No way. No way are we half-way through your second year!! It's truly amazing how fast time is flying, how fast you are growing, how much I love you! What a fast month this was, too. My most favorite memories of this month actually happened the day you turned 17-months. You started giving hugs that day - great hugs. In fact, Banner couldn't get enough of your hugs that night, and he wanted to wake you up to give you more hugs! More than that, after you hug someone, you say, "Nice." It's the absolute best! You really are so affectionate and loving, so cuddly and nurturing.
But, I started this letter to my "toddler," because you so are that whole definition right now. You're a mess - testing your boundaries and our limits, getting into everything you can (trash cans, cabinets, drawers, bags, the shower, the toilet if we'd let you!), and destroying pretty much everything we have. You do it innocently, and there is absolutely no malicious intent, but you are very much an explorer trying to get your hands on everything. I can't leave anything out for fear that you'll drink it, eat it, pour it out, tear it up, drool on it, get crumbs on it, spill it, empty it, or get hurt on it. You also love to make a mess at meal time - destroying your tray of food at the end of a lunch or dinner (swiping it to the floor or pinching it all up to feel how it crushes in between your fingers). And, you thoroughly enjoy screaming at the top of your lungs - and usually just to piss Banner off. When you see it's upsetting him or getting on my nerves, you like to continue to do it with raised eyebrows, a full open mouth, and a look of suspense in your eyes. Then, you laugh and smile at your success at annoying us.
You are slowly de-childproofing our home - learning how to open our "childproofed" cabinets and drawers or climb onto everything. You push your small chairs or little stools around the den or the kitchen to climb up on couches or see up on the counters. You stand on the coffee table or get up on the fireplace (you've been doing these specific moves much longer than just this past month, but it just occurred to me to write about it). You take DVDs out of their cases, you want Mommy's make-up or Daddy's toothpaste, you want to play with the toilet paper or the plunger while we wait for Banner to finish going potty, you know where Mommy keeps the nail scissors and walk around with them even if I have moved them a million times (you somehow always find them!). Nothing is safe from you, and you are often not safe if it weren't for diligently watching you all the time!
At the same time, you are a cleaner-upper! You like things to be put away or out of sight. You are somewhat of a "hoarder," always putting things in secret cabinets. At Grandma's house, you might hide something in her cup cabinet, or you keep a stash of sippy cups in the dining room drawers (luckily, it's just water cups and not rotting milk!), or you put what's left of your mid-day snack in the play kitchen in the playroom. I've found puzzle pieces in the toy garage or Legos inside ride-on toys. You've even poured Frosted Flakes inside the cab of Banner's toy bulldozer. You are the very essense of all things "toddler," and it cracks me up. It brings back memories of when Banner would do so many of these things, and you should thank him, really... because I'd probably want to strangle you if it weren't for knowing that this phase passes, and it passes quite soon! So, I'm laughing and shrugging off some of your antics as you discover your world and satisfy your curiosity.
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| Eating yogurt all on your own... you ended up drinking it halfway through |
So, what else have you been up to this month?
-This month, we had Valentine's Day, went to the zoo, went to the Heard Museum to see the dinosaur exhibit (where you roared at all the dinosaurs), had a play date with Ella at Play Street, and had a few snow days at home! You LOVE the snow and now understand that word, along with "ice."
-You are so smart, my love, and I can see those wheels turning as you learn new words and new concepts every day! This month we added in lots of new words, including lots of multisyllabic words: "dangerous," "crocodile," "underwear"... that's a funny story, actually. Banner came in Mommy & Daddy's room first thing in the morning and Daddy was handing Banner his underwear to help him put them on. He never said the word, but as he held the underwear up, you said, "Un-wear." It sounded kind of mumbled, so we didn't think anything of it, but then you said it again, "unnerwear." Daddy and I looked at each other knowing you fully knew this word. So cute the way you say it! Other words new this month include: milk, walk, hug, nice, rice, back (like when you know you need to put something away - to put it back). "Rice" was funny, too.... we were eating dinner one night, and you were whining and pointing. We couldn't figure out what you wanted, guessing as we handed you different things. Finally, we put the rice in front of you, and you said, "Rice!" Daddy laughed that we spent all the time trying to figure it out, and you knew the word the whole time!
