Introducing Mr No

"No Mommy, no", "No Daddy...no no no!"
Phrases commonly heard now.  Colin seems to transform into Mr No and not snap out of it until he's had time to calm down.  It doesn't matter what is said or asked, the answer will be a 'no'.  Also depending on the severity of the transformation, he may also include hitting and biting.   Everything and everyone is at risk, Hobie, crayons, blankets and Colin himself has been subject to Mr No's brutality.    I think his alter ego Mr Independent is to blame.  Something as simple as helping him remove his jacket or opening a door he wanted to open will trigger an onslaught of 'no'.

On the positive side he is able to do a lot more things on his own.  He can get himself unclothed put his boots on and take them off, put his dishes away after eating and spend time on his own playing.  We are still waiting to walk in one morning finding a diaper mess in one corner, a naked boy in another and the walls colored on.  So far we've only had to worry about where he decided to hide himself upon waking (hint: it's always under his blue table).

He focuses on emphasis in words.  We helped him with the "l" sound by emphasizing, now if we don't emphasize the "l" we get corrected.  That goes for a lot of words and letter sounds.

Colin is getting smarter.  He can recognize all the letters in the alphabet and numbers 1-10.  He came over to say he spelled our names with refrigerator magnets.  There was a C for Colin and an M, D and H for mommy, daddy and Hobie.   He's getting more confident and trying to explain things to us and ask more questions.  He's getting so smart.

 With that confidence comes bossiness.

"No no daddy, go that way"
"No mommy, that's hot"
"No do this"

oops

Forgot this video 

 

"How do you spell your name?"

"No, but I love...."

This is a common phrase now.  Colin will be involved in some mischievousness, we will tell him it isn't safe or he is not allowed to do it.  What's his response???  "Nooo daddy/mommy, I love hitting/kicking/doing that"  Apparently his passion for mischief  should outweigh the level of destruction or meanness.  The perks of a two year old it seems.  They still aren't 'terrible twos' but there is a lot more policing involved.  Even as this is being typed he's off on the side doing commando rolls off of his stool.

He received his acceptance letter to his first choice of preschool, meaning not enough applied to need a lottery.  He's already exciting about going to school.  He's aware it's not for a long time and after we go camping which is after it gets hot outside.  We are asked frequently about going camping and going to school.  Also, if you have been in his mind while he is thinking about camping then he's asked if you can go too.  Preschool will be good for him to be able to regularly play with other kids.  He has finally started to interact with others more.  He says hi to others in passing and points out that they didn't respond to him.  There doesn't seem to be disappointment but he let's someone know he was ignored. 

Potty training is going a bit better.  There is a bit more awareness of when he needs to go.  He can identify all letters and the numbers 1-10 with almost perfect accuracy.  He gets himself up and down at the table and puts his dirty dishes on the counter.  Swimming has started up again and he has no fear of jumping in and going under.

Our good, smart, energetic boy is growing up so much.

The end of 2013

It's been a good year for Mr Handsome.  It's fun having a toddler running around the house.  All the cute things he says and does make up for his moments as Mr Furious.

This month we went to the open house for preschool for next year.  We should hear back this month if he gets in or if a lottery is needed because too many 3 year olds are on the list.  He wasn't as timid as expected in the classroom and he was happy with the teachers there.  It looks promising.

We also had a trip down to Grampy's in Florida.  Colin has been waiting to get on another airplane since his last flight to California.  Colin really enjoyed the trip and we have the pictures to prove it.

Christmas wasn't as an exciting time as we thought it would be for him.  There was no screaming or attacking the presents.  We had a very civil Christmas. 
Nothing really new in the development area.

 Christmas eve before bed

He still will count his numbers and say his abc's.  He is more active with dancing and jumping around.

   Later on there was running and jumping on mommy

We will see what 2014 brings.  Happy New Year

The Bogeyman and Technology

Colin has starting having visits by the Bogeyman now.  We get called into his room in the middle of the night because "There is somebody over there".  Luckily it is easily resolved and he goes back to sleep.  His imagination seems to be kicking in more now.  There are people knocking at the front door and doggies barking that only Colin can hear.  If you come visit, be careful because he will also "eat" your nose, cheeks, eyes, fingers...anything he feels like.  If you need it though, he is very willing to return eaten parts upon request.

The bedtime routine has had the introduction of the tablet.  We've found a decent kid-mode app and a few games for him.  He can spend a long time on it or just a few minutes.  His interest varies quite a bit.  If you have any app suggestions, let us know.  His favorite thing so far is a Sesame Street looking video on tractors.

Some big things this month were:
   Sleeping over at Yaya's house (yea sleeping in for mommy and daddy)
   Being able to go up and down the stairs on his own
   Counting up to 20
   Putting his boots on by himself
   Taking off some articles of clothing by himself

There is definite excitement for snow.  He reminds us that he can ride his sled when there is snow outside.  He's ready for the snow and let's us know that.  We are looking forward to a busy December with a trip to Grampy Findlen's and Christmas coming up.


