I (Mommy) am especially happy about the nesting arrangements, because my body has been changing a lot in the last couple of weeks, which makes me think that there is a good chance that Kiana will come early. Of course, babies always surprise you, so maybe she won't, but, at this point, every day she isn't here is more of a surprise than her being here would be!
Aidan is continuing to be incredibly cute and excited about his sister's upcoming arrival. He is incredibly loving and helpful, which is kind of amazing! He helped us put the crib together (he made sure one of the guard-rails didn't fall on Mama while Daddy and I screwed pieces together), has been giving kisses to my tummy and saying "hi, Kiana!" (in a sweet, soft, shy voice) on a regular basis, and has been very interested in talking about how he can teach her so many things when she comes (that baths and car rides are okay, how to play with toys, how to cuddle, and eventually how to eat food).
One of the biggest changes he's made in preparation, however, is his sleep schedule. For most of his life, Mommy has been the one who snuggles him to sleep, but for the last month, Daddy has been taking over more and more to prepare for the changes that will happen when Kiana gets here. This weekend, we made some of the last major changes that we wanted to about the sleep routine: now, Daddy does bath with Aidan after dinner, then Mommy does the bed-prep time with him (cuddling and singing "Baby Burrito", putting on PJs, getting warm milk in a sippy cup, brushing teeth, and reading one book), and then Daddy puts Aidan to bed (snuggling, singing, getting quiet and still). Up until now, Mommy has always snuggled with Aidan to sleep (even if Daddy started off the bedtime routine, Mommy would come in when Aidan was quiet and still). But this weekend, Daddy took over. And although Aidan wasn't thrilled about it, he was an incredibly good sport, and last night just complained a little bit. We are so proud of him! We wanted to make these changes before Kiana came, because we didn't want Aidan to be mad at her for them (!) (we can at least try to smooth the transition, even if we know it will be a transition for everyone). And we are so glad that we've been able to get to this point.
In addition to all of the preparation for change, some things have remained the same. Mommy and Daddy had a Mommy/Daddy date last weekend (to see Fela), and managed to see a whole video on Saturday night (Where the Wild Things Are), and on Sunday, we had a Mommy/Daddy/Aidan date and where we took the train to the Transit Museum (at this point, one of Aidan's very favorite places) so Aidan could see trains and drive buses, and then eat cheeseburgers. So, we're filling up on special time for all of us!
At playschool, Aidan is continuing to be happy and learn a lot. He is learning to read words ("m-a-m-a", "m-a-n", "n-a-p"and many more), has counted (with a little help on the 10s parts) to 100 (!), and told Mama and Daddy at dinner the other night all about how food goes down your throat, through your esophagus, into your tummy, into your little and big intestines, and then out as "poopy", while your heart pushes it around to your body and your brain (!!). (At home, we've also talked a lot about how food uses teamwork to help your body: thanks to Daddy's ingenuity (as built on by Miss Nana), Aidan knows that pasta and rice give you energy and make you fast; milk makes your bones strong; chicken and beef and tofu and beans give you strong muscles; fruit and vegetables keep you healthy, stop you from getting sick, and clean out the waste in your body; and desserts make your mouth happy and give you energy! They all, of course, use teamwork.)
He is also blowing away his (classically trained music teacher) teacher, Miss Nana, with his interest and retention of his music classes. She has taught him how to read musical scores, match score notes with note names and fingers (C, D, E, F, G => 1, 2, 3, 4, 5), and locate where each of the notes "lives" on the piano (the C and D live next to the two black buildings, the E, F, and G live next to the three black buildings, and Aidan can find all of each ones of these notes - like middle, high, and all the other Cs - in the piano "neighborhood"). He is fascinated by music, and she can't believe that he is doing music "work" that is usually precocious for 3 year olds (he's still only 2, even if he is turning three in a couple of months). And since there are very few kids at playschool in the afternoon (we pick Aidan up at 4PM), he is getting very personalized music lessons because of it! This week, she told Mommy that (because he's already learned the notes needed), she has started teaching him how to play "Ode to Joy"!!!! (We don't feel the need to push him on this, but he does love music, so we're glad he is exposed to this stuff -- although it still seems kind of amazing!)
PS Aidan coined the term "snuggly-bug", and we love it! Mommy regularly tells Aidan that he is her cuddle-bug or snuggle-bug and that she is his, too, and that we are cuddle-bug /snuggle-bug family. But Aidan came up with "snuggly-bug" on his own, and now we've adopted it: we are a "snuggly-bug" family, and we're looking forward to teaching Kiana how to be a snuggly-bug too! :)
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