Three and a half, man!

Our most favorite boy turns three and a half tomorrow! We've certainly had a lot of fun - and a few dramas - these past six months. Because I know how much you love them, here are some Rowan stories from the past few weeks.

Modesty

Rowan pointed out a passing truck while we were stopped at a red light. He said, "Look at that funny truck! It's little." It was a beverage truck, the kind that look like miniature semis. I told him that the truck had a bunch of drinks inside. Rowan remarked, "Yeah, it's beer." And it was a beer truck! - not one of the big brands, either. Amazed, I asked him how he knew. His response: "Because I am the smartest boy in the world."

Tunage

Jeremy gave Rowan a ukulele for his birthday. Rowan calls it his guitar. We keep it on top of our TV cabinet so that it won't get trashed. Out of the blue last week Rowan said, "Daddy, will get down my guitar? I need to play some tunes."

Storyteller

On the drive home this evening Rowan told Jeremy a story about something that happened at school. The story went on, and on, and on for about three minutes. He barely paused to take a breath. When he was finally done he proclaimed, "Phew! That was a long story."

Raleigh is 16 months old!!!

Today our tiny baby is 16 months old! How did that happen so quickly? We've seen a lot of growth in Raleigh this past month - new skills, new words. It's been really neat to see her developing so rapidly. Here are the details.

• Likes: The usual, plus finding a special little spot to sit, reading books, singing, neckalces, bracelets, and purses
• Dislikes: brushing teeth (sometimes)
• Skills: She can walk backwards and drink from a regular cup without spilling (as long as you put a wee bit in there). She pee-peed in the potty once. She likes to sit on the potty, with and without bottoms on, and is happy to sit down on it when you ask her to try. She also likes to exclaim "pee pee!" if someone else is going.
• Communication: It is getting easier to figure out what she wants/needs but sometimes we all get a little frustrated when I can't decipher her talking and gestures quickly enough. She definitely understands a lot of what we are saying and is very good at yelling "No!" when we guess incorrectly about her requests. She is also great at mimicking noises and repeating words she finds interesting. The words aren't in her working vocabulary but she can say them accurately. I think they will crop up into conversation one day when we least expect it. She likes to tell her own version of knock-knock joke that's pretty funny. Basically she'll say "knock-knock" and wait for the who's there, then she'll crack up. It's a lot more humorous than it sounds.
• New vocab: apple, pee pee, bee-bee (baby), nana (banana), bloon (balloon)
• So big! Three more teeth have erupted for a total of 17. Number 18 lurks just beneath the gums. Shirt size is 18 mos., pants 12 mos., and shoe size 4.