Dear Moe (35 Months)

It is very hard to believe that you’ll be three years old next month, my love. It doesn’t seem like it’s been three whole years since you came into our lives, and at the same time, we can’t picture our lives without you.

We had a lovely Christmas, despite both your grandmothers being out of town for the holiday.

For the first time, we left a cookie and a note for Santa Claus on Christmas Eve. I put the note on top of the cookie, but you were very concerned that Santa might not see the cookie, so we moved the note and you were much happier about the whole thing. The next morning, when you discovered that Santa had eaten your cookie, it certainly made an impression, but I’m not sure you weren’t a bit miffed.

You’ve greatly enjoyed having a fire in the fireplace. Daddy lit one on Christmas morning. You paid no attention to the sudden arrival of presents under the tree or to the bulging stockings on the couch. You were happy to just sit on your panda stool and watch the flames in the fireplace. We had to point out the gifts to you. 

You are a very lucky little boy - people were very generous. We opened gifts over the course of the day (and in fact, over the course of the holiday), and we were very gratified to see that gift-opening never lost its charm for you. You were never complacent, always grateful and pleased with your gift, and happy to thank the person who brought it for you. (Your reactions were also awesome. “Oh wow!” “How lovely!”) We had a late Christmas celebration with Granny and Grandma, so just when it seemed that the gift opening was finished, there were more to open! A week after Christmas, when you finally opened your last gift, we told you this was the very last present under the tree. You opened it, enjoyed it, thanked Granny, and then wrapped it all back up again and put it under the tree so you could do the whole thing again the next day.

Mark and Janine had a lovely little pre-Christmas celebration with you. They brought you a whole whack of crafting supplies! You literally covered yourself in them and laughed, rolling joyfully like a strange little lottery winner rolling in dollar bills. Except you were rolling in packages of foam shapes. You had a wonderful cuddle with Uncle Mark (you melted his heart), and then you were quite happy to have Aunt Janine carry you upstairs for your nap. You put your head on her shoulder and sighed contentedly. And then, after they left, and I was rocking you in the rocking chair, you suddenly said, “I love Uncle Mark, Mummy.” (Aunt Janine is still green with envy over that one.)

You greatly enjoyed meeting a few new playmates over the holiday. We went to Kanata to visit some old friends, and you met a little boy named Damian, who is a year older than you are. You both played very well together, and I was proud of you. We also had a great visit with Ruben and Jessie, who live in Newfoundland but who come to Ottawa occasionally to visit their grandparents. Jessie and Ruben’s daddy grew up with your Daddy, and they played together when they were your age. It was wonderful to watch you play with Jessie and Ruben. We wish they lived closer so we could all play together more often.

The month wasn’t without illness. I brought you to work with me on Christmas Eve morning, as is my workplace tradition. You had a nice time, but you didn’t really seem to be yourself. That evening, you were sick to your stomach several times. Over the next day or so, it became clear that you had the flu – coughing, chills, fever, and generally feeling horrible. Then Daddy got it. Then Daddy’s flu got better, but he got strep throat. Then I got strep throat. It was a pretty rotten holiday, health-wise, but you helped us create some lovely memories in between feeling terrible.

A sore throat and a cough meant that you got a lot of spoonfuls of honey, and you turned into a little honey monster. Even well after you got over your cough, the requests for honey continued. We had to wean you off of it – you were like a little twitchy Pooh Bear.

Speaking of Pooh Bear, we introduced you to The Tigger Movie this month. It’s the story of how Tigger goes looking for his family, only to realize that his friends are actually his family. We had some nice discussions about chosen family, which is a topic very close to our hearts. So you started asking about who your family is. You would look at me suddenly and ask, “Mummy, are you my family?” and I would reassure you that, yes, I am. A few days later, we went to Uncle Ted’s house for a breakfast party. I was pointing out all the people there who are our “chosen family”. When Aunt Jen picked you up for a hug, you asked me, “Is she my family, Mummy?” and I told you that she was indeed. You looked right at her and said, “I love you.” I don’t think she’s been quite the same since then. Then you looked at Uncle Ted’s mom, Ginny, and informed her that she was your family. That wasn’t even a question, apparently. We are inclined to agree. (It may have had something to do with the fact that she gave you your first whipped cream beater.)

One change that has occurred over the past month, really only in the past couple of weeks, is that you call me “Mummy” a lot less and call me “Mom” a lot more. It made me really sad at first because I wasn’t expecting the change this soon, but I’m getting used to it, and it just makes me enjoy the “Mummy” moments even more, when they do happen.

We’ve given a word to one of our newest challenges: dilly-dallying. You have learned what it is, and that we really don’t like it when you do it. We are currently trying to recover from the inevitable post-holiday behavioural backslide, and we are focusing on a couple of things, including not dilly-dallying. We are also focusing on doing one thing at a time. If you are playing with the tablet, the TV will be turned off. If you want to play with Play-doh, your cars have to be put away. We are also scaling way back on the TV – when we were all sick over the holiday, things got kind of out of control. 

Your concept of time is interesting. Anything in the recent past happened “this morning”. Anything in the farther past happened “when I was bigger” (by which I think you mean “when I was smaller” or “before I was bigger”). Another sentence you’ve picked up is, “We don’t often go there,” when talking about any destination. For example, I’ll say, “Why don’t we go to the library today?” and you’ll say, nodding thoughtfully, “We don’t often go there.” (We go about once a month.)

