Dear Zealand, You continue to be quite the charmer and the apple of everyone's eye. Your "Am" and Papa adore you to pieces and outside of mama and dada they are the one's you see the most. You are very attached to them and a huge smile spreads across your face when you know they are on their way to visit. You have your special things that you do with just them: riding your new neigh neigh, pushing your wagon and train around the backyard, chasing the kitty cat, and having them sing to you on demand with their guitars. Although it hasn't been confirmed, I suspect that you enjoy a bit more ice cream in their company than in ours.
In the past few months you have carved out a nice space of independence from your mama. When Am and Papa arrive you are excited to have a day with them apart from me. You say "bye bye mama" and will give me a kiss when asked. You seem like quite the big boy during these moments and almost proud of yourself for being able to handle the transition with such grace. And, it makes me feel like I have done something right.
This month you also had a nice visit with Grandma Mary and Auntie Annika in Mammoth. We set up your train tracks on the coffee table, had your books handy, and all was well. Annika gave you a nice bubble bath our first night and you were more than happy to have her do so. On this trip da da took you skiing with him. The two of you rode the gondola and then went down the mountain together with you strapped to his chest in the ergo. I think the sheer scale of the mountains took your breath away because you were quiet for much of this adventure. Afterwards you were wiped out and said little during the car ride home. We suspect the high altitude took it out of you.
Besides trains, trucks, tractors, and busses, you enjoy your bubble baths a great deal. Usually da da will give you your bath and you will splash happily and laugh loudly at what I can only guess. The other evening I gave you a bath and you asked for a cup of seashells that I had in the bathroom for decoration. You dumped them in the water and then gathered them, dumped them back, over and over until I finally had to drain your bath since it was so close to bed time.
When da da gives you a bath I often will take the moment to read in bed for twenty minutes or so. At some point I hear feet race excitedly down the hall toward me and a voice saying "bubbles... water.." in a pitch of pure joy. You run into the room and then hop onto the bed with me continuing to exclaim, "bubbles.. water." Recently you added, "jammies." This happens without fail after each and every bath. The top of your head will have damp curls while your sides have been combed back by da da with retro feathers. You always smell so sweet and you are so excited to share with me your excitement over bath. These are the moments you don't want to forget.
Lately you have developed an obsession over oatmeal. You ask for oatmeal several times throughout the day and just as your head hits the mattress at the end of the day. You say, oatmeal, banana, da da. You associate oatmeal with the morning and with your da da who often makes it for all three of us. You ask us for your "new spoon" (a cute new toddler spoon we bought for you) and race over to the kitchen table where we have your booster seat. You now eat with us at the table and seem to like this new position up at the table. Better candle viewing for one. Your mama has finally gotten her act together by having meals pretty much ready when da da comes home and makes sure that we eat a proper family dinner with candles, set table, pitcher of water, etc.. I want to start us off right with lots of attention paid to the ritual of eating a family meal together. Back to candles - you love them! Each night after dinner you have the honor of blowing each of them out. You have become really good at this and will be ready for your 2 yr. birthday cake!
Another favorite at this age is jumping on the couch. You ask us to "ope door" - which means take the cushion off of the couch so you can jump on the couch. You then try to sing "no more monkeys jumping on the bed".. It comes out "no mo monies .." You like it when we sing the song for you while you jump and jump and jump.
Speaking of songs, you have started to sing a bit on your own. Partial bits of course, but often in tune. Each day after nap I make it a point to have Pandora streaming with a children's station. You have started to recognize songs that you like: Old Macdonald, Twinkle Twinkle, Wheels on the Bus, and Itsy Bitsy Spider. You also have learned some of the hand motions that go along with these songs (thanks to circle time with the classes we go to). And, I am always tickled when you chime in with the words while I am singing to you before bed. The other night I sang, Michael Row your boat and before I knew it I heard a soft "hallaloooya" coming from my arms.
Your vocabulary is growing by the day and your pronunciation is getting more and more precise. You still call crackers, "da dukes" for some mysterious reason and frankly I am going to miss this phase when language is still a slippery and grasping thing. I have stopped counting but I believe you know at least 100 words by now. All of the body parts, colors, some letters: a, z, b, d, e and probably more thanks to bath sticky letters, names of fruits, vegetables, most animals, house, and common objects in a house, pot, pan, chimney, tunnel, bridge, all things with four wheels, couch, slide, swing, sand, shovel, snow, trees, and many, many more.
Besides words, what has been possibly even more fun to watch is your ability to grasp concepts. You love learning opposites and pointing them out whenever you get a chance - up and down, hot, warm, cold, front and back, big and small. The other night you said "big kitty" when you saw a kitty that filled the page of your Richard Scary book. You then flipped the page and found a "small kitty."
It has also been neat to watch you participate in your new gym class. To my surprise you are able to participate in the organized games that your teacher leads. Most of the other kids your age remain on the sides with free play. You lean up against the wall with the other kids and listen to the teacher. You especially love the game "stop and go" which involves verbal directions and running and stopping across the gym floor. You also love the game where you grab a tennis ball and throw it across the gym in a stop and go pattern created by the teacher. One mom asked me somewhat incredulously, "how do you get him to listen?" Of course it is nothing I do, the interest on your part is there. You love the excitement of being part of the group.
All of this is a good sign that you will be more than ready for preschool. I am so excited for you to start - still over a year away, but I am pretty sure you will love it. I know I keep saying it, but you really are one happy little guy. You bring so much enthusiasm and wonder to each and every moment. I hope this spirit stays with you until you are at least 90 years old! And, you are at this point so gentle and sweet with other kids. Sometimes you will grab at something but more often than not you are gentle and easy going about sharing. You, Mr. Z, are a pleasure to know.
Love,
Momma
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