We Love Spring Time

Springtime has made Adam one happy little boy. No one tells you not to go outside . . . no one says "don't splash in that puddle!" and sometimes Mom or Dad gets the hose out and sprays it straight up in the air so he can stomp around fully clothed in the "rain." We even get to eat outside sometimes, which results in less eating and more snacking and running around.

We have some new obsessions as well. For one, hats are no longer so bad... as long as he was the one who made the hat choice and the hat is worn backwards (which is interesting, since Shannon hardly ever wears his hat backwards). I also wish I had the foresight to pull out the video camera when we presented Adam with some brand new sneakers.

While I admit there's really nothing like a new pair of kicks, the excitement that washed over him as he bounced and yelled, "SHOES!" over and over, then impatiently waited for Shannon to put them on, then stomped around the room, squealed excitedly, and checked them out from each angle... well, I don't think I've ever been that excited about a new pair of shoes in my life. They are pretty awesome kicks though, and I dig the excitement. Wait until he sees the special pair of K Swiss Dad bought him for special occassions...

Now that it's warm enough, his techniques for getting us out of the house are more effective because we actually have something to say yes to. Once shoes are on, regardless of the time of day, he'll put his palms up, run to the door to the garage, and say, "Where are we gonna go??" If no one followed him, he'll come back and stand in front of you and say it repeatedly. If he's serious about it, he'll bring me my shoes, throw my purse over his shoulder, grab the car keys and head to the door to bang on it.

He's getting more creative in his techniques also, since last weekend he put his own shoes on, came and asked at 7:30 one night:
Adam: "Where are we gonna go??"
Me: "I dunno, Adam, where are you going to go?"
Adam: "The store."
Me: "You need to go to the store?"
Adam nods enthusiastically, then doesn't even wait for an answer and goes into the kitchen to get Dad, and attempts to drag Shannon out the door. I think he ended up getting a bath instead, which he loves just as much.

And if we are mid-tantrum and can't find a way to make him happy, we just say, "Do you want to brush your teeth?" and he will forget all of his woes and sprint to the bathroom, excited and completely forgetting what had originally made him upset.

Unfortunately I am in the position of not being able to take Adam to "the store" anymore. In fact, I've even banned myself from going to the store because it doesn't end well. So Shannon takes him to Home Depot, plays with him in the backyard, shows Adam how to keep the yard looking nice, cleans the house, does the laundry, changes diapers, dresses him, takes him to school, picks him up from school, cooks him dinner, gives him a bath, and tucks him in at night (I still get to do that sometimes). Shannon is incredible. INCREDIBLE. I have always had an obsession with Superman. I never dreamed I would marry him.

Recently Adam has been more open about the idea of babies in the house, and adopted the phrase, "it's for the baby." His old room is slowing turning into the babies' room, and when he goes in it he points out all the things that are "for the babies." Then he shows off his climbing skills by using the two new cribs (or "Baby Night Night") as basically a jungle gym.

I miss Adam terribly now that I'm able to do very little around the house, and the best part of my day is when he and I lie in Shannon and I's bed to unwind at night and either watch an episode of Little Einsteins or play on the iPad, which is his new favorite toy. He clings to me when Shannon comes in to take him to bed, and I have to admit that it takes incredible will power to let Shannon take him when he's being all cuddly and sweet. Some nights I'll go lie down with him in his bed before he goes to sleep, and we'll play with his turtle night light - which displays stars and a moon on the ceiling.

Adam with his new favorite toy...


Also, after spending so much time with Shannon and learning from an expert, Adam is one of the cleanest toddlers I know. I think in some ways he fantasizes about the day he's big enough to take out the trash. In the meantime, he helps out by sweeping and mopping up spills. He's tall enough to reach the kitchen counter, so we have now realized that our important documents need to be kept in higher places. . . or else they'll end up in the trash. He also frequently "helps" Shannon vacuum, which greatly slows down the process for Shannon as he's either vacuuming with Adam holding the handle too or having to stop every minute or two to plug the vacuum back in, as unplugging it once Dad gets going is one of Adam's new favorite games.


And finally, we couldn't be prouder of our smart little guy. A week or two ago we got a note from his teachers at school:

Dear Ham Family,
Adam is such a sweet and smart little boy. Today I was signing our songs and colors and as Ms. Lauren and I looked over at Adam, he was following right along signing his colors!
--Ms. Kathryn
Adam can sign, say and identify all of his colors. Adam's favorite color in the world is yellow. When he's allowed the choice he will pick yellow (which is why his new nap mat is yellow and when he goes to bed each night he immediately switches his turtle night light from the default green to yellow). This does not count for yellow jelly beans, which are apparently disgusting.

However, his favorite color to sign is BROWN. I find brown things now just to make him get all excited about naming the color.