Another month has come and gone. I'm working to adjust my attitude so that I am not sad that another month has passed but rather I am anxious to see what the next months hold. This is really a fun and precious time in Carver's life. He still changes weekly-- learning new things, understanding more things, and he is just overflowing with personality. This is my favorite "stage" so far, definitely.
I know that all parents, Daniel and I included, spend a lot of time and effort trying to teach their kids things. And it is incredibly rewarding when they catch on and learn new things. But my
favorite thing is probably when Carver just randomly does something, surprising us by how perceptive he is-- he missing absolutely nothing. It is a great reminder that children really do learn best by watching the models set by their parents.
Case in point: Several weeks ago Carver started (with no prompting from us) to like to return things to their proper place. Now, when we take his clothes off he immediately picks them up and runs to his room to put them in his clothes basket. The same is true for shoes (that go in his shoe basket) and even used diapers-- which he takes straight to the trash can in his room. He seems immensely proud of himself. All of this he started to do without any prompting from us. Occasionally he'll steal my shoes and put them in his shoe basket, or take off his (dirty) socks and then return them to the basket with his clean socks-- but, for the most part, he puts everything in its place.
He is also really good at entertaining himself. He is incredibly inquisitive and has explored enough around the house to find things that interest him and he keeps going back again and again. He has an impressive memory. He knows that in the second drawer of my desk is a pile of large black paper clips. He
loves taking these out to play with and he almost always returns them to that drawer when he is finished. He knows exactly which button to press to turn off the dryer when it is running. As soon as he hears me turn it on he flies into the laundry room to turn it back off. He likes to help Daniel feed the dogs each night. He gathers up their bowls and heads to the garage as soon as Daniel tells him it is time to feed the dogs. He waits for Daniel to open the door and help him down the steps and then he he heads immediately for Winston's large food bag, pulls it open, and looks down into it. Then he heads back in to help Daniel pass out the bowls. Carver is utterly fascinated by the oven. We tell him not to touch because it is hot and you can just see how desperately he wants to touch it anyway. He especially loves it when the oven light is on and he stands and watches through the door.
I really, really, love finding Carver's toys in random places. Something about it is just absurdly cute to me. Lately he has liked pulling out the drawer beneath the stove and placing his "fridge farm" animals in the muffin pans.
He is in a phase where he really likes to "help." He helps us buckle him in his carseat, he helps me transfer clothes from the washer to the dryer and he helps unload the dishwasher. He loves these tasks. It is nice for me to be able to include him in these things now, rather than having to get him out of the way so that I can get a few things done. To say he is truly
helping would be a stretch (the jobs take much longer with his version of help), but these jobs are way more fun when he is around.
Helping me with the garden...
He eats very well these days. The highlight of his day is his post-nap cereal bar. He runs to the pantry door and pounds on it, then he laughs and squeals and impatiently waits while I open it. You would think I was giving him drugs or, at the very least, straight sugar.
Bathtime is another particular favorite activity. He has a number of bath toys, but he ignores them all and just holds a large plastic cup under the faucet and repeatedly dumps it on himself. He could do this for hours. You should see the meltdown that comes when bath time is over. Whoa. Scary, crazy, screaming, child.
He definitely has a temper, but in normal child fashion, he usually only shows that side when he is with me or Daniel. He is full-on throwing tantrums-- crying, screaming, going limp when you try to pick him up, etc. It is super fun. I'm in search of great parenting books-- that's number 1 on the "to do" list right now.
He is still getting 2 bottles a day but I am tentatively planning to drop them when we get back from our Florida trip this week. I'm sort of torn about it. I
like giving him bottles. I like how much he
likes his bottles. But, I know it has to be done so.... I'll keep you posted.
We were doing really well limiting pacifiers to only bedtime and naptime but then he got sick and became seriously obsessed with his pacifiers. The sickness has passed so we are going to attempt to limit them again.
Disclaimer: Yes, I have read all of the info about not letting children watch T.V. until they are older than 2. Yes, I try to limit Carver's T.V. time. Yes, I do feel guilty that I let him watch movies and kid's shows.
That being said, Carver adores Toy Story 3. Seriously. It is his very favorite thing. He would probably watch it every day (maybe even all day) if I would let him. My biggest complaint is that he likes to watch his movie like this:
So, this is a summary of month 17. And, I say I am sad that he is one month older, but seriously, I
can't wait to see what month 18 will bring. I feel like my life really started 17 months ago-- I am tired, stressed, and often overwhelmed. But, I wouldn't change a thing. The joy Carver has brought to our lives is worth any sacrifice, any stress, any fear, any headache.
