23 months...that's almost 2, folks!

I am less sad about the 2-year milestone than I was the 1-year. Perhaps because non-babydom truly has been a better fit for my life than babydom. So I love where it's going...that much more... and am mostly excited about what is around the corner. Though admittedly, I dread potty-training...transitioning to a bed...and his first real rejection of giving me a hug and kiss bye-bye.

So this entry is going to be a rambling of thoughts... no organization whatsoever. I think this format will most accurately portray our life right now. hahahaha

So often, Neil and I look at one another and say something on the order of: Wow, we sure have made such a hilarious and cute little boy!

He is just so special. And bright. I was asked what he was "into" these days...you know, like trains or dinosaurs. Now he definitely loves trains. He loves trucks. He loves to point out emergency vehicles of all kinds (and insists that busses are  "ammulents"...) but what he's truly into...is tunnels. I never would have guessed this. He sees tunnels in everything. Everything USED to be an apple (wow, that seems so long ago), but now, any dark spot, any crevice, and hole or dug out part of the world, is a tunnel. I think his Fraggle Rock experiences have bled into the real world. ;)  The funniest one though is that one day at dinner (actually it was Dec. 26, while in Omaha with my family), he was making an O-shape with his mouth and I said, "what are you doing?" he said, "Look, mom! Tunnel!" and he'd point to his mouth while making the o-shape. Are you kidding me? Am I wrong to view this as a very abstract/creative way of thinking? haha

Along those same lines... there have been a few instances, where he's mesmerized by something he sees on screen or in a book, and he'll point to it, then look at me and say, with earnestness in his eyes, "mama, I go in?" Yes, he wants to go INTO a scene in a book or a movie. I can't blame him. Stuff looks so cool. But I feel horrible to have to say no, knowing that any explanation as to why is a bit TOO abstract for him. haha

He says "Happy To You" instead of Happy Birthday or Have a Good Day. He says "de dack" for fruit snacks. Despite being able to say "fruit" and "sack." LAZY. LAZY. LAZY. De dacks are his favorite thing to eat. Oh, and cookies still. AFter every meal, he raises his hands to his sides innocently...smiles angelically...and asks, "cookie?" We give one to him a few nights a week if he ate well, but we try not to make it a nightly thing. Daycare however, gives them dessert at the end of every lunch. Dare I be that mom who says to not give my kid the deliciousness when all the other kids around are eating it? Grrr. It's definitely challenging.

He went through a phase where any time he dropped something, he said, "Uhoh, mum." It was so cute. And it's already done and over with. So sad. This is the closest we could get to it on video, and Neil had to prompt it. But even Neil thought it was such a cute thing that he'd say.

I was wearing capri sweat pants one morning...was getting him dressed for daycare. He always likes to sit in my lap as I get his shirt on, etc. Well he was down to just his diaper, and he kept standing up and looking down at my legs. Then he'd sit down again and stand up. Finally he looked down, pointed to my legs and said, "mama, owie. Sharp!" I realized then he was referring to my bare skin, where HIs bare skin was touching when he sat down...because I am a horrible female and hadn't shaved in a few days. Ooops.

One day, he was doing something he shouldn't, so I squatted down and pointed my finger at him while I told him, "No, no no." He stopped what he was doing, came up to my finger, stared at it, then he plucked at it with his pincher fingers and then proceeded to pretend to eat it. I could only laugh. He's been doing that a lot...fake eating things...even if they shouldn't be eaten. And then Neil eggs it on by stealing the "invisible" item back from him and eating it. It can be quite funny because Weston finds it hilarious and his giggle is the cutest thing ever.


One night I checked on W about 2 hours after I put him to bed, only to find him pantless...like completely nakedy baby on his bottom. Pic to follow. (Scroll down and you'll see pics)

This was funny of course, but it was not so funny when a week later, at 7 in the morning on a Saturday...he did it again and this time chose to poop all over in the crib. Pic to follow. Just kidding, I won't do that to you. ;)   But for real, no fun. So now, we have to put a onesie on him under his pjs to help prevent him from easily taking the pants off.

He's still very interested in pottying on the potty chair. We might try to give it a go in February...via the 3-5 day only-wear-undies method. And if I fail, then we'll wait again till next year or after we move because I don't want to deal with transgression due to huge changes.

Christmas was so much fun this year. We decided to not shy away from Xmas decs just because we have a toddler. We have always done our best to teach him to listen to us when we say "Only mommy and daddy can touch" [insert item.] And it worked. We let him have access to TWO ornaments, so it wasn't all forbidden. I think that is key. He could hold (or "cold" as he says, ha) the Elmo with a drum or the felt dinosaur. Those were his. But that didn't stop him from kissing other ornaments. He loved them. And at night, he'd say "night night" to ones that were his favorite.