You’ve also picked up on the fact that there is something that makes girls and boys different from each other. You told me quite earnestly the other day that you are a man, and I am a woman. You were not interested in hearing my correction that you are a boy. You were adamant. “I a MAN, Mummy. I a man.” Ok, then.

We do call you our Little Man. And we love you so much. You are a delight to spend time with, a pleasure to bring to visit people, and even though being almost-but-not-quite three is bringing all kinds of new challenges, you are still an amazing little person who brings joy to everyone he meets. 

Dear Moe (34 Months)

My dear, dear Moeling. Another month has passed, and it’s been filled with all kinds of wonderful preparations for Christmas and other fun adventures. 

I went on a business trip to Niagara on the Lake in late November, and when I came home, you and Daddy met me at the airport. Let me tell you, it was pretty fantastic to come down that escalator and have you run into my arms for a hug. I missed you a lot while I was gone. You had a great time at the airport, watching the luggage go around on the carousel. And you watched so diligently for my suitcase (actually Granny’s, a black case with a little bunny attached to the handle)... except it didn’t come. So you strutted up to the WestJet luggage counter and demanded, adorably, “Where Mummy bunny suitcase?” 

We had a lovely visit from Evan and Megan this past month. They had met you once before, but you were only a few months old. You bonded with them very quickly, inviting Megan to sit on the couch with you, and cuddling with Evan while sitting in his lap. It was very special - you aren’t like that with everybody. I know they felt the same way about you, too. 

You have some lovely friends at daycare, but your real partner in crime is Emma. One day, while picking you up at daycare, Daddy noticed that you and Emma actually share speech patterns. :) 

Christmas preparations have been so much fun with you. We went to the Christmas Farmers’ Market a couple of times together. You chose a gift for each of your grandmothers. You loved the live classical music, and when I have you a loony to put in the violin case, you tried to put it into someone’s cello. 

Christmas cookies

We went to help Aunt Janine and Uncle Mark pick out a Christmas tree one Saturday, but you were rather intimidated by the size of the six-foot trees. But then you found this little Charlie Brown tree, only a few feet tall. You declared that it was “just my size!” and hugged it. Uncle Mark and Aunt Janine couldn’t have done anything else - they bought the tree for you, and it is decorated and standing on our front porch. You know it’s your tree and you love it. We may have just started a new Christmas tradition. 

The other Christmas decoration you’ve really enjoyed are some jelly decals that Grandma brought you. Santa, his sleigh and a reindeer are on the back door, and there’s a snowman on the front window. You love repositioning the different pieces and “squishing” the jelly. You have moved them so often that I don’t think they will make it to next year, but we’ll try and find you some more. 

With the time change and the approaching solstice, the drive home from daycare has been quite dark, and it’s been pretty challenging to keep you awake on the ride home. There’s just something about a moving car and the dark that sends you off to dreamland. We have often had to adjust our schedule to your impromptu 5:30 pm to 6:30 pm nap. When you do manage to stay awake, though, you love looking for beautiful displays of Christmas lights. One of the things I love about you is how much you really appreciated beauty. You have no problems expressing yourself about it, often gasping, “So pretty, Mommy! So lovely!” I have taken you a few times past the Southway Hotel with their gorgeous display, and you enjoyed it very much, asking for “more hotel”. 

We attended my work social club’s Children’s Christmas Party together a few weeks ago. I had never been to this event before. It was held at the Canadian Museum of Nature, and it was something special. There were crafts and colouring, and then as if that weren’t enough, every little boy and girl was given a gift! I was stunned at the gift you received - a Bruder log truck. It turns out that there is, in fact, a very reasonable spending limit for each gift, but there are also volunteer shoppers who know where to find the deals. I was overwhelmed. You were delighted. It’s been a favourite toy since it came home. 

One part of the party didn’t go over as well with you, but it wasn’t a big surprise. You were quite excited to hear that Santa was coming to the party, but as soon as he showed up, you panicked and demanded to go into your strolled (aka your cone of safety). I told you we were not going to spend the entire party with you sitting in your stroller, but that you could pick any table you wanted to sit at. You chose the one farthest from Santa. I respected this. When I asked you why you didn’t want to see Santa, you told me, so eloquently, “I love him so much, Mommy, but he scares me.” How can you argue with that? We kept our distance and coloured happily for the rest of the party. 

We also had a lovely day off together downtown. I brought you to the Bytown Museum Christmas Party, and you had a wonderful time. You helped decorate their Christmas tree, you enjoyed sharing a clementine (or, as you call them, lemontines) and you greatly enjoyed your waffle and syrup. We left there to go to the Chateau Laurier, where we admired the beautiful Christmas trees. I want that to be a tradition for us. Then we stopped by my work, and you were very happy to colour at my desk. I hadn’t planned on checking email or anything while we stopped by, but you were so adamant about sitting at the desk with me that I got bored and ended up getting quite a few little things done! 

The fact that Santa is watching has given me some intoxicating power. But I’ve been careful not to play the Santa card too often. I tried it for the first time, and it worked like a charm. Then I tried it later that day, and you looked at me and said, deadpan, “Mommy, stop scaring me.” 

We had quite the reason to celebrate recently. On December 15, your new baby cousin was born! We called Aunt Natalie, Grandma and Uncle Darin to say hello, and you were very happy to say hi to the baby. You had all kinds of questions after that phone call. Could the baby play with you? When could the baby play with you? Could you teach the baby to play with cars? About 30 minutes later, you heard someone at the door, and you bolted up, asking, “Is that Grandma with my baby?” 

