Tales from Toddlerhood

It's been a little longer than usual since my last post. I've gotten wrapped up in the minutae of day-to-day activities. While I don't think I have many readers waiting with baited breath for my latest updates on Paxton, I do enjoy keeping up the site so I can have a record of my adventures with him for my own enjoyment. I neglect the baby book, but at least I can present this to my son one day in the future to show my adoration.

Rather than recounting the last weeks, I'd like to share some stories of my cheeky little monkey and his giant personality at a mere 16-months of age.

• I think that my milk supply is waning. Paxton tries to nurse and immediately is ready to switch to the other side, as though he is not getting any milk. It's a bit frustrating, but I do find it funny that to make his point, he pulls down my shirt and says "bye!" to the breast.

• Speaking of greetings, he is sometimes adamant that he greet every person whose path he crosses. He seems personally offended when someone does not say "hi" back to him. No matter how crusty his nose is, how bedraggled his hair is, or how mismatched his clothes are, when he says "hi" to certain strangers, they are convinced that he is the sweetest, cutest little boy they've ever laid eyes on. The funny thing is that some people are so surprised to hear him greet them, and they excitedly try to begin a conversation with them. But once he makes his initial acquaintance, he is done and ready to move on. It always seems to disappoint his new friends.

• I don't know exactly when he learned this skill, but one day he began climbing the stairs as if he'd done it all his life. Not just any staircase, but the spiral staircase. He knows to duck his head to get under the gate, He stops to flick the lightswitches. He says hello to the fish. He's the very definition of "it's not about the destination, it's about the journey". I have spent more time on that staircase in the last few weeks than I ever hoped to.

• We had to take our cat, Tippy, to the vet earlier this week. Tippy was vocalizing his fury during the ride. MOWWWWWWWLLLLL. MOWWWWWWWWWWWLLLL. Paxton copied the sound perfectly. When Chris took Paxton to the vet later to pick up Tippy, Paxton demonstrated his apeing skills to the vet staff. They were apparently disturbed and impressed, in equal parts.

• When Paxton is finished playing with a particular toy, he sings the "Clean Up" song. It goes like this: "Clean up, clean up, everybody everywhere. Clean up, clean up, everybody do your share". Paxton, being a bit new to the singing biz says this "dee-oh, dee-oh" and we know immediately that it's time to start putting the cars in the drawer and the train in the box. If we ignore the song, immersed in our own fun playing, he will drag the box to us and start putting a few pieces away on his own.

• I have no idea how he knew this one, but one day, he was standing in his bedroom naked, waiting for Chris to put his jammies on him. He started to pee on the carpet and said, with all calmness, "pee-pee". While we were diving for a towel to sop up the aforementioned "pee-pee", we marveled at his genius. One tiny step toward someday being potty-trained.

• We took Paxton to no fewer than three Easter Egg Hunts this year, not counting the one we set up in my mom's backyard. The first one, at Deer Creek Nursing Home, was by far the most fun. The toddler area was jam-packed with eggs and there were few children with whom to contend. Paxton, however, had no idea what to do with the little plastic treasures. I used the "Clean Up" song to our advantage, telling him it was time to "Clean Up" the eggs. That entertained him for a few minutes until he saw that Carmen had Goldfish Snack Crackers. Then he could focus on nothing more than that little bag of delicious treats. We still made out with a basket full of eggs. I laughed, because I thought that the eggs were supposed to be hidden. You'll see by the pictures that that's the furthest thing from the truth.

With that, I'll wrap up this latest edition. Enjoy the newest pics of our beautiful boy!