Some New Things

It is 5am and I haven't slept yet. To be honest, my heart is going out to Michael Jackson right now because all I want to do is SLEEP and I just can't. I have 5 meds to help me sleep and I still don't sleep. I don't get it.

So...here I am going to update a few things Bear has been doing lately.

He is understanding more and more but it also makes him more and more frustrated. He cracks me up!

1. He HATES his toys. Has no interest in them at all right now unless he is sitting on our lap using them and we are encouraging him the entire time. This is fine...we do sit and play with him a lot...but sometimes mommy's need to shower, cook lunch, go to the bathroom and he doesn't want to play on his own for those few minutes.

2. If it is NOT a toy- he love it. He wants cell phones, keys (not toy ones- they don't make the alarm go off on the minivan), cameras, controllers, buttons of any kind to push, brooms, mops, kitties water dish, plunger, water faucet in the tub he can reach, laptops, dvds and cases. His newest favorite thing is a wooden paint stir stick from Home Depot. He found it somewhere from when I painted his room. I let him play with it for a few minutes really thinking it is not that big of a deal....it won't change a channel, turn a volume, set off a car alarm. But he still finds a way to get into trouble with it. He thinks the paint stick is a fun thing to use to hit kitties with. One swap of that thing and the run...which makes him laugh....which makes me not a happy mama and takes the paint stick away. That was a fun toy for a few moments.

3. Kitties...oh the kitty saga. He really likes the kitties but doesn't grasp the concept of them right now. Oliver and him are buds. They like to get into trouble together. Two little boys, who would have thought? Today Brandon was on the floor reading a book and Oliver put his two front paws on Brandon's back and started licking his head. This makes Brandon laugh. He loves that attention from Oliver. The unfortunate thing is that Brandon doesn't understand that love/attention giving thing back. So he 'pets' the kitties in his own way which is a nice firm pinch and pull of hair. There is great controversy in my world about this issue. Many family/friends think I should really not let the kitties and Brandon interact. I do get invovled many times and interven when I need to. However, Brandon needs to learn to respect animals in his own way as well. They don't bite him but they will nip at him when he is being too rough. This does scare Brandon a bit and that is a good thing. He is learning he is not their master and all powerful over them and can beat them up how he sees fit.

4. Food. Some days we battle this and some days there is no need. It amazes me how a toddlers likes/dislikes change so much. One day he loves bananas the next he hates them. That is very typical for him. He is learning to like new foods- rasperries, blueberries, strawberries, hamburger, chicken (in specific ways), pizza, cucumbers.

5. He has been learning a lot in the past month. His sign language 'vocabulary' has grown. Besides his typical 'more' (which he knows will get him more) he signs eat, milk, drink, bye-bye, he did 'sleep' once. We are working on 'help'. Many times he wants help with something like getting something out of the toy box or going down a step but just sticks his hand out and says, "EH". We know that means help but we are trying to get him to use his word or sign it.

6. He is also doing more and more on his own. I am very ready to get rid of the gate at the top of the stairs. Right now it is being used as a barrier for the most part to keep him in one location. When it is time for us to go bye-bye I will leave the gate open and say "Follow Me" and he slides right down on his belly to the entry way to get his shoes on. He does like to hold my hand and go down each step of the way on his own like big people. I do let him do that every now and then because he loves it so much but to get him down the steps safe and sound I like him to scoot on his belly. He will walk out of the house on his own (down two steps) and over to the van and once I open the door he tried to put his leg up to get in the van. It is still too big for him but he tries. He likes to walk on his own too which is great but it is mostly when we are out and about and then he wants to run through parking lots. We have a rule that you either hold moms/dads hand or you go in the stroller or get carried. He normally ends up being carried or in the stroller.

Ok- so a few updates for now and some time passed. Wonder if I can sleep for an hour before he wakes up???