Brandi has raised Nick on a relatively strict routine, and we are reaping the benefits. His little internal clock is up at the same time each day, and down each night, right on schedule. I realized we have a lot of routines we've set over the past 2 1/2 years, and he'd be the kid that could raise himself if we disappeared. He says good night to the animals in his room, counts to 20 before we tuck him in, always puts shoes on to go outside the door and remove them coming in, gets dressed in the same order every time. No more rocking him to sleep for an hour - it's five minutes of rocking, and he says, "Cribby, please." I still can't get over how the kid eats everything. We sit down to dinner together each night, and he fills up on whatever mama is cooking! Favorite foods this month: cheese pancakes (this is cheese melted in a tortilla), ice cream (obviously from the video), and jelly beans. The picture here is Nick having dinner with us at the Bob Evans. He's used to being out in public, and no trouble at all. This was our last stop of the day after playing with the train set at the local bookstore.We made a lot of progress in the athletic department. His Aunt Miranda got him a small hoops rim for Christmas, which we finally brought out. And his grandmother sent him a set of golf clubs (like, real ones, for people of height 22" to 40", with the Pinehurst bag tag). I came home one afternoon, and his grandpa had mowed a fairway and green into my back yard: butter container for the cup, and red handkerchief on a broomstick for the flag. And he loves kicking balls like soccer. But birdwatching?! His word this week is birdwatching, and a 'mee-taw' bird, apparently from a cartoon. All the action that matters is overhead nowadays: birdwatching, airplanes, helicopters.
Nick's comprehension amazes me more each day. When we bring home one of the small cardboard (Boynton) books, he's either reading it, or has it memorized in about 2 days. Brandi is auditory, and I am very much visual. We can't tell just yet which one is Nick's strength. He's now counting to 20, and understanding it, and knows the alphabet on site. He can pick out about half the states on a US map. Most impressive, though, is how he understands abstract concepts. He blurted out, "This chicken is delicious," at a meal this week. He knows when we pull out of the driveway which way is the playground, and as soon as the wheels cut west instead, he protests. He understands wrenches work with bolts, and loves to sweep the sidewalk.
Play time is all about slides: the 'big green fish' slide at the local playground, sliding off the beach ball (that's what he calls it when he rolls off) in the living room, and treating mama like a slide when she curls up and he slides off of her shoulders. Brandi has found a good gym during the week that has a nice setup for Nick to play while she works out. He mixes with the other kids easily, probably from all the time spent with his cousins. He still loves older women - he chases the four-year-old blondes at the playgroup.
He is master of the 'one word request.' He uses full sentences often, but he frequently seems in a hurry, comes barrelling up to you, out of breath, and blurts out his immediate needs in just a single word. For example, "Dinner", "Playground", or "Car Ride."
The lines he uses most often: "I'm ok" (even when he's in tears about something), "I fixed it," and "Knocked it down."
Wanna know what we're watching this month on kid TV? Here's the Moco Jumbie!
Click here for 28th month pictures. You'll notice the pictures are now compiled in a photo album site, so the images can be downloaded.
- Jason
