Things to Make Your Heart Go "Pitta-pat"

Yesterday my elder son, in the midst of running in and out of the space formed by a sidewalk sandwich board-style advertisement, stopped, looked at me and said quite clearly:

"Happy Father's Day, Daddy!"

He had been coached by Marli as well as his aunt and uncle on Saturday and Sunday, but he said it to me quite independently of coaching or prompting. I'm sure he still doesn't know what it means, but it was nice to hear him say it, even if his only motivation was to make me happy.

Back around the 7th of this month (+/- five days), Daigoro figured out how to climb out of his crib. He's a nimble little guy. It's quite a strange feeling, once you're used to lifting your child out of a crib, to hear him come plodding down the hallway when you know that no one has lifted him out. Sort of creepy at first.

He's becoming a little more contrary - he's quite frequently saying "no" or ignoring our various requests ("come here", "please eat", "no shouting", etc.). We're still holding to the firm but fair model of punishment and discipline - currently we're using about 30 seconds of enforced sitting still as a mild punishment. He obeys maybe 40% of the time when he's otherwise occupied or interested in what he's doing. That number goes up sometimes when he's tired (generally more compliant) and goes down when he's exhausted (generally more cranky). It's a balancing act for sure.

In the afternoon of Father's Day, I took Daigoro to a local outdoor swimming pool. He hasn't quite gotten used to full body immersion yet. Unlike his father, he appears to be a little uncomfortable in water. We'll have to get him used to it slowly.

Kenshin seems to enjoy standing up with assistance. He's quite capable of pushing up with his legs while Marli helps him to stand.

Off the Charts

Not too long after I posted that last entry, Marli came back from a doctor's appointment and announced that Kenshin's height and weight were literally off the charts for a two month old baby - above the 95 percentile.

He weighs 7.25 kilograms - 16 pounds! That's a big baby!

Daigoro will have the opportunity to go horseback riding (doubling with his mother) tomorrow at my brother's birthday party. I'm looking forward to it. He's been exposed to horses and ponies a lot for his age (I think) - he went on Pony rides at Puck's Farm (a farm north of Toronto which hosts school groups, parties and the general public, helping people learn about how farms work) earlier in the spring, and then again at the Nobleton Fair on the Victoria Day long weekend. My brother and his girlfriend have also taken him to see horses.

He seems to be both interested and intimidated by them, which, for a child weighing somewhere in the 13 kg (30 pound) range and standing about 79cm (2'7"), seems a very healthy attitude.

Speaking of which, I have to comment that the fact that the age children are the most prone to run around without looking where they're going corresponds almost exactly to when their heads are at the height of the male's groin seems to be some sort of sick cosmic joke. One of the prices we pay for being bipedal, I suppose.

Smiley Face

Kenshin is now smiling quite frequently. He lights up with happiness when he's feeling sociable. It's quite a sight. He continues to grow like a weed and is now big enough (at two months) to fit into 3-6 month clothing. Like a typical breast-fed baby, he has rolls upon rolls of fat. My mother says that my brother was once nicknamed "Bud" for his resemblance to the common Chinese and Japanese depiction of a laughing, obese incarnation of Buddha . Our not-so-little Kenshin seems to be following in his Uncle's footsteps. We occasionally call Kenshin "Pudge" for similar reasons.

Daigoro voluntarily used his potty yesterday for the very first time. We've been using a "wetting" doll (complete with potty) as an example for a few weeks now. He's been playing with the young three-year boy that I mentioned we met in the park and seems to have been inspired to trying going potty on his own. The three-year old (I'll develop an alias for him if it looks like he'll be a frequent playmate, as he seems to be becoming) appears to be a good influence on Daigoro, and vice versa.

He also seems to developed a taste for asparagus (Daigoro: " 'spargus"), which is great for nutrition but bad for diaper smell. If you haven't eaten asparagus recently (or not at all, or if you're not genetically pre-disposed), you're not likely to know what I mean, but I assure you, it's pungent.

Curiously, he also likes peas and brocolli, but is not a big fan of carrots, green beans, peppers or many other common vegetables. I don't know if this is some odd trend for him to like foods that children traditionally hate. Perhaps I should serve him some Brussel sprouts.

Little Milestones

I suspect that anyone who has attempted to keep a blog has discovered that one of the main difficulties is disciplining oneself to post regularly. A large part of that difficulty in posting is finding time, but another component is the dilemna of posting something which you know will "fill space" but will be uninspired, vs. posting something which requires time and craft but will be an interesting read.

Since the intent of this blog is foremost as a "chronicle", a few posts here will fall solidly into the category of "record-keeping" rather than a more concentrated effort on being "literary" (whatever that means). This will be one such post.

Last week (the week of May 20th) and the week previous, Kenshin has steadily been smiling more often and for longer periods. It's still not intentional, but a wonderful moment as a parent of a newborn/infant (my wife informs me the changeover from newborn to infant is six weeks - that milestone was crossed on the 21st) is when you see your newborn, who has previously seemed somewhat alien and distant, begin exhibit emotions which can be indentified as friendly or loving (even though they probably aren't really intended yet). A big gummy smile is more of a reaction and imitative expression at this point, but it does wonders for nerves frayed by serving a newborn who otherwise seems only to frown, cry, fuss and stare blankly. In fairness, looking around with interest also is a big part of his emotive range, but apparent actual happiness is a different thing altogether.

Kenshin occasionally giggles in his sleep (I haven't yet seen him do it while awake) which is a delight to watch, or, if you have the fortune of holding him at the time, to feel.

Daigoro has been somewhat moody at times lately - I suspect as his emotions and self-identity develop he is beginning to have feelings which are difficult for him to understand and control. The inevitable "gimmee!" has shown up in his vocabulary, of course attended by the vehement "mine!". He's still very pleasant in general. One of his favourite shows appears to be "Mighty Machines" a Canadian-made television show featuring construction and demolition vehicles doing their thing around sites in Canada.

Last Friday (May 25), while out with Daigoro at the park (Marli was resting at home with Kenshin), I met a couple around our age (maybe a little older) with a 3-year old son. They seemed to get along very well and happily played with a soccer ball, chasing each other about. The boy's mother mentioned that their young son was a little shy and would benefit from playing with other children outdoors, suggesting we come around again in the future. We have since, but the boy is ill at the moment; hopefully once he recovers he will feel up to playing with Daigoro.

Daigoro is approaching the age where he should start to develop friends, or at least "playmates". I was glad to make this point of contact for him.

This past Monday after work I hauled my bike out of winter storage and tuned it up (cleaning the frame, checking lines, tire pressure, cleaning and re-lubing the chain). Daigoro was enthusiastic about "helping daddy fix the bike", so we had a nice bonding moment in the early evening. Tightening pedals, washing rims and rinsing the frame in the burnished gold light, I reflected on this moment of peace and was thankful.

Kenshin is at a cute stage where he is testing the mobility and control of his limbs. Occasionally while laying on his back his arms and legs will flail madly about. The expressions on his face are of concentration and interest, not alarm, so I can only assume he is enjoying himself. It's somewhat amusing to watch a baby work his arms and legs in this way.

The "stork bite" (a reddish, blotchy skin mark) on Kenshin's brow just over the bridge of his nose has almost completely faded.