I realized that since turning two (and frankly starting many months before), I have become much less concerned with the "milestones." I guess because there is a sense that he is doing fine and the time for possible major red flags has mostly passed. Accordingly, I have been very bad about keeping track of Oliver's milestones. But, in an effort to get a few things on the record (b/c I fear I will forget), here is a general update on Oliver since around the time he turned two.
Physical: We were late with the 2-year visit (as I said we have gotten a little relaxed about things), but here are the stats as I remember them at 26 months: weight-28 lb (50th percentile), height-32" (generously 10th percentile), and head (85th percentile). For most pants, he most appropriately wears 18-24 months; shirts either 18-24 or 2T. He is on track with motor skills and developmental milestones. After a mild case of pneumonia last month, he did lose a couple pounds...but his appetite and energy are making a comeback. Not yet potty trained.
Social: Oliver is still with our nanny, Sheryl, full-time during the week. We have enrolled him in various activities to try to increase his interaction with kids his age. He goes to story time at the library every week. Sheryl also did a couple months of music class with him, but he has never really cared for music class, so we let that go mid-summer. We did a full summer of weekly soccer for tots. More recently, Oliver started weekly gymnastics. The first class was a disaster, but each class after has gotten better. Oliver is a regular a the local park and has a group of kids (most slightly older) that he is familiar with and interacts with regularly. The newest change was about 5 weeks ago, we started him in a small daycare (5 kids) on just Fridays. However, due to illness at the daycare and then Oliver getting sick for two weeks after his second visit, we have not gained much traction. The goal is that he will stay for a full day of daycare on Fri, but continue Mon-Thurs with Sheryl. However, the two times he went to daycare, he did not made it the full day. He did great in the mornings and played with the kids, participated in the activities, and was generally very happy. Right up to lunch. Then he freaked out. He would not eat or nap there. So both weeks, they called and we had to pick him up at around 12:30. This week was the first week he made it the full day (including lunch and nap). I am not sure if it was a fluke or if it was the breakthrough we hoped for. Oliver has a few "friends" that we see from time-to-time. I would say maybe once every 1-2 months he sees one of them, and he loves to talk about them and gets excited to see them. He also interacts regularly with family and friends via Facetime, but the quality of the on-line interaction depends on his mood.
Emotional: 85-90% of the time Oliver is the sweetest, most joyful and loving little boy you could ever imagine. He hugs and kisses family and friends. Though Myrtle gets the most kisses. He tells us how much he loves Myrtle and he sometimes says he loves Mommy or Daddy. He will hug and kiss photos of animals or kids in books. On his own he will pucker up and ask me for a kiss (melts my heart every time). Oliver is very independent, which appears to be age appropriate. He has strong opinions about what he wants to do, eat, wear, and what he wants others to do. He can articulate his feelings. He will tell us he is frustrated, sad, happy, calm, etc. However, being tired or hungry and sometimes transitions can be difficult for him to work through. He often wakes up a little cranky and needs time to warm up in the mornings or from naps. These are the times we hear the most Nos and experience him in his most irrational state. He had a head-banging stage that had, thankfully, mostly passed. He would do it when he got really frustrated and mostly just to me because he knew it upset me the most. It particularly bothered me because he would do it hard enough to give himself a bruise on his forehead. He knew it would hurt, but he would look at me and say, "Oliver is frustrated, I want to bang my head!" Drove me crazy!!! Unfortunately, he just recently started taking his frustration out on me and will hit me. This just started. He does not hit hard, it is actually intentionally barely a hit. He sometimes uses Myrtle and will gently tap me, but he knows it is still hitting and seems to just do it to make a point. We have a zero tolerance for hitting, so hopefully he will grow out of this quickly. There have also been a couple of occasions where he has tried the head banging again. When he gets mad and we try to talk to him about it, he will say things like, "I just want to stand here and scream and cry about it" or "Oliver is not crying, Oliver is calm now." While he has these outbursts and has not yet learned how to control his emotions, he seems very aware of them and can usually calm down in a very short amount of time and move on-assuming sleep is not the issue.
Learning: The kid loves to read books. He can identify all his capital letters, most small case letters, all major colors, basic shapes, and numbers 1-10. He knows a few sight words and can identify the letter associated with many sounds. If you ask him what letter certain words start with, he can tell you about 50% of the time; and if you give him a letter and ask him for a word he can come up with a word for about 50% of the alphabet. He loves to rhyme. Before turning two he started memorizing/reciting most of the Mother Goose Nursery Rhymes. He can even manage some tongue twisters like "Peter Piper..." and "Fuzzy Wuzzy...." He has now memorized many story books in his library verbatim cover-to-cover, and for most of the other books, he has memorized parts of the book. He knows the planets and can give you facts about special features related to each, loves to talk about energy, can tell you about macrophages/antibodies/bacteria/red blood cells, and generally talks in full conversational sentences. However, he often refers to himself in the 3rd person and mixes up his you/me; your/my. He likes to draw, but he still does not draw a straight line on request consistently. In general, he has an amazing memory. He remembers street names, people/animal names after only one meeting and brings them up in context months later. He remembers events from months past, recites full definitions of words he asks us to explain and will use words in a sentence weeks later. He likes to talk about things that are nuanced,
e.g., "I
know X means Y" (usually a definition we have given him) followed by "I
think X is Z (usually something he has come up with on his own." He has been combining words lately and asking us what they mean, e.g., "a water car means?" If he is particularly interested in something he will ask you what it
means and then ask you to repeat it over and over until he has memorized
the answer/explanation so that he can recite it word-for-word back to
you. He will chatter on and on about things that interest him or repeating things he has learned. However, if he is in the middle of playing with his trains or cars, and you ask him a basic question, he will ignore you and continue on as if he has not idea what you are talking about.
Fun: Some fun things that Oliver does or says at this age:
-loves the concept of water, dirt, leaves, etc. "flying off" the wheels of something. He even has gone through a stage where when we walk, he will stop and sprinkle dirt or crushed leaves on his shoes and then take off running while announcing that he is going so fast the dirt is flying off his shoes or he is a blur.
-loves to be outside and to go to the park
-if something really strikes him as funny, you can bring up the story a day or two later and he will laugh hysterically and retell the story over and over just to crack himself up
-I love his love for books
-Oliver drives his fire engine around he house like it is the Indy 500. He will put myrtle on the back and off they go. He can stop with pinpoint accuracy and turn the corners at full speed. Sometimes when we are out he will say, "I want to go back to Rittenhouse and ride my fire engine." Since Halloween, he now asks to wear his fireman coat and helmet every time he wants to go outside and ride his fire engine.
-he loves to tell stories about and play with the cats
-he likes to be my little something, e.g, he tells me he is my little joey and asks to sit in my pouch (my lap); my little bird and asks me (mama bird) to feed him worms and then he flaps his wings; my little pumpkin when putting on his orange jacket; my little astronaut and then he blasts off (takes off running)
-helping mommy get ready in the morning is a usual ritual and he likes to look at himself in the mirror
-legos with Daddy
-imaginative play. I love listening to him play. He will narrate the activities of the farmer, mechanic, race car driver, construction worker, etc. "This farmer is riding in his carriage around this garage. The farmer probably should go to the market now to get some food. Now the farmer should probably go get some water for his horse and then go to the barn. The farmer is happy...."
As I write this I realize it is impossible to capture all the wonders of our little boy at this age. I know I have already forgot some wonderful moments. Each day he does something that amazes me, something that challenges me, and something that warms my heart. Once again, I am left with a sense that he is simply everything he needs to be at this age and I feel so grateful to be a part of his world.
2:57 PM: "Doing Great!"
