I can't keep up

Grant isn't talking in just words anymore, so it's impossible to keep up the chronicling of all the things he says. He still, though, amazes me with some of the words he uses. For example, today he saw the very first picture of the three of us (taken day 2 of Grant's life). Grant's response: "that's us in the hospital." Hospital? Where did he get that? Or today, I asked him if he wanted milk or water for dinner. His response: "No, I want a Diet Coke." He's never had a Diet Coke, but I guess he's willing to try.

Grant recognizes his name when spelled on paper or spelled aloud for him. He then pretends to spell words. He says: "I-W-E-M; that spells Daddy." Then he shakes his head, looking down and goes: "Oh me." I think that's one you've got to see, but while not funny to you, I just had to get it down so I'll never forget it.

I counted today, and he Grant knows the names (and can identify) 19 of the Thomas the Tank Engine characters. For those of you without a toddler boy in the house, I guess you're wondering how there can be so many of those blasted trains, but let me tell you, there are many more, and Grant is bent on learning every single one by name. I bought him a Thomas book the other day at Half Price Books (my favorite store ever), and he already can repeat entire lines out of the book: "Gordon is a big, strong engine." It's too cute.

Grant also has figured out stop signs, and every time we pass one (which is quite a bit, you know), he tells me, "stop, Mommy, stop; there's a stop sign."

The scariest of all, though, happened tonight as Bret was flipping on the TV. Bret went to the main Tivo page (I'd give up a lot of things before I'd give up my Tivo). On it, there's a main menu, and at the bottom of the screen, it read: "Order Pizza through Tivo at Dominos." It had the Dominos Pizza emblem.
Grant walked up and pointed to it and said, "Pizza, Mommy." I asked him to point to it again because I just wasn't sure he knew what he was talking about, but sure enough. Scary.

By the way, we have ordered pizza through Tivo--just in case you were wondering.

Stuff

Here are a few of the pics of Grant dressed up in last year's costume for the cold, bald-headed ZooBoo last weekend, and here he was last year in the same costume.



We'll have this year's costume posted on Friday. Grant practices trying to get candy everyday. "Skittles, please, Mama" or "Trick or Treat; get candy from all those houses," he says as he points up and down the street. He's really excited.

I have a couple videos coming of Grant (to die for cute toddler singing), but for now, oversized toddler bee pictures will have to do.

Oh, and gas was $1.82 today. I usually don't pay attention to the price of ANYTHING (if I need it, I need it), so I didn't think gas could make me so happy.

Learning His Letters and Fall Fun

Recently, Grant has taken up a love for pointing out letters and numbers; sometimes, he's right, and sometimes, he's wrong, but he's getting better and better. Here's a short video clip of Grant identifying letters (and sounds too). My favorite part comes later in the video (and you've got to listen closely) when Grant says "thank you" and "welcome" (Grant speak for "you're welcome") back to back. He knows they go together, so sometimes, he just does your work for you by saying both of them.

He's also starting to speak in sentences more than words, which as an English teacher, I just love. Yesterday, while hiding from Bret, Grant said, "Daddy, I see you over there." Now, if I could just get him to identify the subject and the verb, I think we'll be on to something.

Here are also a few pictures from a week or so ago. I wanted to try a pumpkin patch suggested by a friend, one with all kinds of fun stuff for kids. We got there as it was closing (which I now realize is the trick), so there was no charge to go in. We spent about 30 minutes roaming around as the last of the paying patrons made their exit. It was perfect... and cheap.

Jabber-Jaw

Grant just kills me with what he talks about now. Just today, he sang "Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star," and if it's not that song, it's his personal favorite: "Rudolph, the Red-Nosed Reindeer." Nothing's cuter than hearing Grant sing "then one foggy Christmas Eve" (or in Grant speak: den one oggy kiss-mas-ebe). I just asked him where he wanted to go after his nap, and he mentioned four options: Costco, Walmart, Zoo or Library. We're actually going to go to a train shop to see if we can find an engineer hat to complete Grant's homemade (by homemade, I mean overalls and a red bandanna) costume.

Grant talks about school all the time, and he has a special love for his teacher, Miss Carla, but he also talks about his "best friend" (as he calls her), Emma. I don't think there's an Emma in the class; there is an Ameilia, but I don't know if there's an Emma. I'll have to ask Miss Carla tomorrow.

