Dear Moe (26 Months)

Well, Pookie, another month has gone by and you’re doing great. We went to your 2-year check up at the doctor and you are in the 75^th percentile for height and weight. You caught a cold early in the month and then had a bit of a stomach flu later in the month, but you’ve stayed ear-infection free, thankfully. We took you to the ear, nose and throat doctor and he confirmed that there is negative pressure and fluid in your ears, which means you’re always at the second stage of an ear infection. (Basically, you have a sign on your forehead that says “Hey, ear infections! Come live here!”) We’ve been referred to another ENT who will look at what might be involved in getting tubes put in. That likely won’t be for some time, though.

We did all kinds of fun things this month: I took you through the car wash (you liked it once I explained that it was like the robot M-O from Wall-E was cleaning our car), we went to the Agriculture Museum to seethe baby animals (you were most interested in playing with your car in thesand, with washing your hands and with putting stones down the sewer grate, but we still had a great time), and we went for a road trip as a family.

We packed up and went to Toronto for Easter Weekend to visit your Tia Reiko (Tia May-ko), Tio Rodrigo (Tio Da-ee-go) and your cousin Isabel (Bel). You had a lovely time hunting for Easter eggs, playing with Isabel and Aiden, using sidewalk chalk, playing in Tia’s rock garden, feeding yourself whipped cream for the first time, and petting Pipa the dog (who is a lot of more docile than Zaphod). We were all glad we went, but I came down with bronchitis and laryngitis and you were fighting a cold, so there were some challenging moments. You are a true introvert, darling. You need a lot of time to get comfortable in a new place and with new people. Once you get there, it’s magic, but it does take you some time. Weekend trips are hard because by the time you get comfortable, it’s time to leave again.

You have really bonded with some of your stuffed animals. You suddenly discovered Sheep on the shelf and started bringing him everywhere with you. You have showed him how to fish with your fishing puzzle, you have told him about the cars going by the window, and you bring him cars to play with. He sure is lucky to have such a fun and considerate playmate. You love to cuddle with Buster the dog and Leary the Otter. And you made new friends with Easter the horse, which was an Easter gift from Robin.

You are hilarious. There have been a few moments this month where your Daddy and I have just about killed ourselves laughing at you. Here are some examples:

One night, we brought you upstairs for bedtime and you climbed by yourself into the rocking chair. You started rocking yourself, and didn’t want either of us to sit with you. We stood there, silently, not sure what to do. You suddenly looked up, waved at us and said, loudly, “BYE!”

Your Daddy was working in the kitchen when he heard me corralling you for a diaper change. He heard me say, “Hey, come back! Wait, we need to put a diaper on you!” and looked up to see you streaking by wearing absolutely nothing except a pair of red and white striped socks. You were running as fast as you could, pumping your arms, and laughing your head off.

You were in the bath when you noticed that if you turned your boat upside down, there’s a small reservoir under it that holds water. You drank from it. I reminded you several times that we don’t drink our bath water. You complied. Your Daddy came into the bathroom and he and I got to talking. I looked at you and noticed that you were drinking from the boat again! I said, “Moe – DON’T DRINK THE WATER.” You looked at us, your eyes wide and cheeks full of water, paused, grinned, swallowed, and then said, “Ahhhh….”

You have a dimple that comes out when you smile – but it seems to come out even more when you’re smiling because you’re doing something you shouldn’t be. I have no idea how you manage that.

We’ve also started to hear our words come out of your mouth. Daddy patted your bum the other day to check your diaper and you moved away indignantly, saying, “Hey, hey, hey!” which is what we often say to you when you’re doing something cheeky.

You’ve got three and four word sentences, now, which is great. One morning it had rained and you told Daddy about every single wet car you saw outside. “Mommy car wet. Daddy car wet. John car wet.”

You have really lovely manners, Moe. You often say please, thank you and excuse me unbidden, and when you don’t, you only need a gentle reminder. It’s really wonderful, and we’re very proud of you. Grandma took you to visit Great Auntie Geri and as you left her house you said, “tak-oo Geri” without being asked. I was so proud when I heard that.

I love the way you say, “This way, Mommy.” It sounds like “Wit-way, Muh-ee.”

You’re big into Bob the Builder right now, and I introduced you to Finding Nemo this weekend. But when you’re sick or need centering, you still love to watch Cars, and we watch Curious George before bedtime. You enjoy colouring (brown and purple are your favourite colours), you love making shapes with play-doh, you take great pleasure at stacking things (cars, other toys, whatever you can get your hands on), and you simply can’t get enough water play. You are able to sit happily in a chair in the kitchen and watch us make you a smoothie, but you have a hard time understanding that making toast involves waiting. We’re looking forward to getting the kitchen a bit more you-proof and having you help us during meal prep. You’ve discovered the joy of sitting in your Daddy’s lap in the driver’s seat of a car, and pushing all the buttons there that you can find.

We have two new bedtime books. Grandpa Will and Grandma Anne sent “The House of 12 Bunnies,” which you enjoy very much, and we started reading about Baby Owl and Owly in “I’m Not Scared!” I love discovering new books with you – I never know whether a book will get your attention, but when it does, it’s wonderful.

Parenting you takes a lot of energy, but loving you takes no effort at all. Keep being so awesome, sweet bean.