In the Spotlight

Nathan loves flashlights. We finally got smart and purchased rechargeable batteries and charger for just about anything he uses regularly. Too many flashlights were left on, face-down, for us to appreciate. They say Duracell batteries are trusted by many. With Nathan, they can be trusted to run out in a short amount of time. Oh, and if you're looking for something or someone to keep going and going and going... longer than Energizer, see the picture below. Anyway, I bought Nathan a headlamp style flashlight months ago, and he's finally been using it on his head. (For a while, he just didn't like anything on his head.) It's really cool, because he can use it outside, or to find something in a dark room, or his favorite - chase the rest of the family around and try to shine the light in our eyes!

Being Direct

Nathan has learned from his parents about being direct. We don't beat around the bush with him on many things. If he makes a mess(toys), he picks it up (most of the time). If he spills, he at least helps get it up. If he asks for something he is capable of getting for himself, we give him permission and instruct him to get it. He is also helping others to do for themselves. Case in point: Nathan's "Aunt 'Neen" was visiting this weekend, and inquired as to where his "Billy" and "Colorado" were. (Nathan used to regularly sleep with these two small stuffed friends.) Nathan told her that they were in his room, and proceeded to show her where. After pointing out their location, Aunt 'Neen said, "Go get 'em, Nathan," assuming he would want to be reunited in time for bed. Nathan quickly replied, "You want 'em, you get 'em!"
Uncle Brad laughed and said, "He got that from his Daddy!"

Encouraging Words

Recently, I was putting Nathan to bed, when we had the following dialogue...
Nathan: "I love you, Daddy."
Me: "I love you, too, son."
Nathan: "I'm proud of you, Daddy."
Me: "I'm proud of you, too, son."
Nathan: "You're smart, Daddy."
Me: "Thank, you, buddy! So are you!"
After a moment of silence, Nathan whispered, "Daddy, you're dangerous!"
I whispered, "You're dangerous, too, pal!"

(I wonder why he left out "you're handsome"?)

Not Listening

Laura was washing dishes and Nathan was "helping". Unfortunately, his helping really wasn't. After repeated instruction for Nathan to get down from his stool, with no compliance, Laura stated firmly, "Nathan, you need to get down now." Nathan replied, "I need to help with these dishes!" Laura: "You need to listen to mommy!" Nathan: "You need to not listen to mommy." Suddenly, the room was filled with the thick, foul scent of defiance! (But only for a brief moment... Man! Mommy's quick with the spanking stick! :-)

Reminiscing

Laura came home from work and needed to nurse Evan (for her sake). Unfortunately, Evan had just eaten about an hour earlier and was not hungry. Laura stated that she would have to pump in order to get some relief. Just then, Nathan piped up, "When Nathan was little, I was a pump!"

Got Milk - 2

I'm guessing that Nathan was reflecting on the afore-mentioned encounter with the milk cow replica. I cannot otherwise explain to you why in the world he was trying to pour the rest of his milk from his cup into/onto his cow flashlight. More frustrating is the fact that he attempted this on the sofa, as opposed to in the kitchen. The infuriating part is that he missed. On the other hand, the cow flashlight survived a potential short-circuit. How now, milk cow?

Got Milk?

We visited some friends in the Houston area last week (hi D, M & C!) and we went to the Children's Museum. Among thousands of really cool things to see, play with, and inspire little imaginations, was a life-sized dairy cow replica with working udder! Don't worry, it was shooting water, not milk. Nathan walked over to get in on the fun with the other kids and grabbed hold of one of the teats (hey! that's what they're called, ok?!). He pulled down and, sure enough, water squirted out for him! He was so excited. The little girl next to him was not as thrilled, as he failed to point the thing downward, and shot water all over her shirt! Unaware he was hosing this young lady down, I was several feet away behind the video camera - encouraging him to do it again (milk the cow, not squirt the girl). He did. Squirt! All over the little girl's shorts. This time, she backed up a little and gave him a stern look. He never noticed. He was so engrossed in this new wonder that he was oblivious to her increasing shade of anger. He yanked on it again! All over her arm! I had finally realized the trouble, and apologized to the young lady (about 5), as I told Nathan to wait. He squirted her again, never realizing he was infuriating and drenching the poor girl as he was intensely focused on the udder and it's function! ("Sorry sweetie - there's a blow dryer in an exhibit down the hall!")

Two's Company

Nathan is getting good at using "please" and "thank you". He is also gaining interest in sharing. "Can I please go outside, Daddy?" "Can we please go to the park?"(Yeah, yeah... and how many people do you know who say, "May I"?) "Can I please have a popsicle, Daddy?" "Thank you, Daddy!" Now, here's one of my favorite phrases: "Can Daddy have one, too?" "Why SURE! Thank you!"

Hey, Mama!

Evan has expanded his vocabulary. After weeks of random, multi-syllabic babbling and variations of "hey, da-da" and "da-da-da-da-da", he has added "ma-ma" and "hey, ma-ma" to the mix. He's even doing a pretty good job of using the two terms correctly in addressing us. Of course, he just addresses Nathan as, "AAAAGGGGHHH!" (That's Fitting!) He also enjoys chasing Nathan around the house (still on "all fours"). As he prepares for his top teeth to erupt, he's also into chewing on/sticking out his tongue...

Aye, Captain!

Funny how, at such young ages, kids can be so picky!

