Busy Times

We've had a busy month! Reshen has been doing great, growing and learning. He's talking so much and saying funny "grown-up" things. Some that caught me off-guard just recently are:

- "I think so" when I asked him a question

- "Oh yeah" when I remind him of something

- "Remember that?" when he's recalling a past event

- "Hmmm, let's see." When he's thinking about something

- "Oh, so cute!" about babies.

- "That (was/is) so funny!" Followed by a forced hearty laugh

He seems able to express almost anything he needs to now. I think he talks fairly clearly for his age (as I understand almost everything he says), but find myself having to sometimes translate for him to others- so maybe he is still a bit "dutchy."

He knows a lot of colors now- blue, green, orange, yellow, red, pink, black, purple and his new favorite- turquoise (or "turk-noise" as he calls it :-)

He is really into trains and loves to read about them, watch them on TV, and play with them. He's into both Geotrax and Thomas the Tank Engine. He has two Geotrax episodes on DVD and has watched them so often he now recites lines from the show and acts out scenes on his train set. "Slow down, Eric!" he says and makes the train fall off the track. He makes his "guys"
wait at the station and has the train stop and makes the guys get on and off. Yesterday the train was running out of batteries and he told me it was "going slowly." He also loves the music of Choo Choo Soul and enjoys getting on the computer (with our help of course) and watching their music videos. In fact, he has now begun singing their theme song when he pretends that *he* is a train. Yesterday he decided that a pattern on the floor at Macy's looked like a train track and immediately he became a train and had to "chugga-chugga-choo-choo" around it.

Speaking of pretending, he pretends to be many things these days. The newest is a water hose. He makes a funny sound-effect (sounds like "ppssshhhhh") and waves his hand around. Then he laughs and exclaims that whatever he was aiming at is now all wet. If he sprays me I have to pretend to dry off (yes, I said *have* to- he orders me to if I don't automatically). Other animals/objects he pretends to be:

-chicken popping out of an egg
-cat (he has the cutest meow)
-dog
-lion
-monster
-monkey
-fire truck
-airplane

His other favorite thing to play besides trains his with his "guys". He has a variety of them- from Fisher Price Little People, to GeoTrax figures, to toddler-friendly Superhero action figures. He makes them "live" in a toy house that Santa brought him for Christmas and acts out day-to-day life. They eat food in the kitchen, wash their hands, go potty, take showers (funny, because he actually takes baths, not showers), play with toys, read books, play outside, etc.. Of course, he enjoys it most if mommy or daddy play along and we have the same scenario everytime:

Reshen: "Want come inside?"

Me: "Sure, I'd love to come inside"

Reshen: "Hungry. Want, ummmm, applesauce!"

Me: "You want some applesauce? Sure I'll make you some."

(pretend my "guy" is making applesauce.) "Here you go, guy."

Reshen: "Thank you." (pretends his guy is eating it). "Bleh!" (pretends his guy is spitting it out) Laughs hysterically.

Then we move our guys into the "living room," then into the "bathroom,"etc.. and play out the normal scenarios there. It's very cute, but can also get a little monotonous for an adult- when you've already played it 10 times that day. ;-)

He also pretends with his Fisher Price animals that came with a zoo set. He has designated the seal as the mommy, the lion as the daddy and the x-ray fish as the kid (himself probably). He is always the fish and then he makes me be "mommy seal" or "daddy lion" or sometimes both :-) They "walk" around the room and go on adventures to the library, zoo, restaurant and Costco :-)

He's still a big music fan. Still loves the traditional nursery rhymes songs and action songs, Raffi, and songs from A Mighty Wind. He got a little guitar from his Gramma for Christmas and likes to play it while daddy plays the Guitar Hero video game. He also likes to play drums and is also a
very enthusiastic dancer (his moves mostly involve spinning and jumping).

Health-wise he's doing pretty great too. At his 2-year check-up in November he was 29.5 lbs and close to 34" tall. That put him around the 50% percentile for both height and weight. He's in 24 months to 2T clothes for shirts and mostly 24 months for pants (although he can wear some 2T pants if they are on the shorter side). He seems to be long waisted/short legged, like his daddy. ;-) He is also in size 6.5 extra wide shoes.

Illness-wise, we've still been pretty lucky to avoid anything too terrible. He's had a number of colds and one long ear infection so far this fall/winter, but other than that nothing too bad. That was the same last year too- just colds and ear infections, but none of that nasty flu, bronchitis and other viruses that went around. Wish us luck that we'll avoid all that again this year! Knocking on wood so hard my knuckles are bleeding!

