Andrew turned two years old yesterday. I can hardly believe it. This is a great time for me to reflect on him, his personality, his developments, capabilities...he is amazing!
Andrew is very physical and verbal. Most toddlers excel in one or the other, but for him, both.
He speaks in five and six word sentences, answers questions, asks questions, tells you things that happened early in the day, uses adjectives, correct pronouns and so forth. For example, and much to Katie's dismay, you can ask him why he is crying and he will tell you "Katie hit me on the head" or "Kaitie's buggin' me" (favorite of mine!). He can also sing full songs: Happy Birthday, Zwarte Piet (dutch song), Twinkle Twinkle Little Star (and Twinkle Twinkle Chocolate Bar), Baa Baa Black Sheep, and parts of Jingle Bells and O Christmas Tree (he gets stuck on the first verse). It really surprises me when he starts singing while he plays. He started saying "Ouaw wan to" at 18 months. He now clearly tells me "no, mom, I dont want to" when I tell him it is time to turn off the TV or take a nap.
Andrew loves to jump (and can actually jump with air under his toes), run, hop, and especially climb. Not recently, thank god, we have found him on top of the kitchen counter, kitchen table, back of the couch jumping off, moving stools to reach bathroom sinks, etc. I tend to call him my monkey. So much, that now he hangs on the Learning Tower and says, "Mommy, I a monkey, eee eee." He loves to be outside kicking or throwing a ball. He can almost catch a ball if he holds his hands out and I throw it well.
We are working on colors and counting. If you ask Andrew what color something is, 9 out of 10 times, he says "green" very confidently, I might add. Guess that is his favorite color. He loves to count, but usually starts by saying "one, two, buckle my shoe, then says five, six, seven, nine, and yells 10! Also, very confidently.
He loves to read books. At the moment we are reading I see a Monster and Merry Christmas Curious George over and over and over again. It goes in spurts. We will read the same two or three books four or more times an evening for weeks and then he moves on. In recent months he has loved Dig, Dig Digging, Brown Bear Brown Bear, and Dolphin Splash. Funny for me to think that at 14 months he would not sit for one simple board book!
His favorite toys are balls, cars and trucks, trains, tractors, and riding toys. He definitely favors "typical" boy toys. But, he likes to play with his doll and Katie's dollhouse pretty often. Andrew shares very well. If a child asks him for a turn he may say no, but a few minutes later he will inevitably give it to the child on his own. On the other hand, if a child just tries to snatch it from him without using his or her 'words', Andrew will put up quite the fight. He is stubborn and determined! He is also an empathetic child. If he sees a baby crying, he asks why and wants to help. If someone is crying because they want a toy, he will find one and take it to them. It is very sweet.
Andrew is a social little person. He can tell you who his friends are and talks about them often. He sees his friends often at Dancing with Mommy class, playgroup and school drop offs. Right now he talks most often about Alex, Katie's 4 year old friend from school. I think Andrew admires Alex. Afterall, he is four!
He loves his big sister Katie very much. She says jump and he says how high. They play either really really well together or really badly. They love to role play. Katie is always the teacher or doctor or mommy and Andrew is the student, patient or baby. They love to chase each other and push each others buttons.
I still can't believe that his 2nd birthday has come and gone. Makes me a little sad, but on the flip side I cant wait to see how he changes and grows this year!
(pictures from his birthday to come!)