Here's the November album:

Fall is here

This month's post will be more visual than text.  Gamommy flew out from CA for a visit, we went to the Topsfield Fair, there were a few Halloween celebrations.  The weather is cooler, the leaves have fallen.  Colin is doing really well with his ABC's, counting, talking etc but is still very shy in less familiar company. Here are a few videos and his album for the month of Oct:

acting a bit goofy                                                                           counting to 12

                                                                    the "cake dance"

The Food Dance

There is a big decision coming up for us.  Do we kill the nap or not...  He is taking longer to go to sleep and not sleeping as long during his nap.  That break during the day is sooooo nice but maybe he'll sleep longer than 6am each morning.  Either way, it looks as though the nap is on it's way out.  Time will tell I guess.

Colin is doing the type of things little boys do:  climbing and jumping off things, collecting/throwing rocks, getting bumps and scrapes.  If anyone is training for a marathon, take Colin along.  He just runs, a lot, for no reason.  He'll do circles, he'll run back and forth, he'll run around anything.  Apparently daddy had a distinct hunch when he ran.  It's hard to say how similar it looks, but Colin will hunch over a bit and move those arms when he is in full running mode.  Maybe that's some genetic thing...

 Some other highlights:  counting to ten, able to recite a majority of books he gets read a lot, using the potty right after baths/showers.  There may be more, but that is all that is coming to mind right now.

We discovered Colin likes to dance while he eats, sometimes.  He's been doing this for a while, we've just been lazy about getting it recorded.  He recently threw in some body movements too.  It's not a very long dance but it shows the main moves.

Such a Big Boy

He's running, jumping, kicking a soccer ball, talking and asking questions....such a big boy.  The baby stage is definitely gone.  We have a full toddler on our hands.

Colin is curious about everything around him.  His most frequent question now it "What is it?".  A lot of the time we aren't sure what he's asking about but we can figure it out usually.  He is very vocal.  That includes when he is about to cause mischief.  He will talk us through what he is going to go do.  It's not directed at us but it is a nice heads up for us.

Potty training is going on.  It's slow, we aren't pushing him.  If he is making his grunting sounds we will ask if he needs to go and he is very good about saying yes.  Most times we aren't quick enough but his awareness is improving.  Wet beds and trips to the bathroom at midnight can't be too far away...but we can wait.

Colin still loves reading books.  He is starting to memorize some of his favorites and can fill in words as he is read to.  Counting to 10 should happen pretty soon as well.  The alphabet is pretty much done.  Colin said he ABC's for the camera just after his birthday.

The Aug Album:

2!!!!!!!!!

Colin's second birthday has finally arrived.  He's having a party with some family and friends next week so those pictures will be in the monthly album.  Here are some snapshots of his day.

Helping make his birthday cake

 

Converted to a 'big boy bed'

A "hot fishy sandwich" was requested for lunch

Enjoying his birthday dinner of a cheeseburger

Bigfoot was holding all the presents for Colin

Very happy with his "Tigger cake"

The frosting was the best part

We attempted an interview but that didn't get very far.  This is a few clips put together.

 

HAPPY BIRTHDAY COLIN

Mr Handsome's Nemesis - Captain Tantrum

The terrible two's are coming, at least the Colin version of it.  Frustration leads to a tightening of his body and a steadily louder scream.  Sometimes there will be hitting or stomping on things, sometimes hitting himself or mommy or daddy.  His tantrum doesn't last long and he will notify us by saying "all done whining, all done", at least some of the time.

Colin is getting more independent around the house.  He knows where things are kept and likes being able to get some things on his own, like snacks for example.  He does very well with asking and communicating his needs or wants.  Most sentences are four or five words now.   Although we don't always understand what he is saying, he is very patient and will repeat himself multiple times until he is understood.  Walking up and down the stairs is no big deal for Colin any more.  We still don't let him go on his own but he is working on doing it without crawling up or down.  Such a big boy toddler.

All of the hours of observation are paying off.  Colin is a little mimic now.Besides repeating everything said to/around him he now will do things as he sees other people do them.  Luckily he still listens without complaint if he is told he isn't allowed to do something.

There are a couple other things Colin is working on.  He is trying to verbalize emotions and he is getting pretty good.  Just the other day Tigger went through happy, sad and scared multiple times in a matter of minutes.  Colin will put an animal in 'time out' and announce it was naughty and that it is sad.  He picked that up awfully quick.  Colin is also working on imaginary things.  He will paint mommy and daddy or eat a sandwich into a doggie which will bark....growing so fast...school doesn't seem too far away now.

The July Album: