It All Adds Up

So it's been a while since we've posted any news here at Nate Nate, and in the meantime, a lot of exciting things have happened!  Jonah has become a big three month old boy:

It's a lot like when he was a two month old boy, but with more chewing on his hands, more laughing out loud, and even, ta da! rolling over!  The first time was a major production, and all subsequent times have happened very quickly, as if he's  thinking, "On my tummy?  How about on my back instead?"

Nate has been up to new versions of his old tricks.  He has become even more obsessed with numbers than ever before.  Thanks to the wonder of the Leap Frog videos, he has discovered addition and subtraction.  Here he is with his new calculator, engaging in his favorite hobby:

The video taught him a bunch of basic equations, such as 1+1=2, 4+2=6, and so forth, and we taught him a few more.  Nate, however, decided that this math stuff consists of nothing more than naming a few of your favorite numbers and throwing a random "plus" or "minus" into the equation.  So in addition to reciting the many that he knows (while holding up numbers from puzzles, bath toys, etc. to admire), he's now walking around making up his own.  At this very moment, he is in his bed, not napping, muttering, "Seven...plus nine...equals fwee!"

Another fun trick with numbers is using them to call his friends and relations.  I made the HUGE mistake of offering Nate the chance to dial as I was calling Daddy at work one day.  "I'll tell you the numbers, Nate, and you press them, ok?" I foolishly said.  Fast forward a few weeks, and Nate would now rather dial phone numbers than do just about anything.  (It actually comes in very handy when you need him to sit down for a minute, like if you want to feed the baby and have him stay by you at the park).  In between then and now, Nate has taken to calling every relative and most of Mommy's friends on a several-times-a-day basis.  He has also memorized some of his greatest hits, such as Grandma Nan's number, Bubbe's extension, and Daddy's number at work.  Last week, I left the phone on the dining table for a few minutes and returned to discover that it was ringing at Daddy's office.  Nate had turned on the phone and made his call. 

Daddy also reports that in the middle of the night the other night, he heard Nate reciting Grandma Nan's number, complete with area code.  It is not clear whether he was awake or reciting it in his sleep, but either way, he is pretty obsessed.

Oh, and he also asks to call the most random people at times.  Last week I asked him if he wanted to call one of Nate's friends, and he decided that his first ever call to a girl would be Olivia, a cute little blonde from his Mommy and Me class.  They giggled at each other, and then Nate sang her a song.  What a silly boy.

My favorite thing is that our two boys are really on their way to becoming little buddies.  Nate is more and more interested in Jonah all the time.  Every morning when he sees him, Nate exclaims, "JONAH!!!" as though he's returning from a long summer away at camp.  He likes to give Jonah hugs (while murmuring, "Ohhhh, snooooo nice,"), hold his hand ("Jonah fingers!") and show him what he's playing with (which invariably goes something like this: "Look, Jonah, numbuh five!  Look, Jonah, numbuh six!").  And Jonah can't get enough of Nate.  He thinks his big brother is the coolest thing he's ever seen, even if he gets to see nothing but math all day long. 

That's all for now.  Until next time, here are some fat happy baby pictures:

Comments

[Marsha]

We just bought the leapfrog toy I see on your fridge! The B says Buh!

[Andrea]

Ohhhh, Marsha. You will come to loathe that peppy little song. It will haunt you for the rest of your life. I recommend getting the video, too (The Letter Factory). Between the two of them, Rafi will learn his letters in about a week.