FAQ: How's David?

David with his good friend, Matía,
on Independence Day.

My friend, Kristen, reminded me recently that any big change takes about six months to get adjusted to which I have to continually remind myself of so that I can better understand David.

David gets sick with a fever pretty regularly, enough so that my friend, Joanie, said that every time we talk on the phone, it seems like David's sick.  My friend, Ashley, who has been here four months longer than us, said that her two little boys were sick like that the first two months too.  We all think that David's just getting used to a different environment and may pick up things from kids at school too.

David had a week off from school so on the first Monday back, his teacher painted the kids' faces.  David is a tiger.

Speaking of school, he goes everyday from 8 to noon.  Most days have been very hard dropping him off because he screams, cries, or takes off in the other direction.  I know that he's fine after about five minutes or so, but it's hard to leave him in that condition.  I don't know if he genuinely doesn't like something about school or just that he'd rather be at home with us.  For the past seven school days, however, he has walked to school merrily by my side and kissed me goodbye at the school gate which is a relief!

On Children's Day, David didn't have to wear a uniform and was allowed to wear regular clothes to school.  He's either eating cheese puffs or candy from the school party.

David has swimming lessons at school on Mondays, but he doesn't like them because the instructor holds him.  Of course he needs to be held in the water, but David doesn't like to be held by anyone but Mommy and Daddy.  When we walk to school in the morning, he asks me to tell the teachers not to hold him.  I tell him that they only try to hold him when he's upset so he should try not to cry.  Sometimes when I pick him up at noon, he tells me that for whatever reason he "cried like a baby" (his words, not mine).

For Independence Day, all the children dressed as farmers and carried  little lights inside their oxcarts (it's a tradition).

Also, if anyone besides Enrique and me tells him to share or not to do something, he cries and runs to me.  He cannot seem to take any type of correcting from anyone else.
Other new characteristics about David since we've moved here:

• He doesn't want his picture taken (or mine or Enrique's).
• He doesn't like attention.
• He's afraid of more than four people gathered together.
• He's scared to walk by houses with dogs (they're inside the gates, but sometimes they bark loudly).
• He doesn't want to say hello or goodbye to friends or acquaintances which includes not wanting to talk to family and friends on the phone or via Skype.
• He doesn't like the slide at the playground.
• It's very difficult for him to share.  He thinks that his friends who are visiting are going to take David's things home with them.

Of course, we can't chalk all of this up to change.  It could be his age (he'll be three in November) combined with the continual formation of his personality.

But it's not all bad news.  Some fun, new things about David are:

• He likes to jump off of everything - the couch, stairs, and curbs, for example.
• He can speak equally as well in Spanish and English.
• He talks all day long (but only with Mommy and Daddy).
• He loves to play on the swing.
• He can sing "Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star" and the ABCs all by himself.
• He likes to wear a cape and run around (like his cartoon counterpart, Caillou).
• He's made new friends and likes to play with Luciano, Matía, Lucas, Zaareth, Nicolás, and baby Daniela.