You are a very gracious host. You love it when we have guests visit. We were so happy when Cam and Veronica came into town from Vancouver and made time to see us. You greeted these strangers at the door, and said, “Merry Christmas! Come in and see my lovely tree!” They were pretty smitten, let me tell you. (I just about swooned.) 

Daddy and I sent you to daycare on a Monday and stayed home to complete two very important projects. We put up the Christmas tree and decorated the top two thirds. And we completed your basement playroom. The reveal for each was pretty awesome. You had a wonderful time decorating the bottom of the tree and admiring the Winnie the Pooh Christmas lights I hung in the front window. And the next day, when we took you downstairs to see your playroom, you were stunned. “Can I play here?” you asked, mouth open. Your tent is set up down there, there’s a fantastic wooden pirate ship / doll house toy that Daddy bought you, and all your trucks live downstairs now, too. But the big highlight is definitely the “garley”. Daddy brought your sand table in from the back porch, cleaned it out and filled it with barley. So you have your very own indoor “barley table” (which you pronounce as “garley”.) You’ve filled dump trucks, dug up dinosaurs, and poured cement, all in your imagination. It’s been wonderful to watch, even if the barley is a bit hard on my OCD. (I keep wanting to pick up every little piece that ends up on the floor, or on the “non-barley” side of the table. *twitch*) 

Your language continues to develop daily. You don’t often refer to your favourite car as “Kachow” anymore - his name is “Lightning MaPeen” (as opposed to Lightning McQueen, but whatever). You also LOVE to contradict us, even if it means you are totally ignoring the truth. We are also still fighting the good fight against whining, encouraging you to ask nicely for things instead. That may need work, but you do thank people graciously when you are given something. It makes it easy to give you things, when you are so truly grateful. 

You love to help, when it’s your idea. You help me empty the dishwasher, you like to put things in the garbage, bring dirty dishes to the kitchen, and even tidy your toys. (Except when you don’t.) 

Christmas is only a few days away, and we are so looking forward to celebrating it with you. I’ll tell you, it’s harder than I thought it would be, having Christmas without your grandmothers here. But we will do our best to make it magical for you. 

I wish you the merriest of Christmases, my darling, and a 2013 filled with fun, laughter, discovery and learning. Be happy, be safe, be curious, be expressive... so, really, be as wonderful as you always are.

Dear Moe (33 Months)

My dear boy, this letter is 10 days late, and I’m sorry. It’s been quite a ride.

Let’s start with what a brave little guy you are. You had your ear surgery at CHEO this past month, and you were a total trooper. It was a long morning of fasting in a waiting room while wearing scratchy stripey pajamas. You were amazing. The surgery itself went really well, and it was such a relief to see you sitting up on the gurney as they wheeled you back to us. We had a long wait, as you took advantage of the opportunity to nap. You were a little fragile upon waking, and you really just wanted to go home. You tolerated the twice daily ear drops very well – you let us do them, even though you cried every time. There were some complications after the surgery – one of your ears bled a lot more than it should have, and it was so alarming to come into your room and find blood all over the pillow. It alarmed you, too. At one point you pointed to the blood and asked, “’Zat my fault?” and we were quick to reassure you that it wasn’t anybody’s fault and that nobody was mad about it. Following the surgery were more doctor’s appointments, another trip to CHEO to follow up on the bloody ear, and you handled them all with patience and good spirits. We are so very proud of you and have tried to really get across how brave you have been.

You haven’t had any ear infections since the surgery, but we have both been quite sick. The doctor thinks it’s been three different colds, and one of them included a doozy of a viral throat infection. I’m really hoping that December is better for us, health wise. Through it all, though, it has been a relief that none of the colds have gone to your ears.

You enjoyed Halloween and trick or treating very much. Your dinosaur costume, made with love by Grandma, was fantastic. Grandma took you to see Great Nan and you happily modeled the costume for her. You and I had a very nice time at the Members’ Halloween Party at the Agriculture Museum. Although you did find things a bit overwhelming, you loved the crafts. You can always be counted on to love the crafts. Aunt Janine and Uncle Mark came with us to go trick or treating, and you did really well. You said “thank you” and got quite confident walking up people’s lanes. We did a few houses on our street, walked to Grandmas, and then walked home. By the time we got back to our house, you were ready to come inside.

You still enjoy a visit to Grandpa Reg’s, but since he has moved to the Perley, it isn’t quite the same. Our walk is now indoors instead of outside, and you miss the fish tank at Alta Vista Manor. I enjoyed that routine with you, so this new one will take some adjustment. It’s wonderful to see your relationship with Reg, though. You happily give him hugs, and love to bring him toys to show him. One thing that warmed my heart was that when Reg was choosing a few photos to bring with him for his first night at the Perley, he chose one of you.

I don’t know if it is as a result of your surgery, but your speech has improved drastically in the last month. You express yourself so very well, in full, complex sentences. You often get “I” and “me” mixed up, with adorable results. (“Pick I up, Mummy.”) You have some great expressions. I love your recent use of the word “actually”. You’re a big fan of saying, “Not yet.” And we often hear, “I just do something” and “I don’t think so.” For a while, your pronunciation was taking on a  definite Texas twang, which was odd. You would ask to get “day-own” instead of down. You would talk about your “bay-ath”. It’s getting better, which is good, because it’s hard to explain!

