21 Months
Fritz and I are having a lovely, quiet fall now that the big kids are back in school. Since I know this is my last go-round with my favorite age, I'm enjoying our mornings together a little extra. We have a steady rotation of the zoo, parks, lake, bakery, and running errands. He's my chatty little sidekick and garners lots of smiles everywhere we go.
He loves animals and can probably name thirty or forty of them, including several bird species (a bunting!), all the major zoo animals, several great plains species, and all the farm animals. Earlier this week, we stopped by our favorite antique store which had an unusual number of taxidermy objects, and the shop owner was like, that kid has an incredible vocabulary. The flamingo (mingo!), zebra, and cheetah have joined the beloved bison and eagle as his favorites. He loves going to the zoo, looking at his bird cards, and perusing the Animal Encyclopedia.
We're starting the slow transition to a big boy bed. We painted the second bunk bed green while the weather was still nice enough to spray paint it outside. I have zoo animal sheets ready to go. Sometimes, if Fritz is having a hard time settling for naps, I lay down with him in Henry's bed and he falls asleep. Bedtime cuddles like this will soften the blow of becoming a no-crib household in the next few months.
Also still making slow moves toward the potty. He sits on it a few times a day, totally happily, but has never done any business. One of these days, I'll catch him at the right time and then we'll be off to the races. No rush.
He dabs like a champ and gallops everywhere. When he want us to do something, he says, "Come ON!" and pulls on our hands or gives a little lunging wave. He has stopped sleeping in the blue suit but now carries it everywhere like a lovey. Though not terribly interested in TV, he does love Peter Pan and BBC Earth animal shows. He will also hang with Karl and Henry if they are watching football. He loves cooking with me -- especially salting meat -- and gathering tomatoes from the garden.
His favorite books are the trucks book, the Animal Encyclopedia, Bear Has a Story to Tell, Wynken Blynken and Nod, Good Night Moon, Waddle Like a Penguin, the terrible Monster Trucks book, Hand Hand Fingers Thumb, the Foot Book, and Going on a Bear Hunt. Sometimes he breaks out references to his books, out of context, and it takes us a minute to figure out what he's talking about. Today at the table he was waving two Matchbox cars in the air and saying something -- it took me and Karl a minute to figure out he was saying, "long WAVY grass!" And when we see a picture of a hummingbird, he flaps his little hands and says, "flitter flitter FLY," just as we do when reading Waddle.
He looks like such a little boy now. Not a baby. Just a little boy. I know in a year I'll look back and see so much baby in these pictures, but he seems awfully big right now. The other day, we came in from the garden and pulled up our usual seats on the couch to read books. He likes to offer his feet for me to nomnom on, and I am happy to oblige. That day I grabbed his little foot, all covered in dirt, and thought -- my gosh, this is a toddler foot, not a baby foot.
I love listening to those dirty little feet thud-thudding across the floor.
He loves animals and can probably name thirty or forty of them, including several bird species (a bunting!), all the major zoo animals, several great plains species, and all the farm animals. Earlier this week, we stopped by our favorite antique store which had an unusual number of taxidermy objects, and the shop owner was like, that kid has an incredible vocabulary. The flamingo (mingo!), zebra, and cheetah have joined the beloved bison and eagle as his favorites. He loves going to the zoo, looking at his bird cards, and perusing the Animal Encyclopedia.
We're starting the slow transition to a big boy bed. We painted the second bunk bed green while the weather was still nice enough to spray paint it outside. I have zoo animal sheets ready to go. Sometimes, if Fritz is having a hard time settling for naps, I lay down with him in Henry's bed and he falls asleep. Bedtime cuddles like this will soften the blow of becoming a no-crib household in the next few months.
Also still making slow moves toward the potty. He sits on it a few times a day, totally happily, but has never done any business. One of these days, I'll catch him at the right time and then we'll be off to the races. No rush.
He dabs like a champ and gallops everywhere. When he want us to do something, he says, "Come ON!" and pulls on our hands or gives a little lunging wave. He has stopped sleeping in the blue suit but now carries it everywhere like a lovey. Though not terribly interested in TV, he does love Peter Pan and BBC Earth animal shows. He will also hang with Karl and Henry if they are watching football. He loves cooking with me -- especially salting meat -- and gathering tomatoes from the garden.
His favorite books are the trucks book, the Animal Encyclopedia, Bear Has a Story to Tell, Wynken Blynken and Nod, Good Night Moon, Waddle Like a Penguin, the terrible Monster Trucks book, Hand Hand Fingers Thumb, the Foot Book, and Going on a Bear Hunt. Sometimes he breaks out references to his books, out of context, and it takes us a minute to figure out what he's talking about. Today at the table he was waving two Matchbox cars in the air and saying something -- it took me and Karl a minute to figure out he was saying, "long WAVY grass!" And when we see a picture of a hummingbird, he flaps his little hands and says, "flitter flitter FLY," just as we do when reading Waddle.
He looks like such a little boy now. Not a baby. Just a little boy. I know in a year I'll look back and see so much baby in these pictures, but he seems awfully big right now. The other day, we came in from the garden and pulled up our usual seats on the couch to read books. He likes to offer his feet for me to nomnom on, and I am happy to oblige. That day I grabbed his little foot, all covered in dirt, and thought -- my gosh, this is a toddler foot, not a baby foot.
I love listening to those dirty little feet thud-thudding across the floor.
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