I want to make note of Roman's growing changes; the emotional as well as the physical.
Physical Changes
- He sleeps until 10am and goes to sleep at 7pm (technically he's in there. Sometimes he'll sing to himself before falling asleep.)
- Although he's not grown - because we measure him - he does look taller. We suspect he's taken a stretch and this is confirmed by clothes that are outgrown.
- He finishes almost every meal and every bit of food put in front of him.
- Has all of his teeth.
- Loves, loves, LOVES the freedom of the swimming pool. When the Olympic swimming was on, he was glued to the screen watching it. Whenever a pool flashes up somewhere he'll talk about swimming non stop.
Emotional/Intellectual Changes
- Recognising numbers. Today I made a pair of ad hoc binoculars for him with two toilet rolls taped together and while I cleaned the bathroom and he chatted to me, he piped up with, "this is a number 8." I was bowled over. Completely bowled over.
- Copying every single little thing. Today I used a mild swear word - mild to me, nothing to others - and Roman copied it straight away. There was a day when my mum was here where Roman was copying every single thing we said. "Be careful, Roman's having a copy cat day," I told Bryan and of course Ro parroted back to me; "copy cat! Copy cat!"
- We have conversations and I love it. This time last year it was a whole lot of babbling with a few coherent words thrown in here and there and now, at this time, we're having lengthily conversations about dinosaurs, babies, being sad or happy, things that hurt, food we like, baths and swimming. Yes those conversations are sometimes on a loop and often times repeated but man I love our conversations. I love to listen, really listen without interrupting, and I love that Roman pays me the same courtesy. I love that he absorbs what I tell him and spits it out to me later on, out of the blue.
- I'm loathe to report about this one, but I feel I must for the sake of documenting it. He's actually having less emotional melt downs and I feel he's able to communicate his needs and wants better. It's because I'm making the effort to stop and ask, to pause and say things like, "Roman, I know you want to play with your toys over going to bed, but it's time for sleep right now, okay? I understand that might upset you but you need sleep."
- Related to above: I'm giving him more independence so that he becomes less frustrated and thus less likely to become annoyed at tasks he can't do but is trying so hard to complete. I'm catching myself out when I say 'GOOD BOY!' in a really high pitched voice and replacing it with; "Your job is to put away toys and you're doing that very well." Or, "Wow you really struggled to get that zip up, but look you did eventually got there." Okay...I admit sometimes I can't help myself and shower him in 'You're such a GOOD BOY!' like he's my pet dog ;). You win some, you lose some!
- Putting time in. I heard about time in when Roman was a newborn and brushed it off as total nonsense...but now I have a toddler? Now I can see the benefits of 'time in' and unlike time out it can be used at every and any age. This is basically as it sounds; spending one on one time that is completely child led and exclusive to the child. If they want to paint, you paint and do nothing else. If they want to be outside that's what you do. Housework? It can wait. It will always be there. Work work? Clients can wait. Children do not. Church callings? Do them on Sunday after church. Put the time in with your child and it will benefit you both forever.
There are probably a million and one more things I'm missing. There is just so much going on with Roman's development; his speech is the clearest it's been, he's learning a few new words every single day and I'm becoming more and more aware that I need to sort out lesson plans for him. Mostly we're enjoying time together as three before Bryan goes back to college next week, then summer will be truly over. For now I'm enjoying my family, my boy and my husband and I like to think they're enjoying my company and time.