He's still the early riser- 6:30 seeming refreshingly late for him. He normally is asleep around 8, although I do try to get him down earlier, seeing that he wakes up early no matter what time he goes to bed. So on average he sleeps from 8pm-6am (although this week it has been like 5:30
a.m.). He takes one nap at daycare, and I think he sleeps around 1.5 hours. At home on the weekends, he always seems tired and crabby in the morning, so sometimes he'll take a 30 minute morning nap and then another 1 hour or 1.5 hour nap in the afternoon. He resists sleeping on and off (although that is not really new), but now is tricky about it. Sometimes he'll tell me his mouth hurts. If I say he's fine, then he says his ears hurt. If I again say he's fine, he then tells me he has a poopy diaper. He's such the little stinker, because he knows those are all things that have previously gotten him out of his crib.

He is becoming increasingly a "2-year-old" in the behavioral sense. We've had some issues with him running away while in public. He now gets a warning when we're in a store and if he continues he gets strapped into the cart or stroller (which he hates). He's become more defiant at home, yelling "No!" if he objects to something and/or collapsing on the floor crying. We do warnings and then time-outs at home. It seems our discipline is going to have to get a little stricter than it has been... he is getting older and able to handle more rules and consequences now I suppose. All-in-all, though, he is still a fairly compliant kid for the most part. The bad behavior is mostly triggered when he's tired, bored, hungry or overwhelmed, so I try to keep ahead of those!

The potty is still an on-again/off-again interest. 2 days ago he announced out of the blue that he wanted to sit on it and read books. We did just that and he actually peed in it. That was the third time he's successfully used it since July. He didn't seem too impressed, though, nor did he the other times. He hasn't even sat on it since. We're still taking it slow.. just letting him use it when he wants. I still don't think he's really ready for any real "training" yet. I don't think he has the physical control and doesn't usually tell us before he has to go. I honestly don't mind the diapers too much so it's really no big deal for me to wait until he's ready.

He's beginning to become afraid of things. Some things we now know he is scared of:

- The crow in the Fox in Socks book

- Halloween gorilla masks

- Jim Carey as The Grinch

- A scene in the movie "The Snowman"

He is only mildly afraid of the crow.. in fact sometimes he actually wantsto see it. But he is very afraid of the rest of them (cries and clings to me). Poor little man.

We had a fun Holiday season. Reshen enjoyed Christmas- he got the idea of Santa and giving and getting presents. Between his birthday and Christmas, he got to open a lot of presents and knew exactly what to do when he saw a wrapped gift. It was fun to share the Holiday with him this year and watch his wonder at the lights, music, snow and general atmosphere of the season.

So in summary, our guy is doing great! A happy, healthy and very active 2-year-old. We are truly blessed :-)

Reshen's 2nd Year Slide Show

Go here to see Reshen's 2nd Year Photo Slide-Show- and make sure your speakers are on!

Also, it may take a little bit to load.. don't get discouraged!

Enjoy :-)

Happy Birthday, Reeshy-Roo!

Happy 2nd Birthday my Reeshy-Roo!!

Your birthday was on Monday (the 19th), but I feel like we've been celebrating it all week. On Friday we all stayed home together (because you had a bad cold and we felt like you should stay home) and we gave you your birthday present from mommy and daddy (a geo-trax train set). You love it an played with it all day long. You call them your "new choo-choos" and love to control the train with the remote, or "hammer" as you call it, because it resembles a hammer, I guess.


On Saturday, you got a present from your great-aunt-Nancy- a fun magnetic farm book, which you played with enthusiastically.

On Sunday we made you a birthday cake, which you helped mommy decorate with sprinkles of your choice. You delighted in us singing you Happy Birthday and even tried to blow out the candles all by yourself. You thought your yellow cake with chocolate frosting was very yummy and asked for more after you devoured your first piece. That was not a shock to us.



Monday was your actual birthday, and although mommy hated taking you to daycare, I knew you would have fun celebrating it there with your friends. Before we left, you got to open a present from Grandma- some books. I sent cookies with you to share with all your buddies, and I knew Pam would make it a special day for you. I sang Happy Birthday to you again and gave you extra hugs and kisses before dropping you off. You came home that day with a Diego safari set and cookies on your face, so I know you had fun.

