If only I had the video camera...

Had I known what was in store for our morning "walk" yesterday,I would have brought the camera, and "videotaped" what happened. (what is the term for that these days?) I'm sure it would have won some type of award or at least lots of laughs on America's Funniest Videos. Unfortunately, I just have words to explain what happened, which was quite cute. :)

On Monday's (my one day off work) Kaleb and I put on our shoes and go say "buh bye" to daddy, and then go explore, looking at squirrels, birds, airplanes, ants, garbage men, and go to the slide/swing in our neighborhood. Kaleb loves this, and we've met various neighbors, and always get the garbage men to wave at us.

This particular morning, there was a lady out doing her exercise walk. She was overweight, so her walking was somewhat of a waddle. She had little weights in her hands, and was alternating putting one arm straight up in the air, down, and then the other one as she waddled.

She was walking straight towards us, and Kaleb just stopped, watching her. As she came right up to us, she must have seen the look of consternation on his face, and said, "they are just weights, honey!" And she passed us and continued down the sidewalk. Kaleb turned and watched her for a minute, and then began waddling down the street after her, alternating throwing his hands up in the air, first one hand, then the other. It was so funny, his little bum waddle going on, his arms reaching up to the sky one at a time, trying to imitate the lady that had just passed us.

Ah, the smiles that make us keep on lovin' those little darlings. :P

My Baby's Growing up so fast!

Yesterday held a few Firsts with Kaleb, or should I say Mini Larry.

Part of the morning routine, is that I hold Kaleb, give him his grapes, and put him in daddy's car, and wave goodbye. Kaleb is ALL about routine. He can be the happiest of children when he has slept well, eaten well, and is going along with routine. But mess that up, and you pretty much buy your ticket to torture land. Which is what happened yesterday.

I didn't have 6 arms to accomplish all that needed to be done on the way out the door, so Larry picked up Kaleb to carry him outside and put him in the car, while Kaleb kicked and screamed bloody murder, wanting ME to do it. That was his routine, and we were messing it up.

I climbed into the backseat to kiss him goodbye, and do our little "inside the car" routine, but Kaleb's screaming did not stop, tears streaming down his face, and he was MAD. My kisses and wiping tears away did nothing. Apparently, he screamed the whole drive to Miss Leigh-Anne's, wouldn't even look at Larry or blow him kisses goodbye, as he normally would do, and wanted to make sure Larry (and Miss Leigh-Anne) knew he was NOT happy about this. He was ANGRY!

And he stayed angry (off and on) most of the day at Miss Leigh-Anne's. So much so, he refused naps, refused lunch and snack, and threw temper tantrums. Which surprised me, given he was so happy and full of smiles when I got him up that morning to get ready to go. You would think that once the anger at daddy picking him up to put him in the car, rather than mommy, would dissipate once he got playing at daycare. But there are a few things about Kaleb that we have learned. He likes his routines, he is very passionate about things, and can hold onto a grudge and/or ruminate about things. At least that is our theory, given the "mini Larry" syndrome.

So, it was a first to have a day where he stayed angry most of the day over something that happened. Hopefully it's a phase, or something else short lived, and won't turn into an every day thing... And hopefully his passion about things will also bring smiles and pleasureful days to us all, not just angry days.

Another first that happened, occurred while trying to put Kaleb down to bed last night. Like all children (I assume), Kaleb didn't want to go to bed, and likes to find ways to put it off. He can be very sneaky and creative at this. Last night, for the first time, he tried to tell me a story about something that happened to him at daycare. At first, I didn't realize what he was doing, as his words are not complete, and just the beginnings of the words, but after hearing him say "baby" and "ry" over and over, along w/ "booboo" and "no no" and "bi" and some other words I didn't quite make out, I realized he was talking about the 2 kids younger than him at daycare, and something that had happened that day. Kaleb probably spent 20 minutes saying the same things over and over and over, and using gestures. From what Kaleb was trying to tell me, I gathered that Ryan had bitten Shavone (the "baby") and was in time out, and might possibly have bitten Kaleb too. Kaleb was very upset about it, and wanted to communicate this story to me. He was gleefully excited when I would repeat back to him what I was understanding, and he realized he was communicating with me.

After Kaleb was finally in bed, I called Miss Leigh-Anne and asked her if something had happened w/ "the baby" and Ryan at daycare that day, as it seemed Kaleb was trying to tell me a story of something that had happened. Kaleb's version, though much simpler, held all the key concepts of what Miss Leigh-Anne told me happened. Apparently, Ryan had suddenly gone at Shavone, with both his hands to bite her in the face. He was instantly put in time out. During this time, Kaleb would walk over to Ryan and shake his finger at him, saying "no no no, baaaa ry" (for bad ryan) or something like that. Go check on Shavone, and go back to Ryan and tell him again, "NO" or "bad." He is very protective of the younger children. As part of this, he would also point to his arm (where Kaleb himself had previously been bitten by Ryan) and say "boo boo" or "bi" for bite.

Kaleb was very upset about what happened, and was able to tell me about it that night. Absolutely amazing! I still can't believe that my little 19 month old, who can't even use complete words, was able to tell me a story of something he felt passionate about, something he had experienced that day. And I actually understood most of what he was saying! WOW! It is so fun to see him develop. It is so fun to see his excitement as he communicates, and realizes I am understanding what he is trying to say. I can't believe his memory, his ability to communicate, and his passion. It makes me smile, and wonder how I got such a smarty pants!