Alexander

Alex has taken a liking to a new Playhouse Disney short called Choo Choo Soul. On the show, they sing the alphabet, and count. He picks up songs quickly and I frequently hear him wandering around and counting the way he's heard it in song. He can say a series of about three numbers in order, but then he goes off on a tangent and just starts saying random numbers. I think his favorite sequence is 6 - 7 - 8. I've been working with him on sounding out words one syllable at a time. If you just say a big word to him, he can't repeat it unless you break it down into syllables. Yesterday, I even got him to say, "Condoleeza Rice is the Secretary of State". He's started throwing a ball or the Koosh Flingshot and saying, "Where'd it go?" then searching to find whatever toy he threw and saying, "There it is!". He absolutely hears every word and repeats the ones he's capable of saying. He say a story about a volcano that erupted in Indonesia and he started saying "volcano". His vocabulary is increasing at an astonishing rate.

Yesterday (Tuesday) we had lunch at McDonald's (Alex's favorite restaurant), and he was really cute playing on the toddler slide. He'd climb the stairs and then slide down all by himself. At least once, he tried sliding down the stairs. I think he was confused because the park we generally take him to has bumpy slides; I think he thought it was one of them.

I struggled trying to keep him out from behind the fence that is around the entertainment center for about three solid days, then finally I got a piece of twine and tied it so that it couldn't be moved. He's still going over and trying to pull it out, but at least the booby trap buys me enough time to get to him before he gets to the electronics. He's a little smarty and he remembers how he did things in order to repeat them ... especially if they're naughty.

Alex danced the Chicken Dance with Brigette at the Bavarian Grill last week, and he can tell you all about it. When asked what dance he danced, he replies, "I dance chick dance ... hat". He likes to mention that he got to wear a neat hat while he was dancing. For several days, he was convinced that he, "danced Pop-pop" (Pop-pop is the name he has chosen for both of my parents) but I've finally convinced him that he actually, "danced ain't bee" [Aunt B (he can't say Brigette)].

He's started doing more dramatic play: He has an old disposable camera that he likes to carry around and say the word cheese while he pretends to be taking pictures. He's finally begun going to his toy chest and picking out a toy and initializing individual play for himself, though he also likes to go to Teagan and snatch whatever toy she may happen to be holding. He gets in trouble for the snatching, and has to stand in the corner for 2 minutes if he repeats the behavior after being warned.

I'll try to post more often in the future to keep everyone updated on his latest mischievous stunts.