Sleep: Same old, same old for the most part. One thing I do want to mention is that I think our pack n play usage is about over. That is what we've used at my parents and on any occasion we've had to travel his entire life. He still fits in it just fine but is sleeping like crap all of a sudden. For the last 3 weekends, he's woken up at some point in the middle of the night and made it impossible to get him back to sleep in it. Naps are okay, the problem is over night. The mattress is basically like laying on the floor so I guess I can't blame him for not being comfortable in it. Since Aunt Rachel is out of her bedroom, he'll be moving into her bed shortly. This is going to be a whole other can of worms. The room will need to be proofed a bit (I'm pretty sure there are markers in the desk drawer that he would love to get his hands on) because I can guarantee he will be one of those kids who doesn't stay put once we put him in bed. We'll see. No way are we moving him out of his crib at home any time soon though.
Food: One change for this month is in the breakfast area. During the week, our routine is such that I make his breakfast while he plays in bed. I don't get him out of bed until his food is ready and he eats right away. He always demanded it pretty quickly. Lately, though, the first thing he wants is his books. We get out of his pjs, change diaper, read some books, he plays for a minute or two and then I have to coerce him to come and eat. Still eating scrambled eggs or oatmeal for most breakfasts. He's picked back up in eating meat again and not just when it's mixed in other things. He was eating almost none for a while there. I think he had his first hot dog a few weeks ago but Joe seems to think he's had one last summer.
Talking: This should maybe be it's own post because there is so much to write about. Kid is talking up a storm! In the past, I've talked about Barrett's love of animal sounds. We've graduated to naming the animals now. Before he just referred to them as their sounds but now they have real names. I will give credit to Peekaboo Barn for that. The game is set up to play a certain animal sound and then when you open the barn door, a little girl will say the word of what animal is making that sound. He's about over this game now (he much prefers to type on my keyboard or use the camera instead) but he still calls my phone "Barn" so I'd say I got my .99 worth of that game! Examples of animal words he can say are: Pig, Sheep, Mouse, Monkey, Horse, Rabbit, Rooster, Kitty Cat, Dog, Fish, Owl, and many more. Funny enough, he still doesn't say Cow. He much prefers Moooooo.
I must mention three of his very favorite words at the moment. He's been able to say "No" for quite a while but ooo boy, does he know how to say "No" now. Without a doubt, it is his most used word. (Yippee!) He makes sure to tell you if he does not want something and is very forceful with the way that he says it. Our morning commute is almost the same every day where I sing his favorite songs to him. I've started asking him if he wants me to sing ::insert song here:: He has started to answer very sassily with "No!" after each question. I usually will start singing anyway and instead of just listening he screams back "No, No, NO, Noooooo" Such a joy! His second favorite word is "Ou Ide" (outside). He mostly has free reign when we are home through the back deck because he is contained. Joe and I can make dinner and do things we need to do while still being able to keep an eye on him and letting him have free reign. When we travel to Pontiac, that independence is not possible. He asked to go outside almost immediately when we wake up. Unfortunately, asking to go outside usually means whining to go outside.
In addition to this, "car ri" is his third most used word. My parents have a golf cart and as soon as he gets someone to take him "ou ide", the next request is for a "car ri". It's not unheard of for each family member to take him on a different ride each day. Kid is so spoiled. He would spend all day cruising the neighborhood and golf course.
I could go on and on, as you can see, about what words he uses these days. Instead, I'll list just some of what I can remember.
Bubbles
Baby
Almost (almo)
Read
I do (from his Tuck Me In book)
Car
Motorcyle (Moto cyk)
Thank You
Excuse me (cuse me!)
Mickey Mouse
Water (wa wa)
An example of Barrett talking and our almost nightly quizzing
We don't count it if he repeats a word after one of us but he basically says every word we say. Spelling out words has now become a thing for Joe and I. (If that doesn't scream "You are a parent!", I don't know what does!)
Let's talk a bit about independence. As B gets older, he's definitely becoming more independent. I know things will get much worse but I want to mention that he's just started to show signs of wanting to do things on his own. He wants to open and close his own doors. He wants to climb into his car seat by himself. He wants to try to do almost everything on his own first but then if he doesn't get it quickly, he will usually ask for help. There are exceptions like when he had a freak out on our walk the other night and he wanted to push his stroller. We were a block away from home so we let him, which resulted in him getting frustrated and deciding he didn't want to push the stroller. Don't you dare think about pushing it though even though he just quit himself. It was a pretty funny tantrum that you just have to let run it's course but man, oh man.
On the opposite end of independence though, B still has signs of wanting help and to be close with us. When we walk into daycare every day, he stops while I put in the security code and then has to open the door himself. He will sprint to the check in computer without a care in the world making sure to say "Hi" to everyone. He always stops at the desk though and waits patiently for me to check him in and as soon as I finish, he raises his hand to hold mine. We walk hand in hand down the hall to his classroom. It's my favorite part of drop-offs. Barrett is definitely a hand holder. He's been walking places a lot more (not because he doesn't want to be held but because he's freaking heavy for Mom!) and he always holds my hand. I love this about him!
I have to mention that Barrett just got to be a ring bearer in Aunt Rachel and Uncle Andy's wedding. He didn't get an A+ for his job but maybe a B+. He showed his attitude by taunting everyone in church and not walking down the aisle but overall he had a pretty good day. He cooperated well for pictures and entertained the guests. Joe was a trooper running after him all day and was very ready for him to go to Grandma Rita's so we could have a good time at the reception. More on this to come...
The only other significant thing this month is that he seems to becoming more kid-like, physically speaking. He can take real jumps off things and can climb without much assistance. He can easily scale up 3 steps on Joe's ladder all by himself if we look away for 5 seconds. It's hard to explain but there are little things that he does that make me stop and process how much of a KID he is becoming. He still has moments of being a baby and needing help but is growing so quickly.
I've always heard that things just get better and better as kids grow and that is definitely the case for me. Each day brings something new that he is learning and there is nothing more awesome than being able to join in the ride.
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