Category: Xander

After we dropped Jonas off at preschool and made a quick grocery store run, I loaded Xander and Roman up in the stroller and we went for a walk with our dear neighborhood friends…The Bates. It’s amazing how much we’ve hung out over the past few years and how few pictures I’ve taken. So, I was excited to start to remedy that today with this snapshot of Xander and Spencer on the walking trail.

At thirty-one months, Xander is: starting to explore his feelings more by doing faces at the dinner table with Daddy for sad, mad, happy, suprised, and excited; saying things like “I’m mad” with a scrunched up face; continuing to have the most natural good manners (like holding the door open for Mommy at the library and saying things like “May I have…”); taking his plate to the sink after asking to be excused from the table after meals; having moments of frustration and aggression towards his brothers but also having moments of great sweetness and servant-heartedness; learning how to really take the reins with going potty, washing his hands, and getting undressed and dressed; and loving (like the wanting to play it every day multiple times kind of loving) the new game that the Paccassis got the boys for Christmas…Zingo!

Here are a few of his most recent sayings that have caused my ears to perk up and my heart to smile:

“Mommy said a potty word at the table…she said ‘toot'”.

“There’s nothing to be afraid of, Mommy, you just can’t see the trees out the window.”

“Did you be so proud of me, Mommy?”

“I am mad, Dad, because of that sun…I want to turn off it.”

“I am a great yeller.”

“This book is really cool.”

“I love your pretty socks.”

Xander: “Am I your best Xan-Man?”
Mommy: “You are my best Xan-Man.”
Xander: “You’re my best Mommy.”

In his thirtieth month, Xander is: enjoying the journey of learning his letters, numbers, colors, and shapes; discovering the joy and empowerment of doing things for himself (we really have had to work with him on this one on some things because he’s so quick to say he can’t do it and act like he can’t even though he’s fully capable…so we’re trying to build his confidence in his abilities); and liking being able to sleep in every now and then (as his big brother Jonas, who shares a room with him, is getting better every day at coming out his room quietly instead of waking him up when he gets up in the morning).

Xander loves helping me in the kitchen. So while Jonas was at preschool and Roman was napping this morning, he helped me make a batch of some of my favorite holiday cookies to give as gifts, Raspberry Almond Thumbprints. They’re the perfect cookies for making with little hands.

After we put together a strand of cranberry popcorn garland, Xander and I had fun playing in the backyard. He is getting so big and wanted to swing on the “big boy swing”. He was checking out the garden while he was flying high (as usual) and said, “I see fowlah!” I looked over and there it was…a lone purple anemone. What a sweet sight. (I think my bulbs are confused…I moved and replanted them probably a bit too early this fall…oh well…it ended up being a beautiful mistake.)

In his twenty-ninth month, Xander is: saying things like “Fink Oman having fun”,”Nooowaaah!” when he doesn’t want to do something or doesn’t want his brothers doing something, “Look bolcanos…huge big bolcanos!” when he sees hills, and “I gon step on you…a mommy stool” when he stepped on me to climb into his bed; starting to go potty on his own; flipping through the pictures on my phone like a rock star; and starting to pedal his tricycle a little.

At twenty-eight months, Xander is: championing his way through an upper respiratory thing that ended up turning into pink eye and croup within a few days of each other and still has him coughing at nap time and bed time; talking, eating, and whining (we’re working on this one) up a storm; starting to show some interest in riding a tricycle; really getting in to music (his absolute favorite right now is “The Apples and Bananas Song”); and sharing his older brother’s love for crafts, books, and the outdoors.

In his twenty-seventh month, Xander is: still totally loving working on puzzles; asking for help on how to “draw (an) A” every time he sits down to work on a craft; finally getting the potty training thing (yay, Xan-Man!!!); and saying some pretty sweet and funny things (“I big boy not baby”, “I love du so much”, “Vitamins…they’re my favorite”, “Be nice to me, JoJo”, “I need some lone time”, “This my project”, “I want some oatmeal, Mommy…no raisins for me”, “Is that funny guys?”, and when Roman woke up crying from his nap, “I fink he needs me…he afraid of dark…he crying…I go get him”).

In his twenty-six month, Xander is: sharing a room with Jonas; enjoying time with just Mommy and Roman two days a week since Jonas started school the last week of August; taking champ naps (to the tune of three to four hours) now that he’s up earlier and goes to bed later with his big brother; being a big help in the kitchen (he loves to help Mommy cook and prepare meals); and continuing to bless us with his servant’s heart.

At twenty-five months, Xander is: talking up a storm, starting to really get the potty training thing (go, Xan-Man!!!), and biting Jonas (it’s always brought on by something mean Jonas does to him…but still…ugh).

In his twenty-fourth month, Xander is: fascinated with puzzles, getting better everyday with potty training, spouting out more and more sentences (“Be careful, JoJo”, “Uh-oh, buckle me in, Mommy”, “Read book me, Mommy”, “Don’t eat baby Oman, Petra”, “Play puzzle if me, JoJo”, etc.), and loving his big boy bed and all of his bedtime “friends” (BooBoo Bear, Lambie, Other Lambie, Doggie, Wolfie, Big Pillow Pet, Little Pillow Pet, Blue Coze, and Green Coze).

In his twenty-third month, Xander is: saying things like “hungy pitter” (hungry caterpillar), “here is, Cracker Barrell”, “Mommy, ont you”, “read book me”, “play me, Mommy”, “Mommy, love you so much”, “hush Petra”, “like baby Oman”, “give baby paci”, “guacamole up there”, and “go Home Depot”; taking an interest in dressing himself (he’s still trying to figure out which end the shorts/shirts go on and how to put one leg in his shorts/pants legs instead of two); opening and closing doors with a passion; enjoying working puzzles (it’s probably his favorite thing to do right now); taking his first class (gymnastics) and working on learning his letters, numbers, colors, shapes, and animals; transitioning to a big boy bed (he LOVES it and is so proud); and potty training (he’s doing fairly well so far).