James in a Toddler Bed!- July 2013

Since James turned two, he's been talking a lot more. He started saying small sentences at 23 months or so, but now he repeats anything you try to teach him, picks up people's names easily and remembers them, and formulates his own sentences. He's been singing all of Twinkle Little Star for months, and he sings pieces of other songs. He can count to 20 in English and 5 in Spanish. His Spanish lessons are starting to pick up speed.

Who me?

As of the beginning of July or so, he's been able to climb everything in the park and probably everything in our home too. He can't jump off the ground, but often leaps off our furniture. Relatedly, we have started "Time Outs" where he sits in the chair in his room and reflects quietly on proper behavior (well, that's the goal anyway). There are so many more rules imposed on him now, he chants them as though he's trying to remember, "No touch, not a toy, be careful!"

Climbing at the park

When he plays pretend, he often pretends he's fixing things around the house. If you ask him to help you with something, he tries very hard to do what you need. If I make popcorn he'll get the bowl for me, and if I'm dusting he'll grab a tissue and try to help me dust (whether or not I ask). He hates getting in the bath because he knows it means that bedtime is approaching, but he loves playing in the water. He especially likes playing with hoses since Michele let him water her garden in Richmond. He asks to go to the park and to the beach.

Helping me "pack"

Pretending Fudgie is jumping on him (just like the real Fudgie does)

He loves trains and airplanes and constantly points them out in real life and in books. He loves the rocking chair that Sarah and Donald gave him, and points out that the train has flags on it. He continues to be obsessed with Mickey Mouse Clubhouse and enjoy a little Pocoyo, but he no longer likes Yo Gabba Gabba, Blues Clues, Dora, or Diego. He's moved on to Super Why, Curious George, Team Umizoomi, and Special Agent Oso. Attempts to get him interested in Sesame Street, Doc McStuffins, Handy Manny, or Octonauts have failed. He prefers to read Dr. Seuss, Curious George, or Mickey books. He still loves to be read to and he loves to point out every illustration he sees in the book. He colors on his own or in coloring books and tells me what he drew. A recent black scribble was titled, "Monster."

Up high in the park

He continues to be very affectionate, freely doling out hugs and kisses. His favorite people in the world are Mama, Dada, Grandma, and Nana. Eleanor might be his 5th choice after having recently spent time with her. He says, "bless you," when someone sneezes, and "thank you" when people hand him things he particularly likes. He compliments dinner with "yummy, yummy!" but he refuses to eat anything with vinegar. He enjoys ethnic cuisines and even sushi. He sits in a regular chair at dinner now, and he graduated from his crib to a toddler bed with guard rails.

New bed! July 13, 2013

He's got a wacky little sense of humor, telling Knock-Knock jokes with no punchlines and running around chanting, "This is crazy! This is crazy!" Kevin and I laugh a lot telling stories about him back and forth. We are very much in love with this little guy, and we're proud of him too.