This has been a month of loving rocks and crayons.
Coloring
Wesley has a new love of coloring, and he is refining his skills. All of a sudden one day, coloring became top priority, and it has remained that way for the remainder of this month. For a while we were coloring for maybe five to seven hours a day. He was staying up late to color. But it paid off. He went from wild scribbling to directed coloring in a week. He has learned all of his colors and can say the names of many of them. blue, brown, green (can't say "gr" yet so it sounds like "dee"), orange "oh", yellow (the most adorable little tongue rolling noise), purple (puh-puh), magenta (ta-ta).
One day when Wes and I were coloring, Wes began getting upset. I was focused on my coloring task, but after some time, I realized that he was getting very upset and yelling the color "green" at me while waving around a green crayon. I had been coloring a turtle multi-colored (one begins to take creative license after so much coloring). He was calmed immediately when I began coloring the turtle green, as he should be.
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| Brown, yes sir |
Wesley is very directive about coloring. He often dictates what crayon his coloring companions are supposed to use, where on the page they should be coloring, etc. He seems to have a creative vision in mind. As one coloring companion lovingly remarked "you're a bossy colorer".
An Opinion, clearly expressed (sometimes)
Wesley expresses his opinions with "No" and "yaah". He responds to questions and suggestions, typically with "no". And he means it. He does not like to be overridden after he says no. It's still surprising to hear him say it so frequently.
That says, he cannot express everything in language and it has led to an increase in frustration this month. Fortunately, if I can get his attention, I can usually say "please show me" and then he takes my hand to the object he's referring to. Or, we often use the guessing game strategy of "what do you want? is it this? or this? or this?" He is patient throughout the guessing game. Eventually I get to the right thing and he exuberantly exclaims his affirmation. Then we just hope it's something he's allowed to have.
Particular Particulars
All of the above stories point to an undeniable fact. Wesley has gotten very particular about what he wants and how he wants certain things. And very attached to certain objects. I have a compendium such stories
How he kept saying "water" with increased frustration while hitting away his water cup and yelling "no" until I realized that he wanted water, but out of a mug, not a glass, because in the morning we drink our beverages from mugs.
How he is attached to a very certain tiny broken brown crayon and none of the five other browns will satisfy his need when he's misplaced his brown.
How his favorite rock of the day (typically either his rose quartz or his amethyst) cannot be substituted for his other rocks, and he cannot do without it.
How he wants his red stocking cap not the green one.
How half a day was spent whining so sadly around the house the day that Daddy accidentally took the amethyst to work. It was the first thing Wes asked for upon waking from a nap, and I lost my breath in horror when I deduced that it must have been left in Casey's pocket. He had been given charge of it on our walk that morning.
His comfort objects switch daily, but when he feels the need to have one, he really needs that particular thing. The unfortunate reality of his favorite objects is that they are so small. Rocks and tiny broken crayons. Rocks that get set places, put in things, carried on walks (and put in pockets), moved to different rooms during play, etc.
Also, Wesley has decided that our house needs to be vacuumed every day (which of course it does). He gets his little vacuum, brings it to the closet where the big vacuum is stored and gets my attention until I get out my vacuum. This has led to a much neater living room for much of the month, because I have to pick up in order to vacuum. He waits until I turn my vacuum on, then he runs back to his, turns it on, and we vacuum side by side. So fun.
Language
Wesley has so many words I can't list them. Most are one first sound of the word, but many two-syllable words are emerging. He has started repeating some words after we say them. He says words for many objects he sees. He has on a few occasions used short two word sentences like "da-da bye-bye".
Also, he knows all of the names of the Sesame Street characters. From his coloring book and one book I had when I was a little girl. He instantly committed the names to memory and repeated them. There is something truly magical about those characters, I guess, because he has never seen Sesame Street nor had any toys related. But they were of instant interest.
He's started saying Mommy (Ma-Ma) again all the time which I totally love.
Teeth
Three additional molars poking through (not all the way in), plus the unfinished one from last month. So much less sleep than usual. So much more crummy thrashy cry-and-yell-outloud and get up in the night sleep. So much whining. So much discomfort. The final week of the month he has respite between teeth and we are reassured by the happy, playful, easy going Wesley that returned.
Boo! And more fun
We had a wonderful visit with Gram and Grandpa. It was absolutely gorgeous Fall weather, and we took advantage of it. Guitar on the patio, walks around town, Anne Lamott en plein air, delicious dinners with everyone. And of course, Halloween festivities. Wes was really excited for their visit and didn't let his three emerging molars ruin the fun.
Wes started calling Gram "Ma-Ma" which sounds the most like Grandma of anything he's said so far. Since Grandpa left, Wesley carries around a pen with his picture on it saying "Pa-Pa".
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| Thanks for the necklace, Gram |
