the other finishes it (if the sounds that owls make can be called “songs”), but it turns out there’s a species of wren in Ecuador that takes duets to a whole new level. The wrens sing a complex song that sounds like it comes from a single bird, but, in fact, the male and female alternate syllables, placing notes in the gaps left by the partner. Their precision is amazing. For more, including an audio sample, see here.

Nathaniel’s currently in a mommy phase.  He apparently plasters himself against the door and howls when I leave, and then listens for the sound of the door until I return.  If I disappear from view, he roams the house, checking each floor, and he’s not put off by the bolted door on the top floor (which is why I currently work in the library).  If I take him to playgroup at the church, he gets nervous, afraid I might try to run off (which I would like to do, since there is a moms’ discussion group, and they even have volunteers on hand to care for the children).  The volunteers who valiantly tried to take him for me didn’t even realize that he knows how to walk, since he required holding the entire time I was away.  And recently, when he wasn’t feeling well, the only way he would sleep was if he was lying completely on top of me, a thirty-pound bowling ball.  He is (thank goodness!) sleeping nights and naps in his own crib, but he’s making it really difficult for me to work up the nerve to leave the house without him, curious and happy and independent as he is when I am at home.  Sydney’s not thrilled about this, either, since I still leave the kids with him on a regular basis, howling or no, but he’s also amused that I’m feeling a bit suffocated by affection, since he thought that that was his role in the relationship!

Erin

We’ve been in quarantine mode for the past month or so, with each successful playgroup or playground endeavor followed by another wave of cold or flu or toddler bug.  After this run of mild but incessant illnesses, we are hoping that Katherine and Nathaniel will be immune to everything out there!  Although we hear that there’s chicken pox out there right now, and we haven’t had that yet . . .

I have been struggling with the child-imposed couch time, particularly since I’ve had to miss choir and other activities that get me out and engaged.  But Sydney and I have really enjoyed the quiet time with both kids, and we’ve been fawning over Nathaniel quite a bit recently.  We have different “favorite” ages, but Nathaniel is currently in a phase where our favorites overlap, and he’s playing it to the fullest: laying his head sweetly on our laps when he wants a rest; saying “Hi” in a very cute, shy voice; and beaming big smiles at us when he sees we’re watching him.  It’s pretty adorable.  He is also (yes, I am very grateful) continuing his sleeping through the night.  I am very, very happy about that last part!

Since Nathaniel is prone to hunting all around the house when Sydney’s on duty, and I hate hearing him cry outside the door when I work, I’ve been making regular trips up to the American Institute’s library, just up the road.  It’s a lovely modern place, with lots of light coming in the glass walls, and it’s quiet–very quiet.  My sessions there have been incredibly productive.  Much as I like to work at home, I’m very grateful that I own a library card while we get Nathaniel through this phase.

After all the recent home time, life is going to get busy shortly.  Next weekend we’re going to visit friends in Cambridge.  Their two children are just about the same age as our two, and we haven’t seen these friends in a long, long time, so we’re quite excited, even if a bit nervous about the long bus ride.  Then, after we return home, my mom is coming to visit!

Erin

Yesterday Nathaniel took the two round lids from the biscuit tins we use for toy boxes, banged them together, and looked up at us with a wicked grin.  Great, my son has discovered cymbals.  Since then, he’s been all about noisemaking.  I think we’re entering a new stage of life with him.

Erin

This past week has seen us draped over the couch a great deal.  Both kids and Sydney got a cold that seems to be going around, one that lasts longer than usual and is accompanied by a desire to do nothing but lie down.  If we had just had Katherine, our week would have been pretty easy, since all she wants is hugs, mint tea, and to be put to bed.  But Nathaniel, who got over the worst of his cold quickly, has kicked into high toddler gear, and is keeping me busy by getting into everything.  He’s incredibly adorable while doing it, and he is very happy and fun when played with, but my washing dishes, say, usually means that I’ll soon discover him on the top floor, pulling the books out, or on the middle floor, flinging the dresser contents around the room with great glee.  Cute, but trouble.  It’s slightly amusing to see Katherine overwhelmed by his energy, since she’s so often the ball of energy in this house.

Erin

Two weeks ago I took away Nathaniel’s pacifier.  He was already sleeping pretty restlessly (as in, after a few rough nights I figured we had nothing to lose), and we were tired of having to hunt up the pacifier when it dropped out of his mouth and thus woke him up.  The loss of the pacifier sent him hunting up new sleeping positions, and I had to put him in the crib because he was crawling all over the bed, at all hours of the night.  I was afraid he’d slide off and wander down the stairs while I slept!  So, poor little guy, he suddenly found himself bereft of pacifier, his bed, and his mom, all while working through teething and a nasty cold!  But, after some rough nights, he seems to be coming out of the cold and trying out longer nights now that he’s settling into his crib.  For the past two nights, he’s slept eight-hour stretches, and I’ve had some of my best sleep in a very, very long time.  Sydney, unfortunately, has caught the cold, and thus has been up all night with his own stuffy head for the past few days.  Eventually, maybe, we’ll get everyone in the house sleeping at the same time.  Then I’ll see if Nathaniel can sleep without me in the room (so I can get some work done!  or make a cup of tea!), but this is already a big change and a big help.

Erin

Nathaniel had some alone time with my books:

On the evening of Nathaniel’s birthday we heard him say his first word: “ball.”  Of course, being a little guy, it sounds pretty much like “baa.”  But he says it consistently when he’s asked to go get a ball, or when he sees one and makes a beeline for it.  He also responds when we say “ball,” looking around for one to bring or throw to us.  Given how much he loves to throw balls, it’s not surprising.  The big test, of course, is whether he says “mama” or “dada” first.  Katherine chose Sydney, so, Nathaniel, I’m counting on you to even things out!

Erin

Erin