Notes from January

Merry February! It seems like we always say this, but last month flew by. The first few weeks were dominated by sickness. All the people left after Christmas and New Years', but some little microscopic guests stayed to haunt us.

January was a month of adjustment. Greg started a new semester. We are delighted that he doesn't have any evening classes this time! Hinckley went back to being the only child in the house. It was hard on him and he insisted on having someone to watch him play at all times. He still goes around the house saying, "Annie," "Cake," or "Oww." We've realized that these names are not always specific to specific cousins, but apply to all of them; sixteen cousins is a lot to remember when you are only 1.5.

The best adjustment has definitely been nursery. Sundays have suddenly become a day of rest and tranquility again. Hinckley gets really excited by the idea of nursery, but when he actually gets there he has moments of sadness when he remembers his mom is not with him. Luckily, his leaders are great and he is kept distracted from this homesickness. His parents thoroughly enjoy dropping him off at nursery for two hours. They also enjoy the two hours of nap after church. After a rough spell, Sunday truly is the best day again.

The worst adjustment has been the disappearance of Hinckley's beloved "bobble." It didn't really disappear as much as we cut him off from it. His dependence on the bottle was more emotional than anything and he was getting old enough to let it go. After some research, we decided to go cold-turkey. Anecdotal accounts suggested that it would take about 3-5 days for him to get used to the sippy cup and forget about the bottle. This was not the case. He started waking up at night again(even though he never had a bottle at night). He refused to drink milk at all. And there were many temper tantrums the likes of which will probably cause early hearing loss for us. Nevertheless, we prevailed and did not give in. After two weeks, he started calling his sippy cup his "bobble" and a new way was forged.

On the good side, we have had so many moments of simple happiness. Hinckley started giving "eskimo kisses." He also has a slight obsession with airplanes, helicopters, and the moon; whenever we are outside he is trying to spot one or he thinks he hears one (that would be pretty remarkable if he heard the moon, wouldn't it?). He also has a knack for pointing out "broke" things and goes around the house spotting little cracks and problems. He enjoys "tote" with "hunny" (toast with honey) for breakfast, lunch, dinner, or anytime he is bored and just wants something to eat. He hates having his diaper changed and tries to run away when it is mentioned. We have a lot of fun together!