Hiram: 2 Years + 11 Months

I think there are times in a kid’s life when more learning happens on the parent side of the equation. This last month was one of those for us.

I’m grumpy: Nothing makes this guy grumpier than someone trying to foil his foul mood. “I’m grumpy,” he’ll say with as big a pout as he can muster. Key Learning: This does not necessarily mean he’s grumpy. It means he has reasonable cause for grumpiness but could be convinced to budge if you can think of something more entertaining to do.  Games that fit the bill:

1. Your shoes are eating your feet!
2. Does a sock go on your head?
3. Spin 10 times fast without falling.
4. And of course, hockey puck.

Head to Toe: Hiram can dress himself. Head to toe. Key Learning: Hiram should dress himself head to toe. The post-dress audit (shoes on the right feet? Pants on? Forwards?) goes a lot more smoothly once he’s had a chance to show us what he can do. Which, as Hiram likes to say, is “a lot, lot, lot.”

Bedtime: He’s had his big-boy bed for almost a year, but this month Hiram’s started to feel free to roam the rooms upstairs when he wakes up. I’ve been waiting for this to happen but still had a few reservations (actual reservation: will he drown in the toilet while I’m sleeping?) Key Learning: No. I still know exactly when he wakes up and he doesn’t seem too interested in drowning in the toilet (yet). Instead, I get to open my eyes some mornings to see his pretty brown ones looking earnestly at me. Wake up time? Oh yes.