Just yesterday, Bret and Grant went for some male-bonding time over an ice cream cone at McDonalds. Grant looked at Bret and said: "Daddy, it's raining outside (ou-sigh)." Bret agreed. Then, Grant said: "Rain, rain, go away. Come again other day," which is pretty close to what I say every time we talk about the rain.

My favorite thing he says right now, though, is "Yes, I do: and "Yes, I am." It doesn't matter if you ask if he wants a cracker or a bath, you're going to get an emphatic, "Yes, I do." Unless you ask: "Are you cute," to which you'll get "Yes, I am." It's just too cute. Also topping my list is when you ask Grant to do a magic trick (which he got from watching Elmo with Mamaw). Grant will take a napkin, wave it around in front of your face (he's got timing... he wants to make sure you've seen it), and then he drops it behind him. Then, to finish it off, with hands in the air and lots of gusto, he says: "Ta Da."

Gotta love him.

potpourri

1. We're thankful that Bret made it home! Yeah! He had a great trip in China and Singapore, but we're REALLY, REALLY glad he's home. He told me within minutes of picking him up that he might have to go back in four weeks. I told him--that in the future--such unwelcomed declarations should be made after he has purchased me a great meal and a very large bucket glass of wine.

2. I almost had the backyard finished for Bret. For those of you who were not conscripted into service, I planted (in the new beds I dug with my father-in-law earlier in the summer): two trees, 22 bushes, and 6 plants. Plus, it's decked out with a turtle sandbox. Once the mulch is down, we'll take some pics.

3. I became worried yesterday that some of my blogs about Grant's veracious speech could be seen as boastful. So, I thought I'd clear that all up. First off, while I think Grant is bright, I don't think language is the only indicator of intelligence. I love the fact that he talks and shares his ideas; it's the cutest thing, but I have had many of my brightest students' parents tell me that their children didn't talk until 3 or 4. So, the reason I put all that stuff on the blog is really not to share it; that's just a by-product. I just want a record. I want to be able to tell Grant as much about his childhood as I can (adopted children tend to have a larger number of questions about childhood and the past than do biological children). So, that's it. I'd hope you guys would know me well enough to know that, but just in case, I wanted to set the record straight.

4. I have an issue with wait times at doctors' offices. I don't like waiting, but I REALLY don't like waiting when I have a 20 month old to entertain. Grant's wonderful pediatrician gets this issue. First off, there is a LARGE play area for kids (mind you, this is an adult medicine site too), but we've never really been able to use it because we've ever only had to wait 5 minutes or so. Then, once in the room, our top wait time: 5 minutes. Yesterday, for the second time, Grant I had a less than pleasurable experience at the ENT. First off, it was hot in the waiting room. I was visibly sweating, and that's not pretty. There was a box of blocks and a few books, but that's it. And then, to make it all worse, we had to wait FORTY minutes. If it were just me, I'd flip through a few People magazines and call it a day, but with an interested and explorative toddler, it aint so fun. Then, in the room, where Grant tried to put his Thomas the Tank Engine in every biohazard hole imaginable, we had to wait again... Here's the truth: if Grant's pediatrician (or any other medical professional we had to see with regularity) did this with frequency, we'd find a new place. I don't leave parents waiting in the lobby for 40 minutes. I don't leave students waiting in class for 40 minutes. Doctors' offices, you're on notice: if you can't figure out how to schedule your patients, I'll be happy to come and help. And it won't be pretty. Once the doctor came, the check-up exam lasted 2 minutes. I suggest a formula: I'll wait for however long my appointment ends up being... even times 2 or 3. Maybe even 5. But that's it. It can't be that hard: it just can't.

Grant's Growing Up

Today, after I had finished singing a song to Grant, he looked up at me and said, "Great job, Mommy." I gave him my credit card. He's just too cute, and to say that he is oozing personality is an understatement.

Here's short video of Grant. He says my favorite phrase in it: "Eat beater," which he says every time I ask if he wants to make cookies.

