Kid update

[flea]

Last night Casper finally learned how to operate the mouse, so she happily spent, um, two hours watching Chip and Dale Rescue Rangers on Youtube. I'm glad she's learned how to mouse competently, but now I have to think a little more about the web for her. I should look into filtering YouTube, for example; there was a Chip & Dale fanvid set to Girls Just Wanna Have Fun that included what I think were fanart pictures of the female rodents (are they all meant to be chipmunks?) in bikinis that I thought was a little questionable.

Parenting is hard. Thanks god she can't read yet.

She spent the weekend whiny, whiny, whiny. We decided to give up soccer, as it was causing too much stress for all of us (the coach actually suggested it, and said we could ask for a refund, which I don't think is worth bothering, since she does love the jersey, anyway.) Something's up with that child, and I'm not sure what to do about it. I guess some one-on-one time would help; mr. flea worked most of the weekend, so I was double-teamed. Things I must do: enforce reasonable bedtime, think of some way to extricate ourselves from the candy demands (we are still rewarding poop in the potty with candy.) She told me this weekend that she wants to be nocturnal when she grows up. I told her teenagers are nocturnal but she got confused and now thinks that cheerleaders are nocturnal, which makes her want to be a cheerleader even more. Heh.

Dillo, in contrast, is pretty easy. He naps easily, generally goes to bed easily, has been sleeping better (up only once in the night, fairly often now; had been twice). He loves playdoh and his trains and just going about doing little busy-ness. He's been dancing like a hilarious hoe-downing farmer to the music-making toy my father got him at Christmas lately (video to come). He's a happy, expressive little dude, not much angst. He's still quite shy in regards new places, new people or even just lots of people, and big noises (honking the car horn makes him cry), but this existential angst that Casper's got, he ain't got. It's a delightful age, with the communicating, too.

Comments

[dxmachina.livejournal.com]

Dropping soccer is probably for the best. It's far better when the kid actually looks forward to it. :) As I've mentioned, I was a couple of years older than Casper when the baseball bug took hold. Maybe try encouraging her to kick a ball around with Dillo in the back yard, having her show him how it's done. That might help some, and she'll have an excuse to wear the jersey.

[serrana.livejournal.com]

*snerk* We should lock our daughters in a closet and let them angst at each other until they realize how tedious it is.

Herself has developed a huge pottyphobia this week -- the front bathroom toilet got clogged, and even though we fixed it she is still going into screaming hysterics any time she has to have a bowel movement. Fortunately there is more than one toilet in the house, but...!

C. set up a computer downstairs so she can do her educational games, but can't get to the internet, because I don't think she's ready yet. If she wants to see online stuff, she can do that with a grownup. She can have the internet when she's demonstrated some better judgment....

[gchick.livejournal.com]

Thought no. 1 - that girl's been nocturnal from the start. And I've known college students who still can't produce the word.

Thought no. B - how long until "mouses competently" makes those lists of developmental milestones that everyone worries too much about?

[casperflea.livejournal.com]

in re: B, I lunched at the event on Thursday with a fellow who bragged to the table about how his son was IMing his brother at the age of 2 or so. On a day he took him to work.

The guy was kind of a douche, obvs.

[gchick.livejournal.com]

Eww. Allow me to be vaguely guilty and apologetic on behalf of my departmental event. Fuckin' technologists.

[mearagrrl.livejournal.com]

Heh. So, last night at my parents' house, I was going through stuff they wanted to get rid of like my elementary school report cards, and my baby book. And it had all the sorts of things you write about Casper, in it. And I thought "Wow, I looked like a TERRIBLE child! And I turned out great!" If you look at my elementary school report cards and my baby book, you would think I would (a) never quit screaming (b) never get potty trained (c) never have good handwriting and (d) never be good in math. And they're ALL WRONG!!

So, keep up the good work. Casper is gonna turn out awesome.

[casperflea.livejournal.com]

Are you SURE you're potty-trained??

[mearagrrl.livejournal.com]

AND I sleep through the night! Something my mother was apparently convinced I would never do!!

[burrell.livejournal.com]

I used to sleep through the night. Not anymore. And I can't even blame the kids for it, even the nights they sleep, I don't.

[burrell.livejournal.com]

I wanted to say about the angst, Franny is having a bit of it too. I wonder if it isn't in part developmental. My girl knows she is transitioning out of toddlerhood. I think it can be hard on them.

[casperflea.livejournal.com]

I've been attributing it also to our impending move, which she knows something of. We've tried to shut up about it in front of her, but that's hard, and she's perceptive.

[nilly-madar.livejournal.com]

If she's perceptive, then even if she knows nothing of the move itself, she can sense that you two are occupied with big stress-y things, and that can affect her too, no?

[forodwaith.livejournal.com]

I think a hearty helping of existential angst usually goes along with being an eldest/only. Dan, Sean & I (all eldest) have it, whereas Nora? Not so much.

Nocturnal cheerleaders -- clearly Casper is destined to be a Buffista.