Of A Different Spirit

“Uh, oh” is a phrase I hear a lot these days. Caleb has started to move from non-verbal to verbal communication. The change has been slow, but compared with last month he has made great strides in the process. “Uh, oh” is currently his favorite, and most of the time he uses it correctly. At other times, he just wants to experiment with it. “Uh, uh” with a shake of his head is also pretty popular and is the answer to most of my questions no matter his feeling on the subject. Right now, his vocabulary seems to be based around circumstances and occurrences instead of objects or people. However, I have already seen some changes in that. Last week he began calling our cat, Churchill, by name. It comes out pretty clear and is attached to just about any cat he sees in a book and some of his favorite toys. For the most part though, it is attached to his favorite “toy” in the house and that is the furry creature that tries to get away when he hears his name squealed with joy. Along with this he continues to say “hi” (only to the cats), “mommy,” “daddy,” and a variation on the word, “tummy.”

All of this verbal communication has not decreased his ability to physically communicate his emotions. His ability to show affection has gone from my requesting it to him giving it freely. He has his own version of a hug, which involves him laying his head on you and giving a sigh and an “mmmmmmm.” Churchill currently holds the record for receiving these (when Caleb can catch him), but I am a close second…okay, so maybe not close. He is definitely able to say, “I love you,” he just doesn’t say it yet.

I have been pleased to see his understanding of words and objects increase since last month. He understands longer sentences and more complex ideas. For instance, I can ask for a kiss and a hug and he responds accordingly even if he is across the room from me. He can tell me what he needs by reaching for the object that will fulfill it, such as his juice or cheerios. He knows that shoes go on his feet and he likes to try to put them on whenever he gets a chance. Currently, he is pointing at our DVD player (something I just told him not to touch) and saying “uh, uh” while shaking his head. Of course, in another little while, he will forget and I will have to go back over the boundary marker. As the popular saying goes, communication is a two way street and it looks like we will be zooming down that highway in no time.

Caleb has also developed a lot in a whole new area - social skills. He now wants playmates during his playtime, which is a big change from what has been his usual preference for independent play with interaction with others accepted, but not necessary. Keith and I are now the readers of books, throwers of balls, huggers of stuffed animals, and the watchers of dances. This has been very enjoyable, but not without its drawbacks. I now know nursery rhymes more than I did 6 months ago and have recited the “1,2, buckle my shoe” (his favorite) rhyme countless times in the past week. Of course, there is the inevitable “mommy is busy” moment when he proudly wants me to read to him that causes some issues. However, it has caused me to re-evaluate the “important” activities for the day. Is it more important for me to check my email or to spend 2 minutes with a little boy that won’t be so little soon? No, not really. Okay, well, maybe if I have to read “1,2, buckle my shoe” again. No, email still isn’t as important.

Now, to what do we owe all this growth? There are a few things, including just the natural process of development. However, I think I can attribute a good portion of it to a 2 year old boy named Carter. Carter is Caleb’s new playmate and what a little team they make! Even though Carter is a little more than 6 months older, Caleb towers over him. However, what Carter doesn’t have in size over Caleb, he has in cognitive and social abilities. Carter has really made a difference in Caleb’s vocabulary and has taught him the phrases like “uh,oh” and “uh, uh.” In addition to this, Caleb has recently approved Carter’s application for interaction. They now play with toys together and will even make up games together. With this increase in playing with another toddler has come the need for Keith and me to be his playmates at home. It has been fun watching the boys get to know one another and form a friendship. I think it’s been really good for both of them.

Caleb has also grown physically. At his 15 month check up, his doctor told me that his legs would start to lengthen as the growth of his torso slowed. I have started to see this happening. I looked at him just a couple of days ago and was surprised to see that his legs had actually gotten longer. I mean, a lot longer. Goodness, what are we going to do about pants with this kid? We have also been through a fun round of teething. Okay, so “fun” is the wrong word, but at least it is over…I think. He is now up to 12 teeth. His 18 month molars broke through in the months of January and February and not quietly, either. However, through all the trouble we are happy to see them. I am especially happy that I won’t have to take so much time to cut up his food now that he has teeth to do a little more crushing. Of course, that doesn’t mean I won’t do it at all, it just won’t take as long.

This month has also had some unexpected, but always enjoyed, visitors. The Tennessee Kelsos came for a short visit last week. I was relieved that we were able to spend some time with them even though we were all fighting colds. Caleb was a little more mobile than he was at Thanksgiving and was able to run around with Owen, Ivan, and Aron. I am excited to see their relationships grow as they get older. I am also very excited that I actually remembered my camera this time and was able to snap a few pictures! They enjoyed playing on Grandma and Granddaddy’s back porch, and I just had to capture that.

I know that I will probably say this many, many times, but I have to say that this stage might be my favorite. His personality is growing, his is starting to show a need for relationship with others and is expressing it, and is just, well, extremely cute. I know that this stage also comes with a lot of discipline and testing of boundaries, but that is so small next to the bigger things happening. I am proud of my little toddler. His mind and body are growing at very fast speeds. On a daily basis, he has to learn to deal with new concepts and new abilities as his development proceeds that weren’t processed the day before. I know it has to be so overwhelming at times, but he is dealing with it very well. That isn’t to say we don’t have “toddler days,” but overall I think he has done great so far.