Good Night, Baby Shark!

Good Night, Baby Shark!

Yuanyuan is growing so fast. After a few autumn rains and the arrival of cooler weather, it was time to switch to long-sleeved clothes. Only then did we realize that the clothes we bought in spring, which had seemed a little too big at the time, were now either just right or already too small. His summer shoes no longer fit either. It was clearly time to buy some new clothes.

Yuanyuan really wanted clothes with Super Wings or Baby Shark on them, because those have been his favorites lately. He can name every character in Super Wings, and Baby Shark, of course, is the star of the “Baby Shark, doo doo doo doo doo doo” song. Every day Yuanyuan assigns everyone a role: he is Baby Shark, Mommy is Mommy Shark, Daddy is Daddy Shark, and then there is Grandpa Shark and Grandma Shark.

Besides sharks, Yuanyuan also loves “Wheels on the Bus” and many other English and Chinese nursery rhymes. Besides singing to himself while he plays, he sometimes puts on little performances at home. If there is an audience, he is even more pleased. When playing games, he is no longer content to play by himself. He invites other family members to join in—not just Mom, Dad, Grandpa, and Grandma, but also his own little shark, puppy, kitten, cars, airplanes, and other little companions.

When we go out, Yuanyuan especially likes riding the bus. Whenever he gets the chance, he is delighted, and he never seems to tire of watching the busy scenes outside the window. When the bus approaches a stop, he will anxiously say, “Yuanyuan not getting off,” or “It’s not Yuanyuan’s stop yet.” But when it really is time to get off, he does not cry or make a fuss.

In fact, Yuanyuan has rarely cried or thrown tantrums since he was little. Only when he was half asleep and missing Mommy would he cry hard, and there was one time when he had a very upset stomach and cried badly. As he gets older, his little-boy energy is becoming more and more obvious—he is always climbing up and down and bustling about nonstop, so bumps and scrapes are inevitable. But unless he falls particularly hard, most of the time he simply gets back up and keeps playing, rarely crying.

Overall, Yuanyuan is a happy and healthy little boy. As he grows up bit by bit, he is also gradually becoming more thoughtful. He understands that he needs to wait in line for the slide, and that he should say thank you when someone helps him. At the convenience store, he will carry something he likes to the counter and say, “Auntie/Uncle, buy this.” And when it is time to part, he will look back and say goodbye.

When it comes to people he likes, Yuanyuan never hides his affection. After waking up, he will want to find his older sister to play with, and when she gets home, he will take out all his toys for her. This summer, Yuanyuan’s best—and only—friend was Tangdou. I hope he will have more and more good friends.

As for language, Yuanyuan can now basically chat with Mom and Dad and clearly express what he means. Although his thoughts still wander freely between reality and imagination, he can already use fairly complex sentences. He says things like, “This is like this, and this is also like this,” and he can correctly use conjunctions such as “and then.”

Before bed, Mommy helps Yuanyuan brush his teeth and wash up, and then they lie in bed chatting until he falls asleep. One night, when Yuanyuan was just about to drift off, he saw his dad and, in a sleepy voice, said, “Good night, Daddy Shark.”

Good night, Baby Shark. Sweet dreams.