The boys



James has been developing so rapidly! Just a few weeks ago, he couldn't hold up his head and control it without flopping over or just jerking around. Now, he not only holds his head up steadily and gazes or stares hard around him, but he is beginning to be able to prop himself up on his stomach and even sit up for a few seconds. He's so engaged with me and his Mommy and big brother, and even a bit with Bessie -- like William as a baby, he opens his mouth to "French kiss" her. He seems to enjoy his time in daycare, under the care of Frances.

The only problems are 1) he still scratches himself rather deeply, so we keep socks on his hands and an eye on his fingernails, and 2) Heather isn't supplying nearly enough breast milk.

William has been a loving, affectionate older brother and son these past few months. He still has his "terrible threes" moments, including this morning, and he's learning to manipulate his parents very effectively. His latest is "I'm scared! I want you to hold me!", but when we ask what he's scared of, he can't say. He obviously just wants to be held, but he's getting a big enough to learn to wait if our hands our full with James. Just wait a few minutes, please!

On the other hand, I've been worried about his growth. Although he's the oldest in his class, he's not among the tallest. Okay, some of his younger classmates come from very tall parents, but it's still worrisome to me. I've had to redouble my efforts to put my foot down at home and demand (not only from him but also from his mother) that he eat well balanced meals, not just carbohydrates and cheese. In the past couple of weeks, I've introduced beans (baked beans, beanie-weenies, etc.) into his home diet; he's eaten beans at school. Also, we've started giving him Flintstones chewable vitamins.

Two evenings ago, I attended a Pasadena Area Schools gathering, where public, private, and charter school representatives were available with brochures, etc. to answer my questions. There were a zillion prospective parents there. I was very intimidated, but after taking a breath, I jumped in and started circulating among the tables, picking up brochures, smiling, shaking hands, and asking generic questions.

Posted: Thu - October 13, 2005 at 11:27 AM          


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