Tuesday, March 3, 2009

I Do

Today, for the first time, Justin volunteered the information that he had a poopy diaper. He's been getting better about answering the question truthfully when asked. If I smell something funny I'll ask him if he "made poopies." He generally answers either "no" (in which case I check anyway) or "I do" (in which case we head to the changing table). Occasionally he simply runs away and that's an answer in itself. But he's been getting good about telling the truth and will rarely actually lie.
Today I was on the exercise machine, half-watching a TV show on the computer and half making desultory conversation with Justin ("Up! Down! Up! Down!") when he got quiet for a minute and tugged at his pants, the faraway look of a preoccupied preschooler in his eyes. And as I wondered, he made eye contact and said, "I do."
So, amid effusive praise at his brilliant idea of telling Mama, we went and got his diaper changed. I'm hoping this continues. That would be tremendously helpful.

Thursday, February 19, 2009

Practice

Justin has a baby-doll. Well, more accurately, it's on loan. I assured Father of this when we brought it in so he wouldn't have a conniption fit. ;-) The pink stroller is also on loan. Justin enjoys them both. He likes to push the baby around in the stroller and then hand it to me to "burp."
Tonight he decided to put the baby to bed. He dragged it in the bedroom where Father and I were talking and tucked it in carefully with my shawl, murmuring to it the whole time. Then he laid his finger on its little lips and said "Shh, shh." It was adorably sweet. I suggested that he sing it a lullaby, so he cradled it in his arms and sang what he could remember of the one I usually sing him at night, which is mostly the first three notes and the word "lullaby." He'll make a good father someday.

Washing hands

Justin made up his first song this week, which he sang as we went to get his stool so that he could wash his hands (one of his new favorite pastimes, so long as Mama doesn't get involved with all that cleaning-between-the-fingers stuff). It sounded like this:
"Ool, anna ool, anna ool, ash-ash."
Translated, the lyrics are as follows:
Stool
I want a stool
I want a stool
Wash-wash!
Not bad for a first attempt. It even had something you could more or less call a tune. I was proud of him.