Today Remy is 22 months, although I’ve mostly stopped giving his age in months and just tell people he’s almost 2, to which they respond, “Wow, he’s big!” Nothing new there, but here’s an update for grandmothers, other toddler parents and my future self to read about.
Talking Phrases. He’s piecing things together now…some words clearly enunciated and several Remy-isms. He also says some nice phrases he learned from Mommy like Oh Gosh, Oh Man, Darn it, and Oh God. He has a fantastic vocabulary of euphamisms. Also, we had a little breakthrough the other day when he volunteered my colleague’s name (Cathi) without prompting when she was over working on a project with me. Then he proceeded to get all flirty with her and show off the aw-puss (octopus in Remy speak) on his t-shirt. Last time she was over I tried to get him to say her name, but he just looked uncertain about the whole thing. So that was cool.
Mr. Activity. I had the brilliant idea to have Gary bring Remy to a toddler book reading at a nearby book store. It was designed for kids his age, so I thought it would be a good learning experience and socializing opportunity. Apparently, books only interest Remy when he’s turning the pages himself. The boys then proceeded to amuse themselves by riding Remy around on a book cart, which got them thrown out of the store. I’m just glad I wasn’t there.
Pancakes and Hugs. Hugs are one form of affection and, you may not realize this, can look a lot like a head butt into the chest. He was doing this the other day and when I asked what he was doing, he said “Hug!” Hmmm. OK. Pancaking is a full body hug such that you lay upon the object of affection, whether that is a doll, stuffed animal, or parent. It’s better if you yell “pancake!” repeatedly when you do this.
“Bikel” Tech. Remy’s developed some impressive agility when it comes to climbing on Mommy’s bike on the trainer. He knows about all the moving parts and even helps pump up the tires several times a day. Since the actual bike pump is a little unweildy for a just under 3 foot high person, it’s just as good to use the foot pump for the stability ball. All you have to do is stick the end in between a few spokes and pump away. Like most things that require play by play commentary these days, it’s best when you say “pump pump pump” while you do it. Here’s one a video of Remy in action.
Still the Ladies Man. Remy continues with his sweet treatment of the ladies. He’s far gentler and more willing to share toys with girls than with little boys. Regarding gentleness, this clearly doesn’t apply to Mom, although Gary swears that he woke up in the middle of the night one time to see Remy stroking my hair. I have my doubts about that. Here’s a video of the little cassanova pulling neighbor Stella around our yard in her wagon.
Remy Sez No and Other Fun Tricks. There’s no doubt he’s at the stage of asserting his independence and he has moments where he gets just plain wild. He does like to test limits, but knowing his parents, if it were otherwise I’d really wonder how that happened. Once, I tried a formal time out with him, putting him in “the corner,” but it seemed like more of a game to him. A better solution seems to be telling him he can’t do that, removing him from the situation without paying undue negative attention to what he was doing and redirecting his attention to something more productive. Sure, there’s always a transition cry, but it doesn’t last that long.
Alphabet. He’s doing great with recognizing and naming the letters of the alphabet. He can say just about every one except C (which is strange since he’s been saying “I see” for months) and V (for which he says “mouse” b/c that’s what is on the cover of the V alphabet book). He’s not into singing the alphabet song himself, but does like to listen to the music table and/or Mommy do so. Lately, he’s started stringing together L M N O P Q. Why start at the beginning, when you can start in the middle? I guess he’s like his Daddy, who rarely reads a book in the order the pages are numbered.
So that’s all the news I can remember right now. Also, I’ve posted a few recent still photos here.
i love “two”…so many people call them the ‘terrible twos’ but they can be pretty ‘terrific’ as well if you understand all the new found independence your little guy is trying to assert. i also think that redirection is great because the whole concept of a time out is lost on a child that young….