Dear Eliot: Two Years and Three Months

Dear Eliot,

At two years and three months, we are a quarter of the way to you being three years old!  A three-year-old?  That is unbelievable, but I know it will happen.

Sometimes I feel like you are reading the toddler version of a Faulkner novel.  You talk to us constantly about everything you are thinking about, especially when we're in the car--it's like baby stream of consciousness.  "A tree.  A house.  Truck.  Car.  Car.  Farm and a horse! Big sandbox?"  Trust me, I'm not complaining.  I love that you are talkative and expressive.  Your full sentences are growing better and better too.  Just this morning, the dogs were scratching to come inside.  You said, "Daddy, close the door for Bendy-go and Dexter." 

I noticed something funny about your speech development.  You're right on track with your speech, but you really excel when you are conveying some sort of extreme emotion.  I mean, when you're angry, excited, or being bossy, you speak in clear, full sentences.  The more worked up you get, the more complex your sentences grow as well.  "No, I don't want to eat food."  "I am playing with the ball with Bendy."  "I want to watch Thomas."  These are pretty complex for your age if you ask me.  And most people have trouble communicating clearly when you're feeling emotionally.  Not you...  So, that's good, right?

Speaking of being expressive, you love to pretend to be different animals, but your favorite by far is pretending to be a dinosaur.  You roar and stomp around.  When asked what kind of dinosaur you are, you tell us that you are a t-rex.  Usually a t-rex and sometimes a stegosaurus.  You also recognize raptors and triceratops.

At the beginning of this month, we took you to the doctor for your two-year well visit.  You were still 75th percentile for height and 20th for weight (that one has gone up!).  So, you're growing well and you're still tall.  Everything looked great developmental-wise, and you didn't have to get any shots.

I was very concerned about your "tantrums" for a few days.  During that half of a week, you just seemed crazy.  You were always demanding more and asking for things I couldn't give.  And then you'd just cry inconsolably.  I didn't understand what we were doing wrong and figured it was an on-set of those terrible twos.  However, it only took a few days for you to even out.  Suddenly, those fits are few, far between, and much easier to work through.

With the weather growing warmer, we've been able to play outside more.  You love helping your dad with yard work, and you do a great job picking up the gum balls in the yard.

You also helped us open the pool.  That pool is cold, and you aren't too interested in swimming, just splashing on the steps, riding on floats, and squirting us with water guns.  I'm sure that will change as it warms up.

We have enjoyed playing at the beach a few times too.  You call it the "big sandbox".  You love digging in the sand and running into the waves.  Your dad is always there to chase you and make sure that you don't drown, but when we go to the beach, it is almost a guarantee that we will get at least a little wet.

This month, we went to the Outer Banks for a one-night getaway.  We took you to Jockey's Ridge where you just loved climbing up the dunes and then sliding down backwards.  You had this weird, slivering, snake-like technique that worked really oddly well.  You were crazy about that place.  Eventually, you climbed and ran so much that you were exhausted and kept laying down in the sand.  Even then, we had to take you away crying.  We'll go back sometime, I promise.

Your love for animals always continues to grow.  When you see a dog, you want to touch it.  Your favorite animal is still a cat, I think.  In the mornings, you ask to watch youtube videos of cats, dolphins, and sharks.  Some mornings, we watch documentaries on various wild animals.  Even bugs intrigue you, and I am happy to say that you are gentle with animals and bugs too--you don't try to squash bugs at all.

Here, you brought all of your cars to Abed-nego.

You aren't always gentle with everything, though.  Lately you have been testing my limits with your toys and I don't know how to react all the way.  Where do I set the boundaries?  You want to play with cars, but you want to crash them.  You want to throw them down the stairs.  And you love your train table, but you want to take it apart--just exploring, I'm sure.  It has gotten to the point that I don't put it back together for you.  And I think I've decided that it is acceptable for you to crash your cars occasionally, but it is not OK for you to throw them (or any toy other than a ball).  It's hard determining how much space to give you and where to draw the line.

It isn't always easy making the right decisions for you.  I have to let you grow.  I have to let you learn and make messes sometimes.  Otherwise, I'd be yelling all the time--and I hate yelling.  But, you're very sweet and gentle too.  You love to cuddle with me.  You ask to hold my hand when we go for walks.  You are caring and loving.  I love playing with you and I love cuddling with you.  I love watching you run around and I love seeing you sit still.  Everything about you amazes me.