Thankful Day 6: 31 Months
Today I am thankful for my beautiful, healthy 31 month old son.
I’ve decided I’m going to stop with the monthday updates once Evan is three – so only 5 months from now. At this point he’s not hitting milestones as much as just growing up and learning stuff and turning into a real human being. I don’t need some chart to tell me how many blocks he should be stacking to let me know he’s awesome. He can tell me himself, while he does the Fresh Beat Band dance, including the part with the breakdancing.
Also, there aren’t any more charts. But I had decided to stop before I noticed. You aren’t the boss of ME BabyCenter!!
The most challenging “milestone” lately has been a sudden understanding of how negotiations and/or bargaining works. He won’t do anything the first time I ask. Instead, he waits to see how serious I am about the consequences. Is he going to get a time out? Lose a toy? Get strapped into the stroller? Be forced to watch The Price is Right? Just being told to sit down BECAUSE I SAID SO gets zero reaction. I suppose this is mostly my fault (I am a huge fan in counting to 3 and then something bad happens) but I don’t really know what to be doing differently. I thought this was the RIGHT way to do this. I can’t just WILL him to listen to me. Trust me, I’ve tried.
But when he’s not being a totally normal kid and testing boundaries, he’s being an amazingly awesome kid. Just last night he was lying on the floor drinking his milk when Caroline launched herself right on top of him. Instead of freaking out, he laughed and tickled her and got her to do it again and again so they were wrestling and playing. It was like there was a big huge flashing neon sign over their heads that said “THIS IS WHY YOU HAD TWO”. Last week he used a box to make a dino cage, put a snack in it for bait, and then caught a dinosaur that looked suspiciously like a certain 10 month old I know (but he assured me it was really a tee-recks!) When we come home, he takes off his shoes and socks, puts his shoes by the door and throws his socks in the downstairs laundry basket. One day the basket wasn’t there and he carried the socks around for 20 minutes until I told him it was OK to just put them in the laundry basket SPOT. His three most common phrases are “please”, “I’m sorry”, and “no thank you”, although his new favorite thing to talk about is farts.
A few times in the past weeks he’s gotten upset or scared because of OTHER kids being upset or scared. He doesn’t like it when people get in trouble and he’ll cry and want to sit in my lap because he feels so bad FOR THEM. Who knew my rough-and-tumble little man was so sensitive too?
Still not potty trained. Still working on it. He wore underwear all day yesterday (minus his nap) with no accidents.
Favorite things include watching TV, running, playing with his sister, forts, telling stories, climbing things, sitting on the kitchen stools, trucks, boats, dogs, riding ON the shopping cart, milk, lemonade, FaceTime with Daddy on the iPad, horsey rides, Row Row Row Your Boat, kisses and peeing outside.
Dislikes include posing for pictures, being scolded, scary cars in the parking lot, riding IN the shopping cart, and booboos.
31 Month Milestones (from BabyCenter, as usual)
Mastered Skills (most kids can do)
• Recites own name – He will tell you his name if you ask him, and also calls himself “Evan” in sentences. Evan no take nap! Evan no hit sister! Evan donut, mama, more donut Evan!
• Draws a circle – He can draw circular type shapes. I bet even YOU can’t draw a perfect circle.
Emerging Skills (half of kids can do)
• Puts on a T-shirt – Yes. Correctly? Not always. But man is it hilarious when he gets it wrong.
• Balances on each foot for a second – He can stand on one for a lot more than a second.
• Recognizes ABCs – Soooooometimes? He knows a lot of his letters but doesn’t always get them right.
• Brushes teeth by himself – Yes, although I still extra-brush the back ones. The idea of a toddler with a painful cavity makes me want to stab myself in the eye.
Advanced Skills (a few kids can do)
• Uses two adjectives – At a time? Total? Because he can use lots of adjectives, as proved by the following statement he made this week: “Look mama! Big poop! Big poop is stinky! Poop in potty!” (The poop was not in the potty).
• Draws a cross – We haven’t really gotten to religious symbols yet. I’m letting him master circles first.
• Points to objects described by use – You mean like “Hey Evan, bring daddy that thing to open this beer!” Because, yes.
You crack me up!
The dino trap story is ADORABLE!
I love how sensitive he is. Too sweet!! As always he is so cute!! He reminds me a lot of my son in the things that he does. He’ll also turn 3 in 5 months. Where the heck did the last 2 1/2 years go?! Craziness!
I love these updates. JD has been obsessed with farts lately too. He thinks it’s awesome to make the sound with his mouth in public and laugh.
I love “the thingy used to open the beer” because my kids are the-exact-same. Even going so far as to open the fridge and say “Daddy, do you want a beer” OR even better Jacob pointing to an empty beer bottle and saying “Da-ees, Da-ees.”
It’s funny what kids associate. :-)