Yaaaaayyy!!!

Raleigh started walking last night. She’s been thinking about it for some time and has gotten very proficient at navigating her way around the room by holding on to pieces of furniture or what-have-you. I guess she finally felt ready to let go. The funny thing is that she yells “yaaaayyyy!” the whole time with a big smile on her face. I wonder who she could be modeling? Hmmm…

In other big Raleigh news, her eleventh tooth has erupted. The tips of her lower right molar are showing. What an exciting week, and it's only Wednesday!

Happy mirthday, Rowan!

Here we are at month 39. Rowan and his buddies at school are fascinated by monsters and heroes these days. Just this morning his friend, Danny, brought a plastic serving spoon to school - not for cooking, mind you. He said it was a weapon to fight off monsters. I am completely smitten with 3-year-olds and their wonderful imaginations.

Here's a photo of the red-green-blue monster that found his way into our house yesterday. It's a good thing Rowan was around to scare the monster away with a little soap and water. Happy mirthday wishes to my monster-stuntman-superhero-sweet boy!

The last month was sure was fun and there's more to come. The school year is winding down and the temperature is cranking up to summertime levels. We're heading to the pool this evening for the first swim of the season. I hope the water isn't too chilly!

Long overdue mirthday update for Raleigh

This post is overdue. Very, very overdue. But, better late than never!

• Likes: dancing; being outside; animals; doing big girl things; throwing things on the floor and saying "uh-oh"
• Dislikes: baths!*; having something taken away from her; being told no
• Communication: "Uh-oh" means something is on the floor (either by her hand or someone else's) and you must pick it up immediately. She's almost compulsive about it. She's a good yes/no head shaker. She will now answer yes for some questions, not just no all the time. She has been jibber-jabbering a lot more lately, too. It sounds like some type of Swedish-German-Vietnamese dialect. She is also very good at copying the tone and rhythm of your words. I point out eyes, nose, mouth, ears and she will make the noises "ahhh (eye)", "ohhh" (nose), "ehhh" (mouth), and "eee" (ears).
• Skills: She can sing/hum parts of "Itsy Bitsy Spider" and does some of the hand motions. She can also "sing" parts of the ABC song. She is very good at consistently getting down from chairs or the bed in a safe way (on her tummy, feet first). Walking is just around the corner. She likes to stand up without any help but is still hesitant to take steps on her own. She can use a straw (YAY!) and can blow air from her mouth. We're working on blowing her nose. Her reflexes are ninja-fast and she can catch you off guard easily. We joke that she has the makings for a CIA operative, especially paired with her linguistic gifts.
• Miscellaneous: She is using a sippy cup during the day and bottles only first thing in the morning and before bed. She is slowly going to just one nap in the afternoon.

*We cannot figure out why she is is terrified of the bathtub. I took a bath with her the other night and she was okay as long as she was sitting on my legs. I am curious to see how our trip to the pool goes. She is okay in the shower, but forget the kitchen sink. She even seems to get bent about a washcloth bath. Keep your fingers crossed that this is a short phase.

Rowan Says

Driving on the Interstate to my parents’ house we saw a pick-up truck carrying a load of what looked like props for a play about the southwest (fake boulders, fake cacti).

R: [pointing out the window] Don’t sit on those green things.

Me: You mean those cactus plants?

R: [seriously] Yes. Don’t sit on porcupines, either. You might hurt your booty. (giggles)

While Rowan was finishing up his dinner and I was doing dishes...

R: Mommy, I’ve got goosebumps!

Me: You do? Are you turning into a goose?

R: No, I’m turning into an ice cube.

Rowan Update - 38 mos.

It does seem a little silly to refer to Rowan as a 38-month-old, but I only do it for the blog - I swear! Afterall, you've got to acknowledge which mirthday we're celebrating. :-)

Rowan's had a busy month. He got his first big kid bike from his Grams and Papaw last weekend and is doing really well with it. The training wheels are much better now than I remember them as a kid. In other big kid news, this will be his last month in the 2-year-old village at school. In June he will go to the preschool area. I'll post more details later.

Here are a few funny quotes from the past couple of weeks just to give you an idea of the brilliant comedian we get to enjoy.

On the way to school one morning...

R: Mommy, did you hear my tummy?

Me: No, I didn't. What did he say?

R: Something ruuuuude. [giggles]

After picking his nose and putting the contents in his mouth...

Me: Yuck! I can't believe you just ate your boogers in front of me.

R: [turns away from me] I'm not eating them in front of you.

Me: Gross, man.

R: Yeah. The garbage man might take away my yucky mouth. Then I would be sad because I couldn't talk.