Big Boy Broadcast – Q2 2012

You may have noticed the monthly Toddler Talks have disappeared.  Do not despair!  They are being replaced by the quarterly Big Boy Broadcast, of which this is the first installation.

We talk a lot about being a “Big Boy” around here lately, which is the inspiration for the new title.  The biggest big boy thing we’ve done lately is wean.  YES.  We actually did it.  I fixed up a new calendar after he scribbled all over the other one and hung it in his “office.”  His office is the nook under the stairs where his little chair and desk are, along with his netbook computer.  You know, just like an office.

So after an elaborate build up to “No Boob Day,” including calendar, extremely limited nursing and lots of talking about the pending event, it was really easy.  There was some minor fussing, but that’s it.  He’s really a big boy now and I’m finally losing those “last five pounds” the body holds onto in order to nourish one’s progeny.  Thank God.

So this big boy-ness extends to the idea that he should play big kid computer games.  We have to stay on him to “be a big boy,” which means not crying and whining when he has trouble with whatever game he’s chosen to play that is clearly designed for much older kids.  We’re seeing some improvement on that front, but there are still some challenging moments. Most notably when we’re trying to watch “night time TV,” which is code for TV for adults.  Which brings me to the other reason we don’t really hear much of what goes on during our night time TV show.

Remy is a vocalizer and we’re not entirely sure where he gets that from.  Maybe my mother can correct me, but I’m 90% certain I wasn’t like that.  He doesn’t talk to connect to people, which is different than the typical talkative kid.  He talks to say everything he sees and thinks out loud.  Loudly.  Which is not to say that Mom and Dad are allowed to leave his comments unresponded to.  Oh no.  We have to acknowledge everything.  If we don’t, he simply repeats himself, often louder (if that’s possible).  When that doesn’t work (Gary and I have splendid selective listening skills), he will walk up to us, put our head in his little hands, turn our head so that our our nose is 2 inches from his and then he repeats himself again.  Loudly.  There’s no denying the kid when he pulls that maneuver.

Yet, if someone other than Mom and Dad don’t respond to something he says, he’s completely unaffected.  Go figure.

Lately, Remy’s picked up a phrase (from watching Kipper) that he likes to use often and seemingly randomly.  The phrase is ”nothing ever really, really, really happens.”  It’s said with emphasis and dramatic pauses after each “really.”  It sounds quite profound when used out of context by a 3 1/2 year old, which makes me laugh.  I’m documenting it here so I can remind him when he’s older and losing grasp of the bigger picture.  You know, someday when he’s whining about how “all the other kids are doing it” and his parents “aren’t fair.”

We’ve signed Remy up for a week of half-day Summer Kindercamp at the YMCA in June.  We’ll see how it goes.  If he really likes it, we might do another week.

That’s all I can think of for now.  Until next quarter!

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