Nathan is very particular about his clothing. There are certain shirts, shorts, etc., that he simply does not like to wear. Laura recently bought a couple of truckloads (ok, it seemed like truckloads) of clothes for the boys. They were mostly for Nathan, as we're milking the hand-me-downs for all they're worth with Evan (he doesn't mind so far). Before cutting the tags and washing everything, she presented each article of clothing to Nathan for his approval. I fully intend to require the same respect of him to us when he's a teenager! (She did good, by the way - according to Nathan.)

Evan has his preferences, as well. He prefers to nap in his swing over any flat surface. He prefers any pureed baby food product over the green beans (maybe we just need to try ketchup, huh Uncle Brad?). And, when it comes to pillows, he has this thing for chenille. I can't explain it, but once he's got a hold on one of our chenille pillows or throw, he's a goner. You have to wait until he's done with it, or until he passes out in a euphoric coma. When it comes to these items, truly, "love will keep them together"! I'm gonna start calling him "Captain" (and chenille ;)!

The Artist

Evan loves to "paint" - with baby food drippings on his tray, droolings on his shirt (or on Nathan's head), and with his spit-up! As disgusting as it may sound, some of his works on wood(floor) are quite amazing! The carpet canvass is not so artist-friendly (or clean-up friendly)! I may try to capture some of the wood pieces with my camera and share them sometime. On the one hand, I guess I'd prefer these art sessions be more planned/scheduled, in a designated space. On the other, I can save on paints and encourage spontaneous creativity this way. And I can choose the colors of Evan's palette via his meal menu! More peas and carrots, my little "Picasso"?

Say What?!

Sometimes Nathan gets worked up over one thing or another, and it's difficult to understand what he's saying. We're trying to break him of two recent tendencies: whining and putting his fingers in his mouth. One of the ways we do this is by telling him we can't understand what he is saying when his fingers are in his mouth, or when he's whining. It works pretty well most of the time. In fact, just a couple of days ago he used it on Laura. She was explaining something to him, and he looked at her with his serious face, head slightly tilted and said, "What's mommy saying?"

My Technologically Savvy Son

Nathan is pretty technologically savvy for a two (and a half) year old. He knows how to use the TV and DVD controllers to get "Elmo" (or whatever video he's interested in) going. He can turn on the dishwasher (even when they are already clean). He knows his way around his CD/stereo, and how to skip forward or backward to his favorite songs (which vary from day to day). He knows how to turn the phone on "you hear that lady talking, Daddy?"... "If you'd like to make a call..." He knows how to take pictures and review them (for friends and family) on mommy's cell phone - "Look at that picture of Evan!" AND, he's learning he can totally change the appearance of the computer screen by using the mouse and keyboard. (I spent over thirty minutes last week trying to get the desktop back like I had it!) I guess with all this, it would be too much to ask that he poop in the toilet already! Perhaps he just doesn't want us to forget he's still just two!

Dream a Little Dream

I'm pretty sure Nathan is beginning to remember his dreams. He has recently begun to talk about things, after waking up, that are sometimes off-the-wall. He also refers to these stories as having happened "last night", or "yesterday".

For example, yesterday (not "dream" yesterday) Nathan sat at the table during breakfast and said, "We were chasing that bunny last night!" "What bunny was that?" I asked. "Daddy, and Mommy, and Evan and Nathan were chasing that bunny in Grandma and Grandad's car!" (Oh, that bunny!)

I HAVE to talk!!

Recently, Laura was explaining to Nathan why his behavior in a particular situation was unacceptable. Nathan kept interrupting her, in an attempt to change the subject and avoid the confrontation and impending punishment. Laura stopped him and said, "Nathan, you need to be quiet while mommy is talking to you." He simply replied, "Mommy, I have to talk!"

Nathan (2yrs/8mo)

Time Flies...

It's been a little while since the last post... The boys are growing fast!

Evan has been crawling for a little while now, although when he first began he was only using his hands to pull himself around (his feet dragging behind). He then started getting up on his hands and feet (skipping the whole knee thing). Now, he's hard to keep up with! Occasionally, he stops and sits up to look around or check out some object (or eat some object). He is also throwing out random "words", which is cool. Now, I say "words" because I don't think he really knows what he's saying. I just hear things that sound like they could be intentional! I haven't heard him say "Na-tan" again since father's day, but he does regularly say, "da-da", "da-da-da", and "hi da-da" (I think those are intentional). Just this morning, while he was eating breakfast, I moved the spoon toward his mouth and asked, "do you want some more?" He smiled, and lunged toward the spoon with his mouth open, saying something that sounded a lot like, "hell, yeah!" I'm pretty sure that was not intentional!

Nathan has been becoming more and more independent. This is fine at home, where he is comfortable exploring the back yard or taking naps without being told. It's not so good in public places where he wants to go off on his own (ie: Wal-Mart). He's beginning to sing more - both along with his CD's, and all alone. He even makes up his own songs, and phrases on occasion. There are still some things he needs to learn about Evan, though. For starters, he's learning that he can't jump on Evan like he can on me! He's learning to share his toys. He's learning not to run over Evan with a stroller! And he's learning that Evan is tough and will slap and bite (lovingly, of course)!

Speaking of the boys, I've gotta run! Nathan is dragging Evan across the room by his feet! (And, as usual, Evan is just smiling and laughing!)

Evan (7mo)