Signs of Growing Up

Everyday my Nicholas is becoming more of a little boy and less of a toddler. Soon I won't even be able to blame anything on the fact that "he is only two." Here are some recent signs I've noticed that my baby is growing up:

1. Creative Play. Nick has all-out conversations with all of his toys, and he role-plays things that have happened using his cars. The other day he had his cars all go to lap sit at the library, and he admonished them for running around and being "too loud cars."

2. Counting. Nick is starting to understand the concept, and though he can only count with one to one correspondence on a hit or miss basis, he's been getting more hits than misses lately. Point in case: Friday evening he says to me, "Mommy, I want raspberries. Put them in the purple bowl. One, two, three, four, five raspberries in my bowl." Then, he counted them to make sure I wasn't cheating him on the raspberries. Maybe it was just coincidence that he counted them correctly, but I was excited. I can't help it--I'm an elementary school teacher.

3. Coordination. Nick is starting to be able to put on and take off his clothing and shoes, to a point. I have to confess that I have spent very little time on this. Our babysitter is a stickler for teaching things step-by-step, and I admire her ability to patiently explain every step of putting on a sock, and then wait and talk through his impatience. It takes Nick forever to do this, but I love that he is learning how.

4. Letter recognition. On my way back from Iowa a few weeks ago, Nick started identifying letters on street signs. He also knows many stores simply by their signs, though I'm sure the distinctive color and shape of the signs have more to do with it than actual reading skills.  "Mommy, look! T is for Target. Are we going to go in there and go shopping? The "t" says "t" and T is for Toni!" (This is from Monday, I believe.)

5. Storytelling. Nick has started retelling lots of the books we read him, and he even memorizes some of the words. We let him take books to bed with him, and even though it's pretty dark in there, one night this week I could hear him quoting from this book he loves, "Edna." It's part of a poem (Recuerda, by Edna St. Vincent Milay), and he loves the way this poem sounds. Nick likes the line, "We were very tired. We were very merry. We had gone back and forth all night on the ferry."

6. Stinky feet. This is definitely a little boy sign. You know how babies and even toddlers always have that cute little kid smell? Nick is no longer one of them. Except for right after his bath, Nick smells like an amalgamation of crayons, dirt, kid sweat, and fresh air. It's not actually a bad smell, but it shows that he's not a baby anymore.

7. My son is a backseat driver. He's always telling me that the light is red and it is not my turn. Then he tells me that the light is green so I should go. Pretty soon he'll be commenting on my following distance or the no-turn-on-red sign. Perhaps.

While I'm often frustrated with his behavior (you'll notice I have consistently avoided the entire topic of potty training), I am usually pleased with his growth. I'm a little wistful that his baby years are mostly behind him, but it is so nice to have actual conversations with him. I'm torn between feelings of pride and regret. Regardless, I think Nick, sometime recently, has crossed the line and is officially a little boy, even if he won't be three for another month.

An Unexpected Trip to Northern Wisconsin

On Thursday morning, we set out on a journey that we hadn't planned on taking. Greg's grandmother passed away, and we went to Merrill, Wisconsin, for the funeral. The drive up there takes at least 5 hours, more if you stop for food and bathroom breaks. We left around noon and didn't arrive at our hotel until nearly 7 p.m.  Crabby two-year-old plus mourning driver plus pregnant lady equals a challenging ride.

When we arrived at our hotel, it only took Nick about three seconds to find the phone and figure out how to dial it. I have no idea where he learned this; we only have cell-phones and I haven't had a corded landline since. . . well, since I was in college. But he somehow knew what to do, so we had to unplug the phone so that he wouldn't randomly start dialing people.

All of our previous trips have been for fun, but this one was (obviously) tinged with sadness. At the service, the minister talked about Grandma Marie's four grandchildren and three great-grandchildren, with one on the way. It occurred to me then that she would never meet her great-grandson, and that was tough to think about, especially with all of the pregnancy horomones running through my body. Greg and I walked around and looked at all of the pictures from her life, and I think that helped him with the grieving process.  Living 96 years is quite an accomplishment, and it was impressive to see all of the things she was able to accomplish in her life.

I didn't take many pictures, because it somehow seemed inappropriate to snap pictures of Nick and his cousins running around and playing at the visitation. Plus, Nick decided to perform like a typical two-year-old during our trip. He barely slept at night, refused to nap, would only eat junk food, and threw countless fits. So pulling out my camera was not even on my mind. Thank goodness for Grandma Toni, who, along with Nick's Aunt Sarah, helped me distract Nick. When Nick started having constant tantrums right before the service, Grandma Toni offered to take him back to the hotel room. I think I have the best mother-in-law in the whole world! I don't know what we would've done otherwise.

One bright spot in a sad trip was the hot tub at the hotel. There was a pool, too, but only Greg was brave (and cold-tolerant enough) to take Nick there.

The rest of us opted to stay in the hot tub. I would like constant access to a hot tub. I think Nick agrees, because through our whole trip, he would randomly start asking, "I go in the hot tub?! I go in hot water!"

You would think that would've tired him out, but no. Even though he never had a nap and is usually asleep by 8:15, Nick was still screaming at the top of his lungs, refusing to sleep, at 11:30. Nothing would stop his screaming. Lately, he does this thing where he'll throw his blanket, his Elmo, or his stuffed dog out of the crib, then scream for it back. The exchange goes something like this:

Nick (throwing his Elmo out of the crib): I no like Elmo. Elmo out!
Mommy: Okay, honey. Elmo can sleep with me.
Nick: Want Elmo! Elmo! I want Elmo!
Mommy (handing him Elmo): Here you go.
Nick (throwing Elmo out again): No want Elmo! Elmo out!

The situation repeated itself for several hours, with Nick's pillow, blanket, book, and stuffed dog. I could not find anything that would stop his screaming. I know better than to play the throwing game with him, but it's hard not to give in when I would've done anything to get the yelling to stop. When he screamed for a straight hour, I was really afraid someone in the hotel was going to complain and we'd be kicked out. No one ever complained, but I feel really, really bad for anyone with rooms near ours.

Nick's incessant screaming plus my severe allergies made for a very long night, with an all-day car ride today to top it off. He did sleep in the car, though, and today he was better overall. Hopefully being back in his bed tonight and back to his regular schedule (and diet) will put him back on track.

Some Sad News

On Tuesday morning, Greg and I received some sad news: his paternal grandmother passed away. Nick's Great-Grandma Marie lived to be 96 and was a sweet, wonderful lady who will be missed. This picture is from September 2009, when we brought Nick up to see her for her birthday.

This picture is from our trip up to the farm to see her last September. Great-Grandma Marie really enjoyed coloring with Nick, and even drew him some pictures that they talked about together.

Greg was close to his grandmother, but he's taking it very well, at least so far. While her passing wasn't unexpected, I think it's still a blow for him. Grandma Marie was his last living grandparent. Here they are in 2006, the first time he took me up to the farm to meet her. The first time I met Grandma Marie, I was struck by how spry she seemed for a lady of her age. Until just last year, she worked as a volunteer at a juvenile facility for troubled boys. I've never heard of someone working until the age of 95!

I think the fact that she lived such a long, full life helps. It's also wonderful that she was able to live long enough to see Nick and interact with him. Here she is with Nick (and Aunt Sarah) right after he was born.

Grandma Marie will definitely be missed.