Dear Leif,
You are 22 months and this week is your last week in “The Nest” at your school. This is proving to be a difficult transition and I *think* this transition is what is making it difficult for you to sleep in. This morning I woke up to a little voice over the monitor saying, “mommy, mommy, mommy” at 5am. Thanks at least for softening the beckoning from screaming. I was so much more eager to come in and see you this morning… even though it was only 5am!
For as much as you aren’t a morning sleeper, you seem to have followed suit with dear mom here and become an evening sleeper. Last night I was putting you to bed. You had your bottle and we read and rocked. When you finished your bottle you told me “night night”. I said, “night night Leif, do you want to read Mimi again?” You looked at me and said, “night night SLEEP”! I put you in your crib and as usual you pulled the blanket over your head and tuned me out. You were out like a light within seconds. (Can I just say how I hate the fact that you feel the need to have a blanket on your face to fall asleep? When you are a parent you will understand.)
You are starting to be a little more adventurous with your eating. Last night you were really intrigued by the “fishy” daddy filleted and BBQ’d. Sure, sure, you don’t like fish until the Copper River Salmon makes its appearance! I see how you are! You have tasted hot dogs twice now and still spit them out. You are still stuck on macaroni and cheese, chicken noodle soup, rice pilaf and fruit with your favorite all time meal being baked rigatoni. You will eat green beans and corn in all forms.
You are talking a lot now and attempting to repeat most everything. We are now getting to the point where mommy and daddy have to watch what they say. I said “boobie” the other day, which you promptly repeated and lunged for mine, showing you knew exactly what we were talking about. Greeeaaat. Your favorite phrase right now is “no way”. You use “no”, but when you really mean it we get a “no way!” Not sure where this came from…
We have moved away from Nemo and found other movies. You like The Jungle Book still, also Tarzan. We Tivo Teletubbies and Little Einsteins. Daddy pushes Little Einsteins on you like there is no tomorrow. You humor him. You still like Elmo, but have a new found joy in watching all of Sesame Street from 6-7am. Elmo seems to have moved down the ranks from the favorite spot. You love Cookie Monster and a few times a day you imitate cookie. You stand there with your fists at your mouth, stomp your feet like you are running in place and move your fists around saying “mmm mmm mmm”. In typical Leif fashion though, Cookie Monster is “Cacker”, since you have always been convinced anything crunchy is a cacker.
Elmo shares second place with Ernie, Grover, and Ernie (aka Big Bird… why you think Big Bird’s name is Ernie I don’t know… maybe from Journey to Ernie?). If Grover weren’t actually on the screen when you say his name I would have no idea who you are talking about. It sounds something like “rogga” when you say Grover. You are intrigued by Oscar as I always was as well. (I was a geek, I always wanted to know what Oscar’s living quarters were like in the trash can.)
You have been such a good helper in the gardens so far this year. You have the raspberries figured out and are starting to learn that unless they are golden yellow-orange, they taste bad. So don’t pick them. I had a dream when I planted the raspberries of sitting and eating sun warmed raspberries off the vines until I could eat no more. My dream will never be realized as long as you are around. TYVM.
You like picking cherries, but aren’t much for eating them yet. I can hardly keep you from stepping on the “baby strawberry plants”. If you only knew what fruit will come to bear… you love strawberries. You really like picking greens. We have spinach and swiss chard and cress all growing, very well, in the garden. Your picking technique leaves much to be desired (grab a clump and yank), but you love picking greens. Last night we were picking cress for our salad and you were carrying it in to daddy. When I told you no more cress, you picked a bunch of Swiss chard and took it to daddy. Boy was he surprised.
Our evening walks are very important to you. Winny has you brain washed so that every evening if we wait too long, you say, “we walk!” Mommy and daddy would really prefer to walk in one direction, on the path. You prefer to walk 10 steps, turn around and run back 20, look at a rock, look at a flower, complain about a rock in your shoe, run 30 feet forward, stop and throw rocks, see a sidewalk come off the trail and decide to take that detour… It is hard work walking with you! If only my legs would get the workout that my upper body does during this redirection.
We are very heartened at the prospect of a return to eating out after our trip to Spokane last weekend. We went to a very nice Greek restaurant which our concierge (who obviously had NO children) recommended as being toddler friendly. It was not. But I was so thrilled with how well you behaved. AND the fact that you ate my kebab and rice AND your noodles. We will be venturing out soon again!
Love you more than you would ever know!
Mommy
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