Eyes! Colour is it?

Ok, that doesn't look much like me. Or Nolan. But I've always had a bit of a Klimt thing and it's pretty and peaceful, alright???

Having Nolan join us for the latter part of the night is still common, although he always goes to sleep (fighting it every inch of the way-I think he's afraid he'll miss something) in the crib. This means everyone is sleeping a bit better, at least some of the time.

So, this morning, I woke up to curious little fingers lifting my eyelid, and a hazel-brown eye peering lash to lash at mine....."Eyes! Colour is it???.....Brown!!!!!". Ummm hum. Yup, that's my brown, recently sleeping eye, my sweetiebug. Then he threw his surprisingly strong little arms around my neck and carolled "Mommm!! Love youuuuuuuu!"

Definitely could be worse ways to wake up.

I always forget all of the things I am trying to remember for this blog as soon as I sit down to type, the same way I blank out in music stores immediately upon entry. One thing I remember just cause I have been intermittenlty chanting it to myself over the past few days to try to remember to blog about is is "pronouns". How exciting is that?

Well, it's about "My nose. My belly! My peepee. (this while getting in the bath)....Mommy's nose! My polcano! " and so on. It's a pretty big concept to grasp and he's been good with it for a while now, before I realized that's kind of a big change. He also will say he/she/his and maybe others, but commonly mixes up gender. Mind you, so do a lot of people who speak ESL, and one of the subspecialty residents in my program- he'll look at the name "Susan"and say "his cultures are negative". Weird, and fewer excuses than Nolan as he >2 and a primary English speaker.

Oh- polcano is volcano. He LOVES them, there are several volcanos in Dora the Explorer and he gets me to draw volcanos on everything, especially when there is a volcano scene going. Then he takes my drawing and looks from the TV volcano to ours several times to make sure it's all right. My drawings are getting better- usually pass muster, anyway.

Oh yeah- I wante to mention this too- in the tub, using tub "craynons", Nolan drew an oval shape, two horizontal lines in the upper part, a wiggly line in the lower part, "Eyes, Mouf", then squiggles at the sides "Ears!" and top "Hair". It actually looked like a face, in an abstract way. I was so amazed I wanted to grab the camera and take a picture for posterity, but he squeegeed it into oblivion with a duck sponge. Attempts to get him to do it again in more permanent media have been unsucessful.

I am a very biased Mom who thinks my kid is brilliant and amazing -like all Moms I imagine-- and I know I am annoying- but I know he is not perfect (he is TOO headstrong and gets his own way too much for one)....but, I think my job is to reflect all of his goodness and potential back to him for the rest of his life. If your Mom doesn't think you can be a success in whatever you choose, you may end up in a hard way. (You might anyway, but you should always be able to count on optimism and support from your Mom regardless....)
Anyway, signing off for now....

Big Feet

Ok, aside from the fact that he is huggable, like running around without pants, and likes his cousins a lot, the other thing to note in the photo above is- the feet!
Nolan is a apparently a size 9.5-10 (Stride Rite, anyway) which is occasionally advertised as a 4t. I just downloaded the handy E-Fit chart and measured him up, I don't have time lately to go to an actual store to buy shoes so will Ebay some. 9.5....Yikes. Oh well, look at my feet and you'd understand, and if you're gonna have big feet you might as well be tall too, so whatever.

Tonight in the bath he put two triangle shapes up on the edge of the tub and said "Two fwiangles, One (pointing at first one), Two (pointing at second one), see? Anoder fwiangle, and anoder fwiangle!" Pretty good hey?

He has been a bit off sleep wise again, and we are trying to get back on track. He is getting up to play occasionally, and will suddenly skip a nap for no reason as well- skipping a nap= TROUBLE, of course. He is still a dance maniac, and likes to get me up dancing with him- he'll even try to choreograph me, and likes me to do what the Wiggles are doing quite closely- as he does.

I had all of these cute stories and as soon as I sat down to so this entry I forgot them. Darn.

This isn't cute but is interesting- he has scratched my face and almost given me a bloody nose with his head twice in the last two days- (abrupt toddler head swing to the face, owww) and Mike has a buccaneer style scratch on his face, and just got kicked in the nose during a lie-on-the-bed-kicking-in-glee gigglefest. I don't think I have to worry about Nolan in a fight, anyway.

Nolan is in serious toddler love with "Panna" his new bear (Maisy has a Panda too) and is quite sweet when he reads stories to me- he got superexcited when one had a picture of a panda in a toy train- two of his favorite things.

Got to go. He is in his crib, but has turned on the light and built a tent out of a towel and the crib, and is sitting inthere making a plot with his bears, I can hear him talking, but am not sure of what exactly they are up to....

Trains!!

At the wedding again- the slung over Mommy's shoulder "Just one second!!!" photo.

The wooden train set came just after New Years (ordered to be here for Christmas)- but it is just as well, it takes the sting out of having "Willise" (will and Elise) and Aunty and Uncle and Oma and Opa all leave. Actually, he has mentioned Baby Leo too. He loves the train set, and even will watch the hideously boring Thomas the Tank Engine videos. Is it me or are several of the engines just unpleasant personalities?? James is an arrogant, vain little snot. Thomas is a bit insecure in his role (if being called "a really useful engine" is the pinnacle of your career that's a bit pathetic), Gordon is pompous and full of himself, and Percy is a rather namby pamby. Berie the bus has an awesome Cockney accent though.

Still loves Maisy and Wiggles, and Blue's Clues, and starting to like Kipper and Bob the Builder....

Anyway. Work over New Years was far too busy, and I had to stay far too late every day to see many very sick patients. Stressful as any time I've been on call in my life. As a pretty obvious result of all of this "mommy away from homeness", Nolan and I have backslid in the weaning- from almost complete weaning to almost complete obsession on his part again. I am aggrieved at having to restart but at the same time, when he cuddles up with his damp curly head and blissful sigh I get nostalgic for his babyhood- next step, Big Boy!!

Said today:

"Schtirr it?" (stirring it)
"Po-TA-toes- sink!!!" (helping wash potatoes)
"Come here Mommy!!"
" Cuddles, Maisy again, chocowate!!!!" (his spontaneous plan for the evening after supper. Really)
"Loolah, Sharlie, Maisy, Seeril" (Tallulah, Charlie, Maisy, Cyril)
"Light on? Train?" (turn on light in living room to play with train)
"No-nan, where ARE you!!!!!!!!!!" (hiding)
"1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10,11,12,13,14,14,14,5,6,"
"N-O-A-N" (Reading some letters off a book, ?spelling name)