Birthday cards and well wishes have been arriving all week. When asked how old you are now, you say "Be Two!" and try to hold two fingers up (you can get one, but can't quite control the others- it seems to be either all or nothing for the rest of them). You love the Happy Birthday song and like to sing it now to other people and toys. You even sang it to mommy :-)

Little man, how can you be two years old already? You are officially not a baby anymore... it just doesn't seem possible. It's really hit me this week, how much you are maturing recently. You want to do almost everything yourself...the other day you were listening to music on the computer and I was hovering above you. "Mommy go over there," you said and pointed across the room. My bubby boo wanted to be left alone! Talk about bruising my mommy ego!

You want to help do everything. You like to read by yourself. You have very definite preferences for food, tv shows and music. You seem to have a greater understanding of the world every day and always amaze me with what you pick up from casual conversation and observation. You're also becoming increasingly stubborn and are testing your limits with mommy and daddy. I still think you are basically compliant and easy-going for your age, but you do have your moments- we've had our share of public embarrassments the past few months. Most of your "misbehaving" have been related to running away from us. You have such a mind of your own- you want to go where you want to go and when you want to go there- no matter if it's at home and you want to go upstairs or downstairs of if it's at the store and you want to go down a different aisle. You don't listen to mommy when she tells you to stop or wait- you just go faster! *sigh*

You seem to have a better understanding of time now. You use the word "after" often in relation to when you can do something. Such as "watch show after daddy game." Meaning you can watch your show after daddy watches his game. If I say you can't do something, you immediately say "after..." and then whatever is going on, such as "after nap" or "after eat". You always have hope, don't you? :-) You also are using the word "remember" and telling me you remember things that have happened in the past. Today you pointed at the decorating sprinkles and said "member (remember) making cakes?" I love that you are making memories now that might last a long time- into adulthood even. The more you verbalize your memories, the greater the chance they will survive in that intricate mind of yours... so I encourage your reminiscing.

You're finally starting to correctly identify colors. You can usually point out blue, green, yellow and black. You can also identify some shapes- circles, triangles, squares, stars and hearts, and often tells me that is what you're drawing (although all your drawings are actually large, loose circles).

The Typical 2-Year Old, you have many favorites, so I'll take the time now to share of them:

TV:
- Mickey Mouse Clubhouse
- Jo-Jo's Circus
- The Wiggles
- Thomas the Tank Engine
- Jungle Book Movie
- Care Bears Movie
- Little People
- Finding Nemo
- Happy Feet

Toys:

-Trains
-Cars and Trucks
- Books
- Paints
- Ride-On Toys
- Anything that has buttons to push and parts to manipulate
- "pretend" toys such as his microwave and play food, phones, and keys- you like those that look and feel real

Food:
- Crackers, cereal and carby things
- Mac and Cheese
- Noodles
- Baby Corn
- Carrots with ranch dip
- Sweets of any kind (cake, ice cream, candy, etc.)
- Pickles
- Yogurt
- Meatballs
-Potstickers
Strange mixture of food, isn't it? Of course, just because these are your favorites, doesn't mean you get them often. We do the sweets and pickles sparingly. Luckily you will also eat other food- these are just the ones you especially love and are sure to gobble up.

Songs:
-Wheels on the Bus
-Twinkle Twinkle Little Star
-Itsy Bitsy Spider
- Teapot
- Octopus' Garden
- Down on Grandpa's Farm

Animals:

-Lion
-Monkey
-Penguin
-Elephant
-Giraffe

Games You Play:

-Pretending to drive vehicles, such as trains, buses and trucks. You sit and steer pretend steering wheels and "buckle" your seat belt. You also always have a destination in mind (library, store, restaurant, or home).
- Cooking food in your microwave for mommy, daddy or your stuffed animals
- Pretending to be a lion- roaring and all
- Pushing around your school bus with "guys" in it
- Dancing in crazy circles to music
- "I'm gonna get you"- basically me chasing you and you running away laughing hysterically
- Making your stuffed animals drive your big car
- Reading books in your tunnel tent
- Pretending to go to the library and brining me back pretend books to read, each on a different subject that you make up (cows, buses, monkeys, etc.) I then have to make up a story about the subject.



Reshen, you are such an delight. I couldn't have asked for a sweeter, more snuggly little guy. I love that you still want me to hold you before bed. I love that you still like to snuggle in the morning. Your hugs and kisses are the highlight of my day. You are such an amazing little person. I celebrate your achievements, marvel at your sharp mind and applaud your independence... but there is always a small speck of wistfulness for the baby you are leaving behind. But even though you are growing up, you will always be my baby boy. Always.

