My
sweet bean, you are almost two and a half years old. In some ways, I’m
not sure where the time has gone. In others, I can't believe you haven't been around longer.
We had a lovely month together with lots of great adventures. We had some wonderful visits from family this month.
Grandpa
Will and Grandma Anne came all the way from Halifax for the weekend, and
we had a lovely Sunday together. You showed them your park, and how you
can sit on the big-boy swing now. When we walked home, you held Grandma
Anne’s hand just about the entire way. (You’re not a huge hand-holder,
so that was a big compliment. She was very flattered.) They brought you a
lovely gift - a Melissa & Doug wooden garbage truck. You were
delighted with it. They stayed for brunch, and you had a wonderful time
showing them all your favourite toys.
A
week later, Tia Reiko, Tio Rodrigo and Isabel came to visit for a few
days on their way back from Quebec City. They were here all day on a
Monday that you and I had off together. We went for a quick haircut, and
then came home to meet up with them and go to Brewer Park. You had a
great time playing in the sand, but were very frustrated by the big
metal diggers. They are really meant for older kids and you weren’t
strong enough to move them, which upset you to no end. I tried to
convince you to let me get you into your bathing suit so we could go
play in the water, but you refused, until I said the magic word:
“fountains”. One you realized that “playing in the water” meant “playing
in the fountains” you were all over it. I coated your hands in Vaseline
to keep the eczema at bay, and you played at the splash pad for over an
hour.
Isabel
played with you in the water and she took such good care of you. I
watched her take the full force of a water canon in the back of the head
for you more than once. There was an obnoxious 9 year old boy who kept
spraying her, but since you were playing right beside her, the water
would have hit you, too. But Isabel patiently ignored the boy and
positioned herself in front of you so you wouldn’t get a blast of “big
water” to the face. I don’t think you had any idea.
Tia
and Tio and Isabel brought you a fantastic toy from Quebec City. I had
been hoping to get you a bead-and-lace toy for a while, and they found a
lovely one! You got the hang of it very quickly, and impressed us all
with your great lacing abilities. You have very good fine motor skills,
Moe. I’m impressed every time I see you in action.
Tia
was also so enchanted by your “dinosaur” hairstyle (she saw you as soon
as we got back from your haircut) that she went out and bought you some
hair gel. We’ll see if Daddy can work that into your morning routine.
;)
Grandma
had a lovely day with you this month, too. She took you raspberry
picking for the very first time. She should have weighed you on the way
in and then on the way out - you ate far more than you picked! But you
had a great time helping her pick berries (and of course, sitting in the
middle of the field and eating them). Another highlight from that day
was when she took you to visit Daddy in his store. You were both pretty
darn excited to see each other. :)
We celebrated Canada Day Bombshelter-style again this year, hanging out at Uncle Ted's. You had a great time, and we were so pleased that you were willing to get into the pool. (After the disastrous swimming lessons, I didn't know if I'd ever get you into a pool again.) But fishie and Uncle Mark conspired to lure you in. You had a wonderful time.
Even
when it’s just been the three of us, we have had some lovely adventures
together, too. On a recent Sunday together, Daddy and I took you to the
Canada Science and Technology Museum. You love exploring the digital
network tunnels. You were delighted that you could look down and see
Daddy below. You and I also went for a little ride on a real steam
train! You waited very patiently for the train to arrive (it was late)
and sat nicely in your chair and looked out the window as we rode the
length of Technology Park beside the museum. We got to the end of the
track, and the train stopped before backing up again, and you asked,
very sweetly, but very loudly, “More ride, Mommy?” People chuckled
because they were thinking the same thing - it was a pretty short ride,
especially after waiting all that time!
