Tjabe's Baby

Mixed in with all of Tjabe's stuffed animals is a baby doll that I had when I was little. He has recently become attached to it and carries it everywhere now, constantly interacting with it and, in a way, mothering it. He is always talking to "Baby" (that's what he named her - very original, I thought), telling her it's time for a nap, trying to put her pajamas on using the actual baby girl clothes we have started to collect, bringing her to the table to feed her, and just showing her around the house and his world. If you have a little girl of your own, this may sound very normal, but we thought at first that maybe it was a little effeminate for a boy. We aren't too worried though. First, it's definitely good to see him being so loving (usually) to a pretend baby, so that he is all practiced up for when the real baby comes. And second, while he can be very maternal with her, he will also remind us that he is still all boy by carrying her around by the throat (no coddling with this kid), throwing her to the floor whenever he hears the garbage truck come by so he can go watch (that is the highlight of our Monday, Wednesday, and Friday mornings - the garbage gets picked up in the parking lot right outside our dining room window), or announcing to me, "Look Mama, I poke baby's eyes!" as he does so. So we obviously still have a few things to work on before he gets babysitting duty.