July 20, 2001 - Friday
This morning at breakfast, then again tonight at dinner, Harry insisted on using an adult spoon and fork. They're far too big and awkward for him, but Harry is an ambitious boy and is always trying to be independent. And, he was convinced it was time to try. This came out of the blue, but I've noticed before that he often self-consciously thinks about new things like this for a little while before trying them. It's most obvious with new names - I'll introduce someone and Harry will be a little shy, then when they turn their back Harry will test out the name - but I think the same happens with other challenges. He's probably been eyeing the big spoons and forks for a while now and decided it was time. His experiment worked a little better at breakfast with the spoon. The larger fork at dinner, however, turned out to be more frustrating than anything else. We tried to get him to go back to his own smaller fork, but that was an exercise in even more frustration with our strong-headed boy.

At the same time, Harry seems to be graciously refining his sense of sharing. Tonight, as a clear but charming procrastination of going to sleep, he offered each of his four favorite stuffed animals a drink of water. He'd put his sippy cup to each one's mouth area and pretend to pour. Doggy, piggy, bunny, and bear are the stuffed animals that tend to remain around Harry's bed. He has several more about the house, but these are the ones he sees every night and often holds as he's falling asleep.


Comments, opinions?