I vividly remember visiting my friend Jess and her family last year, marveling at the difference between L.J. and Owen. The six-month age difference seemed so vast. Owen was so…accomplished. He sat in a booster seat for his meals. He quietly – and adeptly – assembled puzzle pieces. You could understand him when he talked. He followed multi-step directions.
I’m happy to report that I had nothing to worry about. L.J. is now able to do all of those things too. Well, except the puzzles. Owen has mad puzzle skills.
L.J. is still growing and changing each month – but now we’re in the intellectual growth stage. Three words to describe L.J. are: bright, curious and happy. His teachers at school describe him as: smart, outgoing, well-behaved and helpful.
Nothing slips past him. “Mmm-hmm” and “okay” are not acceptable answers to his litany of questions. He wants to know that not only did you hear him, but you were paying attention and have an answer.
He’s sharp as a tack and has great memory skills! He’s very good at remembering what we tell him – the elephant lives at the zoo, clothes go in the hamper, etc. – and will often randomly parrot these facts back to us. He’s also (sometimes surprisingly) adept at remembering things that happened a while ago – for example, remembering that his big yellow dump truck was a Christmas gift.
He is quite a chatterbox and we get comments on not only the volume of his questions, but the clarity of his speech. He speaks in sentences and can carry a short conversation.
L.J. is rather particular about directions/instructions in general. He gets very upset if things are not where they belong. He can easily follow multi-step directions. Sometimes I’m surprised when I absent-mindedly ramble off a few things to him and he does exactly what I said!
He sings songs to himself all the time. Favorites include Baa Baa Black Sheep, Old MacDonald and the ABCs.
He can do parts of the alphabet if asked, and is working on counting to 10.
Likes:
Stickers and “colors” (crayons)
his friends
loves school
reading books
collecting and organizing
puzzles
outside time
Helping mommy in the kitchen
Anything Daddy or Poppa is doing
Bubble Guppies in “daddy’s bed” before bedtime
Mickey & Minnie Mouse (esp. Minnie)
Animals and going to the zoo
Favorite food/snacks:
pizza, Costco rotisserie chicken, cheese snacks, almost any cracker/chip, trail mix
Dislikes:
being told no
diaper changes
having his hair combed
not having control of his decisions (ha!)
being told to get out of the fridge/freezer
More Tidbits:
I know I’ve said this since day one, but L.J. is a delight. He truly is. He’s such a happy, easygoing kid who loves his family, his teachers and his friends fiercely.
He thrives on routine and order. He’s quick to tell you if you are doing something in the wrong order or turn down a different street than normal.
He is hilarious. Some of the things that come of his mouth…I need to start taking notes.
L.J. fancies himself a big kid. He gets the biggest kick out of being able to sit at the dinner table vs. his highchair. Never mind that his chin barely clears the table.
He’s a huge water drinker. So thankful to school for that! He loves using mommy’s water bottles – the Camelback kind with the straw and valve. He’s also particular about ice – you must ask him yes/no on ice or you will incur a meltdown (no pun intended) if you guess wrong.
He is a big helper to mommy/daddy and puffs up with pride every time he gets to help out with a task. Taking out the trash with daddy and helping mommy with dinner are his favorites.
He is very concerned about shoes and socks. Shoes and socks go together, and everyone should have shoes on their feet. He can be very bossy about it! Ironically, he is often seen walking around with one sock/shoe on and one off. He’s done this since he started wearing shoes!
Struggles:
We haven’t experienced much of the “terrible twos” but we have had some meltdowns when L.J. doesn’t care for the answer we’ve given him. He can also be extremely stubborn! Mommy is working on patience when we butt heads.
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