Life in the Burbs

Sam: What a firstborn child he’s become! He likes to give orders now. On a few occasions, I’ve woken up and worn my blue robe, to which Sam has responded, “pink robe, Mommy!” So I have to go change into my pink robe to pass inspection. Also, when we’re driving, he says “Two hands, Daddy” if ever only one hand is on the wheel. He frequently barks orders to Nate as well, some of which are heeded; others are promptly ignored.

Nathan: What a difference three months makes! In late April, Nathan had his last speech evaluation in Springfield, and at that time he was about 5 months behind (at the level of a 22 month old, instead of a 27 month old). We noticed that by the time we moved in late June, his speech had markedly improved…soon he experienced a true vocabulary explosion. In mid July, a developmental therapist and speech therapist came to assess his speech and overall development. They determined that he is now at the anticipated level for his age. He longer qualifies for speech therapy; instead, he’s forming increasingly complex phrases and sentences. Thank you, Lord!

Sam: There are two times when Sam loves to be in his birthday suit: while swimming in his little toddler pool in the backyard and while running around after his bath. One night recently, he stopped running to tell Sydney all about his bath. He really is starting to enjoy Sydney, but the feelings aren’t necessarily mutual. Eventually, Sydney will like playing fetch with Sam, but for now she mostly likes him for the scraps he leaves at the table.

Sam has a new cartoon friend, Clifford the enormous red dog. One of Sam’s favorite books is Clifford’s Manners. We think his favorite rule of etiquette is “Always knock before entering.” He giggles and knocks on the page while we’re reading.

Nathan: Recently I found Nathan exploring his Daddy’s CD collection. He was holding a CD on his finger and watching the light reflect from the CD onto the wall. He enjoys examining objects as much as before, but now he is making more cause-and-effect connections.

One of Nathan’s favorite books is If You Hold My Hand. He loves the main character, a rabbit named Oakey who gradually becomes a confident explorer, as long as his Mommy is close beside him. He also loves an audio recording of the movie, “Annie.” When we’re in the car, he says, “Listen to Annie” almost immediately. Then once it’s over, he wants to hear it again. Now we need to buy the movie…but once we do, he’ll want to watch it every minute of every day.