12 August 06
A Quarter-Year
Elyas turned 3 months old just recently, in fact, two days ago. He’s seemingly reaching that stage where each day he does something new and surprising.
For instance, Elyas can now roll onto his back if he’s on his stomach. He’s only done this once so far, but we expect to see it now with increasing frequency. Hanane and I were lucky to witness this together and it was quite unexpected, quick, and remarkable; not simply because he did it, but because of the technique he employs, which itself was likely facilitated by his other, less charming, routine.
He’s always been quite gassy, and frequently reminds us of his talents. If he’s in any position other than his stomach, he can get very uncomfortable and even in a great deal of pain. However, when on his stomach it’s a different story; in that position he blows like an Old Faithful geyser. We generally know when it’s coming too, because he goes into a funny, little, squirming routine where he brings his knees up underneath him and back down again several times, like he’s trying to push forward but can’t get any traction. On the last knees-up, with butt sticking out, he holds position and lets loose with a giant bomb, it’s quite impressive.
Anyway, as time went buy, Elyas began to bring his arms into the squirming routine—lifting his shoulders, first one then the other—as well as push with his foot using a straight leg. And that is how the rollover was achieved, during a period of such squirming he timed it so that when pushing forward with his right leg and pushing down with his right arm, he rolled left onto his back. Had he let one of his bombs at the same moment, I would have thought propulsion was the cause of the roll, but such was not the case. At any rate, he had a surprised look on his face, yet you could see the light bulb go on in his eyes. I think he’s been trying to do it again ever since, and it should be any day now.
Another recent achievement is Elyas can now laugh. Well, actually, it’s more like a chuckle, but it’s unmistakeable and intentional when he does it. Hanane especially gets him to do this, which is usually in response to her cooing at him; he’s most talkative when he’s with her, and in particular he will do this in the evening just before he goes the other way and has a pre-bedtime fit.
Something else that isn’t yet mastered but which Elyas is fighting hard to do, is reach out and take something you dangle in front of him. I think it’s more arm control than hands at the moment, but certainly a combination of both. He knows his hands are meant for the job, and he looks at them sometimes as if to say What the heck is a matter with you?, but the the little booger can’t quite yet do it. He can manage it if you put something on his chest, he’ll easily brings his hands to it, clutch it with vice-like fingers and, of course, quickly put it into his mouth, but if it’s in front of him just inches away, try as he might to use The Force, the hands go all directions but out. The last couple of days I’ve noticed him wrestling the fingers of both hands together in kind of a finger war, with a very concentrated expression on his face while doing so. You can just tell he knows what the fingers are for (besides sucking), but he can’t get them to cooperate. I suspect this will be overcome in the very near future.
Elyas doesn’t have many toys yet, but there hasn’t been a need. His favorite thing at the moment, in fact the only thing that he cares about at all, is a hand rattle—a little, stuffed lion (rattle inside) with a plastic, grippy handle on it. We have named the lion Chico, because that was the name on the label we cut off, and he seems to respond to this name quite well when we do the Chico talk. He loves this thing, even though he sometimes whacks himself good in the face with it. We have a number of other stuffed animals, large and small, but he cares not for any of them; it’s only Chico or nothing at all.
(Assuming your family, or a friend of, and you consider buying Elyas a gift, please, do not buy him any stuffed animals, the ones he already has serve no other purpose than take up space.)
Hanane and I have decided that we don’t want Elyas acquiring too many useless toys at a young age, stuff that will only get drooled on once and then quickly relegated to a Good Will bag. We only want a few things in the beginning that provide him with some learning activities as well as entertainment. I’ve been thinking lately that one of the first things I’d like him to have are alphabet blocks. These things have stood the test of time and for good reason. He will most likely want to bang them on everything, but I want to use them more constructively to lay some foundation with learning letters and colors. In fact, I want to get about 4 or 5 sets of these, which he will love for stacking and I will love for teaching him both English and French words. Everyone wins. These are the kinds of toys we are after for him in the beginning. We suspect he’ll jump from alphabet blocks to Xbox pretty easily, and then the real fun begins.