Love You To The Moon and Back,

Mommy

Imagination

One of my favorite recent developments about our boy is his budding imagination. Lately some of his favorite games are pretend-based. He pushes cars around the room and pretends they are going to the beach, library, store or park. When they arrive at their destination he acts out what they are doing (throwing rocks in the water, eating food, or reading books). He'll even point into the distance and announce that he's watching birds or looking for whales. He loves to look at books and pretends that he's picking up whatever is in the picture and uses it (like he'll "pick" up a ball and then "throw" it, or "pick" up food and "eat" it). When he's done he'll pretend to put it back in the picture :-) I love watching his imagination flourish and hope that he never looses this gift. Although I'm really enjoying this age, I also look forward to when he is a bit older and can play with more advanced playsets, like Playmobil and Legos. How fun that will be :-)

Speaking of playing and toys, we bought Reshen's birthday present this weekend. Something I've had my eyes on was being sold at Costco for a reasonable price so we snatched it up. It's a Geo Trax electric train set. It's *so* cool! Here's a link to it: http://www.fisher-price.com/fp.aspx?st=10&e=geotrax
You can control the trains by a lever and it has "guys" that you can take in and out of the train and move around the train station and other features to manipulate. It's an interactive and imaginative toy that hopefully will grow with him (there are additional sets you can buy to add on to it). Anyways, I'm very excited to give it to him, but have to hold off for a couple more weeks.

Catching Up

As you may have noticed I have fallen *very* behind in this blog! Life has been full and I've been so tired in the evenings it's been difficult to take the time to write down all that the little man has been up to. But no more excuses- today I will try to catch up. Mind you, because I'm trying to capture a month's worth of Reshen antidotes, it may be jumbled and not very poetic ;-)

Most recently (and note-worthy) was Halloween. Reshen still didn't totally "get" it this year, but at least he was a little more aware than last year. To kick off the festivities, we went to a pumpkin patch at Craven Farms in Snohomish (out in the country) on the weekend before Halloween. I dressed him in a clown costume that my great-grandmother Crowe made for my mom. Three generations (including my sister and I) have now worn it :-) Reshen was actually almost too big for it, but I managed to stuff him in it long enough for him to walk around the pumpkin patch and attract a lot of attention :-) He had a great time playing on a tractor, and "pushing" a huge wheelbarrow. Most of the pumpkins out in the field were already rotten (we have had a lot of rain and cold temperatures), so he began saying "yucky pumpkins!" We picked out a nice healthy one up at the front and Reshen decided he wanted his own tiny pumpkin too. Later that day I let him paint it at home (he chose to paint it mostly black for some reason). He also decided to paint his cheeks and nose telling me "clown on face." He was re-creating his clown costume.

That Sunday I wanted to carve the pumpkin we picked and thought he might like to help me take the "guts" out. He watched with interest as I pulled out the first handful and then wrinkled his nose. I asked if he wanted to try and he shook his head and declared "No Reshen put hands in there. Yucky pumpkin!" He's been particular about his hands lately and so I didn't push it. He just sat and watched me for awhile, supervising and telling me to throw the pumpkin guts in the trash. I thought having kids meant I got to delegate these tasks, but I think Reshen enjoys pumpkin carving as much as Alan (which means not at all). Maybe next year...



On Halloween Reshen had a party at his day care. Of course I wasn't there, but it looks like they had fun as he came home with a pumpkin painted on his face, a bag full of goodies and real pumpkin. I picked him up early that day and took him to Bothell Country Village for their early trick-or-treating. It was perfect. It's a quaint, village-like setting of local shops. There are chickens, ducks, a pond and streams and fountains, and cobblestone streets- a great place for kids. At first Reshen didn't want to put on his lion outfit, but I told him he had to wear it if he wanted to get candy. He finally agreed and actually kept it on (including the hood) the whole time. He was a little overwhelmed and unsure at first- I suppose it was a combination of all the people and all the costumes. He didn't want to go up to the doors to get the candy and would plant his heels and say "no." After I gave him a piece of candy, though, he decided it was OK to go get some more :-) He took everything in with those wide, dark eyes. I asked him a few times if he wanted to go home, but he quickly told me "No. Reshen go trick treat." So we stayed awhile longer. I let him have a few pieces of candy, but we didn't go overboard. He has enough trouble sleeping as it is and I wasn't about to get him on a sugar high before bedtime! All in all it was a fun Halloween. It's so nice to have a kid of my own to share it with now :-)



Our little man is quite a voracious book reader lately. Yesterday evening he pulled out every single book he has in our living room one-by-one. He would take one out, flip through it quietly, and when he was done, he would put it down and grab another one. He was so serious and focused. He read books like that for a good 30 minutes without a peep, except for the occasional comment about what he was reading. We've also started reading a book before bedtime (The Going to Bed Book, by Sandra Bonton) and he's formed an attachment to it- taking it to bed and even brining it downstairs in the morning. The past few nights I've put him to bed with two books and his star light on so he can see and he reads until he falls asleep without any complaining. How wonderful is that? :-)

I scored Reshen a wooden train and track set from Freecycle. I was going to save it for his birthday and add a bunch of accessories to it, but couldn't wait that long and gave it to him last week. He played with it every chance he got for a few days, but now he's more interested in the one battery-powered engine that it came it. He's so much like his daddy sometimes- all about the electronics. I had these visions of him making long trains with the many pieces it came with and pushing them around the track and over the bridge... but he just likes to turn on that one engine and watch it drive. He does like the set, though, and it was free so it's not like I wasted any money. Also, I think this is a toy he can grow into and we can add new pieces to it as he gets older.

Reshen's "Gamma" and "Gampa" (my parents) visited in early October and had so much fun with him. He totally ate up all the attention and really enjoyed spending his days with them. He still talks about them and says goodnight to their photo now. It's really sweet and I'm glad he's at an age where he'll remember his relatives even though they all live out of state.

Reshen went pee in his potty for the 2nd time at the beginning of October. Like the first time, I think we were just lucky, as he hasn't done it again since. We're not pushing it yet, though. If he wants to sit on it, that's great, but if not, that's OK too. He really has shown no sign that he can really control it yet and is only mildly interested in the whole process, so we're not too worried at this point.

He's such a talker and has taken to saying "mommy" after almost every sentence that he says to me. Example: "Mommy sit by you read book Mommy." "Chancey eat food Mommy." "I want Mommy hold you Mommy." It's like he has to confirm that he's talking to me and that I'm listening. It's really cute :-) He also says "please" a lot. One morning I came into his room to get him out and he greeted me with "I want mommy change biper (diaper) please mommy." :-)

As usual, he is really into music and singing. He sings "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star" so well- he even has the melody and cadence down. He still really likes "wheels on the bus," and also likes "baa baa black sheep" and "Bingo." I check out music tapes for him every couple of weeks from the library and we listen to them on our commutes to and from daycare. His favorite tape so far has been Raffi.

He has discovered his belly button. He noticed it before bath the other nigh and asked Alan "What's that?" Alan told him it was his belly button. The rest of the night he would look down and say "Where button go?" Funny kid, though, he won't touch it. I told him to show me where it was and he looked confused so then I told him to pat it and show mommy where it was and he said, "No Reshen touch button." I have no idea why he won't touch his belly button- just one of his little quirks I guess.



Reshen and Chancey (our cat) are becoming better friends these days. Chancey hangs around him more and even rubs against him. Reshen is softer with him and pets and hugs him. For the most part they get along well, although we still have to make sure he doesn't run his cars and trucks into the cat and sometimes we have to tell him that Chancey is not a pillow. He thinks the cat is hilarious and it's so funny to watch Reshen get a laugh out of him. Chancey often hangs out around his toys and Reshen will crack up and say "Chancey playing with trains!" or "Chancey read book!"

Well, it's getting late here and we never know how early our little man will wake so I'll end this here for now. More later (and hopefully sooner rather than later) :-)

From the Mouths of Babes (or Bubbies)

Thought I'd share a few funny quips from my guy:

1. Yesterday he kept telling me "Bee in ear," "Bee in there," and patting/pulling at his ear. He had also told me the night before that his ear hurt. Thinking it might be an ear infection I took him to the doctor today. Verdict? No bees in his ear... and no ear infection either. It could be teething or perhaps allergies causing pressure (his nasal passages are swollen). But the "bee in ear" cracked me up and left me scratching my head.

2. Reshen was in his carseat reading a Winnie the Pooh book quite intently. Stopped at a red light, I turned around to look at him and he was holding the book up to his chest. "What are you doing?" I asked him. "Tigger hold you!" he exclaimed and grinned. LOL He was pretending that Tigger was holding him :-)

3. We've been listening to a Raffi tape in the car during our commute and Reshen really likes a song called "Octopus' Garden" Funny thing is though, every time he listens to it, he has to ask "Where Addson (Addison) go?" Addison is a baby at his daycare who recently moved away. I have no idea why he associates that song with Addison, but he says it *every* time.

Oh, and for those who were reading "My Kids Plate," I finally got that blog rolling again too :-) You can check it out here: www.mykidsplate.blogspot.com

Growing Pains

Our little boy is both looking and acting like such a "big boy" lately. First off, I finally broke down and let his long baby locks get cut. It was just getting so long and out-of-control and I know Alan was getting tired of the "What a pretty girl" comments. Because we're cheap, we decided to cut it ourselves. Actually, Alan cut it while I held a wiggling Reshen. The result wasn't the best haircut- it's a little short for mommy's taste and a bit uneven. I suppose we'll spring for a professional cut next time. He's still pretty darn cute though :-)

He has been saying the funniest things. It's so much fun to hear what's going on in that remarkable mind and to watch his personality develop .

Here are some examples:

1. We were reading a "Bob the Builder" book and were looking at page showing Bob standing beside an empty truck. Reshen pointed at the truck and said "Go in there." Then he pointed to Bob and said "Go!" and then back to the truck and said "In there." He waited a moment and then pointed at Bob again and made a pushing motion towards the truck and ordered "Go, Go, Go!" "Go in there." Alan and I were extremely amused. He really thought he could boss Bob the Builder into the truck.

2. The other day he was eating steamed veggies and decided he didn't want them anymore, so he dramatically spit them out of his mouth and then shook his head solemnly. "No," he said, "I don't like it." It was all I could do not to laugh out loud. It was the first time he has actually used the words "don't like it." He's also started saying that he loves things, like "I love strawberries," and my favorite, "I love mama." :-)

3. Reshen counted to 12 *in correct order* last week. Alan and I were floored. What a smart boy he is :-)

We've had lots of fun adventures recently. We went to the zoo with his daycare a couple of weeks ago. He had a great time and it was fun to see him interact with the other kids. He even has a little curly-haired "girl friend." :-) That day he rode a carousel for the first time and loved it. Now he often asks to go to the zoo when we get in the car. Too bad it's so expensive!



Another of his favorite places these days is the library. We have a nice one just down the street and he loves to go and read books in the children's section. They also have lots of puppets there and a small toddler area to play in. We usually check out a couple of board books and a music tape. He's always asking to go to the "Liberry" now and actually cried the other day because he was heartbroken that it was closed. Perhaps we have a little reader on our hands :-)

Today we went to the Cedar River Watershed and took a walk down to Rattlesnake Lake. Reshen had a wonderful time watching butterflies, eating blackberries and throwing rocks in the water. We also went the their nature center and he had a blast playing with their interactive water cycle game (sticking balls into vaccum tubes and watching them travel to a location across the room). He was also amazed by their really cool "water drums," (water drops randomly spill from above and hit various drums, making a really neat, constant rythmn created by nature). He exclamied "Water play drums!" as he watched wide-eyed.



We can really tell that Reshen is nearing age 2. Along with a heightened understanding and vocabulary he is developing a ferocious sense of indendpence. Most of the time he's still my sweet boy and *usually* cooperates, but more and more often he'll go into meltdown mode when we won't let him do something that he wants. He has begun to scream "No!" and will also run away screaming and crying if I'm trying to change his diaper when he doesn't want to, or put him to bed. He also seems to anticipate trouble, and will tell me "I want Mama walk away," and points the other direction when I approach him to change his diaper or put on his shoes. He is just so bossy. We've begun to introduce "time-outs," although luckily we've only had to give a few so far. Most of the time, tantrums result from him being tired or when we are out in public, so time-outs aren't appropriate in every situation. He's also been teething lately (those 2 year molars I think) and can be so crabby, especially in the evening. I'm seeing shades of our developing 2-year-old and I'm not sure I'm ready for it!

He likes to watch the end of the movie "A Mighty Wind," as it's a folk concert. He sits attentively and claps with the audience at the end of each song. He calls the movie "Guitar Show." I love how he is so into music.

I suppose you've noticed the new look of this blog. I was tired of seeing my old template on other people's blogs, so Alan created me a totally original one. Isn't he talented? :-)