Month 4893...?

Ok, this "label post by month" thing made lots of sense until Daniel turned two. Now it just seems a little excessive... I think it's time to move on. (The motto of any toddler's parent. Sniff.)

Since last we spoke, the little monkey has changed quite a bit. Here are a few of the recent updates in our lives, in no particular order.

1. We bought a TV. I know this sounds boring, but we have NEVER purchased a television ourselves. After five years and five "hand me downs" (from friends to whom we are eternally grateful) we took the plunge and bought a beautiful 42" Visio flat screen. Holy luxury. The first time Daniel watched it (it was "Bolt" in blu-ray...) he sat stock-still on the couch for a solid twenty minutes, eyes like saucers, saying "whoa" and "wow" over and over. He giggles with glee when it's time to watch a "moomie". It's so fun I almost don't miss the mile-high (crooked) bunny ears or the way the old TV buzzed when there was too much red or white on the screen. Almost.

2. We survived Easter. I use the word "survived" instead of the more traditional "enjoyed" or "celebrated" because Daniel's Mommy & Daddy thought it would be smart for BOTH of them to be employed at the same church, and for churches, Easter is THE weekend of the year. Suffice it to say that Daniel spent Easter weekend with his family - just not his parents. Seven church services and a giant carnival later, we did his egg hunt on Monday morning.

(As a side note, on the Thursday before Easter, Daniel came home from preschool with a hard boiled egg and bunny ears made of construction paper on his head. I was just relieved to find out the "ears" weren't supposed to be feathers. A very un-pc Easter, indeed!)

3. The potty is now Daniel's friend. We figured out that he doesn't hate potties - he hates SITTING on potties. It would appear that he wants to stand, like Daddy. So now he drags his toothbrushing stool over to the big potty (so much for Bjorn) and climbs up, asks for help in removing his pants and diaper, and (with a little aiming help from us) pees in the potty. Then, he reaches for the toilet paper... (I know, he's a boy. But his mommy was the first one to show him this method and I didn't realize that boys don't wipe when they pee...) and then he flushes. Naturally, his favorite part. After bidding his deposit farewell ("bye bye poo poo!") we re-diaper and re-pants and he runs in his victory circle yelling "I go pee-pee in the potty!" This happens 6-8 times a day. Now, I just keep a container of Clorox Wipes by the toilet for post-potty floor duty. :)

4. One of our favorite parts of this last month is the emergence of an extremely sweet, affectionate side of Daniel. He is more cuddly than before - more prone to crawl in our laps for no reason, more likely to linger in hugs and seems to crave any and all physical contact. He asks for hugs and kisses, sometimes asks to hold our hands, and welcomes us laying with him at bedtime to cuddle him until he falls asleep. Not that he was ever a cold child, but this amount of physical affection is definitely new. (And welcome!)

5. Hide & Seek. He is a very physical little man - likes to wrestle, be tickled, be flipped upside down and thrown over our shoulders. His favorite evening game is still to "play chase" - he turns all the lights off in the house and then we tackle in the dark, using sound effects to give away our locations. (Fernando's is the whistle, and mine is "psst psst"). However this game has evolved slightly over the past few weeks into full blown hide & seek. Daniel waits in the living room and I run to hide somewhere... under the comforter, in the closet, behind the bathroom door, in the shower, etc. He loves the thrill of being scared or startled - this game can last for hours. It's fun to watch his logical processing as well - he will check all the places I was previously hiding before he moves on to new ones. Smart kid.

6. Monkey Man. Daniel's latest favorite phrase is "I climb up!". You can imagine the kinds of adventures this new mentality has brought on. He loves jumping, too... climbing plus jumping makes for a very nervous mother. The other day Fernando discovered Daniel laying on top of his changing table, surrounded by stuffed animals (did he move them first? or get lonely once he was on the table?), and covered head to toe in baby powder. Let the fun begin.

Daniel has two big events on the horizon: A new room (once we finish painting!) and his first camping trip (next week). Stay tuned for updates on both...