The kiddos continue to amaze us. T's behavior continues to slowly, but steadily mature. He definitely tries harder to "listen" and "follow directions" (as he says) but sometimes it's just too hard and he lets his emotions get the better of him. I've explained to him that when he's able to control his emotions and do what he knows is right and not do what he knows is wrong he will earn rewards and privileges. Sometimes reminding him of this fact when he's on the verge of throwing a fit helps him realize that he needs to calm down or go to his room to let off some steam safely and respectfully... hopefully this trend will increase and will be the case most of the time. I'll just keep praying for that.
He is still in love with being 4 and tells everyone - friends, family, younger kids, older kids and, of course, complete strangers. Usually he gets a sweet smile and the informed one shows interest (may not be genuine, but still friendly) but occasionally, especially with kids, he'll get the, "well, I'm __" and somehow an age coolness competition ensues. We took T to a Shakopee Varsity Boys baseball game a few weeks back and he confidently marched up to a 13 year old boy and announced to him, very proudly, "I'm 4!" The kid looked at T with a look on his face expressing that he though T was the craziest kid on the planet and, hesitantly, responded, "Uh... I'm 13." He then laughed and T, satisfied, ran off. A moment later, some other teens joined the above mentioned 13 year-old who then shared and reenacted the exchange that had just happened between T and himself, of course with sarcasm in his voice. T watched from afar and I just sat there, watching above from the bleachers, praying that my little boy did not understand what was truly happening - that he was being made fun of. Thankfully, the smile stayed on his face and he marched up the stairs and rejoined B, C and I. I'll be honest, watching the teenagers laugh at my little boy and his excitement surrounding all that entails being 4 made the mom side of me hurt a bit. How could it not? What a comfort to my soul, though, that T was oblivious to the mocking.
C, now 16 months old (yes, really!) is a full fledged walker. In a matter of a few days she went from hesitant walking between furniture and family to toddling all over creation. Within a week of that milestone she was able to stand up after a tumble without having to crawl to a wall or other object to aide in the stand. Again, growth at warp speed.
I don't have the stats in front of me but at her 15 mo appointment we learned that C's growth has grown closer to the "norm" and her height (around 31") and weight (just shy of 24 pounds) are in the 63rd and 64th percentiles, respectively. Her head circumference (h.c.), though, continues to be nearly off the charts - now at the 94th %ile (if I'm remembering correctly... above the 90th %ile for sure). After hearing what C's vocabulary is the doc laughed and attributed the h.c. to being so smart. When looking at C I don't notice that she has an abnormally large head, so that's good. In the same respect, T's head was always at or below the 40th %ile (again, if I'm remembering correctly) and his never looked small to me.
Speaking of C's vocabulary, I s'pose I could make a quick list of her words. She still speaks in 1 word phrases and if she doesn't know the word she will scream or show us what she wants. Ok, here they are, in no random order:
1) Mama
2) Da-ddy (yes, she pauses between the "da" and the "dee) and Da-da (always loud for both!)
3) Tee-tee (Tegan)
4) kitty
5) Papa
6) na-na (n'night)
7) baba (bottle)
8) bee-bee (baby)
9) peez (please)
10) hi
11) baah-baah (bye-bye)
12) socks
13) sooz (shoes)
14) piddy (pretty)
15) Bee-bee-bee (Bumblebee - no, not the bug... the Transformer)
16) aah-daah (all done)
17) baah (ball)
18) Uh-oh
I think that's it. She can show you her nose consistently and, on occasion, will show you her tongue and eye(s). When she sees a picture of a fish she'll make a "fish sound" (as we call it) with her mouth - super cute! Same goes for a chicken or rooster("caah-koo" making the "caa" go up in her voice - high pitched) and a kitty/cat ("maow"). She's very good at making airplane and car sounds, too.
To put it plainly - she keeps us smiling!
Have I mentioned that Wawa is ALL GIRL (aside from playing with trucks, trains, cars, planes and Transformers)? The child is obsessed with shoes and l-o-v-e-s wearing "piddies" (pretties, a.k.a. skirts, socks belonging to anyone and everyone in the family, my watch and jewelery and hair barrettes and bows). She now has 3 tutu-skirts and several hair bows/ribbons (which she is just now starting to leave in her hair). If she doesn't have shoes on she will bring you some and tap or rub them on her feet until you put them on her. She then prances around the house declaring that she is "PIddy" and giving everyone her sneaky, shy eyes. Such a sight to see!
Now that what we refer to as Spring is here (at least according to the calendar) T has been doing his best to ride his bike around as much as he can. He's got a new green helmet, his favorite color. There was no option in his mind of what color helmet he'd get - green was it. The old red strider bike from when he was "little, you know - like 3" (pronounced 'free' still) is no longer an option for the kid. The tires are just too bald and he's just too big... I swear the kid has grown 3 inches just in the past 3 months! I'm tempted to measure him and compare it to his 3 year check-up height.
OK - I s'pose that's enough for tonight... Sorry for minimal pics. The rest are still on the cameras. Look for an Easter post soon...
Love to all!
~j
