The biggest development this past month has been his language. It almost seems like overnight he went from 3-4 word sentences to sentences of many, many words. It's so interesting to watch this develop. At first he'd get a little tongue-tied and jumble his words together if he tried saying too much too fast. I'd encourage him and tell him, "It's okay, slow down and you can do it." ANd he would. Now he often tries to say things quickly and repetitively, just to show off, I think. Like he will say, "Mommy & Daddy & Parker & Thomas go outside...Mommy & Daddy & Thomas & Parker...Parker & Thomas and Mommy and Daddy go outside!!!" And then he laughs at himself. :)
It's amazing to hear the things he has picked up when you don't realize he is paying attention. And he has a great memory. I'm always surprised at the things he can remember. We went in a children's shop the other day and it was one we had not visited since right after Christmas. He walked in the door and straight to the back right corner (where the kids' play area was). I was floored! Things like this seem to happen all the time. And now that he talks more, I guess he's just more able to tell me things he wants to say.
He can now correctly count from 1-10, all by himself. And he still knows almost all of the letters of the alphabet, though he's still working on actually saying his ABC's. He does know more of the song though (I'd say about half, maybe). He also loves "the Jesus song" and sometimes I hear him say while in his crib, "Daddy says Jesus loves ME!!!!" This would be because his Daddy taught him the song. So sweet. His other favorites are The Itsy-Bitsy Spider and Twinkle Twinkle. He throws out a word here and there, but he's not quite singing along just yet.
As all 2-year olds should be, he is a messer player. I had to take a picture of his table the other day because it's so typical of play/snack time with him.
Let's see.... He's very into dumping out any food I give him. Here he said he had to dump his raisins on the truck. Then he wiped them off with his Daddy's hairbrush (which he just HAD to bring downstairs earlier in the day). And, you might can tell that he also has decided that the windowsill would look much better with a splash of purple crayon. Thank goodness that Crayola has mastered the art of making things washable.
He is not a great eater, still, but we do the best we can. It sure would be a lot easier if he could eat dairy, but here we are, still unable to add it to his diet. We still try things from time to time and sometimes they give no reaction, but most of the time, he ends up with a nasty flareup of eczema and sometimes some stomach issues. It's frustrating, but what can you do? Trey let him have a small bite of ice cream sandwich the other day and I was so hopeful it was going to be okay, but within a few hours, his bright red rash was on the backs of his legs. I hope Parker can outgrow this sooner!
One thing that has helped us get Thomas to eat more lately (and I know it will wear out soon!), is the "Nannie cookie." Nannie made him some cookies a month or so ago. They are oatmeal raisin cookies with no dairy and made with applesauce instead of oil/butter. I think I've let my mom convince me they are health food or something, but then again, they are a great tool for bribery so I go with it. "Thomas want Nannie cookie," he'll say...and I'll say, "You have to eat your dinner first." And he'll eat! My mom has done a great job of keeping us stocked up on them, and sometimes Thomas & I mix up a batch to supplement. He likes that part just fine:
Nannie cookies are best when worn, he says:
He also loves the water and wants to play in whatever water he can find. The other day it started pouring down rain right after dinner. He asked me if he could go outside and play in the rain ("Thomas go outside play rain!") and since I didn't hear any thunder, I agreed. It was pouring, but he didn't care one bit!
I finally got him to come back to the porch and I dried him off in hopes of taking him inside, but he had other plans. You see, his Daddy started something with him a while back called "SUPERBABY!" After he gets dried off from his nightly bath, he likes to wear the towel on his head because it makes him "Superbaby!" Trey calls him "Supes!" and Thomas loves it. After his bath THomas will say excitedly, "Be Supes! Be Supes Daddy!" So anyway, after I dried him off all he wanted to do was "be supes" and run back in the rain...
Now for as much as Thomas is a pure delight, he also has shown us all about the terrible twos. He seems to be getting a little better, but he can defintely be defiant, usually when he is tired. He tests his boundaries and throws food and fits, but for the most part, he is a good little boy. If nothing else, I'm always thankful that when we are out and about he listens very well and never runs off from me in parking lots and such, even when I can't have my hands on him every second (he has learned to hold onto my pocket quite well!).
I can't believe another month has passed us by and sometimes I feel like if I sleep too long one day I will wake up and he'll be in kindergarten. I hope not. It is a sad thing that they do have to grow up, isn't it? It's moments like these that make me want to keep them this young and innocent forever!
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