Feeling sentimental - Jonathan

What I love about Jonathan - not in any order - his dimple, his big hugs and loud kisses, his laughter and lit-up face when he enjoys a play time.


While I sometimes struggle with Jon's intensity and his demands for mommy time, I relish magic moments when he sits with me and watch his fave Mickey Mouse Clubhouse cartoons (thank goodness he doesn't ask for Tom & Jerry anymore), laughs at the funny antics of Donald Duck, uses a fork to pick up a piece of sausage, licks it and proclaims, "I love sausage." before popping it into his mouth as if it's the most wonderful thing in the world, and says for three days in a row, "We go Mason's house?"


How fast three years have gone by, and he's grown up from the chubbiest baby to a chunky 22kg toddler wearing 5-yr old clothes, from a crawling bub to a boy who zips around the house (whether on legs or wheels) at breakneck speed. Some things still remain the same, his love for animals.


Jonathan doesn't say goodbye when I drop him off at his nursery. Occasionally, when his teacher asks him to say goodbye, he will do a little wave with his hand without raising it up, his arms by his side. I realised he doesn't like goodbyes. It's the same when his cousin Megan and Aunty Cat goes home in the evenings after dinner. He sees them almost every weekday, and yet when they leave, he cries a bucket. Even when Megan had ignored him the 45mins or so she was here, or that they fought over some toy.


Jonathan's a true extrovert, like me. He gets his energy from being around people. He doesn't understand when introvert Megan, after playing with him for a while, retreats to a corner to recharge. He needs his recharge with her and wonders why she goes away. He follows, she screams in protest. How do I tell him that not everyone's like him?


When Jon's happy, his excited squeals turn to super loud screams. That riles his grandparents up, and Uncle Bryan too. How do I tell him to tone down when he's ecstatic? Or having a ball of a time? I shush him telling him he needs to quieten down coz Jillian's napping. Sometimes, I will whisper like it's a game and he follows....not all the time though.


Jonathan doesn't understand that he cannot go inside yeh yeh's room coz grandpa is busy doing accounts at the end of the day. He just wants to see yeh yeh. Coz when yeh yeh comes back each day, Jon's usually napping. So when he wakes up, he just wants to play with his cousin Mabel, or find yeh yeh. I will try to ask him to have a snack or a drink, or bring him out to see the cat and the dogs, if the weather is not too hot. And yes, I do distract him with cartoons. although I know too much TV prog is not good for him. It's a cope out, and that happens when I am tired, or lazy or when the weather is too hot to go out and play.


Recently when Jon wakes up, he wants to go upstairs. He knows nai nai, yeh yeh and Mabel are there. I would bring him to our bedroom and try my best to steer him away from Mabel's room coz she is still sleeping. I have shared with him Bob the Builder's web site where we play a few games online like puzzles, and matching stuff. He likes watching the short videos too. But I limit computer time to 30mins. I don't really like the thought of Jon in front of the computer at 3yrs old.


Sometimes, we will play with his fave soft toys, a yellow duck who's left with one eye. We play with his tiny toy cars, or roll a ball between us. Takes patience and lots of imagination to play with a toddler. I have just started reading a book on activities for toddlers....and I had left it at page 6. Time to get back to it. Coz this mommy needs all the help she can get with a super active boy.


Now that we have Jillian, Jon does show his jealousy. When Jill is being carried by daddy, Jon would want to be carried too. This happens when they wake up at the same time in the morning and both want daddy to carry them downstairs. I would laugh seeing Jillian cling to daddy's legs while Jon throws himself onto daddy (who's standing by the bed), until it gets a bit too intense and I have to step in to offer to carry one. While I may smile coz my children love their daddy so much, it did occurred to me "What! The kids want their father rather than me?" Haha!


Sometimes the scene would repeat in the late afternoon or early evening when daddy comes home. Fortunately, it's better now. Jon would be having his dinner and would greet his father, and Jillian would smile at him from her play pen and each would get their chance to be carried by daddy.


I may be frustrated at Jonathan, or at people's reaction to him. Some days I am tired, or cranky. But I do love him so, so much.

To end of, these two weeks when I pick him up, Jon would run to me and fling himself at my legs to hug me. He is one passionate, intense big fella and I wish for time to stand still, for me to enjoy all these special moments with him before he grows up all too quickly.