You also incorporate talk in your play a lot more. We often hear conversations between cars or stuffies, and you like bringing us a stuffie and asking us to “talk him”. You love cuddling your animals. For portability, you love Little Lambie. For big cuddles, nothing compares to Buster. 

You are still making great progress on the potty. We rarely have accidents these days. You still have great reluctance about pooping on the potty, and you often cry when you poop. We’ve taken to offering you a special reward: a Lego mini figure. Things are coming along, but we’re not expecting miracles. We know it sometimes takes a while before this second part of potty training really clicks.

I had a bit of a dilemma this year for Remembrance Day. I am eager for you to attend a ceremony so I can explain it to you, but you are just too young. I went to the Perley to attend the ceremony with Reg and Joan, and considered bringing you, but you’re just too young and it isn’t appropriate. I hope we’ll have a chance in coming years to have you experience a ceremony with Reg. In the meantime, you can identify a “poppy flower”.

You have a great ability to focus for a long time on certain tasks, like crafts or baking. You can spend a long time in the bath just watching how water pours over a car. You like to wrap things in a Kleenex or a wash cloth and tell us it’s a present. You enjoy lining your cars up in what you call a parking lot. In the bath, when we put the wash cloth over the side of the tub, you arrange your cars on it for a “picnic”. It is very important that everyone be included in the picnic and that we find room for all the cars.

I’ve started taking you to the library again, and we’re both enjoying it. You love books and are so excited when we bring new ones home from the library or, even better, when Daddy brings you your own new books from his store.

It’s a pleasure to give you things, as you are genuinely grateful. You are so polite and say “thank you” mostly unprompted, and we’ve had great success this month with “please” (although that one comes and goes). You are so good at asking permission to do things or play with things (“Please, Mummy, I play with that?”) and you are generally a pleasure to be around. Your laugh lights up the house, much like your dimple lights up your face. Between your dimple and your eyebrows, your face is super expressive and it can be hilarious.

We are really looking forward to Christmas. This year will be a quiet Christmas, as Grandma and Granny will both be away. As much as we’ll miss them, though, I’m kind of looking forward to it being just the three of us for the first time. There are lots of surprises and celebrations coming in the next month, Pookie, and I hope you enjoy all of them. It’s such a joy to get you excited for Santa Claus and Christmas.

Lately, I find myself almost overwhelmed by waves of love for you. Your new abilities to express yourself mean that we’re really getting to know who you are and what you are thinking. And you’re fantastic. You are sweet and generous and funny and loving and more fun than I could ever have imagined. I love you so much, my darling boy. You bring so much wonder to our lives. 

Dear Moe (32 Months)

It’s hard to believe another month has gone by already, Bean. This one flew by so quickly. But it was full of fun adventures and great changes that I can’t wait to tell you about.

We bought a Groupon for Monkey Around, and I think it will serve us well this winter. We’ve been twice since buying it, and you’ve had a great time. I was really impressed at how your confidence grew as you became more comfortable there. By the second visit, you were climbing and going down slides by yourself, you had made a new friend and were hanging out with him, and you even mustered up your courage and went in the bouncy castle. You were also delighted that we found a tricycle your size on which you could boot around. You’d disappear into the play structure, occasionally popping your head out a window to make sure you could see me. I’d wave and say hi, and then you’d go back to doing whatever you were doing. I felt a combination of incredible pride and bittersweet sadness. You’re getting to be so independent.

I’ve noticed other changes in the way you play, too. You talk to your toys more. One morning I came into your room and you told me that you had been telling Burp Bunny about one of your dreams. (You dreamed about playing at Robin’s.) Your toys also talk to each other. I’ve caught bits of conversations between cars, I’ve heard trucks asking other cars to move out of the way, and I’ve seen tow trucks come to the rescue of 18-wheelers who have fallen over on their side. (That last one is right out of Mighty Machines.)

During the past few weeks, your listening has really improved. I’ve tried to praise you about this at every opportunity. (Daddy and I are going to keep working hard to be consistent and counting you when you don’t listen, and follow-through with consequences. So far, it’s working. But a lot of it is you, too.)

There’s a new friend at day care, a very little girl named Alyssa. Because she is still so small, she can cry and get what she wants. As a result, we’ve noticed a lot more whining from you lately. We’re doing our best to nip this in the bud, and you’re responding well to our efforts. You never get what you want when you whine, for two reasons. First, it isn’t an appropriate way to ask for something. Second, we often have absolutely no clue what you’re saying! But you are learning that when you use your words and ask nicely, things tend to go your way.

Both Daddy and I traveled for work this month (separately). He went to Montreal for a few days of meetings in late September, and I went to Niagara Falls for a conference for a couple of days last week. You handled the separation pretty well on both counts. When I was gone, we tried Skype for the first time, and it was really neat to be able to see your face! I think you enjoyed it, too. But you kept asking me to “come back to my house, Mommy” and that kind of broke my heart. :)

It was Daddy’s birthday this month, and to celebrate, we all went out to O’Grady’s for dinner one night. You outdid yourself. You were patient, well-behaved, charming, and fun. But you were a little confused because we told you it was Daddy’s birthday and you kept asking where the birthday was. Then we realized you were looking for the birthday cake. There wasn't a cake, but you were mollified by a couple of Oreo cookies. :)

You’re big on asking questions. You want to know “what that mean?” “what that?” and your favourite, “WHY?” We do our best to answer as best we can, but often turn the question back to you, as you often know the answers yourself. At one point, though, even Daddy was forced to say, “I’d explain more, Buddy, but I’d have to explain the laws of thermodynamics.”

