Wow, I've gotten behind again. It's so easy to miss a week of blogging and realize that all of a sudden, I have a lot to say. When that happens, I end up procrastinating because I know I have so much to write....so I wait for a good time. But really, there is no good time. So, I'm going to try and squeeze it in right now.
First, I never wrote down Colby's 18 month stats! Oops. Here they are, 2 months later: Height: 34 in. Weight: 29 lbs 13 oz Head: 19 3/4
I didn't get the percentiles, but I'm guessing they are all above 90%, as they've always been. I also would also bet that he's about 2 pound heavier now, at almost 20 months. Almost overnight, all of his pants have become too short and too small in the waist.
So, I went away for the first time without Colby this weekend. Lee stayed home with him, and they had a blast. Every time I called, they were out somewhere doing something fun and exciting. I couldn't wait to come home and see what Colby would do and how he would greet me....but I was a little disappointed. When I walked in, Colby looked up at me for a few seconds and then turned away to continue playing with Lee. Lee was snickering and I just sat there feeling a little unappreciated. But really, I'm glad he had such a good time....and didn't miss me....at all....even a little. That's just great. Thank goodness for Georgia, who came running up to me and definitely seemed to notice that I had been gone for more than five minutes.
Oh, and I need to add that when I walked in, Colby was sitting on the oriental rug....the NEW oriental rug....with no diaper on. His little bum, along with all his bits and pieces, resting gently against the wool. And the dog hairs. And toxic vegetable dye. Lee was "airing him out". Mmmmmmm-kay. Not the way I would do it, but I decided not to pick that battle. Plus, Lee said he had already peed on the kitchen floor....so he thought it was safe. Okey dokey! (I do have to give props to Lee because he is the best dad, and he actually enjoyed himself and never once complained. He knew exactly what to do and never once called with a question....and he even did the laundry and grocery shopping. Plus, the house was cleaned and spotless when I came home. That's more than most wives and mothers could hope for!)
You know, the greeting (or lack thereof) really didn't come as a surprise. When I pick Colby up from preschool, I am the only mom whose child actually runs away from them. Colby sees me, looks for a couple of seconds, and then runs to the other way to hide. I know he does this because he loves school so much, and doesn't want to go home, but it's actually kind of embarrassing. Sometimes I worry what the teachers must think of me that my son isn't happy to see me. All the other toddlers run excitedly to their moms yelling "Mooommmeeeeee!" and grab on to their legs. But no, not Colby. I wonder if they feel sorry for me or think I'm an incompetent mother. But again, it's actually a good thing that he doesn't miss me....or care to go home with me. It's really great.
In the discipline department, Colby is doing pretty well overall. he's starting to obey "no" sometimes, and he's generally pretty laid back. (we haven't had any biting for at least a month) We've begun the "time-outs" to try and correct bad behavior. This isn't working so well, as there's nothing Colby enjoys more than a little one-on-one time with mommy on the stairs. When he does something "bad", which is almost always standing on or climbing something he shouldn't, I correct him once and say "no". He definitely knows what "no" means, but he always does it again and then looks at me to get a reaction. He is testing me! So, inevitably I take him to the stairs for his time-out. He happily sits down, swings his legs, and shakes his head no as I tell him what he did wrong. He will grin and sit there for as long as I tell him to stay....and I can tell he's enjoying himself. We really need to find a new form of punishment.
Another thing I'm working on with Colby is eating from bowls and using utensils....correctly. I'm trying to get Colby to start feeding himself more independently, even if it makes a huge mess. He's been eating with a spoon for a long time, but normally, we'd just give him applesauce or yogurt to practice on. For he past week, we've started letting him have total control of his morning oatmeal. He feeds himself now, but it does get everywhere. His hair is standing up in these pictures because he had a clump of oatmeal up there, and I washed it out. Apparently there's some kind of gelling agent in oatmeal, because his hair has been like that all.day.long.
I'm also trying to teach him about babies, so I dug up an old cabbage patch doll when I was home over the weekend. (Lee was not happy about this) I'm not going to say how old this doll is, but let's just say it doesn't have that powder fresh scent anymore. (if you ever owned a Cabbage Patch doll, you know what I'm talking about)
Colby seems to like the doll, and here's a picture of the two of them bonding this morning.
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