{So cute when he's in a good mood...not at all cute when he's not!}
Nathan has grown up immensely the past two months. His vocabulary has sky-rocketed, and he easily says five-to-six word sentences. There are occasions where I can't understand what he is saying, particularly if he is telling me about something I didn't witness, but Matthew and Kayla are big helps in getting me to understand.
Nathan has learned the phrase, "by myself."
Me: Nathan, do you want me to help you eat?
N: No, by myself, Mom.
Me: Nathan, come over here so we can undress you.
N: No, by myself.
Me: Nathan, let's get your pajamas on.
N: No, by myself.
He has become very independent, always trying to put his own jacket and shoes on, and often trying to undress and dress himself. He's getting good at undressing - he just has to be reminded to make his hands hide or he'll just push his sleeves up his arm. When he tries to put his own pants on, he puts each foot through the opening at each end of the leg rather than through the waist first.
{Watching cartoons from 'his spot' on the couch. Somehow Kayla took over my spot and he got hers.}
Along with this independence is a stubbornness at meal time. He went from being my most agreeable eater to being more of a challenge. He thinks he can choose what he is going to eat and what he isn't going to eat and how much he is/isn't going to eat...but it doesn't work like that in our household. The only thing that I let him get away with is not finishing his milk, because I know if I leave it on the table or counter he will finish it shortly after the meal is up.
Nathan likes to fight his nap. I'd say he goes down fine half the time, but the other half the time he gets so angry. If he gets off of his bed I threaten to set up the playpen and put him in it and that usually will keep him on the bed. He is not ready to give up his nap, so it's something that we just have to battle through.
Nathan's favourite expression the past couple of weeks has been, "Happy Birthday!" Out of the blue he'll say to me, "Happy Birthday, Mom!", to which I'll reply "Happy Birthday, Nathan!" and he bursts out laughing saying, "Not my birthday!"
He quite enjoyed my Fisher Price nativity set. He could point out and name Baby Jesus, Mary, and Joseph. When he was playing with my parents' original Polly Pockets he thought that one of the Polly Pocket brides was Mary because of the bridal veil.
{I realized that he hadn't had the opportunity to do stickers yet, so I gave him some to stick on paper. Poor kid had to figure it out for himself!}
He loves it when Jon gets home from work. He runs to the door and gives him a big hug. He also loves to wrestle and play rough with Jon. Unfortunately, he does not like Jon bringing him upstairs to go to bed. He stands by me and refuses to listen to Jon calling for him, so I often have to bring him upstairs and then he's fine.
{Showing Olivia where all of the items are in his Thomas Search-and-Find book.}
Nathan can recognize and name all of his colours. I'm trying to teach him to recognize and say the letter, 'N', now. He doesn't get the same amount of attention that Matthew and Kayla did at this age, so he'll probably be a little slower to pick it up. At the same time, he learns from them, so I often hear him saying/spelling out-loud, "A-Y-L-A". He enjoys saying his bedtime prayer with Jon (repeating after him), and is starting to know what the next words are even before Jon says them.
I've just realized now that he is likely my least-photographed kid. Matthew and Kayla often have their picture taken for various 'firsts' in our family, and Olivia has her picture taken for various 'potentially last firsts', and then Nathan gets missed. I need to make a point to take his picture, too!
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