-You also have your own words, like "amu" means open, "khaki" is paci, and for whatever reason "mama" also means fork! My favorite is how you ask for perhaps your favorite food... "kokik," and you emphasize the final /k/ with passion. Of course, it's crystal clear that it means... chocolate.
-You're putting two words together, like "kankew" for "thank you." But, you're also putting ideas together, although with great space between words. For instance: "Dada.....on" (holding a hat for Daddy to put on). I LOVE your "kankew." You say it without reminders as we hand you something - your milk, your paci, a toy, etc. I hope you stay this polite! :)
-You call Banner "Meemee," but it's slowly becoming "Meemer." Sometimes when he's at school, you will go around the house asking for "Meemer? Meemer?"
-You have another tooth! Your upper left molar popped through after many, MANY nights of you not sleeping. Grandma found it, and I felt both relief and remorse when she told me.... I was glad there was a reason you weren't sleeping, but I'm sorry it took so long for me to figure it out. Your molars came in before other teeth that should come in first, so I wasn't looking there!! I should have known; the timing of your teeth hasn't exactly been reliable!
-You like puzzles and are getting better and better at them. You like learning animal names and making their sounds. You still love "Twinkle" and "Head, Shoulders, Knees, and Toes," along with "Ring Around the Rosy." And you continue to crave attention, especially if it involves anything physical (tickling, cuddling, tossing, rolling, bouncing).
-You've been crying at night when we first put you in your bed and/or leave your bedroom. Even if you're asleep when we leave, you wake up about 30 minutes later and cry. We've been letting you cry-it-out because all the times we have tried to console you or stay with you until you are asleep, the minute the bedroom door opens (even if all the lights in the house are off or we are as quiet as can be), you are up and crying again. You're gonna just have to work through this one on your own, Buddy. I hate, hate, hate that you end your day like this, and I hate hearing you cry for minutes (and once a couple hours!) on end. But, when we've made sure that nothing else is bothering you, there's nothing more we can do for you. We're playing with a different bed time or even allowing more light into the room. We've tried essential oils - which seemed to help for a week or so, but then maybe that is what is bothering you now? Last night we nixed the oils and you did much better. But, who knows!? It's very unnerving as a parent to have to listen to my baby cry every night. I'm hoping you work this out soon for everyone's sake.
-You also cry easily when you are reprimanded, or even if we are scolding or redirecting Banner in a firm voice. You're very sensitive to not wanting anyone upset - especially at you. When you feel that you are in trouble, you immediately burst into tears, often wanting the other parent to rescue you. Most of the time, though, you are easily consoled if we get your attention calmly and gently hold your hand or pat your arm and say, "Quinn, you're okay. You're okay. It's okay." You collect yourself pretty quickly as you try to hold it together again. The best/cuteset/most heartbreaking part is that you nod your head at us while we say these calming words. Your cheeks are red and your eyes filled with tears as your bottom lip puckers out, and that little head says, "Yes, I'm okay. Thank you, Mommy. I'm okay."
Oh, my sweet Quinn, I love you so much. You are the very perfect toddler in my opinion. So, even when you are driving me nuts, I remind myself that this is a phase, that you are doing exactly what you are supposed to be doing, and that you will only be this little for so long! I want to savor every minute of you at this age, even if you are up to no good sometimes. You are, after all, still one of the sweetest little boys. You are gentle and kind, nurturing and affectionate. You're a sensitive, tender soul, and I am truly in love with you!
Happy Half-Birthday, Quinn Redding!
Here's to another amazing rest of this second year of your beautiful life.
I love you!
Love,
Mommy
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| Banner was wanting his own candle, too... it is his 3 and 3/4s birthday, after all! :) |
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