Robert

This is evidently my catch up blog day. And frankly I forgot Mary's stocking and there really isn't much going on yet and all the other stuff is done so I thought I'd catch up!

I really don't have as much to say about Robert. Except that this week has been really great. He says he doesn't want to do x-y-z but will do them. 1-2-3 has been working well for him-I almost never get to 3. I've given him more freedom and he's listening pretty well so it feels pretty good there. He's still not really napping any more-I actually didn't even send him for rest time today-he was being great and helpful and we just worked on the house together. He helped put his toys away, put clothes in the laundry basket and shoes on the rack. He is really doing well counting-he'll look a a parking lot and say "look mommy-3 buses". Um, yeah. Today we counted that he had 5 grapes! It's really neat to see him growing and changing every day. Especially when I very clearly remember him at Mary's age and how he was pretty much the same. Except he was shyer. Mary will go up to a perfect stranger and start a conversation. Robert, not so much! He's certainly warmed up to social situations; he'll talk with people he knows, he'll shake hands at church, he'll tell the people at kids klub hi and bye. But he is still my seperation adverse child. Mary doesn't really care but Robert holds on to my leg at every parting. He's fine when I leave but he doesn't like it.

One of the things that was so funny today was that he was pooping this evening and I looked in and he was "reading" Reader's digest on the potty. I thought I would die laughing. It was too funny. He loves magazines (mostly catalogs) and carries them around endlessly. I don't know how many times we've read the target catalog. And yes he's making a list and checking it twice.

I've got to get this kid into preschool. I really think he'll blossom. I wish I had more gumption to do more pre-K stuff with him-more consistant coloring, writing, puzzles etc. But I think I'm going to have to accept that while I love teaching adults I'm just not good at getting my kids motivated to do stuff. And really I guess if I had wanted to teach pre-K I wouldn't have been a nurse!

Robert, you are such a cool little boy. I love you absolutely to pieces. You are growing up every day and I know you can't wait until you can ride the bus and go to school. In some ways I think it will be great when the kids go to school-I'll have more down time, less child care issues. But in another way it's scary! Oh so scary!