Daaaaaw!
Colin has started communicating more with us. In addition to his questions ('aaas dat? 'ooos dat?), and the regular mama/dada he now lets us know he's hungry by making a two-syllable "mmmmmmmmm!" I guess he picked it up because I do this when feeding him - my attempt at coercing the child into thinking that everything I feed him is a delectable delight. (Poor kid - he eats yogurt like it is a treat, and gobbles lima beans like they're candy.)
The other night Colin had finished his dinner, and at long last it was time for us adults to eat. H made his famous nachos, then while H gave him a bath I made up a batch of guacamole. I set aside a little for Colin before I added the jalapenos - just avocado, garlic and some medium salsa for the boy. I figured I'd save it for his lunch the next day.
Well... after Colin's bath the boys were sitting on the sofa. I was bringing out various and sundry bowls... salsa, chips, veggies, and our guacamole. The moment Colin saw the bowl of guac he started. "mmm-mmm." "mmm-MMMMM." "MMM-MMMMM!!!" I couldn't believe it - the kid was, in his own way, making it exceedingly clear that he was hungry for guacamole. I thought he was faking since he'd just finished a rather large dinner, but I figured I'd check anyway. I pulled out his guacamole and gave him a taste. Not only did he down the first nibble, he devoured every last bit of it!
Now whenever he's hungry, or if we have any cheese he starts up. mmm-MMMM!!!! He'll even do it for a cup of milk if he's in the mood.
He's sampling other communication (fish, book) but aside from what we call yummy-noises Colin has two other favorite words:
Ball ("aaaaw") - he loves any ball, but his current particular favorites are his Spiderman ball, and a 4" bright green, liquid-and-glitter-filled super ball. He will happily toss and chase either of these on his own, for a looong time.
And Colin's ultimate favorite: Dog. ("daaaaw") I cannot believe how much this kid is ga-ga for dogs. When we were in Cleveland over Memorial day he clearly missed Sydney. He kept walking up to Sundae, leaning over and putting his open mouth next to her face. Poor Sundae didn't understand what he was doing, so she just laid there, and Colin couldn't figure out why she wasn't slathering him with kisses. He did especially love her calm demeanor, though, and would kneel next to her and gleefully rub her belly.
Sydney is just a little too high-strung to lay calmly while a toddler rubs her belly. She does, however, lick him frantically to say hello, follows him around the house, watches him like a hawk, guides him away from stairs, guards him fiercely, and in general is the best family dog we could ever hope to have. We don't call her Nurse Sydney lightly - she is nuts for that little kid, and he adores her right back. In fact, she's set the bar so high that Colin now adores all dogs.
Here's an example of how dog-crazy this boy is. On Memorial Day we left Laura's house to run a few errands before Nora's soiree and Colin was obviously tired. In the van he fell asleep. We got to the store - Colin stayed asleep. I picked him up, carried him through the store, and put him back in the van for the trip home - Colin stayed asleep. I put him in the crib to finish his nap - Colin stayed asleep. When it was time to leave I got him up, put him back in the van and all 7 of us traveled over to Westlake - Colin stayed asleep. We opened the van door- Colin stayed asleep. Nora's dog Snoopy barked once, from about 50 yards away, and Colin snapped awake immediately saying "daaaaw?" "Daaaaaw!?"
Last Thursday I got home from work and realized that I left my cell phone in my car. I went back outside with Colin and stood him next to me so I could grab the phone. In the 3.5 seconds it took me to grab the phone from the center console, the kid was off. He had seen an elderly man down the street, walking his dog, and was already half-way across our front yard doing his high-speed wobbly-Frankenstein walk, making a bee-line for that dog.
This gives a whole new twist to the concept of a Pavlovian reaction!
The other night Colin had finished his dinner, and at long last it was time for us adults to eat. H made his famous nachos, then while H gave him a bath I made up a batch of guacamole. I set aside a little for Colin before I added the jalapenos - just avocado, garlic and some medium salsa for the boy. I figured I'd save it for his lunch the next day.
Well... after Colin's bath the boys were sitting on the sofa. I was bringing out various and sundry bowls... salsa, chips, veggies, and our guacamole. The moment Colin saw the bowl of guac he started. "mmm-mmm." "mmm-MMMMM." "MMM-MMMMM!!!" I couldn't believe it - the kid was, in his own way, making it exceedingly clear that he was hungry for guacamole. I thought he was faking since he'd just finished a rather large dinner, but I figured I'd check anyway. I pulled out his guacamole and gave him a taste. Not only did he down the first nibble, he devoured every last bit of it!
Now whenever he's hungry, or if we have any cheese he starts up. mmm-MMMM!!!! He'll even do it for a cup of milk if he's in the mood.
He's sampling other communication (fish, book) but aside from what we call yummy-noises Colin has two other favorite words:
Ball ("aaaaw") - he loves any ball, but his current particular favorites are his Spiderman ball, and a 4" bright green, liquid-and-glitter-filled super ball. He will happily toss and chase either of these on his own, for a looong time.
Sydney is just a little too high-strung to lay calmly while a toddler rubs her belly. She does, however, lick him frantically to say hello, follows him around the house, watches him like a hawk, guides him away from stairs, guards him fiercely, and in general is the best family dog we could ever hope to have. We don't call her Nurse Sydney lightly - she is nuts for that little kid, and he adores her right back. In fact, she's set the bar so high that Colin now adores all dogs.
Here's an example of how dog-crazy this boy is. On Memorial Day we left Laura's house to run a few errands before Nora's soiree and Colin was obviously tired. In the van he fell asleep. We got to the store - Colin stayed asleep. I picked him up, carried him through the store, and put him back in the van for the trip home - Colin stayed asleep. I put him in the crib to finish his nap - Colin stayed asleep. When it was time to leave I got him up, put him back in the van and all 7 of us traveled over to Westlake - Colin stayed asleep. We opened the van door- Colin stayed asleep. Nora's dog Snoopy barked once, from about 50 yards away, and Colin snapped awake immediately saying "daaaaw?" "Daaaaaw!?"
Last Thursday I got home from work and realized that I left my cell phone in my car. I went back outside with Colin and stood him next to me so I could grab the phone. In the 3.5 seconds it took me to grab the phone from the center console, the kid was off. He had seen an elderly man down the street, walking his dog, and was already half-way across our front yard doing his high-speed wobbly-Frankenstein walk, making a bee-line for that dog.
This gives a whole new twist to the concept of a Pavlovian reaction!
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