Gavin attended a friends birthday party today. He talked about it all day. All day I tried to prep him for what happens at a birthday party for someone else. Namely, the cool presents that are wrapped are for the birthday girl, not the guests. He is really into presents now. He totally understands what they are now. When he plays with his new toys I try to talk about the person who gave them to him.
His vocabulary has grown to include a little word that I don't like so much: need.
From now until who knows when I feel like our job as parents is to teach him the difference between need and want.
We were at Curious Kids Stuff in West Seattle picking out a toy to contribute the birthday present pool tomorrow at a mom's group brunch. All of our kids are within 6 weeks of each other and instead of each family buying a gift for every kid we are buying one gender neutral gift and the kids will each get to pick one present. It's saving everyone a boat load of money and space in our homes, really.
So, I walk into this wonderful toy store that looks enticing to me - a grown woman. I can only imagine what it looked like to Gavin. He planted himself at a table with cars and started playing while a saleswoman was showing me gender neutral toys in my price range.
After about 15 minutes I made up my mind and made my purchase. While the present was being gift wrapped - I love Curious Kids Stuff for their free gift wrapping - I told Gavin we were going to be leaving.
It took some convincing and maybe a little bribe of a tasty lunch but after a few tears I managed to get him to leave the store with me. As we were walking out of the store he was pointing to toys as we were leaving and saying, "I need dis one."
"You don't need that. You need food, shelter and love."
At lunch - which was quite tasty since we ate at Blue Willow in the Junction in West Seattle, their food is always outstanding - Gavin was pawing at one of my coffee cream containers and said, "I need dis one."
I asked, "You need it or you want it?"
"I want it."
Ah.
It was a happy moment even if he was just parroting what he knew the right answer to be.
Now I just need to watch my own consumption so my actions reflect my words.
After lunch we went home. Theo got a much needed nap and Gavin got some quiet time - he quit napping several weeks ago but he still gets some time in his crib with toys that don't make any sounds or light up in any way shape or form, mostly puzzles and legos. I lay down or take a shower.
Today I chose to lay down and do some sudoku puzzles. I was nodding off a bit when Gavin screamed and started crying. I threw back the covers and sprang out of bed to see what was the matter.
Poor Gavin jumped a little when I flung open his door; he looked up at me a little scared. I asked him was what wrong and he pointed at something in his crib and said, "In mouf." Since I couldn't make out what he was pointing at I grabbed a sock that was laying in the crib to grab the mystery object and while doing so I said, "You put this in your mouth?"
"Yes," he sobbed.
Upon closer inspection of the brown round thing I saw that it was a snail! It's little head was moving around and it had some bubbles on it.
I tossed it in the garbage and went back to console the totally grossed out Gavin and to offer him some warm milk to wash down whatever funk was in his mouth. That and warm milk is a very comforting drink to the little man.
Blech.
After the birthday party which was full of wonderful 3 year old chaos each child got a mood ring, a bag of pretty rocks - it was a themed party at a place ... eh, I don't really know but it was neat, a goody bag and best of all a helium balloon.
Oh, the joy of the helium balloon.
Gavin chose a pink balloon. I held onto the string and Gavin held onto the string.
Gavin did not like me holding it. "Stop holding it, Mommy."
"No. If you let go the balloon will go up in the air and be gone."
"Stop!"
"Stop holding it!"
I tried to be sneaky about holding it.
He would have none of me trying to keep his balloon in his possession. I stopped our walk back to the car so I could tie the string to his pants or wrist.
That really rubbed him the wrong way. "NO!" "Stop!"
He would not let me tie the balloon to anything to keep him from losing it.
So I realized I needed to let go of the balloon. Before I did I told him again that if he let go of the string the balloon would go up in the sky and there would be no getting it back.
"Stop holding it, Mommy!"
So I stopped holding it.
Two seconds later Gavin let go of the string for a split second. I made a swipe for the string but it was up, up and away.
The devastated look on Gavin's face broke my heart. But it was also very funny and cute at the same time. He wailed, "Balloooooon!" "Get it, Mommy." "Waaaaaaaa!"
A couple saw him losing the balloon - not the part where I tried very hard to make sure the balloon was tied down - and looked very sad for him. It was a very pathetic little scene.
I told Gavin I was sorry but I couldn't get the balloon, it was gone. No more balloon.
As he was getting into the van he saw a single white helium balloon tied to a front porch of someone who was clearly having a party. "Another balloon, Mommy?"
The whole ride home he said, "It's okay, Mommy." At one point I asked him if he was sad about the balloon and he said, "No. I'm upset."
I love that he can tell us how he feels. I especially like it when he says, "Gavin's happy."
It makes me happy.
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