Jonas has been doing some adorable things lately, and I just don't want to forget to share them. There is such wonder in seeing him learn the way of the world, and such joy in seeing him thrive.
At 16 months, he prefers to run, not walk. This can often cause a tumble, from which he no longer routinely cries. He remains a picky eater, avoiding most meats products, with the exception of crispy pepperoni from a fresh pizza. He turns his nose up at most proteins, including eggs. Like his mother, he could exist on carbs alone. But we experienced a significant breakthrough last week. Those "Lil Smokey Sausages" - remember those? My mother used to buy them directly from the butcher at Veron's in Lafayette. The butcher always gave her a few extra for us to eat right there in the store. As a kid, I rejected ground beef, tomatoes (including tomato sauce), sausages, and most veggies and fruit, but I ate these little sausages. So I thought, "What have you got to lose?" If he doesn't eat them, I will.
And he ate them! It's not like he's wolfing them down. He'll eat one, maybe two if I'm lucky. But it's a start.
He's getting more comfortable with his nightly bath, but can't stand to get his face wet. And he's fallen in love with our next door neighbor, Charlotte. Tall for her age (4), with pretty light brown hair parted on the side, peaches and cream skin, and a precious little girl voice, Charlotte is the epitome of feminine. I'm not sure why, but she loves being around Jonas. I think it might have something to do with a bill of goods I sold her one night while babysitting her. I told her that Jonas needed her to each him how to play. She took that bit of malarkey and has been running with it ever since. So, when they're together, Charlotte is very attentive to Jonas. And what boy wouldn't love that?
So, when Charlotte comes over to play, and Jonas sees her through the glass storm door, he begins to scream and hop around with excitement. Then she starts doing the same thing. It's a true joy to watch this. They play so well together, except for the fact that Jonas doesn't like to hold hands while dancing.
And speaking of dancing, my son is such a white boy. White and nerdy to be exact. How did Weird Al Yankovic's DNA get into my son? His first version of dancing was to stick out his right elbow and move it up and down like some kind of gimpy version of the chicken dance. It's downright hilarious. Unfortunately, my laughter makes him think he's really terrific at dancing. I dread the day when someone will burst that bubble for him.
He's also into mimicking things. When I cough or clear my throat, he does the same thing. Ed says that he is mocking me, but I disagree. I treasure these days of simple mimic; the mocking is teenage material, and I have a while yet before worrying about that.
The realm of reading has finally opened up for us. Jonas will pick up his favorite books and bring them to us for reading. I think I've read him "Brown Bear" about 200 times. I know the order and color of all of the animals. And we got the "Polar Bear" version. We are still on board books, as he likes to rip pages out of regular books. And crayons - he's just discovering those. They still get chewed a bit, but he knows he can write with them too. Chalk seems to be a preferred writing tool right now; he has a small chalk board in his playroom.
At the moment, his favorite toys are the musical ones - those to which he can dance that gimpy chicken dance. He has a "karaoke" Back Yardigans thingee, complete with microphone. It's such a cool toy; there are 5 types of music on it, including ska, zydeco, rock, disco, and salsa.
Since he imitates me talking on the phone, we got him a play cell phone, which he loves, especially since you can push the buttons on it. Personally, I think he likes it because the little girl who "answers" the phone sounds like Charlotte.
Some other mentionables - he can climb and descend the stairs, but this still makes me quite nervous. He is in love with his bottle (especially at bedtime) and I am horrified of the day we must confront this. He loves to go outside, and will bring me his shoes to let me know it's time to do so. He loves to watch other children, is not shy, but also is not overly aggressive. He jabbers quite a bit, but we still don't understand most of what he says. Charlotte, however, is quite confident that she does. Sometimes, she even tries to translate.
He's still throwing food off of his tray when he eats, and shakes his head "no" when he doesn't want something. We often hear shrieks of frustration when he can't get what we wants. I'm dreading the day when these become full-blown temper tantrums. Another precursor to those future days - he will occasionally try to buck himself out of the stroller or car seat.
Why didn't I realize that I had it so easy 6, 8, 10 months ago? Oh, but I still wouldn't trade anything for this phase of his development. We are exhausted, and sometimes frustrated, but it's still a great ride. And we are having so much fun with him. He is our little treasure. We still look at him with awe and adoration. We just can't let him know that - at least, not yet!
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