"I want that"

Much has changed with David in the time that's passed since the last post. His sentence for the last couple of weeks is "I want that." David now weighs 26.6 pounds, which is a ten pound+ weight gain for the last year. As you can tell by the picture, David still likes to eat and feeds himself without help -- sometimes he needs a change of clothes when he's finished! He also knows the word mine and likes to assert what he thinks is his or not. The Magnadoodle is his new favorite toy, along with the Fisher Price barn (many days we put the animals to bed and wake them up) and Fisher Price desk. (Both FP toys are "originals" from my generation.) He actually "spelled" a word last week by himself (the word was tie) but matching the letters to the cut out card. David also asserts himself more (some days we've disagreed about that) but that's just what happens when you're getting close to two. (Although I am personally amazed that we all survive the toddler years!)

For Mommy, chasing a toddler takes a lot more energy than I expected, but I'm keeping up! I've even lost six pounds in the last year, which isn't a bad thing. Another kidney stone in August slowed me down with surgery. In the last month I've finished John Rosemond's Parenting by the Book and Amy Chua's Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother. Both are quick reads and probably available at the library, if you're curious. As the parent of a strong willed child, I'm finding more success in the Rosemond approach and an earlier bedtime for the child. My mother sort of jinxed me when I was four years old and told me that someday I may have a child who acts just like me. But she also taught me some of the best ways to deal with strong willed, so I'm sure David and I will both make it!