Testing Us

Denis has started testing us the last couple of days. He's trying to figure out what the new rules are and where the new boundaries lie. He loves to be silly so he's trying out his silliness in different places - like the dinner table. We've found that ignoring the behavior works best. Feet on the table aren't so funny if no one's reacting! (We do have to turn our heads from time to time and bite our lips to keep from laughing!) Where do kids learn this stuff anyway? I'm sure he didn't see such behavior at the orphanage. And then there's the almost temper tantrum. He'll put one ear to his shoulder and plop down on the floor with a pouty face when we try to change his course (like when he's headed toward the oven to push all the buttons or open it when it's still hot...). There's no crying or screaming, so I don't think we can call it a full-blown temper tantrum. But it's coming. We can feel it.

We made a bit of progress today with the bath time routine. We filled the bucket half full of water and put in few bath toys. We brought the bucket to the kitchen and set it on the floor. The three of us played with the bucket of wet toys for about a half hour. We let him splash all around so he could get used to getting wet - and he had a great time. He was all giggly and soggy by the time we put the bucket back in the bathroom. He was sad that the fun was over and watched me put the bucket back in the tub. With a pouty look on his face, of course! We'll try to play with the bucket on the bathroom floor tomorrow night (with him in fewer clothes) and then in the tub the next night. He'll be good and smelly by then and ready for a bath!