Your potty training has been going wonderfully. You rarely have accidents anymore, you’re confident about using the potty at home, and you deal well with using it when we are out and about. (The only problem that remains is getting you to poop on the potty. It’s an issue, and my patience is starting to wear thin, but we’ll get there.)

There were some big changes to your room this month! We gave your crib to Aunt Natalie for her baby (who is scheduled to arrive at the end of December), and you got… your own big boy bed! AND we got rid of the change table! You were super happy about your new bed and room set up. You kept saying, “WHOA. Whoa. WHOA…” as you explored the room. You love the bed, and although the huge bedrail essentially makes it a glorified crib, we now gate your room while you are sleeping. (We don’t want you getting out of bed, wandering down the hall, and falling down the stairs in a sleepy daze.) You've accepted all the changes with great aplomb.

I’m glad we've kept your rocking chair, though. We were going to go right to doing stories and songs in the bed with you, but both you and I get so much out of the rocking ritual that we’d like to keep it a bit longer. I don’t rock you long, but it’s our special time together. At some point, though, when the bed rail is off your bed, we’ll move the rocking chair out and do stories on the bed.

You have learned to self-soothe so well at bedtime. If you aren't quite ready to go to sleep, you chat to yourself, put on your aquarium, or (pre- big-boy bed) pull and listen to your Pooh Bear mobile. Sometimes it takes you a while to settle down, but you rarely call for us. You just hang out until you’re ready to sleep. We are so proud of you for being able to do that. (Of course, we take some credit – it’s taken a lot of work on our part, too.)

You take very good care of your toys. Many of your cars get a car wash every night during your bath. You hug your stuffies so sweetly. You have even become attached to a little pine cone that lives in the car. You picked out two pumpkins for the front step at the Farmers’ Market this weekend, and you say hello to them every time you go by. (There’s “Big Pumpkin” and “Tiny Pumpkin”. Sometimes you even let them wear your new pumpkin hat.) We’re trying to prepare you for Halloween. I think you understand that you’re going to be wearing a dinosaur costume that Grandma is making you. You've been practicing your roar, which is a great start!

You can be really patient and easy going when it comes to waiting in a waiting room. Grandma and I brought you to CHEO for a dermatology consultation, and we had to wait an hour before we got into an examination room, and another 30 minutes before we saw a doctor. You did really well, and only started to get rambunctious after about 90 minutes. I was really impressed.

I hope you can do half as well on Friday when we bring you to CHEO for your ear surgery. It’s not going to be easy. You won’t be able to eat or drink anything except water, apple juice or a bit of jello from midnight until 3 hours before your surgery, which is at 1:45 pm. And you’ll have nothing for the 3 hours prior to surgery. Then they will give you something to make you sleep so they can put a tube in each of your ears, which will help keep the ear infections (or monkeys, as you’ve come to call them) away. We’re going to start talking to you about it tonight to prepare you for the whole ordeal. My friend Kim came up with the brilliant idea of getting you a Snoopy Snow Cone maker for the morning so that your limited food and drink can at least be interesting.

Let me tell you a story that will help you understand what a sweet boy you are. You and Grandma went for a walk on a nature trail. You came across a pile of large rocks, and were very excited to find one small enough that you could pick up and carry by yourself. You asked Grandma if you could bring it home and put it in the garden, and she said yes. You were delighted. You walked on until you saw one lonely little flower, growing all by itself on the side of the trail. You brought the rock over, placed it gently next to the flower, and left it there. You explained to Grandma that the flower needed the rock. When Grandma told me this story, I just about cried.

Last night you expressed your feelings to me really well, and I was so proud of you. Netflix, which is pretty much our only source for TV for you, has recently gotten rid of Curious George. Last night, we discovered that they also got rid of Little Bear. Those are your two bedtime shows, and are an important part of winding down for the evening. Granny comes over and we all sit together and watch a show and we talk about it and cuddle and you drink milk and it’s one of the best parts of our collective day. Last night, you told me quite earnestly that you were feeling sad that you couldn't watch Little Bear. I hugged you and said we were all feeling that way. I told you I was proud of you for telling me about your feelings, and I really am. You didn't whine, you didn't cry, you just said you were feeling sad, and told me why. If you can keep expressing yourself this way, sweetheart, you’ll do well. (We settled on watching an episode of George on the iPad, which wasn't ideal because we can’t all watch it together, but we’re working on getting a cable that will attach the iPad to the TV.)

One more little thing, before I forget. I love the way you say the word “stool”. You have a few around the one house, and you love to use them to get onto the couch or give you a boost in the bathroom. You pronounce it “tool-lool” and it’s wonderful. You’re getting clearer and clearer with your pronunciation, though, so I don’t think it will last much longer.

As you can see, you’re a sweet, smart little boy. You are developing so well, and you are most loved by everyone who meets you. You have a roguish smile, a wonderful laugh, and you give awesome hugs and kisses. We love you so much more than we could ever express. You are magic on two legs. Keep being so awesome, my sweet little Bean who is growing up so fast. 

Dear Moe (31 Months)

I don’t even know where to begin, sweetie. It hardly seems like it’s only been one month since my last letter. We’ve had so many fun adventures, you’ve made so many developmental strides, and there is just so much to tell you.

