Dear Liam-
Well, in months past a post about what you’ve been up to hasn’t really been an issue, because there was a post about you every. single. day.
However, due to your increased activity level and the amount of times you have to go into Thinking Time when my back is turned for two seconds, I no longer have the stamina to keep up with you AND your daily posts.
So, it’s your own fault.
If you would just sit on the sofa or the chaise lounge to read instead of climbing on top of the coffee table to do so, or if you would stop turning the ceiling fan on and off by standing on the arm of the chaise lounge and reaching up to the switch, perhaps I could continue posting about you. Instead, I am constantly “singing the Uh-Oh Song,” as recommended by Love and Logic, or saying “So sad” and making your toys Off Limits while you sit in your Thinking Chair for nearly two minutes. And let me tell you. This is not nearly enough time as far as I am concerned - especially when you see me coming and stop crying/whining, smile, and say, “Ah doh, Mama! Ouuuuut!”
But, I have to admit, for every time you sit in that chair Love and Logic says I am supposed to tell you that I love you when I get you out. And it’s paying off. Now you say “Ah yov ew” in the sweetest little voice when you see me round the corner to save you.
So, what’s new?
SOCIAL AND EMOTIONAL DEVELOPMENT: SWEET AND LOVING.
You are such a smart kid and you’ve always been physically advanced, so sometimes it’s hard to remember that you’re not even 2 when it comes to managing my expectations in this area.
- Your shyness shows when we go into an activity like Kindermusik or LLL, but by the end you are the most insane child in the room and you show off for everyone. Such a flirt. However, I never push you to do anything that makes you uncomfortable. You always warm up on your own and you’re sweet to everyone you meet once you get past the initial shyness.
- You’re pretty fair most of the time - you have a tendency to like things being equal, so a pat on my head means that everyone in KM gets a pat on theirs as well.
- You’re also starting to understand sharing and generally don’t get too worked up about someone else playing with your toys. You’re also willing to give things up so that other people (dogs) can enjoy them.
- You have a big heart and are very loving to your family and friends. We see “Ooo-eee-ann,” who comes to play once a week or so and you love to play with Cousin “Aaa-beee baybe.”
- Humor is playing a bigger role in your world. You laugh at Sesame Street and at things you - and others - do that you find hilarious (”hi-where-us”) You’re quite fond of chasing the dogs and squealing and touching Murphy, who hates you, and then letting out a big belly laugh. Poor Murph.
- You have become very helpful when it comes to being interested in what I am doing. You sing the “Clean-up” song on your own as we put toys away and you greatly enjoy unloading and reloading the dishwasher. Obviously we have a little placement issue to work on; I’m hoping you’ll still be interested when you get a little older.
INTELLECTUAL DEVELOPMENT: TALKING!
I never thought it would happen, but you are an explosion of words…FINALLY.
I am continuously shocked at what you know. It has been so much fun to hear you say new words everyday - words I had no idea you knew: lemon, hamburger, humidifier, noisemaker, bamboozled - the list goes on forever. I never imagined that my quiet little man would turn into such a chatterbox - in the time span of three weeks.
You mimic constantly. I am known to use choice words occasionally and have done a fairly good job of curtailing that. Your father, on the other hand, needs to work on it a bit. The other day he was up in arms about something and said, “Good god!” with great gusto. You repeated. It was funny and I had to go laugh behind the refrigerator, but I think your great grandmother would fall over if those words ever came out of your mouth in her presence. Granted, it would be kind of funny, but I don’t want you to be blamed for harming anyone.
At any rate, one of my favorite uses of the mimicking happens in the car. I use the voice prompts on my cell phone quite frequently when driving and wearing my headset. It goes something like this.
- Me: Name Dial
- Echo: Eem isle
- Me: Heather
- Echo: Heaver
- Me: Yes
- Echo: YES!
- Me: Home
- Echo: Home, home, home, home!
