Today Mommy read a passage in Harvey Karp’s The Happiest Toddler on the Block that made her sit up and exclaim. “Now this is what I’ve been trying to say. She’s just not like the other kids.”
Mommy has been concerned about how strong-willed Austen is: when she wants something it’s very difficult to convince her that she can’t have it or that she has to wait. Austen’s so full of energy that she seems to bounce off the walls — so focused on her play that she’s furious if a toy is taken from her before she’s ready to give it up; so curious that she must explore every object in a room — and then, after a few hours, she collapses in tears from exhaustion. Compared to her peers, she’s more manic and constantly on the go, moving from extremely happy and friendly to frustrated in a flash. Austen even wears out Daddy, who is definitely not a low energy type of guy. At night, Mommy and Daddy used to have to reassure each other that they were going to make it through the next day without breaking down. According to Karp, Austen is not a freak of nature! She’s a “spirited child,” part of a small minority of children. He says children are divided into three categories by temperament: Easy kids (40 percent of children). These kids are flexible, active, not too intense, and open to new situations. [Daddy and Chacha probably fell into this category as toddlers.] Cautious kids (15 percent of children). Hesitant, sensitive, even fearful, they don’t like changes and surprises. They tend to be peaceful but are easily frustrated. [Mommy probably fell into this category as a toddler.] Spirited kids (10 percent of children). These are the “more” kids: more active, more intense, more sensitive, more passionate, more inflexible, more moody, more impatient, impulsive and strong-willed. No two children are alike, all fit into a “category” in their own unique way. In Austen’s case, she’s overwhelmingly happy and friendly and loves new situations (unlike some spirited children). Demanding and exuberant, she’s a paradigm of tenaciousness and boisterousness, who fidgets and never sticks to one routine, except a regular bedtime. She welcomes new situations. As she’s gotten older, she is much better at transitions, although she often needs a bit of encouragement and distraction to get through them. She is easily frustrated when tired but rarely complains about discomfort or hurt, bouncing back quickly from falls. Austen is still of an age that she can be distracted by a new toy; her attention span is very short. She is sensitive to people and animals around her and notices the sounds they make. Learning about Austen’s unique temperament makes Mommy feel both relieved and anxious. Spirited kids are reportedly the most difficult to raise. There are books devoted to helping parents deal with them. Karp says that parents of spirited kids are often looked down upon as bad parents by others who see their children throwing fits, but they are actually the hardest working parents around. No wonder Mommy is always saying she needs a break from Mommy time. On the other hand, Mommy is proud that Austen is unique and special. Maybe she’ll be an alpha adult, an innovator who accomplishes some great feat.Short Hills Mall and Neiman Marcus Kids Section
Happy Birthday, Chacha!
Thanks for coming to visit me today, playing with me and taking me to the mall for dinner! You’re the best baby taxi around … for when I don’t feel like walking. Next year, make sure your party is at a restaurant where I can attend and at a reasonable hour. I like to party loud.
Austen
‘Ten’ as in perfect ten, the perfect baby, the perfect neice.
Uncle Tod sent an e-mail that seems to include a new nickname for Austen (in addition to Babycakes, Little Pea, Sweetie, Cutie, Little Booger … and all the other things Mommy and Daddy call her):
At this point, we expect dinner to be following:-Mrs./Mr Anderson/Mr. Hunt (Morgan’s Great Grandfather).
-Cin/Vin/Ten
-Holly/Tod/Morgan
7 adults 2 toddlers for dinner Saturday 6:00. Jen/Mark/Emma/Erin are planning to attend b-day as well with a day-trip on Sunday. Should be a fun/busy day! Tod
Johnson Park with Boyfriends (Jack, Connor, Dean, Aaron and Ryan).
Oops: The Stair Gate
Mommy accidentally left the gate at the top of the stair open this evening. Austen walked down — yes, on two feet, biped style — a few steps by herself and then did a lot of talking until Mommy discovered her on the steps.
New Jersey
Mommy was sent an e-mail containing facts about New Jersey which don’t seem very impressive to her but then again she considers herself more of a Marylander and New Yorker.
Here it is: If you’ve every lived in Jersey, you’ll appreciate this. New Jersey is a peninsula. New Jersey is the only state where all of its counties are classified asmetropolitan areas. New Jersey has more race horses than Kentucky. New Jersey has more Cubans in Union City (1 sq mi.) than Havana, Cuba. New Jersey has the densest system of highways and railroads in the US. New Jersey has the highest cost of living.
[Hmmm…Daddy questions the underlying data that supports this claim.] New Jersey has the highest cost of auto insurance. New Jersey has the highest property taxes in the nation. New Jersey has the most diners in the world and is sometimes referred to as the “Diner Capital of the World.”
[This is not a good thing. –Mommy] North Jersey has the most shopping malls in one area in the world, with seven major shopping malls in a 25 square mile radius. New Jersey is home to the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island. The Passaic River was the site of the first submarine ride by inventor John P. Holland. New Jersey has 50+ resort cities & towns; some of the nation’s most famous: Asbury Park , Wildwood, Atlantic City , Seaside Heights , Long Branch, Cape May. New Jersey has the most stringent testing along our coastline for water quality control than any other seaboard state in the entire country.
[Why does our tap-water still taste crappy? -Daddy] New Jersey is a leading technology camp; industrial state and is the largest
chemical producing state in the nation when you include pharmaceuticals.
