Four years ago today, I was sitting around wondering why my baby boy wasn't making his appearance on his due date, exactly on time, like I wanted him to. Time was moving so slowly, and I wanted to speed it up. I was so impatient.
But now? I turned around three times fast, and that long-awaited baby has turned into
this.
A big boy. A
kid. And despite being nine months pregnant today too, I'm kind of wishing time would
slow down just a bit.
Oh sweet newborn Nathan. Where did the past four years go? No more diapers, no more sippys, no more buckling you into car seats. I didn't think your babyhood would go by so fast. Wow. I'm glad being a big boy looks so good on you, buddy, or I'd be heartbroken.
Nathan is doing really well these days. After several hard months (three was way harder in these parts than the supposed terrible twos, for the record), Nathan has settled into a mostly sunny chatterbox of a little boy who is wonderful to have around.
He's inquisitive. He asks a million questions a day. Most frequently asked are
why? (of course) and
what's your favorite color? (which I think he asks just when he doesn't know what else to say). Honestly we talk about favorite colors at least twelve times a day. Sometimes it spirals into
what's your not-favorite color? To which I don't ever have a good answer. I'm not even sure I understand the question. (But to Nathan, the correct answer is
clear.
Clear is everyone's not-favorite color. In case you were curious.) I know that questioning is a normal part of growing, but when the questions turn to argumentativeness, it drives me nuts. You don't need to ask ten follow-up questions about
everything, child! But apparently he does. And most of the time it's okay. He's learning and he has a freakishly good memory, and there are worse efforts he could be using his words towards than inquisitiveness, for sure!
He's still a picky eater. The boy loves him some carbs. Bread, fruit, crackers, sandwiches cereal, bagels, etc. Smoothies are probably his favorite food on the planet. We convince him to eat protein in the form of yogurt, chicken with some coaxing, beef snuck into pasta sauces, and he still adores shrimp when we make the splurge. Seriously Nathan? What picky eater loves
shrimp? You are a strange child, my friend.
Playtime is an easy sell. He loves his friend cars, his blocks, his legos, and his books. He loves to color and draw and do stickers. And this year we've finally started letting him watch tv regularly enough (a show or part of a movie, a couple of times a week) that he has his screen favorites: Sesame Street, Cars, The Little Mermaid, Thomas, and Tarzan (which scares him a bit since he has a weird fear/fascination of gorillas). He
loves to be outside, and it takes some pretty terrible heat or pretty terrible cold to chase him indoors. He's loving our new bigger more play-friendly yard, and lots of walks on the greenway nearby. He also loves music, even though he's hesitant to sing in front of other people. He can pick out even the faintest strains of Lady Gaga, and we get fussed at if we turn it down or change the station. {
sigh}
He's still learning to be social. He plays pretty well on his own (like every day during naptime, which in his world is actually just "alone time") but would always choose time with Anneliese, if we give him the choice. He plays
really well with her, minus a few moments each day when he's not as inclined to sharing as she is. With his other friends, he does great in small groups of two or three, but in big crowds or with new people, he still has a
lot of social skills to work on (picture: standing in a room slack-jawed and drooling, and no that's not really an exaggeration). We're hoping with lots of practice and a healthy dose of confidence, and maybe an extra year of kindergarten, he will be just fine, and will learn to show
everyone the gregarious happy boy he is at home.
He's finicky. I might have mentioned once or twice that he is
extremely picky about how he likes things. Which toys go in which places, which soap goes in which bathroom, which foods are for which meals, and
oh good grief don't get me started on his wardrobe. Certain outfits for certain moods, certain shirts for certain shorts, and
only underwear that is "like Daddy's" could ever be good enough. He doesn't like messes or spills or being very dirty. He
adores napkins. He is a creature of habit, to the point where disruptions in his normal routine or the order we do things can cause major chaos in our house. I'm not sure how much of this is normal for preschoolers, or if he's got a few obsessions or compulsions we're up against (seriously,
he wants things how he wants them), but it's nothing causing any real dysfunction in our lives, nothing we haven't been able to adjust to. Flexible might not be his thing, but I kind of admire that he knows what he wants and isn't afraid to
ask for it insist on it. That being said, we're working on compromise every day, and we're learning more and more about how to better equip him for changes in the routine, or special events. (Communication. Lots and lots of heads-up communication.)
He is sweet and kind. Honestly, Nathan seems empathetic beyond his years. He constantly amazes us with his perception of other people's feelings, and his instincts to meet their needs and take care of them in response. He is quite affectionate, rarely sparing a hug or a kiss or a tickle for people he loves. He's a pleaser, and wants to make people happy and make them smile. (This people-pleasing trend makes him a very good listener, behavior-wise, freakout moments aside.) He's
incredibly observant, noting and retaining even tiny details for months and sometimes years. He's protective and he's a caretaker, very aware of what other people have going on in their lives and never failing to ask about it. Any of his friends and grandparents and other relatives have examples of this, I'm sure. I guess this is another reason Mark and I try to stay so tolerant of his inquisitiveness -- it's breeding an
extremely kind soul. He impresses me every day in regards to this, and I want to learn from him on how to be better about these things myself.
I love my baby boy more every day. Here's to (almost!) another year with Nathan!
