Another day...

We ran out to Wakefield again this morning. Its a nice thing to do with two little guys when you're on your own. They have some room to run without Mom having to freak about the boys getting lost, snatched, or into serious trouble. They get to see sheep and pigs and cows and horses. I get to sit on a bench for five minutes.

The big discovery for today was walnuts. Wakefield has these huge, lovely walnut trees, and they drop walnuts. To a two-year-old and a four-year-old, large green walnuts look like india-rubber balls. They are apparently great for rolling, knocking together, putting on your head, putting on Mom's head, and tossing high into the air and seeing who can avoid it landing on their head. Wonderful things. Who needs toys? Just get yourself a nnice, shady walnut tree, and you're all set.

Joey has been doing some real conversing lately, and we're thrilled. He tells me he's hungry. "I'm hungry. I want goldfish." He asks what we're doing when we leave him at bedtime ("Daddy, what ya doin'?"). We actually have some back-and-forth conversations! ("I'm hungry." "What do you want to eat?" "I want goldfish!" "Would you like to have goldfish or mac-and-cheese?" "Mac and Cheese, please!"). It makes me cry just thinking about it!

We're having some bedtime blues. Joey insists on someone being there until he's asleep, but he wants to play in his window first. I don't mind. I'm usually not in a hurry at bedtime. However, I'm not always the one putting him to bed. We're not sure how to wean him off of us as a comfort object. We can't just close the door and keep him in his room like we used to when he'd have these spells.

Last night, we must have had the TV too loud- we were watching Miss Marple, and it wasn't nearly time for Joey to creep into the room- and yet there he was. Poor thing! He was so tired, and just wanted to lay in bed with us. We finally got him back to his own bed.

But the biggest news around here is Andy pee-ed on the potty! For those of you who are not entranced by the joys of potty training, you have no idea what a big deal this is- he's not even 2 1/2 yet! He may beat Joey out of diapers! Wouldn't that be weird...

Wee Time

We spent the morning at Wee Time, a program for local toddlers a the rec center. I think it was originally intended to give moms a break, but its mostly a chance for kids to play with different toys and maybe even each other. The boys love it. Joey discovered teh sit and spin today. Perhaps not the best toy on the planet for him, but he was having fun. Then he was running around with a little airplane reciting "In the Night Kitchen." Very cute, and any talking I can get from him is a good thing.

Its a little odd to watch him, though. The other kids are running around, shouting, playing with each other, trying to get the best toys; Joey is in his own little world. Andy likes to try to play with the older kids, which annoys them. Joey plays by himself. He tried to play with one little girl today, but she didn't want to play; that was a bit of a shame. I would like to see his efforts at socializing rewarded.

Now off to speech therapy...

New Bus

I have to say, the new speech therapist seems to be making a lot of headway. Joey has been asking for things, asking questions, and answering his yes/no questions very well. Then there was yesterday.

I got Joey a copy of Sylvester: the Mouse with a Musical Ear. It was one of my favorites at his age, so I thought I'd give it a try- and he LOVES it. In fact, he loves it so much, I thought I'd take him downtown to the music store, so he could get an idea of where Sylvester lives. It was a huge success. He pointed out guitars, drums, violins, and even ukeleles; and I showed him a cello, which he thought was really cool. The folks at Picker's Supply were very nice about us being there, since it soon became obvious we weren't there to buy anything. Joey talked about Sylvester and everything. Happiness itself!

Then we went to the toy store, just to see if they had anything interesting... and they had a bigger version of Bus. Joey was instantly in love. So we bought him Big Bus, and headed home.

He was sitting in the back seat, and we were halfway home, when suddenly he says, "My name is Joey!"
"Yes, it is. Good job!" I replied. It was so nice and clear!
"Thank you, Mama!" he said.
"You're welcome!" I chimed back, now excited. Was I having a conversation with my son? I decided to test it.
"What do you have?"
"I have a bus," Joey piped right back. "Thank you, Mama!"
"I'm glad you like it!" I answered, now absolutely thrilled.

I had a conversation with my son!!!

We bought New Bus just in time. When we got home, Joey was playing with both Buses, and Old Bus broke! I fixed it, but then he gave it to Andy ("Here Andy, try this!"), and Andy broke it again this morning. I'm going to fix it and save it for the Christmas tree. It has been a faithful friend for my son.