Eddie, you are only 4 months shy of 2 years old! You have grown and changed so much in these last couple months, I don't even know where to begin.
I haven't been keeping track of all your words, but it's probably up around a couple dozen. Those that come to mind are hi, hello, bye, ma ma, da da, na na, pa pa, hee hee (sissy), Ah lon (Avalon), Ro Ro (Rose, but you call all animals that), eat, ca ca (cracker, but you call all food that), tee (cheese), uh oh, oh no, uh uh (which actually means "yes"), ah cha (outside), and most recently, poo poo. Mostly you still babble and grunt and squeal and point to communicate. Your sisters were so much more advanced in their speech at this age than you are, which is interesting considering how much more chatter you have been surrounded by your entire life. I think you are still just soaking it all in right now.
Your little rough and tumble nature has continued to develop. You are a tough guy and you play hard; your little legs are covered in scrapes and bruises from all your falls, but you rarely cry or fuss after a tumble. You love playing outside and would probably stay out all day if you could. You are always pointing at the windows and saying "ah cha! ah cha!" Your favorite things to do in the yard are swing, slide (you started climbing up and sliding down all by yourself in the past week), climb up and down the porch stairs, and play in the sand box. You are not a fan of being in water... the couple times we have tried to bring you in the kiddie pool (or the hotel pools on our most recent vacation, which I will soon blog about), you cried and cried. Interestingly (and fortunately), you seem to enjoy your bath most of the time, so maybe it is just cool water that you don't like.
While I'm on the subject, a couple funny/gross "outside" stories from the past couple months...
After we took you in the kiddie pool for the first time, I took your soaked diaper off and let you play in the yard naked for a bit. I heard you say "uh oh" as you were crouched and scooping some sand in the grass, so I looked over and saw you peeing, which I didn't think much of... then I looked a little closer and saw a little pile of poop on the grass between your legs! You had just crouched a little and pooped in the grass just like a dog, and then "alerted" us to it without stepping in it or getting any of it anywhere! We were all very impressed and amused!
This one is more disgusting than anything else, and I don't see me ever forgetting it whether I preserve the memory in the blog or not, but here goes...
One morning we went out to play and saw a mouse head and organs on the mat right outside the back door (a pretty typical occurrence out here on the homestead, thanks to Gizmo). I pulled the mat off to the side so no one would step on it while going in and out of the house, with the intention of sweeping it off the deck a little later. Avalon and I giggled about how creepy it was that you could see the mouse's teeth, which apparently drew too much attention to our dearly departed friend because you promptly reached down and picked it up! I screamed in absolute horror and swatted at your arm, which startled you into dropping the head and bursting into tears. Then I picked you up and rushed you inside to wash your hands (twice) with antibacterial soap!
You are just as much of a rough and tumble boy inside the house. You love to take off running and crash (on purpose) right into the couch, or the beanbag chair, or a pile of blankets. You're always making funny monster-type noises. You like to hit and slap and swat, crawl and climb, and tug and pull at things (and people). Your sisters are learning that, despite your age, they can't push you around and force you to do anything; you know how to push your weight around and don't hesitate to fight back! A month or so ago at the country fair I was trailing you as you charged confidently down a little path around a building and actually startled a man who came walking around the building in the other direction. The guy (who was quite large himself) exclaimed, "Whoa! He's a little bruiser! I was scared he was gonna punch me!" LOL! So apparently you look just as tough as you are!
On the other hand, you are such an affectionate, cuddly little guy. You love for Daddy and I to hold you and you press your cheek right up against ours. You love to give hugs and kisses. At Al Fresco last week you gave my friend Amber approximately 22 hugs in the span of an hour. :) You are very friendly but have developed a little stranger anxiety in recently months and don't like anyone but Daddy and I to pick you up, even people you are very familiar with like Nana and Papa.
You are becoming increasingly stubborn and may end up giving Eloise a run for her money. You scream and throw a fit whenever you can't have/don't get exactly what you want. You exhaust me and entertain me at the same time in these moments.
You are obsessed with picking things up and handing them to people; I think you think you are helping, but it can get a bit annoying. I can't really set anything other than a toy down within your reach without you picking it up and trying to give it back. Certain things you just take off with if you happen to get a hold of them, however. Like remote controls and cell phones and tablets. Speaking of tablets, you have recently learned to operate your sisters' tablets. We don't let you play on one more than a few minutes, but you know how to press the button to turn it on and then swipe to scroll and change what you see on the screen. More than once your sisters have complained that you downloaded a new (and unwanted by them) app or game to their tablets as a result of all your swiping.
On the other hand, you are such an affectionate, cuddly little guy. You love for Daddy and I to hold you and you press your cheek right up against ours. You love to give hugs and kisses. At Al Fresco last week you gave my friend Amber approximately 22 hugs in the span of an hour. :) You are very friendly but have developed a little stranger anxiety in recently months and don't like anyone but Daddy and I to pick you up, even people you are very familiar with like Nana and Papa.
You are becoming increasingly stubborn and may end up giving Eloise a run for her money. You scream and throw a fit whenever you can't have/don't get exactly what you want. You exhaust me and entertain me at the same time in these moments.
You are obsessed with picking things up and handing them to people; I think you think you are helping, but it can get a bit annoying. I can't really set anything other than a toy down within your reach without you picking it up and trying to give it back. Certain things you just take off with if you happen to get a hold of them, however. Like remote controls and cell phones and tablets. Speaking of tablets, you have recently learned to operate your sisters' tablets. We don't let you play on one more than a few minutes, but you know how to press the button to turn it on and then swipe to scroll and change what you see on the screen. More than once your sisters have complained that you downloaded a new (and unwanted by them) app or game to their tablets as a result of all your swiping.
You love all food. I can't think of anything you refuse to eat, and since you eat most everything put in front of you with equal fervor, I don't really know what your favorite foods are. Maybe cheese, since that is the only food you call by name ("tee"). You continue to enjoy the benefits of being the third child by getting to eat all kinds of things I was too fussy to let your sisters eat at your age. You devoured an entire corn dog at the county fair a few weeks ago. You get to eat French fries and potato chips and other greasy junk food fare on occasion. I frequently give you a snack trap of Goldfish crackers to munch on. At a birthday party a couple weeks ago (a "special occasion") I gave you a grape juice pouch (typically I only "spike" water with a splash of juice). You even get to have lollipops!
I'm beginning to get an inkling of how different it will be to raise a boy as opposed to a girl, and I am excited that I get to experience both. You are such fun and such a sweet little boy. <3
I'm beginning to get an inkling of how different it will be to raise a boy as opposed to a girl, and I am excited that I get to experience both. You are such fun and such a sweet little boy. <3
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