New Year's Nonsense

As we've done in 2008 and 2009, here's a broader look at life with Silas.

First off, this is the last year where we'll be looking at life with just Silas. Our big news, as previously posted, is that Meredith is pregnant and due in late May.

There will be only one sibling this spring, but Silas hasn't been able to grasp the current indeterminacy of its gender. He talks regularly about his "brother and sister." He has even named both of them: Robin and Toshiga.

We have no idea where Silas got those names, especially Toshiga -- though one of Silas's biggest forms of entertainment these days is inventing nonsense. He regularly cracks himself up with entire sentences of gibberish. (Watching the above video elicits howls of laughter from him.) You can't repeat his word creations, however, or else you'll hear: "No! Stop! Only I can speak nonsense!"

Toshiga is the sister, by the way. Robin is the brother. We've tried to tell him that it's a one-or-the-other proposition, to which he responds, "I want both."

What else? To the distress of our downstairs neighbors, Silas has one speed these days, and it's not a walking speed. He likes to count objects and report how many he has, up to ten. (After that, it's "a lot.") He's speaking in full sentences, even paragraphs, and at times can communicate a little too effectively: On vacation in Washington State, Meredith and I left Silas with the Grandparents Keithley and went on a date. The next morning Silas told us, "I really really didn't like that you went to a special restaurant without Silas. Can you never not ever again go to a special restaurant?"

Silas loves being awake. Each day as soon as he wakes up he shouts, "It's morning time!" He will no longer nap in his bed -- we generally need to trick him to sleep by going for a walk in the stroller or by taking him on the subway. (Charlene is the only one who can get him to sleep at home during the day, though she also uses the stroller.) And Silas is now able to climb out of bed in the middle of the night, jiggle his door open, and pose pressing questions such as, "Where's my new front loader?"

Happy New Year!