One
recent Saturday, it was too hot to really do much outside. We went for a
walk with Uncle Mark and Aunt Janine and Zaphod at Conroy Pit early in
the morning, but you were wilting from the heat before we got back from
the car. (I don’t think the Benadryl that I gave you helped, either.) So
I was faced with spending the rest of the day indoors with you, but it
was too late to do another outing. What were we to do? Easy. I set up
your tent in the living room! We had all the fun of outdoor living but
stayed in the air conditioning. You also got to open THREE new Cars
cars. We found a Ramone at Chapters, and found a couple of
mint-in-the-box sets on Kijiji. We opened the Fillmore/Sarge set for
you, but I’ve tucked the Sally/Lightning set away for you to have when
you are older and can appreciate the whole collectible-mint-in-the-box
aspect. (I’m not stupid - I didn’t show it to you. It will be a nice
surprise when you’re older. Like, 18.)
You
love your (Great) Grandpa Reg. You hug him freely, and love bringing
him toys to look at. You share your snacks with him, often unprompted.
And now that he has a fancy new scooter, we walk him from his place to
visit Joan at the Perley. It took some convincing (the first time, you
wanted none of it), but he got you to let him give you a ride on the
scooter. I wasn’t sure how you felt about it - your face was so serious -
but Grandpa Reg assured me, “Oh, he likes it.” Sure enough, when he
stopped, you asked him to go again. We used to visit Grandpa Reg about
once a month, but now that we can walk outside together, we can go every
other weekend, if not more often. You also dig checking out the fish
tank in the front lobby of Grandpa Reg’s place. We can find fish who
look like Dory, Nemo, Marlin and Jacques.
You
have really mastered the iPad. You can switch between different games
without any trouble, and know how to find the ones you want to play. We
play a game called Nighty Night just before you go to bed - you go
through the farm house, putting all your animals to bed and turning off
their lights. You’re a big fan of the Little Fox game, and I recently
got you an app called Bugs and Buttons that had a whole bunch of games.
Some are easier than others, and some you’ll grow into eventually.
Something
else you’re growing into is your tricycle! I picked you up at daycare
the other day and you were so proud to be able to show me how you could
finally pedal the trike. (Up until then, you had been shuffling along.) I
was really, really proud of you, too. It was funny how it happened -
everybody was colouring at the picnic table when suddenly someone looked
up and said, “HEY! Moe’s pedalling!” You haven’t been able to show me
on your own trike yet - I think we need to find the sweet spot of
seat-to-pedal setting.
You
are still such a sweet boy, so generous with hugs and kisses and high
fives. You declare often that you are “so funny,” and really, you are.
You also tell us when things are “so cool”. In the last few weeks,
though, some of your behaviour has changed. You can, at turns, be very
defiant. You have moments where you are suddenly really, really
possessive and are paranoid that people are going to take away your
things. And you are, on occasion, incredibly whiny. I’m not sure where
it’s all coming from, but we’re trying to reassure you that as long as
you’re not breaking any well-established rules, nobody is going to take
away your toys. And we’re really trying to insist that you ask for
things nicely. It isn’t always easy to deal with, but Robin assures us
this is just a stage and you’ll move through it as you have all the
other ones. I suspect that this comes from simply being 2 years old.
You
love our evening cuddles and singing. (I’ve managed to turn the Bob the
Builder theme song into a nighttime lullaby but can’t quite figure out
how to do it with Life is a Highway and I suspect I never will.) You
also love sniffing like a puppy. (It started when one night I called you
Puppy as a term of endearment, and you latched onto it. “I puppy,
Mommy!” So we do puppy sniffs together.) You love pointing out the “Big
Flower” on the way to and from daycare. (It’s a big stone sculpture at a
local house of worship on Hunt Club. Daddy says someday we’ll take you
there when he’s satisfied it isn’t a cult.) You’re doing great on the
potty, for the most part, although you have much more success at daycare
than you do at home. We just need to get you comfortable pooping on the
potty. I’m not in a rush. We’ll get there eventually.
You’re
still the best thing in our lives. We love you so much it hurts. You
make us laugh every day, you bring us such joy, and we can’t imagine our
lives without you. Our time with you is so special. I know others feel
the same way. And you have many people who love you. You bring happiness
wherever you go. That’s a very special gift. Thank you for sharing it
with us.