Obviously, there are pros and cons to this whole talking thing. You managed to stump your daddy one day by suddenly changing to “ack” from “mi mi mi” when you want milk. But I love to hear “Ack peas, Mama,” come out of your mouth instead of “uh huhhhhhhhhhhhh uhhhhhhh.”
You are also very fond of saying several particular people’s names at this point - all men, interestingly enough. You walk around chanting them incessantly.
- Neal Cha Cha - “Neal Ta-Ta, Neal Ta-Ta, Neal Ta-Ta”
- Uncle Elias - “uh-kul e-WI-us, uh-kul e-WI-us, uh-kul e-WI-us,”
- Uncle B - “uh-kul BEEEEEEeeee, uh-kul BEEEEEEeeee, uh-kul BEEEEEEeeee”
You know both of your grandpas as “puh-puh” and grammy as “am-mee” but you refuse to say “and-ma” to Grandma Jeanne - even though you know it and say it at home. She is not pleased with you - especially since you will say Riley (”i-leEEEEE!”) and all of your other immediate relatives’ names.
And now, when I read your favorite books (Mouse Mess, Shiny Dinah, etc.) you help me by finishing the sentences when I leave out a word. You do the same thing with nursery rhymes and songs. - Jack and Jill, the alphabet, Twinkle Twinkle, Baa Baa Black Sheep, and so on. You’ve also begun whipping out random phrases from books and music completely out of context so that I have to work REALLY hard to figure out what in the hell you’re talking about.
I was not aware that motherhood required translating. It does. And you owe me.
You’ve also grown fond of counting anything. I think you get the concept up to three - maybe five - but you like to count to ten, so after that you keep going anyway.
And, “Want me help you?” is becoming a common phrase around the house as you’re learning problem solving skills. (i.e. Mama can make ANYTHING happen.)
But my favorite is your provision of the running commentary of what I’m doing or what you’re doing. Perhaps there’s a place for you in sports commentary - no probably not, but maybe you could do dog shows.
PHYSICAL DEVELOPMENT: TESTING THE LIMITS
As always, you are a busy, busy kid. You are always up to something and rarely sit still. Even when we read, you are pushing on my legs with your toes or rubbing my hand with yours. I fear the move into the big-boy bed in the next couple of months. You’re destined to fall out of it.
Some of your favorite activities include:
- Climbing on anything you know you’re not supposed to and saying “ah, ah, ahhhhhh” before you do it, alerting me to the fact that Thinking Time is probably moments away.
- Turning the ceiling fans, noisemaker, lights, and humidifiers on and off over and over and over and over and over and over and over - and saying, “Huh-mid-fire off; Huh-mid-fire on,” every time you do it, changing only the name of the item for which you are wearing out the switch.
- Playing outside and stepping “out of bounds” and staring at me with a huge grin on your face. Oh, and picking up rocks. You do love the rocks. Perhaps we’ll make you a pet rock someday.
- You learned your name a few weeks ago by stepping on and off of the carpet in a room where you knew you couldn’t have a drink. After 18 times of me saying, “Liam, where does your drink stay?” you started stepping on the carpet, saying “Liam,” and then stepping back onto the wood floor.
- RUNNING.
I have to admit, though, dealing with these things is one hundred times easier than dealing with you when you were a crying, unhappy infant. You are such a sweet and loving kid.
JUST A FEW THINGS YOU’RE DIGGING AT THE MOMENT:
- Tea parties/Cooking in your kitchen
- Trains
- Stickers
- Screwdrivers
- Cars and Trucks
- Books you already know
- Playdough
- Pointing to my belly button and saying “Way-nuh,” which is your sweet little version of Elena.
Liam, I am so sorry that it’s taken me 22 months to get it together enough to do a post like this. I promise I’ll do better in future months. I have no doubt that you’ll continue to be a good provider of fodder.
I love you more and more every day,
Mama