Let’s start with the ever evolving bedtime ritual. Once you’ve used the potty, washed your hands, brushed your teeth (and hopefully done that well enough that you’ve earned a happy face on your tooth brushing chart), Daddy gets a diaper on you, and you do a bit of rocking on your own in the rocking chair. Then it’s my turn. You sit on my lap and we play one “bedtime game” (or interactive book) on the tablet. Lately, you’re all about Goodnight Safari, but occasionally you surprise me and pick Sandra Boynton’s Going to Bed Book. 

When the tablet game is done, we read two books. You turn the pages for me, and we comment on each page. Lately, your attention span has allowed us to explore longer books, or books with more words on each page. You enjoy Are You My Mother?, and The Cat in the Hat. We have also rediscovered Happy Halloween, Curious George! in preparation for the end of October. At some point during the story process, Daddy comes in and puts lotion on your hands to keep them in good shape.

Once stories are done, it’s time to rock and sing. You cuddle a stuffie. (Sometimes it’s Anchor, the hammerhead shark that Aunt Janine and Uncle Mark brought you from B.C. this month. Anchor usually needs to spend a few moments biting my hand before he settles down.) You no longer sit facing me with your head on my chest or shoulder. You scraped your knee a few weeks ago, so we tried having you to sit in my lap, facing to the side and resting your ear on my chest. Even though your knee is better, you have gotten so big that this new position is better for you. It’s the end of an era, and you are really no longer a baby.

We sing the Alphabet Song once, together, slowly. And then I continue, solo, with the Bob the Builder lullaby. (It’s the Bob the Builder theme song, slowed down a lot.) I ask you if you’re ready for your crib, you nod yes, and then I tell you, “I’ll sing you there.” I keep singing as I carry you to your crib, lie you down with your head on your pillow, tuck you in with your blanket and a stuffie for each arm. Then I tell you I love you, tell you goodnight, and leave you to fall asleep.

It is often one of the nicest parts of my day, rocking you in my lap, with your sweet head on my chest. I kiss your hair and revel in the softness of your hand on my arm. I try very hard to be really present during this time, although sometimes my mind wanders to what I have to do next, to dishes that need washing, laundry that needs sorting, and occasionally dinner that needs eating. But I do my best to treasure that very special time with you, because some day it will be over. 

 

We’ve had a wide variety of great outings and adventures this month. We did a one-day road trip to Chateauguay to attend your Great Uncle Kevin’s celebration of life. Uncle Kevin was one of the good guys, Bean. He had a fantastic sense of humour, a strong sense of family, and swore like a sailor. I loved him very much, and I know your Daddy misses him. We were both so pleased that you got to meet him before he died. You handled the drive to Chateauguay really well, especially since it took about three hours due to poor signage and construction. You were very patient during the speeches, and when it became clear that you were reaching your limit, you and I disappeared outside for a while and found a little mound of dirt in which you could dig. I was really proud of you.

We had several outings to or around the Agriculture Museum. We picnicked at the Arboretum, explored the Ornamental Gardens, and had a great time at the Museum itself. You came home from the museum and played with your horse trailer. You informed me, most happily, that you were cleaning up horse poop. 

Running down the hill to meet Granny at the Arboretum. 
Rapturous hugs soon followed.

 Potty training has meant fewer museum trips in general, but lots more time at the park. We went to Mooney’s Bay Park two days in a row to play with K-Bear and her family. One day, the Magoos (who you looove) joined us and we had a great time. We have also been going to Pushman Park a lot on weekends. You love the big boy swing – I can’t seem to push you high enough for your liking, but you generally accept my limits (and those of physics) with resignation. You also enjoy digging in the sand, but then, you enjoy digging anywhere you can. Sometimes we just hang out in the backyard and you dig in “your garden”.

We’ve also had great adventures around the house. We had a fantastic rainy day play date with K-Bear and her family. They brought us an enormous cardboard box that we turned into a little house with windows that open and close. I just replenished our craft supplies, too, so we’re ready for another rainy few days this weekend.

You love doing crafts. You take great pride in our little gallery along the banister, and you are so proud to tell people that Grandma has one of your paintings on her fridge. When you see your work on Grandpa Reg’s mini-fridge, you are so chuffed. It makes me so happy to see the pride you take in your artistic efforts. And you should be proud! The stuff you bring home is beautiful. 

Your artwork on the wall of the Canadian Museum of Nature!

 Speaking of Grandma, you say her name! For a long time you insisted on calling her Grandpa, first because you couldn’t tell the difference between the words, and then because it drove us all nuts. But once we stopped accepting it (“What do you mean, where’s Grandpa? Who do you mean? Grandpa Leo? Grandpa Will?”) and reinforcing that not using someone’s correct name is a sign of disrespect, you came over from the dark side and have been saying it correctly ever since. I’m really, really relieved, because oh my goodness, son, that drove me crazy. 

Hanging with Grandma

 

You have some great verbal expressions. You often start a sentence with “that why,” as in, “That why my truck not rolling,” when what you mean is simply, “My truck isn’t rolling.” If you see someone you don’t know, you’ll say, “I not remember that guy.” If we ask you a question and you don’t know (or don’t feel like saying) the answer, you’ll say, “I not remember that.” You like to point out that “I not seen that a while” if you come across something that’s been tucked away. And if you’re talking about something that happened in the past, it usually happened “long days ago”.

You’re getting very good at sharing with other kids (although you still aren’t great with adults, but I’m cracking down), and it’s nice to see at day care that you’re playing with the other children and not just alongside them. You still play “alongside” kids you don’t know, like at the park or at a museum.

