Though we’ve been talking about the concept of brothers and sisters for a while, we didn’t actually tell Misha that mommy had a baby in her pooza until I was three months. That way, if he blurted it out to friends or strangers (as indeed he does) it wouldn’t matter.
Misha was really excited when we told him. He said, "And can I hold him and I can play cars with him?" When we ask which one he wants, he says "I want a little brother AND a little sister!" And when we tell him he has to wait a while, because the baby is very small in mama's pooza, and it won’t come out until summer, he says, "But I want a little brother and sister NOW." (Pooza, the Russian word for “tummy” or “belly,” has been Misha’s preferred term since he could talk.)
I'm glad Misha is too innocent to ask questions like "how did that baby get in there?" He just thinks I “made” it. And he seems to have come up with his own way that the baby will come out, having made a couple references to "when the baby comes out of your mouth." I told him that mommy will go to the doctor and the doctor will help get the baby out, and Misha looked rather concerned and said, "But why does mommy have to go to the doctor?"
A lady in a restaurant a few weeks ago asked him if he had any brothers or sisters, and he said yes. She asked, “Are they big or little?” Misha said, “Very little. They cry.”
When my sister was here over Christmas, he told her, "You have a big pooza! Do you have a baby inside like mama?" She does NOT have a big pooza!
The baby comes up in nearly everything he does. With his fingerpaints, he drew a big pink dinosaur that he said was stuck in the mud. Behind him, was a yellow mama dinosaur that was not stuck in the mud. He drew a big round pooza on her and said she had a baby inside. Then, he decided, "Now, the baby comed out. It's right here." And he drew a little yellow dino next to the mama. He was very good at describing his picture to me! He knew exactly what he was drawing.
One morning early before we even got out of bed, Misha woke up and asked me, "Mama, when the baby grows up, is it going to be a brudder or a sister?" It was cute. I told him we didn't know yet, since I didn't get my ultrasound until the following week. (He wants a sister.) I have told him that his little sibling is swimming in mama's pooza right now, and I'm sure that sounded strange to him. He said, "Mama, how does that water get in your pooza? Do you drink a lot of water?"
A few nights ago, lying in bed, Misha told me. “I want a sister. His name is … Polly.” (Because of that silly Froggy book where Froggy gets a sister named Pollywogalina!) On the 7th, I got my ultrasound, and it’s a boy! Oops, no sister! Josh told Mish, “Did you know you have a brother?” and Misha responded, unfazed, “No, I have a sister. You forget. I don’t like brothers.” We told him we got to see pictures of his brother today, and he perked up a bit – “Can I see the pictures?” So we showed him. He still wants a sister, but he got a big smile on his face when he saw the pictures.
Whenever we read the Froggy book, he comments about one of the illustrations. Froggy’s mommy is going to the hospital. Action lines around her tummy show movement, and her mouth is a squiggly line. Misha always asks, “Why is her mouth wrinkly?” And I say, “Well, the baby is jumping around in her pooza because he’s ready to come out.” And Misha says, “Does it tickle?” Right … something like that!
Misha sports his new SDSU sweatshirt from Grandpa. However, he later decided to play Batman, and he told us that Batman does not wear a bunny on his shirt, so he changed. Below, you can see his best Batman pose.
Babies fill his thoughts even at day care. He came home one day proudly saying, “I was a baby, and Judith was my mama and she taked care of me. I sucked my thumb because I didn’t have a passy!” (I found this ironic since he sucks his thumb anyway.)
Yesterday morning, he woke me up and started pulling off my blankets. When I pulled them back up again, he said, “But I want to touch your pooza!” So, of course, I complied. He keeps saying, “It’s getting bigger, mama!” Then he gave me a hug and said, “I’m hugging you AND the baby!” He asked, “Can I play dinosaurs with my little brother?” I think he’s getting used to a brother.
Whenever I accidentally use the word “little” in reference to Misha, he corrects me. His previous response was always, “I’m not little, mama! I’m big because I’m three!” His current response is, “I’m not little! I don’t have little arms and little feet and little toes like my brother!” (The ultrasound pictures showed all the teeny body parts.)
I’m currently about four months, so soon I suppose I’ll have to appease my sister and post some belly pics. At the moment though, I appear more to be in the “She looks like she gained some weight over Christmas” stage then the more obvious “She’s pregnant” stage! You see my hesitation...
Moving onto other topics, here is a series of photos that capture Misha's expressiveness in dance. He has loved to move and groove to music since he could balance on all fours and bop back and forth.
Misha has also been back at the ice rink. He loves it. He tells me, "I'm an ice skater. I'm getting better and better!"
A beautiful, frosty tree.
Misha had tons of fun climbing the massive snow piles around our apartment.
Here he is on top of another mountain, reminding me just a little of one of those mining dwarfs from Snow White.
We discovered that, had we wanted to, we could have climbed onto the roof of the garages next to us simply by using the snow pile as a ladder.
Then, of course, we made a snowman. He looks rather Dr. Seuss-y! Misha added the buttons himself. As you can see, we didn't have any carrots, so we used a banana.
Misha found the perfect spot to build his fort - the snow pile right next to our door. He dug out a little spot to sit inside. Then I helped him dig out a deeper area as well as build up the outer wall so he could hide behind it.
Like so.
When we finished for the day, it looked like a real fortress! We even made a pile of snowball ammo, which Misha used to surprise Daddy when he came outside.
Sebastian discovered the ABCs on the fridge.
Misha made an indoor fort for himself and Sebastian out of blankets and boxes.
Misha looking so grown up as he tells me about his day at school. His favorite "job" at school is bell-ringer - every week, a different lucky kid gets to ring the bell to signal that recess is over.
Sebastian can't get enough of standing. He stands in the bathtub, in his crib, and in the middle of the floor.
Ta da!
He often picks up his toys to wave around as he stands.
And when he falls down, he pops right back up again.
Misha wearing his Christmas long johns - and his watch, of course.
Sebastian in his cute sweater, made by a colleague of mine from school. It's a work of art!
