snow jam 2014

so, it snowed this week in hotlanta. it was historic because it actually shut down the entire city, and the governor declared a state of emergency for the state. we were advised to stay at home for a couple of days, and i was glad for it, since work has been quite slow, and i'd been wanting to do some things around the house.

anyway, all i wanted to say about all this is that he was interested in looking at the snow, but once he had a chance to hold it, he wasn't that interested. i think his exact words were, "hand is cold, wipe it, mommy!"

we've had a great time indoors. we watched monsters inc, played with cars and trucks (a daily joy of his), tried potty training a bit more, and just generally enjoyed each other's company. it's been fun. :)

lovelove,
me

he knows his full name

first and last! it was cute to hear him say it for the first time last night. that is all. :)

addendum: i found out the very next day that, not only does he know his full name, he knows the full name of all the other kids in his daycare class (that's like 20 kids at max). they sometimes call one another by their full name. and they, of course, answer by their first and last name too. i didn't know! i'm so impressed.

byebye sippy cup

i can't remember the last time we've used a sippy cup during a mealtime. i guess it happened fairly gradually, but if i were to guess, i think it's been months since we've fully transitioned to regular plastic cups. i just noticed recently, and it feels weird.

also, on a similar note, i wanted to tell you about our best recent water bottle purchase:

i've been on a... two-year long search for a sippy cup that doesn't leak in my purse. this is where it's at, guys. it's quick and simple to disassemble and wash and assemble, it's easy and fun for Mo to operate (just push that button and the spout pops open), and it never spills! thank you contigo!! also, just in case you wanted to know, they also make my favorite ever coffee travel mug:

lovelove,
me

speech errors

speech errors tend to fix themselves in little tots over time, so i know that i need to document some of my current favies before they disappear and are forgotten (forgive me if i've mentioned any of these before):

• strawbabies = strawberries
• campooter = computer
• roundy-roundy = round and round
• oh-meh-no-no, oh-bah-no-no = Old McDonald
• panty-tae-yal = ponytail

lovelove,
mummy

"this for you, mommy"

mosey found a piece of paper in the living room and decided it belonged to me. he brought it to me and said "here, mommy." i thanked him (even though it was actually daddy's). then he went over to our "junk drawer" in the kitchen/dining area, pulled it open, fished out a pen, closed the drawer, came over to me, and said, "this for you, mommy," handing me the pen. i said, "thanks, buddy, but i don't need this right now, could you put it back for me?" he went back, opened the drawer, put the pen back, and closed the drawer. this exchange made me beam with pride. let me splain:

• he knows that i like to write on paper, so he got me a pen to write with (so thoughtful!!)
• he knows where we keep pens--i have never shown him, he's just observed it (so observant!!)
• he got out the pen by touch, not by sight--he's too short to look in the drawer (he can identify how a pen feels apart from all the other junk in the drawer!!)
• he closed the drawer each time he opened it (so tidy!!)
• he put the pen back right away (so obedient!!) 

i didn't want him to think he could open drawers and get out a pen anytime he wants to, so i tried to hide my beams of pride, but it was hard.

love that kid. :)

sophistocated speech, sally, and greed

sure, complete sentences kind of popped up these past few weeks to be commonplace. however, today i was particularly impressed by his verbal skills. a few first time phrases:

• "can you wake up, mommy?" 
• "i'll be right back, mommy." (he made eye contact with me and said this as he turned from me in the living room to go get something from his room)
• "i see the neighbor in the car." (as he looked out the window--this is a really complex thought/sentence, isn't it?)

we've been reading the cat in the hat at night and after the third night or so, he pointed at the little girl and said, "that's sally." i was super surprised by his auditory comprehension because even i had to read the words to figure out what her name was. i think she's his favorite character--he can point her out on each page if he's in the mood.

mo's daycare teacher told me the other day that mosey gets this one particular truck every time. she said that other kids fight him for it, but that he always comes out as the winner at the end. i was simultaneously proud (way to know what you want and keep your eyes on the goal!) and disappointed (does he not know how to share?).

mo's daycare teacher also mentioned that he had to have a time out this week because he wasn't being nice to someone who took a toy from him. it was really unusual because he's previously been a really resilient kid and easy to get along with (despite the paragraph above). shane and i talked about it and we could kind of see that it happened too, and we think it can be traced back to Christmas and all the hundreds of cars, trucks, and trains he got. i think maybe... just maybe... the more you have, the more you are anxious about losing your stuff.

just a thought.

lovelove,
me

i'm surprised everyday

i have read somewhere that that 2-year olds don't know how to share yet and they often don't play with others, but that they play alongside them. i have to say that mosey must not have gotten the memo because he often says, "mommy, here [handing me a toy, usually a truck], this for you." and he has once recently asked me "mommy, play [with] me," talking about trucks also. i'm pretty sure this means he wants to play with others and not just alongside. :) pretty bossy, but whatever. :)

also, he's learned the word "empty." for whatever reason, it just seems like a mature word to know. i asked him if there was more fruit in his bib today. he peeked inside and said nonchalantly, "no, it's empty."

categories. my guess is that they teach and practice categories at daycare, but while on the cruise, we talked about things that live in the ocean. shane and i started the list, but mosey took off with it, "and sharks... and whales... and starfish... and dolphins... and dory... and nemo... and octopus..." we were blown away. so, he knows the concept of 'things that live in the ocean.'

when we started talking about how mosey knows the difference between so many types of vehicles, we listed, "truck,  food truck, car, convertible, bus, fire truck, etc..." we ran out of examples and after a brief pause, mosey chimed in... "and camper..." haha! i didn't even know he was listening to our conversation!

lovelove,
me

numbers can be confusing

"what's your name?"
"moses."

"how old are you, moses? (whispered: say, 'i'm two')"
"i'm three!"