Elyas has completely outgrown all of his clothes except for the ones we have received from people recently that are for babies between 6 and 9 months. These are yet too big, but we are very grateful to have them on hand, because he’s growing very fast.
If you’re reading this, mom, thanks for that stuff. I especially love those little, red corderoys (and the books, of course), and Hanane loves the sun hat, which she is very bumbed about not being able to put on him now due to the sudden change in whether here (what’s up with this weird late-October weather in August; hell, our noses are cold and running here).
Speaking of books, one of the things I look forward to doing with my son very much is read to him. I can’t wait to do this, and will relish doing it for as long as Elyas will let me, which I hope will be up to the fifth grade, at least. We are interested in getting some childrens books in English and Arabic (more importantly right now is English). We can buy all the French books we need here already, but the other two are hard to come by. We are especially interested right now in stories that have become a fixture in childhood reading, such as the Mother Goose nursery rhymes and the like.
When I’ve redesigned this site, which is in the planning now, one of the many new enhancements will be our wishlist that you can look at for ideas about gifts to buy Elyas (and/or us) when the occasions are right. This would be a much safer road to take than to just try and guess for something that runs the risk of ending up in that Good Will bag I spoke of. That may sound harsh or a bit uppity, but come on, who’s kidding who here? Not me. We all know and dread the surprise gift that is more of a let down than a lift up. Yeah, see? You know what I mean.
Oh, and pictures of Elyas. Yes. We have them. The new site design will be rewarding in many respects. Trust me.
isabelle :: 14 August 06 :: #
j’adore ton humour et ta façon de présenter les choses …. surtout que j’ai eu mes enfants en France, je cherchais PARTOUT une frise de papier peint avec les lettres de l’alphabet (BECAUSE I HAD SEEN SOME IN THE UK ! AND WAS DESPERATE TO HAVE EXACTLY THAT !!!) ... et mon mari ne voulait ABSOLUMENT PAS que je demande à sa mère ou à ses frères ou sa soeur de me l’acheter et de me l’envoyer … j’ai fini par demander à une belle soeur mais c’était dur à trouver et j’ai dû renoncer … it really hurt emotionnaly to have to renounce to my big projects to “start them right” with the alphabet so I could only enjoy reading about your projects to have SEVERAL sets of alphabet cubes ….
I approached Nathalie and the boys but they all clamour that there’s absoluteley NO space in their respective suitcases … especially now with the huge restriction on what you are allowed to take with you on the plane; I’m going to give them zip lock freezer bags to put passport, plane ticket and porte monnaie, reading glasses WITHOUT the case which is not allowed …. and that’s pretty much all they ‘ll be allowed to have to occupy themselves during the 8 hours plane trip …that’s HARD !
Well, I’ll have a look in a thrift store nearby to see if I can find the kind of books you mention … unless you object to second hand books too ???? if it’s thin and flat, I’m sure Nathalie will relent and find a tiny little space for a little present for your son !!! .... you know, I started knitting him a new born size jacket way back in February … all the pieces are done but I’m stuck at the assembling stage of the garment … and now it’s much too late considering his size … I just so love to hear people talking about raising their children with more than one language …. and see how THEY go about it (in case I can pick an idea or two … which I can put to good use)that I’m very keen to supply you with a few books to get you started …. I could send them by the post actually, except that Nathalie doesn’t even seem to know your “adresse terrestre” by heart !!!!
Must dash now, they are shortly coming back from the beach … ISabelle.
Destry :: 14 August 06 :: #
Isabelle, I’m certain we can at least find alphabet blocks here in France (one would hope so, anyway); there is no need for anyone to carry or send that sort of thing over seas. Mainly I’m concerned about children’s books in English; those could be harder to come by.
However, I’m a big believer in online shopping, and as hinted to in the article, I will be establishing a wishlist (really an Elyas list) that will not only indicate what’s needed/desired but likely point to exactly the right item as well. ;) Boy, I’m tough, ain’t I?
