Paul is finally starting to take off on his talking. In just the last two weeks, he's added over 10 words to his vocabulary. He now says "Mama" "Dada" "Na!" (Anna), "yeah", "ba!" (ball), "buba" (bubble), "bye", "ma" (more), "eye" (hi), "wo-wo" (water), "da!" (dog), "bed" (bread), "dis" (this), "bath", "nee-nee" (binky), "nay-nay" (horse), and probably a few others I can't think of right now. He also makes a slurping noise when he wants food. It's super cute! He does lots of animal noises now too. My favorites are his elephant noise and when he says "bak-ah" for a chicken and when he snorts for a pig. Funny story about that...the kids love to watch clips of Peppa Pig that I play on the T.V. from the YouTube app on my phone. When Paul wants to watch Peppa, he brings me the remote and snorts haha!
Paul is almost always on the go (except for when he is tired or just waking up, then he's super cuddly). He almost always has some new bump/scrape, usually on his face, from falling because he's either running too fast or climbing on something he shouldn't. He doesn't even sit still to eat. We ended up taking his booster seat off and just letting him stand on the chair because he refuses to sit down. I think if he had his way, he would put his plate on the floor and run laps in between bites haha.
Paul is (still) going through pretty intense separation anxiety. Nursery has been a flop. He's fine as long as Derek or I are in there with him. As soon as he realizes we've left, he cries hysterically and will not calm down until the nursery teachers bring him to us. Hopefully, he'll get better. I've been teaching Anna's preschool class on Thursdays the last two weeks, and one of the other moms kindly offered to watch Paul. The first week, I took him to her van and buckled him in and he was ok because I don't think he realized I wasn't coming with him. The second week though, he would NOT get in the van. He arched his back, kicked his legs, wiggled and fought and screamed for all he was worth. I literally could not get him in that car seat! Finally, the other mom got into the drivers seat, I sat him on the passenger seat next to her, and she held him down while I quickly shut the car door. Thankfully, she only lives three blocks away because I'm sure he screamed the whole way. But when he came home, he had a little bag of butterscotch chips and was happy as could be. He even waved when they left haha.
Paul is very animated and expressive. His reactions are always so funny. When he gets really excited, he will squeal or say "Oooh! Oooh!" and jump up and down or point excitedly. When he's eating, he likes to say "Ahhhmm!" with each bite. And when he's drinking he will gulp and then say, "Ahhh!" When he doesn't want to share something, he hugs it tightly and turns his body away from you and gives the best pouty lip face ever. If you tell him "No" he starts backing away, shaking his head, and quickly stomping his feet. Then when he realizes he isn't getting his way, he will throw himself down on the floor, lie on his back, and cry. It's hard not to laugh, even when he's being ornery.
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| His "I'm not sharing" face |
Paul continues to LOVE animals. All animals, of all shapes and sizes. He chases every bird he sees at the park. He cries if he doesn't get to pet every dog he sees. When he sees a bug on the sidewalk, he will stop and lie down on his stomach to get a closer look, and will stay there until the bug crawls/flies away or I drag him away. Every book we read, he has to point out every single animal, and I have to say, "Yes, there's a (kitty/doggie/bird/whatever)" before we can continue with the story. We definitely will need to get this boy a pet someday.
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| Spotting a bug on the sidewalk |
Paul loves airplanes, trucks, helicopters, trains, etc. His favorite toy is definitely the wooden train set. He loves to build the track and push the train around...and make it crash haha. He also loves to "drive" the car. If I leave the driver seat open while I'm unloading groceries, he immediately climbs in and pretends to "drive" the car. Sometimes Derek will let him sit on his lap to drive down the street to get the mail, and it's his favorite thing ever.
Paul definitely has an independent/stubborn streak. If he does not want to do something, he fights you with everything he's got. And the kid is STRONG. If he takes a toy of Anna's and I try to get it back for her, it will take me at least a minute to pry his fingers off because he will have a death grip on the thing. Sometimes he decides he doesn't want to be buckled in his car seat, and it seriously takes ALL my muscle power to hold him down and buckle him in. And if he doesn't want to get his diaper changed? I don't force him. It's WAY worth spending 5+ minutes trying every form of coaxing and persuading to convince him to come lie down of his own accord than to try to alligator-wrestle him down and risk getting poo all over the floor and me. :)
Paul is still super affectionate. He happily gives high fives, hugs, and kisses on request, but often without asking, especially hugs. His hugs are the best ever...he wraps his arms around your neck and his little legs around your body, in the perfect little koala bear hug. He also loves to run and hug/tackle you if you're sitting on the floor haha. He is a little over-enthusiastic sometimes, but he sure makes you feel loved.
We sure love our sweet, energetic, happy little boy!
