About a Boy

It's been a while since I've done any kind of a Bobby update. I hope it doesn't appear that I favor one child over another just because I don't include as many pictures of the other child, because I promise that's certainly not the case. 
But here's why. 

He just won't stay still for the life of me, and most of my pictures come out blurry. But I have been observing him a lot lately and noticing how much he is changing and growing up. He is 2, after all. 2.25, if we're getting technical. He's fun and funny and loud as hell. He can be cantankerous, or he can be the most charming boy you ever did meet. Just depends on which toddler you're gonna get that day. But all-in-all, he is a sweetie and he loves his mama. He's growing up to be curious and inquisitive and so silly, and I couldn't ask for anything more in a little boy. 

We are (hopefully) nearing the end of the Great Ketchup Obsession of 2015. Bobby has strictly avoided foods that do not combine well with ketchup. Actually, that's not entirely true, as I did witness him dip apples in ketchup once and exclaim, "Yum!" For most of this year, his favorite foods have been hot dogs and chicken strips (due to the aforementioned ketchup fetish). My little baby who used to eat entire heads of broccoli for every meal no longer worships the world of green; the only "vegetable" I can get him to eat lately is a cucumber (and blahblahblah, I know cucumber isn't technically a vegetable, but bite me). 

He is heavily into fruit, though, so I don't feel too terrible. This kid eats 2 cartons of oranges a week. I'm actually wondering if I should be concerned that his skin has slightly orangey glow or if it's possible for a child to overdose on Vitamin C. Bob is also obsessed with strawberries, and I usually buy two large containers a week from the grocery store. Whenever I pack his lunch at school, I shoot for easy. He usually gets turkey pepperoni, an orange, sliced cucumber, and strawberries. I feel like that's just the right amount of fresh food to not concern his teachers about his otherwise-all-ketchup diet. 

I'm really excited to note that it appears as if his taste buds are in the middle of changing. He has never liked carbs, which I find concerning as a person. I don't trust people who claim they don't like bread or pasta; it's just not natural. He usually refuses any kind of bread, biscuit, noodles, etc.  BUT the other day, he ate several pieces of bread, so I am keeping my fingers crossed that we are going to have some new breakthroughs. For now, he still scoffs at mac-n-cheese. I have never met another kid who didn't like mac and cheese. Oh yeah, he also hates cheese. Cue the creepy music. 

Unfortunately, Bobby has inherited my affinity for sugar. He is obsessed with candy, and you can bribe him to do almost anything with a lollipop (not that I know personally...). I have to hide things around the house, because if he sees where I keep something sweet, then he will either get it himself or pester me for a hundred years until I either give in or send him to his room. So it's best to just not bring it out very often. I'm currently trying to eliminate a lot of unnecessary sugar and processed foods from our kitchen, so that's helping.

 Bobby has almost totally transitioned to 3T shirts, but his teeny little waist can still fit in some 18-24 month shorts. We just kind of wear a little bit of everything at this point. He finally got his first belt, and it makes him look like such a guy :)

 

Bob, like most typical red-blooded American men, is a man of few words. He started off slow, but he's beginning to get more and more under his belt every week. He loves asking for "lollis" (lollipops) and "honey" and"oranges," and putting on his "shoes." But his favorite thing to talk about in the whole wild world are "eagles." "Eagle" is Bobby's word for airplane (to be fair, an "eagle" is the name of the plane that his daddy flies, the F-15c, so he's not totally off-base), and he refuses to acknowledge the word airplane. They're all "eagles." He can hear even the faintest plane in the air, and he looks up and points, "EEEEAAAAGLE!!!! EAGLE! Eagle!" 