Grant now sings several songs (or, I should say "parts" of songs), counts to about 20 (though he confuses 8 and 18 a lot), and says some sort of ABCs... sometimes he stops around H and picks back up around M. It still too cute. He also fills in the words to "Jesus Loves Me," "He's got the Whole World in his Hands," and "Sally the Camel." It's too cute to watch him bob up and down singing, "Sally camel has no hump." I could eat him up. He's even taken to saying, "See you later, Alligator" or "After while, Crocodile."

Also, Grant's into every animal. He knows how to say and identify lots of animals, but the ones that stun me are rhinoceros, dinosaur, hippopotamus, chameleon, starfish, salamander and armadillo. We're working on colors, but that's slow going.

He also has lots of "characters" down, and it kind of freaks me out. He knows every character on Sesame Street, Super Why, Thomas, Arthur, Boz, Veggie Tales and Mama Mirabelle's Home Movies. Every. Single. One. But, what I don't understand is how he knows who Dora is? Or, Sponge Bob? Or, the Transformers? He has never seen any of these "characters" on TV or in our books, but every time we're walking around Walmart, he points them out. It's got me nervous.

I love to hear his little voice.

Off to Learn

Grant's first day of school was hard on... MOMMY! I cried. Hard. It's not the leaving for school part that was hard, or the my baby's growing up part, it was the "I have to be at work and can't take him to school" part that was hard.

We did get two comments from the saints (aka preschool teachers) who are in Grant's classroom. First, I guess one of them said, "Oh. My. Goodness," which Grant continued to repeat the rest of the morning. Miss Carla said she flagged down every teacher she could find and had Grant repeat it because she thought it was so cute. I like the idea that Grant can report back to me in word for word fashion every going on in preschool. Miss Carla did say that I needed to work on "something" with Grant "at home." Oh no. "Please, no biting," I thought. "No spitting; everyone hates a spitter."

Nope, Grant is a certified toy thrower. She said a lot of only children (tread carefully, please) have this issue. They aren't used to kids around them, so they just kind of flop their toys where they will. Noted. We are now working on the "I shall not throw my toys" routine at home.

A couple of key points to Grant's vocabulary. It's amazing to watch him put concepts together now. The other day, we were watching TV when there appeared a submarine. It was round and floating on the water. Grant's response with pointed finger? Bubble boat. Or, the other day, I was wearing a polka-dot skirt (I don't know if polka-dots are in fashion or not, and frankly, I don't care; the skirt's comfortable... and yes, I just did get really old with that comment). Grant has called the polka dots bubbles or balls before, but this week, he looked at those small little dots and called them "baby balls." Smarty pants. He also told me "careful, Mommy" as we went down the stairs and grabbed a book and announced "Dr. Seuss." He just started singing the chorus to Barbara Ann... now he sings... ba ba ba, ba, Barbara Ann. It's too cute.

When I asked Grant what he learned about at school, I got two answers: crickets and Jesus. It doesn't get much better.

Daddy's trick and WWW Thursday edition

I think Bret has been giving Grant pointers on how to "ignore" Mommy all under the guise of being very interested in the moving pictures on the screen.

My favorite of Grant's words this week: Thomas, James and Percy. Grant is taking after his cousin Aidan because Grant is in love with all things train. This is good news since I've decided to decorate Grant's big boy room (coming this January) in trains (recently bought this decal for the wall). I'm not going to go overboard: this decal, a garage sale rug I bought for 5 bucks and some Thomas the Train sheets for a Christmas present.



Other new words: church. When asked, "Who do we learn about at church?" Grant responds, "Jesus." Melts my heart. Then he responds, "people." That too, I guess. He says every body part, now including tongue, elbow, knee, and just today I heard, "I did it." He can't throw a ball or run with any real skill, but the boy can talk it up.

TV time and WWW

I swear: Grant doesn't watch that much TV. But by the videos below, you might start to question that truth. He loves his dds (dvds), and his favorite thing to do is to carry around an empty dvd case. He'll tell you all about the pictures a thousand times a day. For example, he was carrying around an empty Wiggles dvd case today, and when I asked him about all the character's pictures on the back, he knew them. I died... more mortified than happy.

Here's a video where Grant plays "Name that Tune." He's not too happy with Mommy's singing, as every time I open my mouth, I get a big "NO" from Grant. He's identifying: the Wiggles, Elmo, Bob (the tomato from Veggie Tales) and Boz (that Giant Green Singing Bear).