Your health has been remarkably good lately (knock on whatever wood on which I can get my hands). The main problem this past month has been allergies. Seasonal allergies hit you badly, but not your nose… your skin. You ended up with hives, an increase in eczema, and itchy eyes. There were some days that we got you home and you had to be immediately dosed with Benadryl and tossed into the bath. But the worst seems to be over now.

Because of the hives, the egg allergy and the nut allergy, we finally filled your Epi Pen prescription. We’ve seen how bad the hives can get now, and we’re worried that something could trigger a really bad reaction. We have to get into the habit of moving it from your day care backpack into the diaper bag for the weekend, and back again. You also have some appointments coming up: a dermatology appointment at CHEO next week, and ear surgery on October 26.

The biggest change is that we’re potty training in earnest. Robin convinced us to buck up our courage and take you out of diapers. You wear training pants or underwear now, unless it’s nap time at home or bedtime. You are doing really, really well. You still have an accident or two a day, but you have started asking to use the potty and you like doing it. Things started to click when I let you pee standing up (only on your little potty – the big toilet is still too big). We are so proud of you, and you seem quite proud of yourself. We’ve stopped giving gummy bears for every success (as predicted, you started squeezing out a few drops and demanding a gummy bear), but instead give you two “general encouragement” gummy bears a day. Things are going better. You still need help pulling down your underwear, but we’ll get there. We are trying to practice that when you don’t have to go. When you’re at home, you’re often naked from the waist down, and that’s been helpful.

Your keychain collection is growing in leaps and bounds. People from all over the country – and indeed all over the world – have mailed you key chains to play with. You keep them in a little Lightning McQueen pouch, and occasionally take them out to look at them all, or hang them from each other, or just shake them around. 

People who have never met you hear me talk about you or see your smiling face in photos and want to be a part of your life. You are so loved, and with good reason. You’re a sweet, affectionate, intelligent, handsome little boy who brings us joy every day. Keep being so wonderful, keep growing, and keep soaking up our love. You are still my sunshine, and always will be. 

Dear Moe (28 Months)

Hello, my darling boy. I’m not sure how it’s happened, but we seem to have fallen even more deeply in love with you than ever. You are such a sweet little trooper, with your earnest speeches, loving hugs and kisses, and wonderful sense of humour. It’s impossible not to love you.

Your speech is getting better and better every day. You have so many words, and can be very clear. You’ve started using great adjectives - like “shiny” and “crunchy”. You pick up everything we say. It is both wonderful and slightly terrifying.

Some of your pronunciation is adorable. I love the way you say bean bag (“bean bang”) and dune buggy (“dune bungy”). It’s wonderful to hear your words get clearer every day, but those are two that I’ll miss when they are eventually gone. (One I won’t miss at all is how you call your Grandma “Gampa”. I did feel better when I heard you pronounce llama as “llampa”, though. It made the Grandma/Grandpa thing seem less deliberate.)

We moved ahead with potty training in earnest this month, and overall, it has gone very well. I think I initially tried to move you through it too quickly, getting you out of diapers and into underwear, but you resisted underwear after your first accident. I could tell it was stressing you out. You are still in diapers, or you spend time naked from the waist down. We prompt you to use the potty at every diaper change, and you are now starting to ask to use the potty on your own. You have great success at every turn. We’re very proud of you - it won’t be long now before we try underwear again. We’ll just need to prepare you for that transition a bit better. I know you’ll do great if we take things at your own speed.

We took you to Touch a Truck, an event we did together last year in the rain. This year, the weather was much better - although very warm - and we were lucky enough to have Daddy with us. The event was very well attended and provided some excellent lessons about waiting in line, waiting our turn, and giving the next person a turn in good time. You had a wonderful time, though. You’ve recently rediscovered Mighty Machines, and you were excited to see a real ladder fire truck. You also got to sit in the cab of a “Big Mater” (tow truck), a “Little Mater” (tow truck), a sod truck, and a “Spic and Span” cleaning truck. On our way out, someone gave us a small stuffed orange giraffe - it’s the mascot for the City of Ottawa vaccination program. You love Giraffe and he’s part of your crib menagerie. Your two current favourites are Giraffe and Sheep. Soup the Turtle also still occasionally gets a moment in the sun, and your crib wouldn’t be the same without Buster the doggy. 

 
We spent a wonderful Father’s Day visiting Grandpa Leo and Debi in Kemptville. We relaxed on their lovely shady porch for playtime and a snack. You explored their vegetable garden with delight, asking Daddy “what’s this?” about every plant you could find. You pressed up against the window to the kitchen to get a good look at Jenny, the 12-year-old cocker spaniel. You were sweet, polite, and I was very proud of you. Granny had us over for dinner that night, and you impressed us again. It was a wonderful Father’s Day. Daddy loved the card you gave him, but I think you loved it even more. I picked out a card with a big digger and a little digger on it. Anytime you would come across it in the house, you’d bring it to Daddy to make sure he had it with him. At one point when Daddy was heading to work, you reminded him to bring his card. He did. 

