“u don’t have to be rich to be my girl / u don’t have to be cool to rule my world”

[larryhammer]

TBD is three years and nine months old, and almost daily anticipates turning four. ("Will I get presents for my birthday?" "Can we get a jumping castle at my party?" "Is my birthday tomorrow?")

Achievements unlocked this last month: the only one I noted was pumping self on swing. There was lots of practice towards mastering previous achievements, including buttons and storytelling (now up two sentences long).

In books, now that we've all-but-exhausted the Elephant & Piggie series, we're working our way through the empire of Curious George. While there's been a few more chapter books, including some Winnie the Pooh (I have to viciously hack away skip a lot of verbal murbling) and various series by friends of Janni, mostly we're still in the land of picture books + early readers* -- the latter with an emphasis on Marvel superheroes (Spider Man, Iron Man, Avengers) and nonfiction about the natural world and space (Dorrington-Kindersley, Cat in the Hat science books).

FWIW, current favorite superhero is Batman. (Batman shirts and underwear are worn as soon as washed.) Much effort is being spent trying to reconcile Hulk's anger with being one of the good guys. And on the difference between stories and reality.

We still go out to wave at the astronauts during visible ISS transits, bath-and-bedtime permitting. Growing up to be an astronaut ("I'm going to drive a rocket ship") has been insistent/consistent/persistent for a couple months now. We're trying to encourage this without pushing too hard.

After seeing snippets of American football at Grandpa's house, TBD came away with this understanding of how you play: one person throws a ball, then the other person catches it and falls down. This is not actually wrong. This makes for an entertaining indoor game.

In other pastimes, the Busytown: Eye Found It game has been successfully introduced. We've made many trips to the nearest used book store, as each visit we allow one new jigsaw puzzle (as well as yay books).**

Numeral recognition is down cold, but numbers past 9 are still confusing -- as is, to be fair, counting past 13. This somewhat hinders the lessons in clock-reading, requested every couple days. Some basic words are recognized as a whole pattern ("No", "Roar"), but less than half the alphabet can be identified.

In current pronunciations, for a while "Daddy" often resolved closer to dah-tee than dah-dee -- I blame Peppa Pig. (Not my favorite TV show, but it's relatively innocuous and introduced the Tooth Fairy so we don't have to. Also current watching: Paw Patrol and Hurray for Huckle). Sentences grow in complexity, including more careful use of conditionals and subjunctives. Time beyond yesterday and tomorrow is still somewhat fuzzy: "tomorrow" often means "the next day," as in "tomorrow and tomorrow is (event)" for something the day after tomorrow.

And then there's the talking, talking:

(swooping about a bunny) "Help! I'm flying instead of hopping!"

"Wolves blow down houses only in stories?"

TBD: "Once upon a time there was a king who lived in a castle for three days."
Janni: "Then what happened?"
"Then a dinosaur came and ate him up."

"In stuffies there is stuff."

TBD: "I wish I was a clock."
Janni: "So you'd always know what time it is?"
(laugh) "That clock doesn't know what time it is."
(apparently this is funny because it's inanimate)

Janni: "You don't want to watch the rest of Cars?"
TBD: "Because I don't like Mater and Lightning."
"Because Lightning McQueen is mean?"
"Yeah."
"I think he's going to learn to be nicer."
"I don't want that story."

(evening after the post-inaugural march)
"How was your day?"
"Good."
"What was the best part?"
"The $friendsname part."
(we marched with said friend, who had a two-seater stroller enclosed against icy rain -- TBD carried a sign saying "DON'T BE MEAN" and friend "BE KIND")

"Oh no, the plate is sneaking away without any food on it!"

Onward!

---L.


* As a book, I'm especially impressed with a retelling of the first five minutes of A New Hope from the droids' point of view, called Escape from Darth Vader. It's a complete, if open-ended, story.

** Props to Melissa & Doug for their high quality floor puzzles.

---L.

Subject quote from "Kiss," Prince.

Comments

[oracne]

I love these reports. Thank you.

[larryhammer]

:-) :-) :-)

[jjhunter]

"Oh no, the plate is sneaking away without any food on it!"

D'awwwww.

I enjoy these updates so much, and your insights into all the nuances.

[larryhammer]

That may be my favorite talking, talking quote yet. ETA: In fact, I've made it this journal's subtitle.

[thistleingrey]

hee!

I think Reason may've brought Escape from Darth Vader from the library recently--I don't keep precise track anymore. (Usually partner takes her.) One or another child-sized retelling of the original three films had her crying at the end--sad and happy at once about the father thing.

Ravensburger makes tabletop puzzles with larger and fewer pieces, if that's of interest sometime. I think the simplest one we had is 36 pieces, though three of the pieces were chewed up in a post-toddler fit of pique. Current Reason does not understand how former Reason could've done it....

[larryhammer]

We started with 24-piece puzzles, and are now working on 48-piece puzzles with some assistance the first time or two. We have one Ravensburger, I believe, with small pieces (a challenge of its own) -- most of them we've come across, the picture hasn't been of interest, but this had fire trucks.

[thistleingrey]

Interesting that TBD continues finding fire trucks cool! They are, of course.... (Usually there's more of a hot/cold thing to interests.)

[larryhammer]

Trucks have been the consistent and abiding interest over the years, and it all started with fire trucks (upon learning that they "help people"). I fully expect dinosaurs and animals and space to wane eventually (and regret the latter) but at this point I think it'd take a particularly hard obsession to displace trucks and construction machinery.

[thistleingrey]

That's very cool (the trucks, not the probable waning of other things).

[klwilliams]

I think three is a great age to appreciate Batman. In fact, Batman was one of my favorite characters when I was that age (thanks to the TV show).