Here's a video where Grant identifies the characters in his book (Elmo, Zoe, Cookie Monster (which in Grant speak is cous-cous, like the Mediterranean dish, Oscar and Bird [Big Bird]). Notice his favorite toy in his hand: an empty dvd case.

As far as Grant's language skills, they just continue to explode. It is not uncommon to hear any and every word come out of his mouth. We are no longer shocked. He repeats everything (which I don't think counts as "knowing" a word), but then a few days later, he's using the word all on his own. Crazy ones I heard this week: airplane, fox, bubbles, Jesus and Noah (I think he thinks they are the same person?), violin (don't ask... we have a magnet of a violin on our fridge... which Grant pronounces v-lynn), and octopus (pronounced: o-pus). He talks CONSTANTLY, which Bret says he gets from me. I say that it's genetics. I can't wait to see Grant's birthmom again, so she can let us know about Grant's two biological sisters and whether or not they were jabber-jaws.

And...

I told you my favorite words, but Grant's favorite words for the week are Elmo (Al-mo) and hold which he says all day as he points to everything.

Sprinkler Fun and WWW 3

Grant had his first sprinkler experience a few weeks ago (I've got to convert video now that we have a different camera, so videos are slow in the making), and I think the jury is still out. We have a pool in our neighborhood, but since Grant naps for three hours in the middle of the day, we haven't found time to visit. I'll make sure I grab some video of Grant in the kiddie pool; I hope he's less hesitant than he was with the sprinkler. In his defense, though, the water was freezing!


Here's another sprinkler incident. The zoo (we have a year pass) put in a new sprinkler park. I think it is supposed to be used when really hot outside, not at 10am in the morning on a mild day. Go figure. Grant loved walking around, but when the cold, cold water came out, it wasn't his favorite.


And now, for Wonder Word Wednesday. It's so hard to narrow the field to my favorites because every new word is so cute! It's amazing to me watch Grant pick up language every day; it's mind-blowing to think about his little sponge brain.

So, this week: see ya (which he says after saying good bye); there you go (which he says when asked to put something back in its place); go dog (which he says when he hands you the book Go, Dogs, Go.); bite (just imagine Mommy eating a cookie); read (which English teacher Mommy loves).

But my favorite is when you ask Grant to count: One (which he pronounces "n-one"), six, eight. The same works for ABCs: A, M, O, Z. Too cute!

We're off tomorrow on a Key West make-up vacation. We'll be posting throughout the week, so stay tuned.

WWW 2

Welcome back for another installment of Wonder Word Wednesday!

This week, my favorite of Grant's words or sounds include: tick tock (which he says while pointing at the clock), eyes and nose (which he likes to point to ON ME when I'm trying to get him TO SLEEP, and moon. I also love his "what does a rabbit (or kangaroo) do": he says "hop, hop, hop," but his jumping doesn't leave the ground (it's more the bended knee version of a jump). He also says "boo" for a ghost, and just this morning he said, "juice, please."

But the greatest of all is his word "boz." Now, I know you're thinking that you're not familiar with this word. Well, let me help. Boz is a green bear that lives inside the DVD player and sings and dances from time to time. Well, Grant stands at the DVD player and says "Boz" 50,000 times a day. Most of the time, I have to tell him "no, not right now," which leads to all kinds of tears and objections.

So, there you have it. The life and speech of an 18 month old.

New Tradition

In hopes that I can do a better job of chronicling the life of Grant, I'm going to start Wonder Word Wednesday (www). Each Wednesday, I'll try to post a little something funny Grant has said or new words or sounds he's mastering. It's more for my sake than yours, but if you're interested, you can follow along at home.

July 2: He thumps his chest to act like a gorilla, strums imaginary strings when asked to play the guitar, and says "come on" to everyone, everywhere. He's also mastered the word outside (said: ow-sigh) as he stands at the back sliding glass door.

One phrase he has not mastered but Mommy has is the phrase "hit and run." That's right: this morning I was victim to a classic hit and run. I got hit pretty hard (about 40 mph or so), but I'm doing okay (except for some real neck stiffness). The cops said it was unlikely to catch the guy without a license number, so if anyone sees a gold Lexus with a hood that looks like an accordian trolling the streets of NW Indianapolis, please give me a call.