About a Boy

Ever since I learned that we are having a boy, I have unintentionally been observant of little boys and their behaviors. I guess I have become so obsessed about preparing for parenthood or perhaps I am just worried about not being able to deal with what's about to come.

We went to a children's party last weekend and I thought it was just the perfect time to see lots of little kids and observe how they behave. Some of the things I noticed were quite relieving, some disconcerting. There's this one little boy who seems very aggressive, likes to jump and climb, loves noise, can't stay focused and finds sitting still to be ultimately challenging. The mom couldn't eat well or mingle with other parents because she had to keep hounding him in fear that he might break something or hurt another kid.

Then there's this other boy--about the same age who just sat in the corner, extremely calm and shy, quietly following whatever his parents said. He even just ate by himself despite a little struggle to put food in his mouth without getting too messy.

So it's not about the gender afterall. Each child is unique and we all know that! Some people think parents need to start steering the child's behavior early, yet some think these unique behaviors are to be valued rather than trained out of the child.

But how do we really influence these early behaviors? How do we shape them into what we want without putting too much restraint? How do we leverage the child's early qualities and prepare them to voyage through the rapidly changing world that awaits them?

All these thoughts in my mind are straining. I think I might be going too far where I don't need to be--at least for now.

Little People

It is so delightful to have babies around. They're too cute that you just can't have enough of them.

My nephew has been with us for three days now, and I am so excited that he is staying until after New Year's day. I have to say that since he arrived, there has never been a dull moment in the house. Even when he's sleeping, and most of the time he does, we still get so amused just looking at him, feeling his breath and hearing his soft, delicate snore.

Yesterday, my nephew was having tantrums. He probably slept for only two hours and was crying the whole time. I didn't hear much of it because I was so asleep, but I heard everybody else in the house were awakened by baby's loud and almost nonstop crying. The hardest part is not knowing what's wrong with him and whatever it is that can soothe him down.

My sister said having a baby will really test our patience. But at the end of the day, the joys that the little ones bring to our lives will always outweigh the hard sacrifices. I guess--soon enough, I'll find out myself.

***I enjoyed photographing my nephew's hands and feet. Photos shown in Antique effect (aka Vintage) and B&W***

Peek-a-boo

Another interesting thing about babies is that they always show something new everyday. Today my nephew showed new expressions--playful ones, ones that seem to say something like "peek-a-boo" or "really?!" or "i hear you!" or "what did you say???". He doesn't smile yet, but that is something I can't wait to see him unveil.