 
We’ve had a few health issues again this month. We’ve had some trouble with the skin on your hands. You developed something called dyshidrotic eczema: your fingers became so red and cracked, and you got these painful blisters in the creases of your hands. The doctor told us to keep you out of the water table until they are all healed up. We’re almost there now, but though the blisters are now gone, the skin on your fingers is still peeling here and there. It’s been very hard for me to deny you your water play. You haven’t complained, but I know how much you adore it. So I’ve been letting you take nice long baths with lots of play time. I’m hoping you’ll grow to love the wading pool at the park, too. Unfortunately, the splash pad will have to be off limits for a while. The problem isn’t you getting your hands wet. It’s having them go from wet to dry to wet to dry. We don’t know if that’s what caused the problem, or if it’s the result of having had a couple of allergic reactions to a cat and a dog, or if it would have happened anyway, but we don’t want it to happen again. We’ve asked for a dermatology referral for you.

The other big health thing is the reason this letter is so late. You got what we presume was a strep infection and as usual, it went straight to your ears. It culminated with a sudden fever spike and an evening trip to CHEO emergency. You were, overall, wonderful about it. We had to wait and wait, shuffled from waiting room to waiting room, hours past your bedtime. (We would NOT have survived that evening nearly as well without my iPad, free wifi and Netflix.) We eventually got home around 11:30pm, and we filled your antibiotic prescription first thing the next morning. But it was only a day or two before I came down with strep throat and found myself on the same antibiotic! We’re both on the mend and back to our normal selves, and I’m glad that’s over. We’re very lucky that you are almost 2.5 years old and this was only our very first trip to CHEO emergency.

We’ve had some lovely outings this month, as usual, because any time spent with you is wonderful. You were very honoured to be the only little person from day care invited to R’s son Alex’s birthday party. It was at Monkey Around, and Mommy and Daddy went with you. You had a great time on the climbing structure and playing with the trikes. But the highlight was when R presented you with a little bag of game tokens. We found a great game for you to spend them on (Popcorn), but I think you enjoyed putting them into the game slot even more than you enjoyed playing the game! You earned 15 precious tickets, which you spent at the counter on a small glow-in-the-dark koosh ball and one little green “army guy”. You were, rightfully, very very proud of the prizes you had worked to earn. We still have them in your room among your treasures.

You and I had a wonderful time at the Museum of Nature together. Grandma had taken you there the week before, and you were most happy to go again! We checked out the dinosaurs, but you declared to me (as you had to Grandma) that they were too big to be your friends. (I have to respect that, as I felt the same way when I was your age.) You had a great time in the Animalium where you watched all kinds of insects and amphibians and other creepy crawly friends. We went to the Bird Rescue Centre at the Bird Gallery, and you took very good care your little charge. You bathed your birdie, fed him, gave him medicine, and tucked him into bed with all his friends. We also spent a good deal of time at the NSERC boat in the Water Gallery. In the past, you’ve really liked the kitchen, but this time you were all over the captain’s control deck. We measured fish, you piloted the boat like a champ (we didn’t hit a single iceberg!) and you insisted on wearing the blue labcoat. It was the first time I’d seen you connect with a costume item. It was adorable. The resulting photos have made several heads explode with the cute. 

 

 
We still go for our usual Saturday morning walk with Uncle Mark and Aunt Janine, and Zaphod, if possible. We haven’t been able to hit the park by their house because it’s a splash pad, but they’ve come to our neighbourhood and we’ve spent some very nice time at Pushman Park (where, incidentally, Mommy used to play when she was a little girl). One day, the Magoos joined us - Trick, Treat and Mistlegoo. Mistlegoo is like a little Mommy to you - she’s constantly telling me what she thinks you want to do or say, and just wants to take care of you. Treat is always sweet to you, but prefers to play on her own. And Trick blows me away with how wonderfully he interacts with you. He’s patient and kind and you just love spending time with him. He even brought you a bag of his old matchbox cars, as well as some big plastic trucks for playing outside. The whole week following the playdate, you told people how your buddy had brought you these wonderful things.

You have a great memory and are growing more assertive every day (in a mostly good way). We were a bit concerned when your Daddy saw another boy at day care push you and take away your toy, and you didn’t react. You and I had a conversation about how if someone does something to you that you don’t like, you should feel comfortable saying, “No, don’t” to tell them you didn’t like their behaviour. (I then had to deal with having you tell me “No, don’t” anytime I wanted to dress you, change your diaper, shepherd you upstairs, wash your hair, etc. At least I know you’re listening.) I have since learned that you are doing just that at day care, and we are proud of you. 

Our ever-evolving bedtime routine is still a very special time for us all. You watch a show on TV - usually Curious George - and then you say goodnight to Granny, who has usually come by to watch it with you. We all go upstairs and you and I brush our teeth at the bathroom sink. While I go return my toothbrush to my bathroom, you have a minute to rock in your rocking chair by yourself. (Daddy is there to keep one foot on the chair because we’ve had some pretty violent rocking.) We do a final diaper change / potty time, and then it’s time to sit in the rocking chair with me for a few stories. Once those are read, the lights go off, your star turtle and music go on, and Daddy comes and gives you three kisses. Then you pick the song you want me to sing, and we sing and rock together for a few minutes before I sing you to your crib, where you snuggle with Sheep and Giraffe and say goodnight. 

 
We love you more than I could ever express in a letter, Moe. You make our days so bright, and you’ve made our family so beautiful. We love your humour, your dimple, your smile, your expressive eyebrows, your hugs and kisses, and your generosity of spirit. Your middle name means “generous” and it has been our hope that you would eventually live up to that name. We didn’t think you’d be doing it at 2.5 years old, but you are. Keep being such an amazing little man, and know that you are most, most loved.

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.