Good grief I am behind. Y'all, I just can't keep up. Truth be told, I've been working on this post for probably 2 weeks! I've been wanting to give an update on this toddler boy who has taken over my life. He has really come alive, y'all! His personality is emerging, and it is a joy to watch. Well, most of the time. He shares some of the traits of his brothers, but really he is his own little man. He favors Matthew when he is going through my pantry drawers and stacking up food, and also when we spend an hour looking at books (a lot of them the same faves of Matt as a baby). And then he favors Will when he wrestles like a crazy man, and when he pushes cars around and makes sound effects. All I know is that this #3 son is growing up super fast.
Johnny is loving life, especially when he can be in the thick of whatever it is his brothers are doing. Steven & I think that this child is just happy to be here; he's so pleasant and happy most of the time. He is most happy when his brothers are around and isn't quite himself when they are not. He loves it when we have to wake up Will from a nap to go pick up Matt from school. He'll go running down to his room and sweetly pat Will on the head as we try to rouse him. And then he tries to climb into bed with him.
His favorite game though is to take something that Matt or Will are playing with and run as fast as he can. Or get in the middle of whatever they are doing and mess it up. Legos, car races, Lincoln Log creations, sidewalk chalk & other artistic renderings, and even snack time get totally hijacked.
He loves to play in his room. I call it his lair. He lures me there every morning after Matt has gone to school and Will is watching whatever program on tv he's chosen. He is really into books right now, especially those with animal pictures in them or babies. He points his little finger at all the different animals and wants to know what they are or what sound they make. He stumps me on a lot of them like what sound does a shark make? Or a moose? Or a giraffe? Well, thankfully I am pretty good at some of them, and he does a really good roar and a great monkey noise. We can spend an hour looking at books. He'll march over to his bookcase, grab one and throw it at me while plopping his little bottom on the floor next to me or backing his little booty up so he can sit on me.
Johnny has also created a fun game in his room where he runs over to the little grocery store, stands behind it, opens the cash register and hands me each credit card he finds in it individually. It brings him great joy.
This boy is the most observant and aware child we've ever had. He notices everything. He hears every animal noise when we are outside: birds chirping, squirrels scurrying by, and dogs barking. He will try to point in the direction that he hears the dog and then begin making his own barking sound. He hears airplanes overhead and looks up to point at them. He hears all the sirens and imitates them really well. He notices when the lawn guy is next door and goes running to the window so he can watch him.
Johnny is still a fairly good eater; he's no Matthew but he's no Will either. I can't really get him to eat a vegetable unless it's a sweet potato or in pureed baby food form. But, he does pretty well with the rest. His favorites are cheese, meatballs, fruit, and any kind of breakfast fare. He is always ravenous at breakfast and demands food before I can even pour myself a cup of coffee. Throughout the day he loves to bring me different things he's pulled out of the pantry drawers along with a bowl for me to feed to him. Most of the time it's the raisins, craisins or candied pecans.
As is expected, Johnny goes to naughty town quite often. Much to all of our frustration, I have had to put the cabinet locks back on. He cannot keep himself out of them. I was at a point a couple months ago where I had to keep all the doors in the hallway closed except the door to his room. If I left our door and the bathroom door open he would play in the toilets and pull off the toilet paper. If I left the big boys' room open he would destroy everything in there and/or climb all the way up the ladder to the top bunk bed. It takes probably double the amount of time than normal if he is around while I am showering and getting dressed. Factor in the time it takes to clean up whatever mess he's made while I'm getting ready...q-tips everywhere, kleenexes pulled out, drawers emptied, snack crumbs on the floor...good times.
Poor Johnny's sleep schedule continues to get interrupted. We are on the go, and this kid falls asleep in the van several days during the week. Thankfully, he transfers to his crib without missing a wink so that is fantastic. Part of the reason he's falling asleep in the car though is because he's up at 5:30 or earlier most mornings. Basically, he has not adjusted to the time change. He starts chatting to himself bright and early which always wakes up the other two. And so, by 11 he's ready for a nap, and by 4:00 I'm dragging big time. I always ask Will if mommy can take a nap and he firmly tells me no. Unfair.
This one is a toot at the grocery store lately. He's entertained by his snack cup for a few minutes, but then he gets all whiney about the things I'm chucking into the basket. He wants to open everything and sample it all. Now, I do my very best to make sure that I only have to go the grocery store once a week. I put a lot of thought into what meals I will be making all week and what items I will need for them. And, I organize my list according the layout of the store. Nerd! But hey, it's SO much easier and faster when you've got kids with you and can't just meander around and double back when you forget something. That being said, my cart gets really, really full by the end. John loves to get his hands on whatever he can reach and either open it or chuck it overboard. This is by far the most annoying habit of his. He takes great delight in it of course. There I am desperately trying to pick up the last couple items I need and make our way to the register and J is gleefully throwing things. Splat! There goes the bacon. Thud! There goes the tub of butter. There's only so much I can stash under the cart; I reserve that space for the chips and cereal boxes which he will destroy otherwise. Rascal. But, he loves to talk to strangers there. He smiles and giggles and puts on a show. One time he charmed a sweet little old man who told me that he was the most fantastic thing he'd ever seen and gave me a dollar bill to put in his piggy bank. Ha!
Through it all, he is my precious little baby boy, and I am really trying to enjoy every minute of his fleeting babyness because he is trying to grow up fast. I am still #1 on his list for now, so I am savoring the sweet times we're having together. I'll admit that his addiction to me is sometimes suffocating (esp. while I am trying to fix dinner), but I love that he's always hot on my trail. Just very recently he's started calling me mommy, but it's more like "ah-mi" with emphasis on the "mi". Too precious. He gives the best hugs--he wraps those sweet little arms tight around my neck and lays his head on my shoulder. The other 2 never did that, so this guy is something special. :) He gives good kisses too. My little lover! Today we were in the backyard and I was following him as he was wandering around. At one point he just plopped himself down on one of the pavers and stared up and smiled so big at me. He was so pleased to have me all to himself. I am totally his BFF. And I keep telling him that he is going to be my baby forever!
