A Boy on the Go

Vince is so busy right now.  He moves from one thing to the next, exploring, destroying, following, and playing.  He can be very loving and sweet, but it doesn't last long.  No time for that!

When Vera was his age, she said quite a few words and responded to questions we'd ask her.  She loved to read books and watch Mickey Mouse.  None of this is true for Vin.  He could care less about TV, says no words, and only can respond to a few of our questions.  He knows where to find his belly and toes, where to put his paci when waking up, and what a cow says.  I must admit that his "moo" is pretty cute!  Recently he has shown an interest in reading books, but we can't turn the pages fast enough.  He only has time for books with minimal words.  Such a difference between a boy and girl!

Vince communicates mostly by grunting, pointing and reaching.  When Vera takes something from him, he squeals loudly and fights back.  I've caught him grabbing her shirt in an effort to regain whatever she ripped out of his hands.  He hangs on the fridge or points to his seat when he's hungry, for instance.  When we say "eat eat," he bolts for his chair and is immediately ready to get in and scarf down food.  His appetite is much better lately, and usually shoves in food as fast as he can.  When he gets in his seat, he expects to eat now.  And he'll let you know how he feels if you don't have his food quite ready.  When he's done, he throws the food on the floor or smashes it and smears it on the tray.  His latest "trick" is to turn his sippy upside-down and bang it on his tray, resulting in a puddle for him to play in and a mess for us to clean.  He cannot be unsupervised with a cup for any amount of time!

He definitely loves to be outside right now, and he thinks it's fun to put on his shoes.  He willingly brings us the shoes/socks and sits still for us to put them on.  He realizes that "shoes on" = outside.  He's quick, especially outside.  He took off toward the road recently, and scared me to death.  It's amazing how fast they get away.  He pushes his lawnmower, swings golf clubs, climbs on anything, drags things off the shelves in the garage, plays in the mulch, throws balls (always left-handed, for now), follows Vera (and usually wants what she has), crawls in the bubbling rocks, falls down, and just roams around.  Recently, he thinks it's great fun to climb up on the porch and roam around.  He doesn't know how to get back down, so it's awfully scary when he sneaks away and climbs on the porch.  I'm sure he would literally walk right off.  Adam has also caught him on top of the kiddie picnic table a few times recently.  He's at the age where we can't take our eye off of him.

This is at Blake & Nora's birthday party.  Vince was so dirty!  But he was in heaven slopping, stomping, scooping and just playing.  He had sand in his ears and even in his mouth.  Needless to say, he got a bath before we went home.  Getting dirty is totally his thing!

If he can't be outside, he's looking out the doors at the action he hears outside.  Any truck, tractor, motorcycle or other loud vehicle always gets his attention and he'll point.  He understands what a tractor is, and he's really enjoyed the tractor activity across the road as they take the crops off.  He says "tractor" though it sounds nothing like the actual word.  He puts together some sort of grunted two-syllable word that always sounds the same when he's pointing at the tractor.

This was a treat.  We never let our kids ride on the mower.  He smiled so big when he got on.  Later in the day, he threw a fit and refused to nap because he heard the mower running outside.  He wanted out there, now!

Although he is really busy right now, he is a good kid.  He eats very well, and sleeps 10 hours each night.  Taking a morning and afternoon nap are still a must.  (I'm especially thankful for this, with a new baby coming anytime.  But since I've mentioned this, I'm sure he'll decide on the no-nap trend just as soon as we come home from the hospital.  It'd just make sense for him to do that to us!)  Adam and I were just talking about how he's so much happier since he learned to walk.  Though we have to watch him like a hawk, it's so much nicer to take him outside.  He doesn't put things in his mouth as much anymore, and being able to walk around, instead of crawl, has made a big difference.  If he can be on the move, inside or out, his little heart is content.

We love the ornery little monster to pieces.  I'm sure he's going to be a great big brother, even though he will surely keep us on our toes!