Week of June 18, 2003
It's hard to believe that Owen is going to be 2 next week. Two years ago this week, I was a surly ball, hugely pregnant and grumpy that I was in limbo. Owen was only a week and a half late, but I felt like I'd been waiting forever. I'd stared at his baby clothes as much as humanly possible. I'd organized, cleaned. It felt a bit like taking an exam, you study, you dread - eventually you just want to take the test because you want it over with. The clock was ticking on my maternity leave, I was ready to start.We're keeping his birthday low-key. Owen is still pretty oblivious to the whole present thing. He likes presents, but they're not the intense, gotta have it NOW thing that comes on in older kids. You still have to wrestle him over to the presents, and let him peek at the innards to keep him tearing. Cards mean nothing, although his cousin picked out a mouse holding a balloon, with the moon overhead, that he's surprisingly partial too. I think it helps that he can recognize and say "mouse," "ball," and "moon". He'll look at the card and make little squeaking sounds, like a mouse.
The big Bradley family party was held on Father's Day, June 15th. There are four family birthdays in June, and Father's Day, so it's a lot of bang for the buck. Owen decided to take the opportunity to become shy, and while his two cousins (8 and 12) would happily have played with him, he seemed to pretty much want to be wherever the people weren't. If he was outside, he ran non-stop. Inside, he was okay only if it was quiet and then he'd play with his trains, on the coffee table or the stairs. I guess we're just lucky he didn't burst into tears when it was time for him to blow out the two candles for his version of the ritual. He was close! No sentimental pictures of that.
I suspect he felt a bit like I did at my Wedding shower. The party was small, but I couldn't cope with the attention and focus. I hope he's better than I am with social interactions, I manage these occasions only slightly better and that's with decades of practice! We came back with some soft balls, a Fisher Prices ark, and some board books. The family was very good to him. He was exhausted, but fell asleep only when we were practically home again!
"I want outside" and "I want park" continue to be two of his favorite expressions. We've been grateful for the good weather, so that he can spend as much time outside at daycare as possible. He's been trying, tentatively, some of the riding toys. And it was very heartwarming to see him sharing the two person swing with his friend Eloise.
At the park, he's less inclined to fixate on the swings. After a time or two, he's likely to wander toward the basketball court to gaze at the players, or go to the large equipment not to slide, but to walk on the wobbly floor. Running around is good, dropping stones on cement is good too. We're out there most evenings after dinner - sometimes in a park filled with softball players and family, sometimes by ourselves in the drizzle.
His favorite books currently are the big compendium of original Thomas Stories, and a board book I got on a whim, called "Trains" - nice to see that Thomas trains aren't the only fixation he has, diesels are okay too. It's been a while since he's asked for the same book, day after day.
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