It's so cute when you ask Jack this question he says in a really excited voice "A baby!"
It's so hard to know how much a little guy (just 3 years old last month) understands about things like this. We talk about it a fair amount though. I explain that the baby needs to stay in mommy's tummy till he gets big enough to come live with us. We talk a little bit (OK well I talk, Jack listens) about what it will be like when the baby comes and what we can eventually do with the baby. Oh and he got this one on his own from observation....
Mommy: "So Jack, what do babies do?"
Jack: "Cwry."
I've wondered how much he gets or thinks about the baby coming. He has said a few surprising things that make me realize he is actually excited about the baby coming -or at least he has moments of excitement. I thought it best that I record a few of these.
The 1st one was a few months ago. Jack had been sick for a few days and we were very stuck at home in lovely the Minnesota winter. I'd purchased a new kid's movie one night so we'd have something new to watch together. That next morning when he woke up I went into his bedroom and said "Guess what Jackie? I have a surprise for you!"
Jack's response was "OH mommy, did the baby come!"
Oh it just melted my heart that in his mind the baby coming was a surprise to be excited about. And that it was what he thought of first.
Another one happened just a couple weeks ago, shortly after his 3rd birthday. Jack and I were driving back from visiting grandma and grandpa in South Dakota. I think we were just leaving McDonalds and I wanted to get his next dvd going before I safely got on the road. But something distracted him and he said "J for Jack mommy!"
I replied "Yes Jack, that's right - J- A- C- K! Jack!"
Then he asked me to spell Mommy, so I did, then Daddy, Grandma, and Grandpa. His interest level was impressive. So when we finished with those I said "OK hunny are you ready for a dvd?" (not wanting to drive into the Minnesota river while changing dvds in the player).
And he said "No Mommy! We have one more person!.... You forgot to spell BABY!"
Awww..... he thought of the baby as part of the family! Oh I love this age.
And then a small one this morning. It took us a while to come up with a name for this baby (Joey) but have been recently using it some... saying baby Joey. Previously we had asked Jack if we should name the baby Joey (or what we should name the baby) and he had said NO! And didn't really have any suggestions and in his usual way seemed irritated by the suggestions (sounds more like daddy here!) So the past couple of weeks we'd just been referring to the baby as baby Joey sometimes (but not all the time). Well this morning he and I were talking about when the baby comes (OK I was talking about it, Jack was maybe listening). I was saying something about all the baby, apparently too many words, and he misunderstood what I said (surprise!). Well he said "No mommy, he's named Baby Joey!" Awww... well I guess he's picked up on us calling the baby Baby Joey! Too cute!
Part of me gets excited about this stuff because Jack hasn't always been a big talker, so it's fun to see him so expressive and talkative about stuff (well, for him. And in all honesty the other day when I was getting sassed at repeatedly, I dreamed of the old days that he didn't talk!)
But really I get excited about this stuff because I hope that in some small way it prepares him for the baby actually coming... or he anticipates the big event a bit. I mean his world is going to be totally turned upside down. Of course we all know he has know idea what's coming! And in reality, me taking care of a newborn and an intense 3 year old who's use to having most of my attention, I haven't a clue what's coming either! What I do know is that our lives, yet again, will never be the same.... and I'm so thankful for that.
It's so hard to know how much a little guy (just 3 years old last month) understands about things like this. We talk about it a fair amount though. I explain that the baby needs to stay in mommy's tummy till he gets big enough to come live with us. We talk a little bit (OK well I talk, Jack listens) about what it will be like when the baby comes and what we can eventually do with the baby. Oh and he got this one on his own from observation....
Mommy: "So Jack, what do babies do?"
Jack: "Cwry."
I've wondered how much he gets or thinks about the baby coming. He has said a few surprising things that make me realize he is actually excited about the baby coming -or at least he has moments of excitement. I thought it best that I record a few of these.
The 1st one was a few months ago. Jack had been sick for a few days and we were very stuck at home in lovely the Minnesota winter. I'd purchased a new kid's movie one night so we'd have something new to watch together. That next morning when he woke up I went into his bedroom and said "Guess what Jackie? I have a surprise for you!"
Jack's response was "OH mommy, did the baby come!"
Oh it just melted my heart that in his mind the baby coming was a surprise to be excited about. And that it was what he thought of first.
Another one happened just a couple weeks ago, shortly after his 3rd birthday. Jack and I were driving back from visiting grandma and grandpa in South Dakota. I think we were just leaving McDonalds and I wanted to get his next dvd going before I safely got on the road. But something distracted him and he said "J for Jack mommy!"
I replied "Yes Jack, that's right - J- A- C- K! Jack!"
Then he asked me to spell Mommy, so I did, then Daddy, Grandma, and Grandpa. His interest level was impressive. So when we finished with those I said "OK hunny are you ready for a dvd?" (not wanting to drive into the Minnesota river while changing dvds in the player).
And he said "No Mommy! We have one more person!.... You forgot to spell BABY!"
Awww..... he thought of the baby as part of the family! Oh I love this age.
And then a small one this morning. It took us a while to come up with a name for this baby (Joey) but have been recently using it some... saying baby Joey. Previously we had asked Jack if we should name the baby Joey (or what we should name the baby) and he had said NO! And didn't really have any suggestions and in his usual way seemed irritated by the suggestions (sounds more like daddy here!) So the past couple of weeks we'd just been referring to the baby as baby Joey sometimes (but not all the time). Well this morning he and I were talking about when the baby comes (OK I was talking about it, Jack was maybe listening). I was saying something about all the baby, apparently too many words, and he misunderstood what I said (surprise!). Well he said "No mommy, he's named Baby Joey!" Awww... well I guess he's picked up on us calling the baby Baby Joey! Too cute!
Part of me gets excited about this stuff because Jack hasn't always been a big talker, so it's fun to see him so expressive and talkative about stuff (well, for him. And in all honesty the other day when I was getting sassed at repeatedly, I dreamed of the old days that he didn't talk!)
But really I get excited about this stuff because I hope that in some small way it prepares him for the baby actually coming... or he anticipates the big event a bit. I mean his world is going to be totally turned upside down. Of course we all know he has know idea what's coming! And in reality, me taking care of a newborn and an intense 3 year old who's use to having most of my attention, I haven't a clue what's coming either! What I do know is that our lives, yet again, will never be the same.... and I'm so thankful for that.
Jackie 2 years ago...
Last night in his big boy bed...
1 comment:
Those are precious pictures! I can't believe both our boys are in their big boy beds now! I never thought I'd live to see the day! (Now if only they'd use the toilet...)
I can imagine it's really neat to have another baby as you have a three-year-old. Andrew was only 25 months old when Baby B was born, so he wasn't extremely verbal, nor did he really understand what was going on.
:)
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