two years, two months, three weeks

So Zac,

Remember how last week I was all grateful for how you can tell me about your day and I don't feel so left out of you life?

Well, this week, you switched thing up a bit.

I'm not sure if what you are going through right now is a stomach bug, teething or sleep regression. OR, something serious. There's a stomach thing going around the world right now, but you're not puking (just pooping in the bath tub). Your top last molars have cut through, but are still making their way down. Sleep regression around 2 years old isn't uncommon. So, all of those are plausible explanations for your constant clinginess, especially when you should be asleep. Say, at 4:30 in the morning.

If you could only just say, "Hey mommy, ya know, these molars are really hurting! Please apply some teething gel?" or, "Mommy, my tummy hurts. Can you please just rub my back while I try to fall asleep?" Or, "I'm experiencing another bout of separation anxiety and really just need to make sure you're still home in the middle of the night."  Any of those would be really great to hear right about now.

Of course, as I write this letter, you are quiet in your crib. You are not screaming my name as you have been for the past 4 nights. You did not beg me to stay in your room after good night kisses. You actually sound like you might fall asleep in the next few breaths. Certainly before I publish this blog.

Yup, you're asleep.

Mommy now sounds like a big, fat liar.

Well, I'm grateful that whatever it is that's been causing you so much distress to the point of interfering with your appetite and your mood and your sleep these past few days is resolving itself.

Sleep well, little monkey. I'll see you in the morning.

Love,
Mommy

"i'm a monkey!"

"You are my sunshine" is one of mommy's favorite kids' songs. 

I'm not so sure how much I like your new version, "you are my monkey", but it is pretty cute to hear you slur, half asleep, "so please don't take my monkey away...".

two years, two months, two weeks

Dear Zac,


You and I spend a lot of time apart. I go to work 6 days a week. 5 of those days you go to school and one day you are home with daddy. A babysitter picks you up from school once or twice a week, daddy picks you up on Tuesdays, Tata's picks you up on Wednesdays and sometimes I am able to pick you up on Thursdays or Friday. While you love going to school every day, and often ask to go to school on the weekends or holidays, it breaks my heart to have to say good-bye to you every day. I have an especially hard time on Tuesday mornings when I leave you and daddy on the corner and I go to work, for 13 hours, and don't get home until you are already asleep. On those days, you and I see each other on Skype for a few minutes when I am between classes.

Although you have so much fun at school, I think you do miss spending time with me. Tonight, you had a hard time settling down for bed. Almost immediately after I walked in the door at 6, you were a wild little boy. You insisted I give you your bath and, when it was time to say good night, you cried and cried until I came and sat next you and rubbed your back. We talked for 10 minutes about your day and about what you will do tomorrow. I promised you I would pick you up from school and we would have the afternoon together (now I just have to get out of that faculty meeting!). I'm looking forward to trains and tunnels and bridges and play-doh and cars and books and dancing and songs and snacks and anything else you want to do.

I promise to do what needs to be done in order for me to able to spend more time with you. I'm working on it.

I am so happy you are so verbal. At only 26.5 months you talk about everything and everyone. I love that you can tell me about your days. What you did at school, who your friends are, what you ate, what you saw.  Since I can't be there to experience all you do with you, I am grateful that you can and do tell me all about your little life.

I hope you will always, even 30 years from now, want to tell me about your day.

I love you,
Mommy

two years, two months, one week

Dear Zac,

This week I've noticed a huge leap in your cognitive and social development. Specifically in you're ability to distinguish between what "listening" and "not listening" is.

Since you turned 2 you have been becoming more and more defiant. And, you seem to be aware of your defiance.

On Tuesday morning you woke up extra early. (5:30! I think because your last molar finally cut through.) You were a chatterbox from the start. You insisted on wearing your oveeyalls to school and when I finally had you dressed and ready to put your shoes and jacket on, you insisted on sitting (and doing nothing, mind you) on the toilet. You sat for about 8 seconds (maybe less) and jumped, bottomless, into my lap stating you were "all done" and "need to flush the toilet together". I started to get your diaper and overalls back on and you were wiggling all over the place. I reminded you that we needed to get to school. You looked up at me and said "Mommy, I'm not listening."

Daddy took you on a special trip after school yesterday. You were very excited to tell me all about it. "I went to museum. I went on subway. I saw lions and gorillas and giraffes and buffalo! I ate snack in stroller. I listen to Daddy."

When you talk about school, you often add "I need to listen to Trudi" or "I was listening. I did it myself."

I'm glad you are aware when other people are speaking to you. This is such an important thing to know how to do. I am proud of you when you listen and I hope you will learn to enjoy listening to others and one day find value in what other people have to say.



I love you so much,
Mommy

"you see that?"

I love how you are beginning to imitate what you see at school. Especially when you read to mommy and daddy. Just like your teachers do at school, you turn the book around to show us the pictures as you "read". It's particularly adorable when you are reading by yourself and you run to us in another room to show us the pictures, and ask, "you see that? you see that picture?"

Never mind it's a book we've read with you about a hundred times and we know the pictures...

May you always have this much excitement about reading.

two years, two months

Dear Zac,

You are growing so fast, I'm having a hard time keeping up. I thought that in this week's letter I would write out where you are in your development. I know you can do a whole lot more that just what's on this list, but I wanted to get at least some of this written down before you learn a whole new set of skills and I forget what you were doing at 26 months.

You are now able to:

-open doors "secured" with heavy magnets, cupboards in the kitchen, and, to your greatest pleasure, the refrigerator.

-undress yourself completely. Asking you if you want "naked time" is great motivation for getting you out of your booster and ready for your bath.

-put on and take off and put away your shoes by the front door. Your shoes are always beautifully aligned at the front door. Usually blocking the front door.

-put on and take off your jacket and hat.

-feed yourself a cup of apple sauce at a ridiculously fast pace (think more "inhaling" versus "eating") and you only drip one or two drops. It's pretty cute watching you scrape the sides of the cup to get every. last. drop.

-recite about 15 (maybe more) books, singing about 20 songs, independently and in their entirety.

-ask what things are. And then tell me I'm wrong and laugh. (Apparently the hamper is not a hamper. It's a frog.)

-tell me when you're tired, hungry, in pain

-demand sympathy. The other day you were crying about something and you KNEW if wasn't a big deal. You came over to me and said "I'm cryyyyiiiiing!" A few minutes later something else was bothering you and came back to me "I'm crying AGAIN, mommy!"


I'm very much looking forward to seeing what next week holds.

I love you so much pumpkin.

Love,
Mommy

"what's that smell?"

Today, as we were playing with your magnetic drawing board, you asked me to write down several words.

"What's that smell?" you asked.

I was very confused. Was there something in your diaper??


SPell, Zac. You meant to say "sPell".


This reminded me of the time when you were about 11 months old and you pointed to the dryer and said "PISS!"

It took mommy and daddy several moments to figure out you were trying to say "spin!"

Thanks for the laughs, pumpkin.