Updates, part 2

Thomas

Thomas is well on his way to 4 years old now. That seems impossible because he seems to be the perfect embodiment of “threeness”. He’s adorable, very sweet, silly, and yet tries so hard to be an independent big boy. It’s funny, when he was 2, I remember thinking that he was just so “two”, that I couldn’t picture him as 3, and here we are again!

Thomas has been a great napper, but those days are definitely coming to an end. He naps irregularly now, but still hasn’t adjusted to less sleep, so he often gets pretty cranky after a couple of days with no naps. Sometimes he has complete meltdowns, and even occasional nightmares, and I think both are due to lack of sleep. I don’t think there’s much we can do about it until he gets used to having a little less sleep.

Thomas has always been and continues to be very vocal, whether it be singing or talking. He pretty much sings and/or talks his way through the whole day. David commented that he would be a great lawyer or sports commentator J. It’s especially cute when he sings songs as his little Thomas ears have understood them, with slightly altered words. He loves singing little snatches of songs from Mass, his favorites probably being the Gloria or the Alleluia. When he’s not singing, he’s talking or asking questions. He definitely has the gift of gab and doesn’t like to allow too much “air in the conversation”!

Although he’s eager to do whatever Jack can do, Thomas is also getting a definite independent streak. For a while, he introduced himself to other people as “Jack”, and it was almost as if he wanted to be Jack because Jack is older and can do things that his 3-year-old self just can’t manage (or manage well) yet. He seems to have passed through that phase and is back to enjoying life as Thomas. He loves doing schoolwork right along with Jack, and I’m impressed with how much he’s been absorbing just by watching and listening to Jack. He’s even eager to start reading, so we’re using the same program that worked so well with Jack, but just doing a tiny bit at a time. He seems to be enjoying it and he’s proud of being able to read very short words, so we’ll keep with it as long as he’s interested.

Thomas is an excellent little brother and big brother. He goes along with Jack’s crazy schemes, contributes his own silliness, and is Jack’s inseparable buddy. He brings Peter his cookie blankets or a book when he’s crying. Most of the time he is very sweet, but he does have a definite mischievous and stubborn streak (i.e. jumping off of top bunks, playing with space heaters, you name it!).

He’s a little like a bear cub – adorable and sweet but also playful and feisty.