And we put up a manger with plastic figurines...and he thought it was his new toy. I didn't bother telling him he couldn't play with them because I found it so cute that he called it "Baby Jees"...then designated the shepherd as "Baby Jees Daddy" and one of the "wise men" as his mommy. Sometimes he even put his other toys in "Jees house".... (Scroll down and you'll see pics)


Or he would put Jees and his pals in his helicopter toy (through the hole at the top and say: Bye bye, Baby jees!) then he'd take them for rides. Then he decided the whole Jesus posse needed a day out and had them play in his Zany Zoo interactive cube. It would keep him busy for about...20 minutes. That is huge. Thank you, Jesus! ;)

My mom called me giggling the Monday after we were there for Xmas...because she had been putting away xmas stuff and she came across a scene that made her laugh. It was a clear: WESTON WAS HERE situation. She found goldfish crackers among her own (CERAMIC) manger figurines. Because Weston fed them. 

He loved Santa...he had a light-up mirror-stick-on thingy that he called "My Ho Ho." Cute, no?  And at my folks' house, he was obsessed, once again, with the singing Santa. He would dance and dance, and ask for it again and again. He'd say, "Mo song? Mo Santa song?"

He did great with seeing Santa at Bass Pro...he even smiled. And he asked him for a nutcracker. Because yes, he loves "cockers".... He can say the real word, but it seems that he's lazy and prefers his own version.

When he says he wants to hold something, he wraps his arms around himself and says, "Cold?" Which is funny. Cuz he looks cold. But no, he's asking to hold something.


I think one of the most frequently played "non-toy" games is that of Boo. Yes, my kid loves to scare others. He is horrible at it. He giggles with every step, practically hyperventilates before he gets to the victim. We can do this all night and he would keep it up. When we stop, he says, "Mo boo?" It's pitiful.

He's not afraid to tell us to do something. He will point at what he wants and say, "mama, get it!" or "Daddy, sit down." So when we go to Gee-ma and Baba Gibby's or when we were in Latrobe over Halloween, he would demand his buddies SIT DOWN every few minutes. Right next to him. They couldn't leave his side. Grandparents always oblige. ;)

He knows daddy drinks coffee...which kind of came as a surprise to us. We walked in to Target a few weeks ago, and he said, "I want coffee." He said this because when the three of us go there, Neil always stops at Starbucks. And now, he points to when we're drinking stuff and says "Coffee? Mommy's coffee?" 

And with his pretend kitchen, he makes coffee and feeds it to his baby doll (he got both for xmas). He named his baby doll :Baby Guy:. He got this because that is what Neil named a bath toy back in Latrobe...and Weston remembered it...which is so odd. 

He did SO well at his daycare Xmas program. He actually danced! He came to the front of the stage and danced! And when we applauded, I think he thought we were clapping only for him.
 

He's getting so much better at coloring and painting! And he likes to draw on his magnadoodle. I love asking him what he's drawing. It ALWAYS looks just like he says. haha

He had pinkeye last week and an ear infection. And he's just the sweetest thing when I have to put drops in or clean out his ears. He lies in my lap and says, "hi, mommy." And then he tries to endure the discomfort. I appreciate it so much.

Reasons for tantrums this month:
He wanted my Pepsi.
He wanted to watch Kill Bill. (or was that last month)
He wanted Cailin's Mr. Potatohead doll.
Because the cat crawled into a Bath & Bodyworks bag...and it was HIS bag.
He couldn't get the cart on the couch.
He couldn't fit in the cat's tunnel. 
He didn't want to go shopping. He wanted to see Geema and Gibby.

And some photos... 

On the left, he wanted me to take a picture of him with the snowmen...these are special because he always points to them and says, "only mommy and daddy touch." But that night, I let him pose with them. On the right, he stole my tennis shoes and wanted to wear them to bed. So he became a runaway candy cane.

Trying on mommy's clothes... eating corn on the cobb...pissed off because I was taking a photo of him.

Reading many books. Chilling with many friends at nap.

Do you spot the wise men and baby Jesus?

He loved Santa.... sitting on his lap...and hearing him say HO HO HO.

Infatuated with the "tunnel" at Bass Pro... the nutcracker...and pointing to the nutcracker on Santa's lap when he was asked what he wanted.

My favorite tantrum to date. Kramer climbed into the bag. Weston got mad. KRamer got out of the bag. Weston got in. Weston smiled.

BIG THINGS!

He put my mom's xmas letter on his head and said, "hat! cheese!" With his buddies on the right.

See? Jesus was a share-er. HE shared his house with the baby. The present Weston opened early because he stepped on it and it lit up and sang songs.

This is the bare-butt finding. On the right, he was pretending to sleep.

I LOVE LOVE LOVE his painting. The best one he ever did. And on the right, he built that himself and Neil called me in to look at it. ha

This is his Baby Guy. And the cart. And the tantrum that he had when he couldn't get the cart on the couch.

Neil is babysitting on the left. In the middle is our attempt at a picnic by the fire. (please note the kitty.)

On the carousel at the mall. He picked the bunny to rid.

spending some time with his Gibby and Geema.

 'his buddy Simon. Now he sees a pic of Simon and says: Simon bites.

He lined up the shoes bins and said, "mama, push! choo choo!" So I had to. And on the right, he included Kramer in a lunch time meal he prepared. ;)

And my proudest moment of toddler hood. He set up a photo with his cars, on the puzzle board...then ran off and got his "picksha"...came back with the camera and snapped away, saying "Say cheese!" Sigh.

I will save my sappy stuff for my next post. You know, cuz my baby boy is turning 2. Gosh I love this stage! Tantrums and all!