Watch what you say
We always knew it was important to watch what we said in front of Logan and what he watched - especially once he hit the parrot stage of toddlerhood. Well today he reminded me why. This is totally and completely, truly and honestly what the child said. I do not make it up or add words for him.
Me - Logan, why don't you sit down on my lap so I can put your socks on.
Logan - Okey dokey (
worth noting - this was probably the 12th time he used this new expression of his this morning)
Me - Hey, honey, who says that? Who says Okey Dokey? (
I'm wondering where he picked it up from and hoping it wasn't me doing it too often.)
Logan - Olie Polie says okey dokey on TV, Mommy.
Me - Oh. Ok.
I mean what do you say back to that?
Big boy - big help
And here is what makes up for those tantrums and crank days. . .
Logan was just giving me a hard time about my going into the shower - see I was supposed to be playing trucks. So I knelt down next to him and said "Honey, remember how yucky you felt last week when you were sick."
L - Ucky eww!
Me - That's right, well that's how I feel now. I'm sick remember and a nice shower will help my body not hurt so much, ok.
Logan says, patting my leg as I stand up next to him - No worry Mommy. I tay care you. (which would read in complete sentences "Don't worry Mom, I'll take care of you.")
Apparently yesterday as they returned from their outing my mom said to Logan - we have to be quiet when we go inside because Mommy's sleeping. She's sick.
So as they walk up the front steps Logan hears the 5 year old next door running out her door and calling him. He puts a finger to his lips and says "Shhhh Coe-wee (aka Chloe) Mommy sick."
Yesterday afternoon we sat together in the recliner watching Rolie Polie Olie. Logan turned around to bury his head in my shoulder saying "I nuggle you." (or I snuggle you.) Then he proceeded to pat my arm as he snuggled saying "Poor Mommy."
Missing Daddy
Daddy left for a business trip to London and Paris on Saturday and lately its been pretty obvious that Logan is missing him. Each night we've worked into grace and his bedtime prayer something to the effect of "God, Please keep Daddy safe while he's away and let him know we miss him." Last night we read his Teddy Bear book - the bear in it and a little boy prepare to go to bed. When we got to the line "Teddy Bear, Teddy Bear say your prayers," Logan folded his hands together, bowed his head and said "Gah, Daddy safe he away. Miss him. Amean."
This morning as I got him from his crib he said to me "Mommy, Daddy home now?" And I had to say sadly, "No honey, not yet." Poor kid sighed deeply and said "Away at meetin' for work. Up up away on plane."
He later got to talk to Daddy on the phone and the smile on his face was so sweet. He tried to kiss the phone and put his one finger up to the ear piece - "Daddy in here," he said.
Things Logan said today
Chatterbox just adds more and more things to his vocab everyday. Each new addition a clear indication that he not only has the ability to parrot everything he hears, but to understand how and when to use it.
1) When told he was a "Good boy" Logan said "No. I coot boy." which should read "I am a cute boy."
2) When Mommy said "Ok, baby, one minute. I'm coming" (as he asked to be taken out of his car seat.) Logan responded with. "I no baby. I big bruffer (brother). My lil-ul (little) sister is baby."
3) When Mommy was talking on the phone to Daddy (who is away in London) Logan yelled and demanded she get off the phone. When she responded that she'd be off soon he said quite seriously "Mommy, I mad you!" He then stomped away mumbling about "Putting phone away."
I'll post more later about the last week but right now I'm just going to find a couch to collaspe on and watch something mindless.
More on writing
So I hinted at this in the last entry but now I want to elaborate because it simply amazes me.
As we've already covered I'm sure ad nauseum, Logan had learned his letters around 13 months old. He wasn't reciting them in order, but he could identify all of them. You can ask him to find the "A", for example, and he would. OR you could point to a letter and say "what's this?" too which he'd provide the correct answer.
Lately (he's 21 months now) he's been singing the Alphabet song. He can do it completely through, totally correct. Usually though he gets so excited about his two favorite letters (O and P) that he skips ahead just to say louder than the rest "Ooooooooooooo P!" then he'll continue along until he reaches his next favorite part - the end "Now ABC, next with me. YAY!"
Now, this child is trying his darnest to write his letters. He so wants to! He loves to color and his newest fasicination is getting a hold of a pen to go with his paper. When given the chance to have one, he'll flop on his belly, legs kicked up behind up bouncing up and down, crossed at the ankle. He sticks his tongue out to the side sometimes - the same way I do when I'm concetrating hard on something - and starts to make small, deliberate scribbles on his paper. I'd think nothing of it except when he does this - he recites the alphabet. Yes, those small, deliberate marks he's making is an attempt to write his letters. He can actually make a sloppy O and C purposely. He's also been known to write "A", "T", "G" and "L" quite by accident...but when he does, he recognizes this jagged lumpy mark for the letter it resembles and yells out proudly "I draw A!" He can recognize his name when its written out and usually he can pick out the words "Daddy", "Mommy", and "Zoom". Sometimes he'll make a series of scribbles and announce that he's just written his name.
He asks us to write "ABCs" a lot now. So we do. Leaving space on the page for him to try it out himself. He tries instead to trace over our letters - usually now it looks more like he's trying to color the letters in as its the same series of scribbled over lines that he uses when he colors in the pictures he asks us to draw for him. But you see the look on his face and its so obvious that he's really wanting to mimic those lines that form those letters. Sometimes he gets it - on a few letters mainly.
This is the way he's learned everything else to date - he starts focusing on it and he keeps with it until he figures it out. When he learned his letters to start it was just a few and he wasn't consistant - then it was more...and then it was all. When he learned to count he'd go from 1 to 10 in 4 numbers. ;) When he learned his colors everything was blue or green for a while. I just sit back in amazement and think that this could be writing his name by his birthday if he follows his track record.
Potty Progress and other stuff
We're still not at the "full-on potty training" stage of toddlerhood, but we have made oodles of progress from those days where Mr. Logan would merely stare at his potty. :) He uses it at least once a day now and not always just before bathtime. Yesterday for example, he decided to follow me to the bathroom proclaiming "Me too!" in response to my statement "I'll be right back, I just need to use the potty." He sat on his little potty while I sat on the bigger one and he peed - pants down at his ankles, diaper removed. He looked up at me, face full of pride and said "I pee like Mommy!" He's also started to vocalize when he is wetting his diaper as well as when he's about to. If you're fast you can get him on to the potty in time.
Writing Letters
Although he doesn't have the control yet to actually form letters on paper - he tries. He tries very hard. Sometimes he even gets down a 'C' or 'O' on purpose. Other times he accidently creates an 'A' or 'T'. When he does this either on purpose or by accident he beams self-impressed with pride and joy. "An A!" he'll call out happily. "Wow, I did it!" ;)
Lately he pretends to write. He'll hold a crayon tight in on hand and he'll make scribble marks across the page as he recites his ABCs (Yes he can sing the song now almost perfectly. Sometimes he likes to skip right from "J" to "Ooooo-P!") I can only assume that he's "writing" his ABCs as he sings them.
That Easter Bunny
Logan likes Easter. At least so far he does. He likes coloring Easter Eggs - I gave him the hard boiled eggs to color with his crayons before I dipped them in dye (Logan firmly on my hip as I dipped each egg telling me which colors to use.) He really likes when you hide the big plastic eggs for him to find. Of the six we had out today he has learned their colors and will hunt until he's found each one. He also likes the Bunny - he'll wave and high five that rabbit the moment he can get close enough to him in the mall.
