So I start this week off pretending that I am not sick again. I'm not going to write about how I caught the cold from my son or wife, don't really know who, or how my head feels like it weighs 50 pounds and is full of snot. No, instead I'm going to write about how much fun our son is becoming. While every toddler has his moments that he freaks out and throws tantrums, we have yet to truly experience a really tantrum from our son. He had one a little over a week ago, but it wasn't that bad and he really hasn't had one since. Perhaps it is because he is learning quickly that my wife and I won't give in when he is screaming, we just let him scream. Perhaps it is because he has nothing that he feels the need to throw a tantrum over, I don't know. I am just glad that it isn't a regular occurrence (although I will never rule out that possibility). On the contrary, most days he is just a little happy go lucky little toddler that loves to entertain himself, play with his toys, and engage my wife and I when he wants to. It is amazing to me to watch him engrossed in an activity to the point where he doesn't even know that I am watching him. The other day after I changed his diaper and was getting rid of it, I came back out to see him kneeling on the floor with one of his books open in front of him. He wasn't flipping quickly through it like he used to, rather, he was just kneeling, looking at the pictures on two pages for a few seconds before turning the page and staring at those pictures. This obviously didn't last for too long, but it was really cool to see him just studying the pictures in one of his books. Overall, his patience when it comes to reading books is growing. Even just a few months ago, he used to bring a book over to my wife or I, plop himself down in our laps, and allow us to read maybe one or two pages before closing the book and running off with it. Now he will actually sit in our laps and wait till we finish a page (most of the time) before turning it and letting us read the next one. Its not just books that entertain him, but any kind of toy. The other toy that he really likes is his mega blocks (Lego's on steroids). He doesn't have that many, but he loves to put them together, occasionally changing the arrangement, and carry them around the house. I would love to see what is going on in that little head of his, but one day soon I am sure he will be able to tell me.
He is even getting better at his two puzzles that he has. One is an actual five piece puzzle with two numbers on each piece, each piece being a different color. It is a really simple puzzle where you match the colors the the board they fit into. The board they go on even has two handles so that you can carry it around. The other day we were playing in his room when he brought the puzzle over to me for a little help in getting the pieces in the right spots. For the most part he does really well getting them where they go, just not necessarily turned the right way so they fit perfectly. Every time he attempts it, though, he gets closer and closer. After we got all the pieces in, I asked him to point out the number 3 (each piece has two numbers, from 1-10 on the five pieces). It was pretty apparent that he didn't know what I was asking, so I pointed the number out to him. As soon as I did that, he started pointing to the other numbers, in completely random order, and as he did, I would tell him which number it was. We must have gone through the numbers for about 5 minutes. By the time we were done and I asked him what a specific number was, he would at least get close with pointing out which one it was. After that, all he wanted to do was carry the puzzle around with him, trying not tip it over so the pieces fell out. He did pretty well with that. The other puzzle he has and enjoys is not really a puzzle, but rather a board with different colored cats and dogs on it. The cats and dogs have specific spots that they fit into and he is also getting really good at putting those pieces in the correct spots. All in all, he is learning quickly about the world around him, his blocks, books, and puzzles, and is not even 17 months old yet. I don't know when toddlers start learning this kind of stuff, but it is amazing to watch it happen. Most of the time, he is simply a joy to have around. There are obviously times when he is trying and frustrating, but those times quickly fade away when he is happy and active.
Even when it comes to daycare, he is a little independent young boy. While all the other children he is with in his age group have a need to play with other children, he doesn't. He is perfectly happy most times just playing with toys by himself. That isn't to say that he doesn't play with the other children, he is just perfectly fine occupying himself. For the most part, I think it is a good thing. While it is good to know how to play with other children, I feel it is important to be able to occupy yourself and not feel the need to have others around in order to play or do stuff. We shall see how he turns out as he grows. And speaking of growing, he is an absolute monster when it comes to eating. He can just pack in that food non stop. He has an enormous little growth belly going right now that I am a little afraid as to what it will mean in terms of his height. He has already sprouted up quite a bit in the past few months and if all the food he is eating means anything, he will probably grow another 6 inches over the coming months. Every day he eats more and more and is probably already eating what a 3 year old would eat. Every morning he starts off with scrambled eggs, usually about 2-3. About an hour or so later, he has a banana. Then comes the cottage cheese, the yogurt, the almost full can of fruit, his lunch of veggies and whatever else we give him, then more cheese in the afternoon, more fruit, then dinner. He is a little monster. Just in the mornings, he usually ends of finishing his eggs before my wife and I do and we usually give him a little more from our plates. Simply amazing how much food can fit into that little (well big) belly of his. Yet despite his big belly, the rest of him is thin and lean which leads me to believe he will be growing soon. He eats very healthy and is super active and I am kind of scared as to what this will mean down the road when he becomes a teenager and has a voracious appetite that we probably won't be able to satiate. I guess he will just have to get a job so he can pay for his own food. Oh well, on that happy note of food, I need to get going to get the little man up and breakfast started. Till tomorrow, carpe diem!
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