Just a few months ago, I was thinking at how my kid couldn’t do anything. In the past few months, he’s grown up so much that I honestly started treating him like he’s much older. When I saw his little innocent face looking out the window the other day in the car, I realized I was pushing him too hard and am now giving him the opportunity to be his own age.
I pushed him too hard because these past 2 months alone have seen incredible strides. My kid is pretty brilliant. I’d say he has a vocabulary of maybe 300 words. He can count to eleven — all in order — and without assistance. He says the ABC’s, kinda. It goes like this A B C D E F G H I K J LMNOP (well, he hasn’t really done that yet), Q R S, T U V, W X, T U V. It’s quite adorable. As I reported last month, he says some 4-syllable words and phrases, alligator, peanut butter (pina munner), and elevator. He knows what an airplane is. He fills in the blanks in his bedtime stories. He likes cars and trains. He figured out that he could stand on a chair and look out the window. He’s not tall enough to look outside without that added height.
He’s immensely curious and I’m aiming to find him a guitar for his birthday since he seems to love those. I’d need to find the real thing and I can’t find any that are age appropriate, though. He’s also mischievous; for things I tell him not to touch, he makes sure I’m not around and then does his own thing with the item he’s not supposed to touch in a corner. I have a little baby’s first aid kit/toiletry kit that is on the top of the changing table. In the past 4 days, he’s gotten it off every time the door is opened (I’m trying to make sure it’s NOT, but I’m not the only adult in the household!), but he has difficulty opening it, so fortunately he hasn’t actually grabbed the scissors inside. He’d love to, though. 😉
He’s also got the best disposition I could ever have wanted in a kid. He’s a happy child, always smiling, always dancing, always looking nowadays to be stimulated with the help of a TV (we’re considering real life social interactions via preschool in the near future!). He loves his mommy and daddy and gives us kisses on the lips. (We’ll get there.) He loves pretzels and doesn’t complain. He just likes being loved and being a good kid. I absolutely adore him. As I was telling him tonight, should I have another one, he’s super tough competition. I seriously hope my next one is as good as this one!
The one word David hasn’t learned yet is “computer,” despite wanting to play with one all day. I am actually proud about that. Meanwhile, he can say words like: clothes, socks, shoes, potty (not quite there yet), diapers, powder, bed, garbage, pretzels, cheese, challah, bread, milk, water, drink, apple, banana, egg, broccoli, chicken, rollatini, his Yo Gabba Gabba characters (Plex, Brobee, Muno, Foofa, Toodee), his Fresh Beat Band characters (he seems to love Kiki), chairs, lights, fridge, breakfast, lunch, dinner, doodee, peepee, [light] switch, hallway, rug, lamp, picture, airplane, highway, cars, stroller, truck, bus, kisses, hug, chocolate, cookie, TV, DVD, mommy, daddy, grandma (ama), masters (he learned that tonight thanks to me watching Top Chef Masters), and he knows how to put away, come here, get out, and so many other fun things. As much as all those parents said “you don’t want to hear them talk, because then you’ll want them to shut up,” I love hearing David discover new words, and only very rarely do I actually wish he’d stop talking. He’s not too difficult when he’s perfectly happy. It makes me happy to watch him grow. And to hear him learn.
You are so funny!! “Just a few months ago, I was thinking at how my kid couldn’t do anything.” I laughed when I read that sentence – I remember thinking the same thing about Aidan when he was the same age. 🙂 // So cute with the ABC’s. My daughter Scarlet (who is now 3) stops at S to say “S for Scarlet” then continues on. // Preschool is an AMAZING experience and my kids have loved it. They learn so much so suddenly. // As for the age-appropriate guitar, go with Little Lyon by Washburn Acoustic Guitar. We have one of these and got it for Aidan when he was 18 months or so. He was fascinated by his dad’s guitar, and we wanted him to have the real thing as well. It says ages 6 and up or something, but ignore that (yes this time ignore that). Will you be able to just leave him alone w/a real guitar? No. I don’t think you’ll find any like that that aren’t actual toys. Guitars have tuning pegs that are inherently dangerous and the guitar body is never plastic – that means if they step on it or sit on it, it can break and hurt them since it’s all wood. But if you want something that you can show him how to use, spend time with him on, etc – that’s the one for you. Otherwise, you’ll want to stick with a *toy* guitar. If you want a sort of real sounding thing, but want it made of paper/plastic, try Paper Jamz. They work pretty well, but are by no means a real guitar.
Thanks Anna – that’s super helpful. I’ll look into this. 🙂