Holden is getting creative with his excuses.  We have a lovely houseguest (R’s youngest brother) who wants to sleep in during his holiday break from college (I don’t blame him!)  We let him sleep as long as he can, through the cacophony and screaming that sometimes characterizes our mornings and early afternoons.  I do urge Holden to speak in a lower voice, however, which as you know for most 3.5 year olds is a near impossibility.  Yesterday morning after speaking quietly for about 30 minutes (because Holden narrates EVERYTHING he does, all day long), Holden comes to me and exclaims, “Talking quietly hurts my throat.”  I laughed at him, of course, because we all know how respectful behavior can sometimes result in physical pain.

I do love listening to Holden’s ongoing narrative.  He has conflicts between his toys, which usually result in one of the toys proposing a diplomatic solution (e.g. “We’ll just share this delicious meal of carrion, monster truck!!!!”)  Holden incorporates a lot of what he has learned about dinosaurs and evolution into his dialogues.  He is obsessed with documentaries about prehistoric life, and has cultivated an encyclopedic-like knowledge of different types of dinosaurs, their dietary habits, and the part of the Mesozoic era in which they lived.  He knows the difference between nocturnal and diurnal animals, herbivorous/carnivorous/omnivorous animals, and the difference between mammalian and non-mammalian species.  His latest obsession is about nursing.  He knows that mammals nurse and that we are mammals, and that I will therefore nurse his little brother.  He sometimes takes out his mother and baby brachiosaurus, and pretending that they are giraffes, has the baby nurse from the mother.  It’s very sweet.

Today:  R’s parents and H’s cousin C will be visiting for a few days.  It should be fun—-H always has such a blast with his big cousin:)