Fun with a toddler

I admit to not spending that much time with children before having my own.  I never babysat, didn't teach, and really didn't have an urge to hang out with kids.

I still don't, with the exception of my own

So hanging out with a toddler is a somewhat new experience for me.  I find the girls less fascinating...I've done the 'baby' thing before.  But Zev is new.  Zev is different.  Zev I find interesting.

What has been amazing me recently is how his imagination is now exploding.  Our bed is now an 'ocean' that he goes swimming in.  He has a turtle-shaped lamp in his room that reflects the shapes of stars and a moon on the ceiling that 'watch him'.  And, my current favorite, three puzzle pieces held together are a sandwich, which he will make for me to eat.  And when I asked him what type of sandwhich it was, it turns out it was a cheese sandwich.

'Will you play with me?'

'Will you sit with me?'

'Will you lay with me'?

'Will you read this with me?'

How can you say no?

Then, like all toddlers, he does something obnoxious and you forget how cute he can be.  He'll push one of his sisters down and then scream when he is ordered to his room.  Or throw a fit when we refuse to allow him to 'watch music' (his phrase for listening to music we have on iTunes while random pictures are displayed on the television screen).  Or insist that he DOESN'T like the potty/Nicky/Mommy/Daddy/Dinner/the sisters.

Its definitely fun.  Lucky for him, the cute factor overrides the obnoxious factor.  And it makes me look forward to when the girls are his age and what cute things they are going to be doing.

He's turning into a 'real boy'.  His memory is outstanding:  he will remember an entire song after just hearing it a few times.  And sing it to me.  His likes/dislikes are becoming more distinct.  And he's becoming fun to really play with, now that he is really playing.  It amazes me sometimes.

Its fun to watch him grow and learn.  I never realized how difficult parenting was until I started doing it.  He truly has a mind of his own, and its growing into its own.  I just hope we do a good job with him....