[This is not so good for the environment. –Mommy] Jersey tomatoes are known the world over as being the best you can buy. New Jersey is the world leader in blueberry and cranberry production. Here’s to New Jersey – the toast of the country! In 1642, the first brewery in America , opened in Hoboken New Jersey rocks! The famous Les Paul invented the first solid body electric guitar in Mahwah, in 1940. New Jersey is a major seaport state with the largest seaport in the US, located in Elizabeth. Nearly 80 percent of what our nation imports comes through Elizabeth Seaport first. New Jersey is home to one of the nation’s busiest airports (in Newark), Liberty International. George Washington slept here, he slept many places it seems. Several important Revolutionary War battles were fought on New Jersey soil, led by General George Washington. The light bulb, phonograph (record player), and motion picture projector, were invented by Thomas Edison in his Menlo Park, NJ , laboratory.
[This is right next door to us and IS very impressive. –Mommy] We also boast the first town ever lit by incandescent bulbs. The first seaplane was built in Keyport, NJ. The first airmail (to Chicago) was started from Keyport, NJ. The first phonograph records were made in Camden, NJ. New Jersey was home to the Miss America Pageant held in Atlantic City. The game Monopoly, played all over the world, named the streets on its playing board after the actual streets in Atlantic City. And, Atlantic City has the longest boardwalk in the world, not to mention salt water taffy. New Jersey has the largest petroleum containment area outside of the Middle East countries.
[This, again, is not a good thing. –Mommy] The first Indian reservation was in New Jersey, in the Watchung Mountains. New Jersey has the tallest water-tower in the world in Union, NJ.
[Who cares? -Mommy] New Jersey had the first medical center, in Jersey City. The Pulaski SkyWay, from Jersey City to Newark, was the first skyway highway. NJ built the first tunnel under a river, the Hudson (Holland Tunnel). The first baseball game was played in Hoboken, NJ, which is also the birthplace of Frank Sinatra. The first intercollegiate football game was played in New Brunswick in 1889. Rutgers College played Princeton. The first drive-in movie theater was opened in Camden, NJ. They’re all gone now. New Jersey is home to 2 out of 3 of “NEW YORK’S” pro football teams! The first radio station and broadcast was in Paterson, NJ. The first FM radio broadcast was made from Alpine, NJ, by Maj. Thomas Armstrong. All New Jersey natives: Sal Martorano, Jack Nicholson, Bruce Springsteen, Bon Jovi, Jason Alexander, Queen Latifah, Susan Sarandon, Connie Francis, Shaq, Judy Blume, Aaron Burr, Joan Robertson, Ken Kross, Dionne Warwick, Sarah Vaughn, Budd Abbott, Lou Costello, Alan Ginsberg, Norman Mailer, Marilynn McCoo, Flip Wilson, Alexander Hamilton, Whitney Houston, Eddie Money, Linda McElroy, Eileen Donnelly, Grover Cleveland, Woodrow Wilson, Walt Whitman, Jerry Lewis, Tom Cruise, Joyce Kilmer, Bruce Willis, Caesar Romero, Ovi Garcia, Lauryn Hill, Ice-T, Nick Adams, Nathan Lane, Sandra Dee, Danny DeVito, Richard Conti, Joe Pesci, Joe Piscopo, Joe DePasquale, Robert Blake, John Forsythe, Meryl Streep, Loretta Swit, Norman Lloyd, Paul Simon, Jerry Herman, Gorden McCrae, Kevin Spacey, John Travolta, Phyllis Newman, Anne Morrow Lindbergh, Eva Marie Saint, Elisabeth Shue, Zebulon Pike, James Fennimore Cooper, Admiral Wm.Halsey,Jr., Dave Thomas (Wendy’s), William Carlos Williams, Ray Liotta, Robert Wuhl, Bob Reyers, Paul Robeson, Ernie Kovacs, Joseph Macchia, Kelly Ripa, and, of course, Francis Albert Sinatra. Note from Mommy: Apparently, no respectable New Jerseyians goes to Princeton — it’s for out-of-staters — so Austen considers herself not a New Jerseyian, not a New Yorker (where she was conceived and was supposed to be born) and definitely not a jingoistic American, but rather, as Socrates would say, “A citizen of the world.”
AAAwww! This is cousin Emma in her ballet uniform.
Talking about Dada while He’s Away on Business in AZ
While Austen was napping, Mommy spoke to Grandma Rodey and Beerinder about “Sunny” (aka Dada) and found out that his mom (Grandma Rodey) picked out his clothes until he was in high school. “He wore whatever I bought … but Beerinder! … oh, boy … he insisted on picking his own clothes in 2nd grade.” It’s settled; Chacha is more fastideous about clothing. But Mommy thinks Dada is pretty cute in his Costco jeans. 🙂
MOMS Club of Edison Playgroup
Today Austen met the members of her MOMS club of Edison playgroup: Isabella, Natalie, Nicholas and Jackson. Mommy hopes Austen’s energy and enthusiasm doesn’t frighten the other little children. Maybe she should be placed with four-year-olds … who wouldn’t let her push them around.
And Mommy wants Austen to know: “We never fed you cat food, you stuffed it in your mouth and ran away from Mommy when she tried to take it out.” At least it wasn’t dog food?!