On some days I look at North and wonder where the little baby has gone.
North has changed so gradually into a toddler that I can hardly keep up. A big factor is from a personal struggle I have as a parent to try to stay inside his moments of play and imagination. Sometimes, as I share a quiet moment with him before napping, I realize that I am seeing him for the first time that day. Somehow I have once again got caught up with the dish washing, house keeping, errand running, ect... of the day and neglected to be present with him. North is so patient with me; he is usually content to follow me around the house, bringing along an interesting toy or object He really is a creative little person. In the laundry room, he likes to pull the refrigerator brush ( the little brush that cleans the coils under the fridge) down off the wall. He sweeps the floor or waves it around like he is a Knight chasing a Dragon. I still need to find that balance of nurturing the growing independece with the being present with his ideas.
This morning he looked out the window, then went to the front hall for his boots. He brought them to me and told me in no uncertain terms that he was to go outside! I have found that playing outside each day brings new discoveries and physical growth in him. Considering that those boots come up almost to his knees, he really gets around! One of his favorite places outside is a large bucket of water set out for the dogs. North will throw things into and at the bucket while trying to get as wet as possible. However, most of the time, we will just wander around the yard looking and talking about the things we see. North has found that if he holds a rock and throws it, Bruin will play with him. That is a big development for both as the dog still holds jealous feelings towards North. (Bruin was our first child, you see)
I also hadn't expected the imaginative play to emerge so soon. I see North pushing cars around on the floor while making motor noises and I see him placing people (and animals) into the driving seat. When I fold and stuff his diapers, he will take as many inserts as he can carry and put them in the most random of places around the living room. Books are an essential part of our day. No matter what I am doing, when he brings me a book, we will read together. A few weeks ago, his reading style was to flip through the pages as fast as he could. Reed and I had an interesting discussion as we debated the merits of teaching North to wait for the completion of the words on each page. We decided that North was busy exploring the concept of a book (beginning, middle, end) and to force him to understand both the visual and auditory concepts of a book would be a unwinnable battle. Thus a few weeks later, we now have a child who brings us books and will flip to a page with a favorite song (currently the "Incy Wincy Spider").
On a side note, today North ate throughout most of the day. He loves Pirate Booty!
