more musings

:: I was thinking about some of the things I see Matthew do. (OK, I saw that cringe........here she goes with more Matthew stories) Well, partly because I am with only him all day long and partly because I am amused with his little antics (he is very intelligent, you know)

:: I mentioned how we have been learning some signs. He is doing quite well with this; especially when I say "Matthew do _________" and he turns around and signs "NO". I am amazed that he is wearing a 2T now perfectly. The length, around, everything is a perfect fit. When did he stop being a baby. I was talking with Susan the other day and said I was surprised he was not talking much yet. She came back with "Really, why does he need to when his grandmother anticipates his every move"? OK, point taken.
We are working on potty training. I am not sure he is ready or not. He definitely knows when he is wet or dirty but he does not tell me until after the fact and then he doesn't really tell me at all, just pats his diaper and points to the nursery. He will go and sit on the potty every little while but he refuses to leave it in the bathroom. Actually, he wants it in the linen closet in the hallway and he stops and gets it on the way to the bathroom. He also leaves the stool out by the washer/dryer and carries that in when he is ready to wash his hands or brush his teeth. (which is many times a day) I have always attributed this to the fact that his father is Mr. Clean but then there is the need for him to have every toy we have out on the LR floor at every moment of the day. This means climbing over (and sometimes on) things on the way to the window seat to watch the birds and squirrels. I don't get that. If we are going to be neatniks, let's go all the way, not just half way.

:: He has always been a very good eater but now he is doing even better. He decided he wanted to eat with the booster seat on the kitchen stool next to me rather than in the high chair. He no longer wants to rock but takes his blanket and goes in the nursery when he is ready for his nap. (I miss that he is not cuddly anymore) He is growing up too fast for me. Well all the kids are as far as I am concerned. I look at pictures of Lael with her new haircut and amazed how grown up she looks. Alyssa no longer looks like a toddler but a little girl. The last time we were there, I was very surprised at how she now wanted to be her own person and not do or wear what Lael did. Lael had gotten out an outfit like what she was wearing for Alyssa to put on and Alyssa said "I do not want to look just like you, Lael". I will pick my own clothes, and she did. :-)

:: Now the reason I wanted to update on Matthew was this: we watch only the last 15 min. of Sesame St. which is Elmo's world if he has not already gone down for his nap. On Fri. we were watching when Elmo's gold fish Dorothy had a picture of Van Gogh's Starry Nights in her fish bowl. He jumped up and ran to get a book that Aunt Donna bought him for Christmas, which was a board book of Van Gogh's paintings and turned to the page with Starry Nights and then took it to the television and held it up next to the fish bowl.
See I told you he was intelligent. Remember, he is only 19 mo.