Alexander's opinions....

On Daddy - James was out of town for several days this past week, so Alexander was very happy to have Daddy all to himself Sunday morning. Daddy made eggs with cheese and peppers for breakfast, and Alexander ate it all up. Apparently the lack of appetite this week was just disapproval for Mommy's cooking. Then Alexander and Daddy played in the sandbox all morning while Mommy got out the summer clothes - apparently this year summer decided to start May 1rst in our area! Alexander even pulled out the puppy dog eye enough to convince Daddy to take him to his class meeting on campus in the afternoon. A day with Daddy - Yay!

"Look - we buried my legs!"

On Helping - Alexander has decided he really liked helping Mommy. Today I asked him to carry his milk in to school because my hands were full carrying him and his bag of supplies. He kept a death grip on the strap of the milk bottle, and was reluctant to give it up for his teacher to put in the fridge. He was so proud of himself for helping!

Fast forward to later that day. We'd stopped at the store on the way home, and Alexander decided he wanted to carry his milk in from the car. The only problem - this time it wasn't 10 oz in a Nalgene bottle, it was a full half gallon fresh from the store. It was so heavy he could just barely lift it, and he could usually only make a few steps before tripping or dropping it. But he was determined. He wasn't going to let me help, and he wasn't going to let me trade it for one of the lighter bags. He was going to get that milk into the house if it was the last thing he did!

"It's ok Mom, I've got this. Really, I do!"

Not pictured is the "snow angel" he made in the gravel when his frustration at the bottle turned into a meltdown. But eventually he decided he could carry the milk and I could carry him, and that would be acceptable.

After dinner I brought the trash cans in from the curb. Alexander was also determined to help there. So Mommy got that chore done so much faster with his help, even if that help involved tipping the can over far enough for him to grab the handle, and walking across the driveway at a toddler's pace.

Which brings me to....

On Memory - Once, several months ago, I let Alexander sit on the lid of the recycling bin while I pulled it back to the driveway. When we finished with the garbage can and went back for the recycling, he decided he didn't want to grab the handle and help pull. Instead, he tried to climb out of my arms and onto the lid - he remembered that ride, and he wanted another one! Apparently it was a lot of fun, because he really didn't want to get off when we got the recycling can to its normal place, and kept signing "more" when we stopped. A jog to the corner in the stroller as a start to our evening walk was enough to satisfy his urge for bumpy, rattling transit though.

On Odors - Alexander would rather play with the stinky trash can than smell the lilacs with Mommy. In fact, when I help him up so he could smell the flowers, he pushed them away, squirmed to get down, and ran back over to the trash can.

Yes, we definitely have a little boy on our hands here. :)

On Communication - the whole concept of non-verbal communication has finally clicked, and Alexander still enjoys testing the concept that he can ask for something, and generally he will be given it. It's also interesting watching the way he processes language. The sign for "more" has become the universal "I want something, you need to figure out what it is" sign. He's getting very consistent about using it when he wants something - he was even signing "more" in his sleep the other morning. "Clean" has become his sign for "I want out of the chair", because usually after he finishes eating I wipe his hands, sign and say "all clean!", and then let him down. He's transferred it to other "get me out" locations - this morning he signed "clean" when he wanted out of the toddler chair where he hangs out while I take my shower. I can't wait to see what he comes up with next. :)