Friday, January 13, 2017

Solution to the Whiting kids Puzzle - 2017 Edition

It's almost time for mystery hunt! Which means that it is time to once again update people on what our children are currently like and how to best interact with them (for all the people who only see them once a year).

Jesse is now six years old and in kindergarten. He loves reading and is really interested in baseball and space. When he grows up, he wants to be a pitcher for the Red Sox, an engineer, and an astronaut. If you want to explain your research to somebody who will listen and ask questions (no promises that they will be relevant), Jesse will eagerly listen to anyone who will explain things to him. There is a possibility that Jesse could help solve some puzzles, and will certainly be interested in trying. He has also started playing board games (such as Dominion, Quantum, and Forbidden Desert) and would be happy to play games with anyone who is interested. He is old enough to speak for himself and tell you what he wants and likes, so that part is mostly easy now. Jesse sometimes flails his arms and legs around for no apparent reason (because he is six). If he hits you or your things, you should tell him to be more careful and let us know so that we can remind him that it is unacceptable behavior and help him calm down.

Jacob is now three and has started preschool. His speech is mostly easy to understand. The main source of confusion is that he sometimes has an almost silent "not" in statements such as "I do want that". He also tends to answer questions immediately and then think about what you actually asked and provide a more accurate second answer. He sometimes has a really good sense of humor, although lately most of his jokes have been about ceilings, what you can do with ceilings, and what you can do on ceilings. He likes to jump around like a kangaroo. If he is tired and he is told that he can't do or have something that he wants, he will cry loudly. If this happens, we will take care of it (possibly by taking him home, definitely by moving him away from other people). Jacob likes to ask questions and likes having people read to him. He is unlikely to be useful for puzzles. Jacob is currently learning lists (such as days of the week and months of the year) and would love to go over any lists you think he should know.

 Jesse and Jacob have no known allergies and we generally don't restrict what they eat at special events, so if you want to feed them you can - but don't feel obligated to, feeding them is our responsibility, not yours.

Ezra is four and a half months old. He can't talk, walk, or even sit up yet. He has started rolling, so he doesn't necessarily stay where he is put. He is generally pretty happy to be held by strangers. He smiles a lot. If he is crying, he probably wants to be fed. He cannot eat food yet and anything smaller than a ping-pong ball should be considered a choking hazard and kept away from him. Ezra likes to vocalize and really likes it when people vocalize back at him.