Bobby's favorite activities include playing with his toys at home, swinging outside, pushing his sister down, dumping small things out of big things (such as cereal out of a box, nuts out of a bag, pretzels out of a container...you get the gist), and playing with his friends at school twice a week. He has recently discovered his own masculine anatomy and is fascinated. I don't know how many times a day I have to say, "Bobby, get your hands out of your pants, man." I guess that's just part of being a dude, though. He loves to move our dining chairs across the kitchen, use them to climb up on the counters, procure whatever it was that he wanted (let's assume it's a box of cereal), climb down, and then dump the contents all over the ground. That's his favorite pastime. He's definitely a kid who doesn't do well cooped up in the house for very long, so we have to spend a lot of time out side. I usually take the kids out front and swing on our porch swing while he plays with his beloved Tonka dump truck and his other riding toys. Now that it's nearly summer, most of our afternoons will be spent out back at the pool. 

bravo plane  // Leap Frog Letter Factory // Tonka steel dump truck // hot wheels // scooter  // Thomas riding toy // adidas // Chuggington rail set // Wilson toy // Koko toy

favorite things- Bobby has a lot of favorite toys right now. Most of them go places. It started with the Hot Wheels (you can never have too many). Then it was the airplanes eagles. He also loves trucks, especially his Tonka dump truck. This one is the best; it's made of steel and is pretty indestructible. He is obsessed with playgrounds and has the best time on slides, swings, and jungle gyms. 

He is really into trains right now, and says "choo choo..chuggachuggachuggachugga..choo choo!" non-stop. He loves putting together his Chuggington train set. He gets a lot of use out of that toy set. He and Vivi both enjoy watching the Leap Frog Letter Factory movie, as well as Curious George and Thomas the Tank Engine on PBS. We love our PBS! 

 

I ordered a few flash cards about a month ago to help Bobby work on saying more words (he understands what a dog is, and he will say "woof woof." But I got these cards to try to get him to say the word "dog" instead, if that makes sense). He thinks these flash cards are so much fun. When he sees the car, he says "vroom." When he sees the airplane, he says "eagle." When he sees the cat, he says "meow." And when he sees the baby, he leans over and smacks it right in the face.

hmmm...a little sibling rivalry, do I sniff?

 

Bobby loves watching Top Gun, but only for the flying scenes, and he likes Star Wars...but again, only for the flying scenes. 

Bobby is really creative mess-maker. He puts thought into his messes, and I have to admire him for that. He has started telling on Vivi, now that she is in that "getting into everything" phase. The other day, he was saying, "uh-uh" and "uh-oh!" and pointing toward the living room while I was cleaning the kitchen. He finally grabbed my hands and pulled me over to show me what he wanted to show me: Vivi on her hands and knees in the fireplace eating soot. (immediately Google- will a baby die from eating soot?). But I was impressed that he knew she shouldn't be doing that and alerted me to it. I can tell there will definitely be some sibling rivalry in our future. Lord, help me. 
 

 

They love each other. I swear.

Bobby's other signature moves include giving lots of hugs and kisses, gritting his teeth together when he is frustrated or overwhelmed, and saying "bye bye" in this syrup-y sweet Southern gentleman voice.

I feel like the second that I hit "post" on this blog, a bunch of locusts are going to come swarm me for speaking too soon, but--I think we may be past the really, really terrible unfortunateness that started around 18 months. He, of course, acts out sometimes like any toddler, but I have been noticing a little more self-restraint and a slight slight chill in his demeanor lately. Says silent prayer.

okay, now cue the locusts.

We have recently switched Bobby to a toddler bed. I was really nervous about this because Bobby's personality isn't one who embraces change easily. I feared many night wakings and screaming and decline of my sanity. But I am really proud to say that he transitioned like a champ and loves his new bed. He beds down with my Tempurpedic pillow, large Pooh Bear, small Pooh Bear, Tigger, Curious George, Uga, a couple of hot wheels, a couple of trains, a couple of F-15s, and then usually a Curious George book, for good measure. It's so funny to me how carefully he cultivates his sleeping arrangements, but he does sleep really well, so who am I to tell him how to sleep?

My favorite time with him is night time. I love lying down with him and reading books, saying prayers, and listening to Led Zeppelin's "Rain Song," while I stroke his arm and he drifts of to sleep so sweetly. It's the only time he stops.

Bless him.