31 Months Old

This little boy is growing up way too fast!  He's thirty-one months old today and sassy and smart as ever!  

He loves to help around the house.  It makes him feel so big and proud.  He helps cook, do dishes, throw away the trash, pick up toys, and find Luke's binkies (that are always disappearing around here!).  He LOVES helping his Daddy outside and in the shop.  He always uses that as an excuse to get out of bath time or going to the potty (we're slowly easing into potty training).  His answers to most things he doesn't want to do are: "NO! I help my Daddy!" and "I wanna doe nigh nigh!" (I want to go night night).  He's a little goof ball!

In the last month Tyke has learned how to undress himself for bath time.  He always asks for help but I assure him that he can do it himself and show him how.  He always gets so excited when he takes off a sock or his pants.  He gets really excited and proud of himself whenever he's successful (so do we bud!)

Tyke is obsessed with money lately.  He's always like it and it always goes straight to his piggy bank.  He bugs us daily to give him money, "Mom, I want your monies!"  "Dad, I need your monies!"  The best is that we have been using money as bribery to get him to use the potty, which by the way he refuses to use his potty chair now, he wants to use the actual toilet like a big boy.  Anyway, this may backfire but for now it works and it's not like we're out much money.  We could give him a penny for his efforts and he would be happy as can be.  Today I told him I would give him some monies if he would poop in the toilet.  He didn't want to but I sat him on it anyway and left, telling him I was going to dig out some monies from the change jar.  I swear as soon as I left the bathroom he yelled that he had pooped.  I didn't believe but when I got back he sure enough had pooped in the potty.  We were so excited!  He had the biggest, proudest smile on his face and gave me a high five and was hooting and hollering.  Then he stopped, put out his hand and said, "I want my monies mom."  Ha ha, he earned that quarter (or two or three, OK, maybe he got $3 worth because Daddy was super excited too and gave him monies as well).

Tyke has been so funny to watch with his brother lately.  Luke has gotten really mobile the last month or so and is crawling allover the place.  Tyke will usually tattle tale on Luke if he's ventured somewhere he shouldn't.  Sometimes he will grab Luke by one leg and pull him back to the living room, all the while Luke is on his belly trying to grab onto the floor wondering why he's going in reverse.  It's hilarious to watch!  Also, most of the time while Luke is crawling Tyke will go up behind him and sit on him like a horse and yell, "yee-haw!" while throwing his arm in the air.  I think that might be why Luke will only crawly a short short distance now before stopping and sitting down and making sure the coast is clear.  They are such good friends and love each other so much!  They are going to be an adventure for us all that's for sure.

Tyke has been obsessed with the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles lately.  I think he got that from his cousin Bowdee.  He loves them and walks around the house singing his version of the song or else jumping, spinning and moving his hands like he knows karate and saying, "hi-jah!"  He likes to get a little rough with his ninja skills but we can't help but laugh, unless he's unleashing them on Luke.  Ninja Turtles are pretty much the only cartoon Tyke requests now days and he gets super upset when they're not on.

Tyke has starting singing, a lot.  I'm not sure what he sings but he almost always sings/hums a tune while riding in the car or while showering.  In the car he starts out quiet but gets louder and louder and then back to quiet.  It's pretty cute.  He sings the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle theme song, his version.  It's adorable.  

Tyke LOVES playing in the water and is always asking to "doe wim mom!" I feel like I failed him this summer by not letting him swim as often as we should have.  Tyke is a little fish in the water.  I can't wait until he's old enough for swim lessons.  He's a natural! 

Tyke has started to really show some attitude lately when he gets in trouble.  He will either scream and hit (like a teenager tantrum) or get really whiny and ignore us and repeat "I wanna doe home!"  When we inform him that he IS home he stops and thinks for a second before saying, "I wanna doe gamma's home!" (Grandma's house).  Isn't it funny how fast kids learn that Grandma's house is the place of no rules?  Tyke always wants to go to Grandma and Grandpa's house when he's in trouble or wants something, silly boy!

Tyke's speech just keeps getting better and better.  He is easily saying up to five word sentences now.  He's smart!  It amazes me how he knows to use the words: to, too, my/mine, etc.  Tyke knows his houses (all of the grandma's, Quade's, the pizza house (Little Caesars), the ice cream house (gas station in Mona and so on).  He knows how to work his mommy and daddy.  A few of our favorite phrases right now are:

• "Oh blezz you!" (Bless you, when  we sneeze.  He can't say his "S" sounds very well)
• "I hold da Louie!" (He has shown a lot of interest lately in wanting to hold Luke, whether Luke likes it or not, haha)
• "Helm me!" ("Help me!"  He will climb up on the rocks of the fire place or lay down on the ground like he's fallen and reach for us while dramatically saying help me!)
• "I want pitta!!" (pizza)
• "I hungee mom!" (hungry)
• "I helm my Daddy! ("I help my Daddy!")
• "I doe nigh nigh!" (Night night, which is what he wants to do when he wants to get out of chores or minding)
• "Daddy/Louie my buddy mom!" (This one just melts my heart big time!)
• "Louie my boy!" (This one does too!)
• "I wanna doe home"
• "I doe Grandma's how!" (Grandma's house.  About 90% of the time though he says home instead of house)
• "I want monies! Give me monies!" (He likes putting money in his piggy bank, good boy!)

One Saturday morning we were all laying in bed talking and watching cartoons.  Luke was still asleep and started making noises.  I checked him and he was up.  I said, "Oh you're wide awake Lu!" Tyke immediately, in an offended tone, said, "I a wake too mom!"  We all got a good laugh out of that.

Tyke has started to be more brave around animals of any kind.  We're not sure where this fearlessness came from?  He will play with, tease and give loves to dogs now where before he would cry and be freaked out until we picked him up.  It's just fun watching him grow and mature!

Tyke hasn't grown too much this past month, yay to that!  I feel like these boys of ours grow out of their cute clothes way too fast!  Tyke has definitely put on a pound or two.  He's starting to get a little belly and cheeks have filled out along with his cute little double chin.  We can see deep dimples in his cheeks now!  Before they were just barely there.  Tyke has had a great appetite on and off lately.  One week he will eat non stop and try new foods, the next week he's back to being picky and eating like a bird.  He is still a fan of his corn dogs, sausage, grilled chicken cut into strips (he will NOT eat breaded chicken of any kind), bacon, apple juice, chocolate milk and of course pizza!  His clothes are starting to fit a little tighter.  I had bought a bunch of 4t shirts thinking I could put them away for later but I soon found out that they need to be worn now!  They're a little baggy on him still but length wise they fit a lot better than his 3t shirts, which by the way still fit.  His 3t jeans are going to need the little extender elastics loosened soon!  Tyke needs new socks, all of his are fitting a little on the small size now.  His shoes, size 10's! are still fitting pretty good for now.  I just can't believe how much this boy is growing and changing!  Tyke loves his camo hat from the Bass Pro Shop and his cowboy boots.  He wears them both well and insists on putting them on himself!  We can't leave home without them!

We love this fun energetic little man so much!  He's adorable and sweet and mean and sassy and just plain fun!  Happy 31 months big guy!