Quick This and That

• Aubin is repeating and talking like a professional chatter box! I'm actually not sure if those exist, pretty sure they don't, but if they did Aubin could join them. We started him in a playgroup in April, and ever since he has had a much stronger desire to use words and talk. It's been so good for him. His favorite words/phrases are: "adaiiiiin" (again), "si dow" (sit down), "help-e" (help me, or do something with me), "no way," "tean up" (clean up), and "hey!" A couple of our favorites also include "octadeedledee" (octopus) and "shhhh!" said very sharply as he points at you. Cracks us up every time. He can identify tons of animals now and is now moving on to bugs. I'm so glad for his progress. I always knew he had to ability to talk and would do so when he was ready, but it is still a relief to finally see it happen.

Sidenote- It's certainly not always a good thing that Aubin repeats what he hears so much now. There's a reason Aubin started to say "no way" . It's because mom had to come up with a substitute for her much used "shut up!" after Aubin very cheerfully copied her. Oops!

• Aubin has FINALLY said his ABC's by himself. He can identify each letter in thealphabet and goes around reading literally everything he sees letter by letter. We'll pull up somewhere in the car and hear Aubin start saying letters, and after much looking we will eventually discover the word he is "reading". I can tell he wants to be able to read SO bad. I would be very surprised if he doesn't end up reading before I did. He's much more like his daddy that way.
  
• Aubin's favorite songs right now are "Row, Row, Row Your Boat", "Ring Around The Rosie", "The Itsy Bitsy Spider", "Pat-a-Cake", "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star" (which I didn't know he even knew until he started singing it), "A Dream Is A Wish", "Put On Your Sunday Clothes" (featured in Wall-E) and "Once Upon A Dream." He just LOVES to sing. It's super cute because I sang "A Dream Is A Wish" and "Once Upon A Dream" almost every night to him when he was a small baby, and now if I try to leave the room without singing them I hear his little cute voice say "sh-on-g?" It just melts my heart. I loved those songs the best when I was a child, and now he loves them too. I love family traditions like that. Every now and again I catch him singing them to himself. So cute.


• The other night, I was making dinner, and upon finishing asked Chris to go upstairs and get Aubin to eat. I thought he was playing in his room. However, Chris called me from the top of the stairs insisting that I come quickly. I ran upstairs to discover Aubin, alone in our room, with the lights off, the TV on, jumping on our bed that had been completely stripped of any and all sheets and pillows. He was jumping up over and over again and landing straight on his bum instead of his feet while giggling and giggling and giggling! It was such a classic Aubin moment. While I didn't understand why he had to take all of our bedding off, I still thought it was hilarious. And yes, he had turned the TV on by himself.


• One of the days for playgroup I take Aubin to the gym for a "tots on the move" class. most days Aubin loves it because he gets a large space to run around in, and while he doesn't necessarily interact that much with other kids, he for sure enjoys being around them. There are also lots of things for him to climb on. Soft things luckily, so that he has less of a chance of getting hurt. One of his favorite things to climb there are these rounded block steps. I don't know how to describe them super well, but they are rounded on the top so most kids just slide down them or crawl over them. Aubin likes to actually walk on top of them like actual stairs. As he was doing so the other day, the "teacher" came over and commented on how stable he was. She said that she had never in her time there seen a child his age walk so easily and quickly up the stairs without any help. I just smiled and said "he's got strong legs from tip-toeing all over." Aubin really is such a physical kid. I've been glad that at playgroup he's been able to continue being so, but that he's also found some motivation and fun in speaking as well.


• Another one of Aubin's favorite songs is the "Clean Up" song. So much so that he cleans up his room multiple times a day now while singing it. Brilliant! It was so funny though because one night I had put Aubin to bed, and upon hearing odd noises coming from his room I hollered for him to go back to bed. I heard the noises persisting, so Chris and I decided we better go up and make sure he got back in bed. About halfway up the stairs however, I realized we were hearing the clanking of Lego's. We crept up the stairs quietly and watched as Aubin happily sang "tean up, tean up....where. Tean up, tean up... shawe." Cutest thing EVER!!!! Chris and I really couldn't get mad at him for that one. I love that boy.


• Just last night, I had already put Aubin to bed a good 15 minutes before and was quietly sneaking a fruit snack from the pantry when from behind me I heard "Mommy?" I turned around to find Aubin standing, in the dark, on the stairs wrapped up in his blankie. I quickly asked him what he was doing up, and told him he was supposed to be in bed. He instantly got this look of surprise and seemed almost as if he had just remembered that himself! I walked up the stairs and followed him down the hall when he dropped his blanket to reveal a naked, bare, bum bouncing it's way back into his room. Oh goodness! I was so surprised, and yet not, and it was so funny I couldn't help but giggle to myself. I asked what he did with his diaper and told him that he wasn't supposed to touch it. I found the diaper and tried to put it back on when I figured out one of the straps had broken off. No doubt from his taking his PJ's off and playing with it. After I got him all dressed again and taken care of he went to sleep quickly. This boy sure keeps us laughing and on our toes. It's hard to be really mad at a cute, naked boy. Especially when, at least this time, he didn't wet the bed or anywhere else. Kids do the darnedest things. When I checked on him again before going to bed myself, I found him yet again stripped of his pajamas, but his diaper still intact. He is definitely one of those boys that just likes to sleep in his undies.
• In non- Aubin related events. I am feeling the baby more and more now! :) We'll see if this one is as active in the womb as Aubin was. I had such a hard time sleeping when I was pregnant with Aubin because he kicked and moved so much that it kept me awake! Also, Chris can't wait till he can grow facial hair again. And I'll be quite excited myself. Besides that... just wait and see!