Linnaeus 3.3

Scooping out the pumpkin seeds.

It's been a while since I've done a monthly update for Linnaeus, for obvious reasons. He's actually grown & learned a lot in the last two or three months. Here's a brief review for you:

1. Preschool. Linnaeus had already been to daycare part time for several months, then on an occasional basis when I was freelancing, then full-time in the winter & spring this past year, so I thought preschool wouldn't be much of an adjustment. I was pretty wrong about that. Separation anxiety hasn't been an issue, but being with a large group of kids (20) & following a new routine with a fair bit of independence expected of him has been quite an adjustment for the little guy. He's doing well though, a couple of months in.
2. Becoming a big brother. Of course this was huge, but I feel like all the preparation we did (books about getting a sister, talking about it as much as possible, involving him in preparations for the baby, midwife appointments, etc) really helped. He loves his little sister & though he's often frustrated that he gets less of my attention now, he doesn't take it out on her. He's quite gentle with her, often asks to hold the baby & loves to get on the floor with her for tummy time.
3. Skinny marinky. Linnaeus has always been a fairly slim kid. He had a reasonable amount of baby fat from about six to 18 months old, but in the last year he's really gotten a lot taller but only gained about four pounds. He need the length of size 3T or 4T clothes, but pants those sizes fall right off his skinny little hips.
4. New skills. In the last couple of months, Linnaeus has learned how to open doorknobs & can now let himself out of the house unless the deadbolt is locked. He can also operate the water dispenser on the fridge & has started helping himself to snacks fairly often when he can reach them. We're also working on getting dressed & undressed. He's good with mittens, hats, pants, underwear & socks, but coats & shirts are a bit tricky for him still.
5. Holiday fun. Linnaeus got into Halloween this year--he really liked dressing up & enjoyed trick-or-treating a lot. He isn't scared of firecrackers anymore & liked helping me carve the pumpkins. I can't wait until Christmas this year--I think it's going to be a lot of fun for him.
6. Imaginary play. When Linnaeus is home, he spends hours playing on his own, chattering on about excavators, cement mixers, trucks, airplanes, helicopters, dogs, bears, cows, birds... I could go on for ages. He sure does.

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