Silly Turkey

Hey there, little buddy,

Let's catch up on all the exciting things you've been doing since you turned two.  You are such a big boy now, running and jumping and climbing all over the place.  You are so active.  I always tell people you only have two speeds: 110% and asleep.

At two you were just starting to string two words together, and now you are speaking in full sentences and carrying on conversations.  Despite our constant struggle to keep you from stealing toys from your sister, verbally, you are getting good at being polite.  You are always saying "kank you mama" and "kank you dada" without being prompted.  I sing you a little song from Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood to you that goes "i like you... i like you.... i like you, just the way you are" and every time you look up at me afterwards and say, in your sweet little voice, "kank you mama," and often "I like you too, mama."  You tell us every night that you're going to dream about the adventures of a "little red car."  Lately the little red car has been picking up chickens and taking them back to the farm.

You are stubborn, and prone to tantrums if you don't get your way.  It's all part of your burgeoning sense of independence, and while it can be frustrating in the moment, it's neat to see you exploring your own sense of control over your world.  Your most common phrases these days are "I not ready yet" (when you don't want to do something), "I get outta here" (when you don't want to be in your bed or at the table anymore), and "I want mama back!" (usually said over and over again if you want me to come get you out of your bed and rock with you).  You threw a tantrum like the world was ending this week because you weren't allowed to have graham crackers for dinner.  I get it -- graham crackers are delicious.  But they're not dinner.  I hope that once the tantrums are over, we'll have helped you learn to make good choices, without dampening your enthusiasm (or your love of graham crackers).

You are such a boy, in so many ways.  You love to "look for big worms" under the stones in the backyard, and won't stop until you find at least two. You love to play with your trucks and trains.  You love dinosaurs and anything that roars. Often the first thing you say to me when I get home from work is "play trucks with me, mama!" When we run the garbage disposal you get so excited and shout "there's a dinosaur in the sink!"  You're so silly.

Speaking of silly, we have a book you love called "Blue Hat, Green Hat" about a turkey that puts all his clothes on the wrong way (pants on the head, shoes on the hands, hat on the feet, etc.).  At the end, he finally gets it right only to jump in the swimming pool fully dressed.  You crack up when the silly turkey jumps in the water.  He must have inspired you, because last night you got in the bathtub with all your clothes on!  I had just finished brushing your teeth, and turned around to brush Lucinda's teeth.  I heard a little giggle behind me and turned around to find you like this, fireman hat and all!  Silly turkey!

You may be a rambunctious little boy, but you have such a sweet, gentle soul.  You love to cuddle, and always manage to find your way onto my lap if I'm sitting anywhere near you, and you reach out and hold my hand while we sit on the couch.  You love animals, too.  You'll call out "Bay Cat, are you?" as you look for Bailey, and when you find him you greet him with a cheery "Hey!"  A couple weeks ago we went to the pet store and you got to pick out treats to give him.  You were so excited to get something for him "all by myself!", and to feed him when you got home.

I came home from work today and you jumped up and shouted "my mama came back! my mama came back!  my mama came back!" like it was the most exciting thing that had ever happened in the history of the entire world.  You made my day, buddy.  You and your sister make all my days.  You, especially, have always loved your mama something fierce, from the very beginning, and I'm glad that even though you've grown so much in the past two years, you are still my sweet, sensitive baby boy.  At times I get a glimpse of the boy you'll be as you get older, but for now, as you would say, "I not ready yet."

I asked you some questions recently, and here's what you said:

What's your favorite color?  Orange
What's your favorite animal? Meerkat
What's your favorite thing to eat?  "nacnoni and chee"
What's your favorite thing to do? Trucks
What's your favorite place to go? "that way!" (pointing right)
What's your favorite drink? water
What's your favorite game?  cars & trucks
Who's your best friend? "sissa" (Lucinda)
What's your favorite show to watch?  Daniel Tiger
What's your name?  Calco