Emma has had a string of questions about reproduction lately. It all started with the question "How did the baby get in there?"
She's a bright child. We'll give her an answer, short, brief and to the point and that will be enough. But you know she's thinking, processing because she'll fall dead silent for a while.
And then, a day, sometimes days later, she'll come up with a follow-up question...
One of the later questions was "How does the baby get out?"
I explained as clearly, and briefly, as possible how a baby was actually born. She listened and then was silent.
Last week, a few days after this latest question, we went the zoo where we stopped at the koala area. We looked at the koalas and then watched a few videos about them.
One was about how a koala is born. If you aren't up on marsupial anatomy, all marsupials (koalas are marsupials as are all native mammals in Australia) are born very small. Koalas are about the size of a thumbnail. After they are born after the manner of other mammals (out the birth canal, albeit much smaller and shorter gestation period), they crawl up the mother's stomach fur and into the pouch where they suckle and grow larger.
Emma watched in utter fascination.
Then, in the car home she said:
"Koala babies are very very small"
"yes" I answered.
"People babies are a lot bigger"
"yes" I answered.
"Then how to big people babies get out of little holes?"
Dang, she's been thinking.
All I could think of saying was "because it stretches."
"Does that hurt?"
"Yes" was all I could say.
It was enough. She went back to thinking and silence. I'm just waiting for the next question.
As always, as a biologist, this all just fascinates me. Watching her develop, every month, sometimes day, bringing new changes.
They start out as 'blobs', to use Angelina Jolie's term... frankly, I think she was unfairly villified for that comment. She was trying to explain, as can clearly be seen in the interview, that at this infant stage they have no real personality, they don't even smile. There is SOOOO much that hasn't developed yet physically, emotionally and mentally. She was searching for a word, the interviewer suggested 'blob' and she took it.
Yes, they are darling and the bond you feel with them is intense. You can not help but love and cherish an infant.
But they change so much. They start smiling, they start interacting, then crawling and then walking, language develops, one word, then two, then sentences. They become more agile, more aware, more understanding. They start asking questions and absorbing everything they see and hear. Then they start building memories and complex desires, personality traits unfold and strengthen.
And it just continues to unfold, day by day, week by week, month by month and year by year.
And it doesn't stop, if anything it just accelerates.
It's all so amazing.
Comments (2)
And then they are three and in a very quiet moment in a restaurant then say in a loud pouty voice, "I want to do the blood thing."
The blood thing? What blood thing?
"With the taking guy at church."
Oh...he means communion. Too bad there isn't anyway for me to explain that to the 30 people who are wondering what the hell we do at our house.
Comment #5836 on February 6, 2007 5:13 PM |
Looks like you are going to have your hands full. She is certainly keeping you on your toes, isn't she?
She's growing up so fast.
Comment #6140 on February 8, 2007 12:16 PM |