March 23rd, 2011 by Busy Mommy

Nolan just loves his Uncle Caleb.  Everytime he’s around, Nolan just lights up and is so excited to go over to him and see what new things he has in store.  He truly seems to be delighted by Caleb as a person.  It makes me so happy to see Nolan so at home with so many people.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NU2LF–iurE[/youtube]

March 22nd, 2011 by Busy Mommy

So, I’ve been trying to teach Nolan to say please when he wants something.

I’ll let you hear for yourself how he says it.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m4ng83u48Xk[/youtube]

March 14th, 2011 by Busy Mommy

WOW.  I feel terribly bad that I haven’t updated in almost a whole month.  I have so much catching up to do!

New words Nolan is saying (sorry if I repeat):

Up

Cool (mommy’s word of choice)

Water (sounds like hah-ter)

Help

Please (not really- but he’s learning it- sound like plah or pah! most of the time),

‘scuse me (seems to know what this means too- decided i better start teaching this one ASAP as he was shoving his way past elderly ladies at the kingdom hall…yikes!)

Hush (our attempts at getting him to whisper at meetings has been only 30% successful, but ben taught him to say hush, and he does whisper that….so that keeps him quiet saying hush over and over for at least a minute).

Apple (I love going to the grocery store and he points to the appropriate produce table and says “apple!”)

Cook (he has been “cooking” with me in the kitchen- I let him use my bottom baking drawer where he has fun using a big tablespoon to scoop oats out and put them in the sugar jar and vice versa).

Tidak (Bibi Elyse has been teaching him this- it means No in indonesian)

Tita (this is Spain Spanish for auntie which is what he will call my dear friend Mayte- I wish grandpa and grandmas were as easy to say as tita!  We need another language folks!  Oma and Opa in german would be so much easier…..)

Grandpa (sort of- sounds like gahmpa)

How he learned the word help:  lately he wants to use his spoon himself, but he isn’t too great at getting the food in his mouth, so he kept holding the spoon out to me but kept holding on to it as well.  I said, “oh, you want some help?”  He said “Help.”  We did this over and over at one meal- after every bite I would let go of the spoon, and he would hold it out to me again and I’d say, “you want help?”  And pretty soon he was saying it really well and knew the meaning too- because after that he dropped the spoon on the floor and he pointed to it and said “Help.”  So he either think the spoon is called “help” or he knows that he could say “help” to get me to get the spoon for him.  I really do think the latter.

New things I’m amazed lately:

I have been able to ask Nolan things and have him answer or do something I asked.  It’s so amazing!  Examples:  When he is crying, I can ask him what’s wrong? and he can usually answer in some way.  Most of the time he says “dada!”  At this time, Dada can mean any number of people- not just his daddy.  Dada to him seems to mean whoever it is he wants to see or to hold him.

Just this evening we were all hanging out on the couch, Ben and I each had a book, and nolan was just playing getting on and off the couch.  I said, “Nolan, you want to go get a book and I’ll read it to you?”  And he did!  He toddled off to his room, were he stayed awhile, and then returned with a book.  We read a few pages, then he toddled off again to bring in several more books, one at a time.

The other night I think Nolan had a bad dream because he woke up about 2 hours after going to bed crying really hard.  I held him for 10 minutes and he just kept crying, only half-awake.  Finally I laid him down and he just went back to sleep.  Usually he really does sleep the entire night through from 8pm-7:30 or 8am, so this was unusual.

Some mornings he wakes up and is very cheerful and sits in his bed pulling out books and looking at them while pretending to read and sing.  This buys us a little time in our own bed before we have to get up.  The other morning this was exceptionally the case which was great because I was super-tired and I got to sleep till 10a.m. because Nolan spent almost an hour sitting in his bed doing just that- when I finally went in his room he had every single book sprawled all over his bed.  Very cute.

Lately the worst tantrum he can dish out occurs every time he gets even a glimpse of my homemade granola bars and doesn’t get to have one.  These are the closest things to cookies he ever has day to day so I guess that’s why.

The other thing he doesn’t particularly like is holding mommy or daddy’s hand while walking- he would prefer to go solo, but of course in a parking lot this isn’t an option.  So sometimes a tantrum ensues from this as well where he lets his legs go limp so we have to drag him up and since he won’t walk anymore, we pick him up, where he then strains to get our of our arms.  Amusing I’m sure to others.

Over all, he is a pretty independent little guy.  The entire lunch yesterday at our assembly while we sat eating at the picnic table, he just wandered around the whole area, exploring and investigating, walking up to other people at their picnic tables, and playing with the other boys (who are all about 6-8 years older than him!).  He did not take kindly after an hour and a half of this to going with mommy and daddy again as we needed to head back inside.  He was perfectly  happy doing his own thing without us. Also, for the first time the other day, I had to take him to a daycare nearby for a good portion of the day.  I had so much to do friday and there was no way I’d be able to do this with Nolan around- I felt nervous and guilty, but in the end, he had a great time and when I came to pick him up, he just smiled at me and showed me his toy and then kept playing.  I guess he knows we’ll always be back for him wherever he is.  That makes me happy because it makes me feel he is both independent and secure in what he knows we’ll be to him.

He has begun to draw.  It’s so cute to see him scribbling big messy circle all over any paper he can get his hands on- he liked to draw all over mommy’s hands and face too, but the fun stops there! Some other highlights so far this month:

Nolan talking on the tv remote “phone” at gg’s house.

Nolan and Paman Zac!

Nolan and little friend Noah managing to fit together in one seat.

Daddy and Nolan at the Circuit Assembly

My handsome little guy

“zaczaczaczaczaczaczaczac”

Nolan with Great Auntie Linda

Nolan and Tita Mayte

Bibi Elyse trying to get Nolan to eat