That's OK, she's not expected to, I don't know hers either. Heck, I don’t even know my own phone number by heart. ;)
Made some article edits and added the photo of Elyas and Chico.
isabelle :: 22 August 06 :: #
Hello there ! Have you received the little booklet by the post ? Hope you didn’t have to pay a surcharge because my kitchen scale is not THAT acurate and I just THOUGHT it was just below one once !
Nathalie is taking back in her suitcase a very little baby book that I couldn’t resist to when I was shopping at BJ & 3 others that are second hand (but I wiped them carefully with desinfectant solution)... HOWEVER, she says that she would like you to pay her a visit in her flat WITH the baby AND the computer (no problem about bringing the computer along too, anyway she’s grown addicted to computers nowadays so she understands very well !)
I am buying books for my son nowadays so would like to make suggestions for your wish list !
– the Elephant alphabet book, ISBN 1 58865 363 3, which is just 14 oz in weight so a possibility for sending by mail – Mother goose keepsake collection, ISBN 1 4127 6061 5, which weighs a whooping 2lb 8 oz (1kg 200) and might rather be an option for when a relative or a friend comes to visit and can take it along in their suitcase …. – something I didn’t buy but looked like it could appeal to your sense of humour; The Nick Dictionary, ISBN 0 8118 4953 8,We still don’t know if we’ll be back in Provence in April but just in case I’m starting to buy more books in English now, for when the children are a bit older, because it will be harder to keep up with the English if our stay over here is only 2 years long. In retrospect, I wish I had baught MORE books in French before moving here because the thing is, whatever country you are living in, the effort will always have to be on the language of the country you are not in !!!!
Must feed the kids, bye for now ! Isabelle.
isabelle :: 22 August 06 :: #
I knew I forgot to say something; my (primarily British, but now also French by mariage) husband had a compulsion to bring back a complete set of WOODEN CUBES from the States a few years back when he was away on business …. I had not yet researched what was available in that line of products in France so I was rather surprised that it was THAT IMPORTANT to him (well, on top of it, as a result, there was LESS SPACE in his suitcase for the list of books in English that I was hoping he would bring for me INSTEAD !!!)
Am wondering if you would be interested in a swap with me ? The Alphabet posterboard I had in France was actually a flimsy freebie paper copy given away with a magazine and it didn’t quite survivre the move. What we have used with Emma this year for homework in english is the same type of Item I baught over here in a TAPS store (Teachers And Parents Store); it is poster size, with a few letters of the Alphabet per line, each with a picture of a word that starts with that letter. Now that I am deep into the French curriculum for the equivelent of First Grade and that I ‘m planning to teach Edmund to read in French BEFORE the school teaches him to read in English, I have a pressing need for a poster with the Alphabet on it that has one picture for each letter BUT IN FRENCH.
In case you don’t have yet one for your son and would like it for decorating (well, sort of, with an ulterior motive I would say, but I do the same !)his room, could you buy one for me in a Librairie scolaire and send it in a cardboard roll ? I could do the same for you in exchange …
If you are not interested, let me know = I’ll add it to the list of things that I ask Nathalie to buy and send me …
ISabelle.
Destry :: 26 August 06 :: #
Alphabet poster you say? I think we can rummage something like that up, though if Nathalie gets to it first then by all means she should simply do so.
Next time I’m out and about downtown I’ll keep an eye.
isabelle :: 27 August 06 :: #
Well, if you don’t need/want one for your son, there’s no sense in doing it. I thought it would be an good idea for a swap. Forget about it !
Destry :: 27 August 06 :: #
Isabelle, where did I say I don’t want one? And in any case, I’m more than happy to look for such a poster for you, swap or not, it’s the least I could do for the interest you’ve taken in Elyas already.
All I was trying to say is I don’t make it downtown very frequently so if time is of the essence, then two people looking for the poster here would be better than one, yes? Especially since Nathalie probably knows exactly where to look whereas I haven’t a clue.