I normally fetch Joshua about 3:30 and then Andrew gets home from work between 5:00 and 5:30, so we've got a while to spend together.
On this afternoon Joshua was on top form. Just some of the things that he did:
- He's really obsessed with Barney, and we have a big Barney toy. We had just bought a little table and chairs for Joshua to have in his new room, and within the first day or two he decided that Barney needed to have one of the chairs all to himself. So every time we went to go and sit at the table he'd insist that we get Barney and he had to also join us. And then Barney had to do everything that we do. When we're drawing Barney has to have a chance to hold the crayon and draw too. When Joshua is having some water to drink, Barney also has to be offered a drink. Barney is definitely very real to Joshua!
- Joshua was given a sea animal puzzle by Andrew's mom for Christmas - one of the wooden puzzles with pieces that fit in. There are 10 different pieces - a fish, dolphin, starfish, seahorse, crab etc. Joshua can now name all 10 of the animals (dolphins are now his new obsession, and he calls them "donno's") So was naming all of the pieces, and then he also wanted me to use the wooden pieces and draw around them on the chalkboard, so that he has the outlines. And once this game started I had to lots of outlining!
- At one point we were busy sitting, and he decided he wanted to read. So he got a book for himself, and then he got a book for me too. And we both had to sit and read. His book was all about this puppy and how it likes to play with its boy. Right at the end there's a picture of the puppy playing peek-a-boo. And Joshua sees this and immediately hides his eyes, and I have to also hide my eyes, and then there's a big "peek-a-boo!" And of course we have to do this over and over and over again...
- Another book he got is a "Words" book, which has photos of basic things like cat, dog, car, truck, apple etc. We went through that entire book and he could name every one! The only one that confused him was the truck because it's a front profile, when he's used to seeing them driving by and then he'll tell me there's a truck. But his vocabulary continues to amaze me with its size, and with how rapidly it's growing!
- Then of course there was the blowing raspberries incident. That was the first time he'd ever done it, and I was completely confused when he came into my neck, and then when he blew the raspberry all I could do was burst out laughing! I still don't have any clue where he learned to do it... But then I had to do his neck, and then he did mine... And of course me laughing the whole time just made him want to do it more. So cute!
- Then we were drawing on the chalkboard, and I'd draw a face, but leave out one of the eyes, and he'd be able to tell me what was missing. A car, leaving off one of the wheels, a man, leaving off a limb etc. When I first started doing that with him a while before he really didn't get what I was doing, but he's caught on nicely!
- And then I did this kicking game with him. He's got a set of soft coloured building blocks in 4 colours. So I made 4 towers, one in each colour, and then I got him to kick a ball to knock over the tower. This was of course great fun. And each time he was about to kick he'd say "Watch!" Then I was going to rebuild the towers, and not really expecting anything I asked him to give me all the red blocks. The way that he'd kicked the towers over the colours were all mixed up - but he was able to pick out all the red blocks and give them to me, and then the yellow and green and blue. I was so shocked! And then of course he had great fun in knocking the towers all down again!
And then just some of the other cute things that he's doing these days:
- He's enjoying counting. He got a counting book for Christmas, and he like me to point his finger and count. And now he's started to be able to say the numbers as well. This evening he said 1,2,3,5,6,7,6,6. Not perfect of course, but for 22 months I'll take it! And that was in response to my asking how many fish there were in what he was looking at. So he's making the connection between "how many" and counting out the numbers. And when he was bathing the other day there were two moths on the wall. Whether it was fluke or not, I don't know, but he promptly said once he'd seen them "Two moth" Maybe fluke...
- He loves drawing, and he loves getting Andrew and I to draw. His favourite thing is stars. A few days ago it was always "Big star", now he's realised that there are also "Small stars" in the world, and if there is a big and small star he can tell you which is which. But what he's also started doing is colouring in the stars and other things that we draw for him. Obviously not perfectly, but actually remarkably well! I did take some pictures, and when I finally get around to posting some photos again I'll show you. He also likes to draw circles. They look more like tear drops, but he's got the round movement going pretty well!
- He's also doing really well with his colours. He knows all the basic colours - red, orange, yellow, green, blue and purple - and he gets them right about 80% of the time, which I think is really impressive. But what's really helped is the crayons he has, and also his balloons... He absolutely loves balloons! Sometimes he wants them to be tied and he'll hit them around. Other times he wants to hit them out of your hand, or very often your mouth before you've even finished blowing it up, and watch it go flying around the room. They're a really cheap form of entertainment, so it doesn't really bother me that most days you'll walk around the house and find at least 3 balloons lying around. But like I said, he's really good with his colours as a result!
- He is a real jumpy boy. He'll often just randomly start jumping when we're walking along. And sometimes we'll make a circle on the floor with blocks, and he loves to jump into and out of the circle. Of course it's much more fun when Daddy also jumps with him...
- He's got a few books over at Granny's house that are absolute favourites. Thomas the Tank Engine and Fireman Sam are most commonly asked for, and he's got favourite pages in each of them. He'll ask for the balloons, or the cake etc, and you've just got to hope you can find the right page!
- Whenever we drive anywhere these days he wants to have a book to look at in the car. He's got one ABC book that he often asks for - it actually is living in the car now. And he'll just spend ages starting at the pictures! What he's absorbing I can't even begin to imagine!
- On Sunday evening we drove down to the beach to watch the sunset (from the shelter of the car...) Joshua loves being able to be in the front of the car with us and playing with all the different controls. There's no doubt that he's a boy, and very eager to be in the driver's seat!
- He's also a very helpful boy, and very willing to share. From everything I've read I still can't believe how much he shares, but he always wants to make sure that Andrew and I have what he has. And as long as there's no tantrum he's very eager to help with just about anything that we ask him to. He definitely likes to feel part of things!
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