Setting: Lying on "the big bed" with SUGAR after bathtime Thursday night. DEAN stares dreamily into space.
SUGAR: Whatcha thinking about, buddy?
DEAN: (thinks) Daddy's birthday.
SUGAR: OH! Daddy's birthday's in August. What do you want to do to celebrate?
DEAN: Bake cupcakes. Chocklit cupcakes.
SUGAR: Daddy would love that! What should we get him as a gift?
DEAN: A robot. A fishing robot. Yes.
Dean and I have birthdays early in the year (he's January, I'm February), so he likely remembers that we've recently celebrated, but that his daddy hasn't. I guess he wondered when we were going to get on that. Marcus LOVES chocolate cupcakes. Dean enjoys perusing the Bass Pro Shop catalogues that arrive in the mail what seems like every other day. The other night, he and Marcus were looking at a page of GPS devices. Dean asked, "Daddy, what's THOSE?" Marcus explained that they were like robots that told you what the ground looked like under water and helped you find the fishies. I guess Dean remembered them and thought one would make a nice gift for Marcus's birthday.
I love seeing this consideration for others come out in him. He's really getting good at sharing and is starting to think about how his action affect others. (This is mostly because I tend to freak out a bit every time he scratches me with his Fingernails of Doom, which, yes, I trim every three days.) It's hard for only children in some ways, I guess, since they aren't around other kids 24/7. Going to Mother's Day Out has certainly helped him with his social skills and with learning to share. I think he should be in good shape to start "real" preschool in the fall. (OMG hold me)
Now if only the peer pressure to use the potty would kick in...



