As is always the case, James seems to be growing a mile a minute. He's talking in bigger and bigger sentences, and unlike my sister who often took a back seat to my own non-stop mouth, James will not be outdone by his talkative older brother. I wouldn't say he talks quite as much as Drew does, but he definitely likes to get his two cents in as often as he can (and as loudly as he can).
He has phases of being a "pure" two-year-old in a way I don't remember Drew being. Drew threw his fair share of tantrums, but I do not remember the "disjointing my arms and melting to a slippery pile of mush on the floor" kind of tantrums. And did I mention yet that James is loud? But I do have to admit something. I handle his tantrums a lot better than I handled Drew's. I think Drew always had to his disadvantage being a very verbal child, which always led me to believe he understood a lot more than he did, and was therefore capable of controlling his own behavior in a way no 2-year-old can. Now that I have a direct comparison (comparing my 2-year-old that won't listen to my 4-year-old that also won't listen), it's a lot easier for me to recognize that James often simply can't help himself, he's doing what 2-year-olds do, and I usually just kind of laugh as he throws his ridiculous tantrums (though I don't find myself laughing when he melts into a puddle in the middle of the road while we're crossing...). Not that I don't have expectations for James or that I let him off the hook for inappropriate behavior, but I don't let it get to me worked up the same way Drew did. I probably shouldn't admit that, but it's true, and maybe it offers hope to another mom out there.
 |
| We won't let him sleep in the bath tub. ;) |
Drew and James have both been taking once-a-week Spanish classes at a nearby language school. As a former Spanish teacher, I obviously have a passion for language learning and have loved the opportunity for them to be a part of a program that is specifically designed for young children to learn a foreign language. The classes have been great. Drew is in a class for ages 3-5, and James is in a moms and tots class for ages 1-3. Drew, being my language boy, has been doing very well and picking up a lot of Spanish. But James is the one who has surprised me. We've kind of always pegged him for being a more physical kid, not as verbal, but not only is he picking up the language quite well, he actually surprises me with how well he sits still, pays attention, and follows directions. I'm also quite pleased with how much he's picked up and uses unprompted at home- he now consistently calls a fly swatter a "matamoscas", interprets words Jason and I use to try to be secretive, and I often hear him singing little Spanish songs to himself. With both of them enjoying the Spanish classes, they now often ask me to speak in Spanish to them, which I really enjoy. And the classes have been good for me too in that respect because I'm using and practicing my Spanish more.
I do think it's getting time for James to start doing a preschool program of some sort. He spends a lot of time at home with me, and he's getting to be quite shy with adults. Even though we've been doing the Spanish classes for three months now, he still freaks out at the beginning of every class (even though I'm IN class WITH him) and won't get off my lap and won't speak. I'm working on getting him registered for a "Children's Day Out" program at a local church for the fall next year. CDO seems to be a big thing here, but I'd never heard of it. It's a great idea really- it's not quite preschool, but it's not day care either; it's a nice in-between.
 |
| Always our snuggly boy |
I'll come back for a little more updating on what Jason and I have been up to.
