I want to remember...

I came across this journaling technique by clicking a link on a blog I like, Hollywood Housewife.  Thought I might give it a try because lately I've been too busy to blog about all the things Alex has been doing but I want to remember them later.

I want to remember how Alex's vocabulary started exploding a few weeks ago.  He'll repeat just about anything you say & is soaking up as many words as he can.  It's not always easy to tell what he's saying but I'm learning his little language to help interpret.  I love it when he takes two words that are kind of similar & just repeats the last word.  Example - roast beef is beef beef.  Flips flops are flop flops.  So cute.  He's also starting to string words/sentences together.

I want to remember how he loves labeling items.  He'll point to an object & say the name of the person it belongs to.  He'll point to my car & say "mama" or to Michael's car & say "dada".  Etc, etc with cups, shoes, clothes...

I want to remember he's just now starting to say "daddy" instead of "dada".  He says it so cute, too.  Da-yee.

I want to remember how opinionated he is with his shoes.  Good luck getting him to wear his sandals if he wants to wear his sneakers.  Lately, he has been all about the flip flops (aka flop flops).  He about came undone when I brought his sneakers out (I was packing them in his bag for soccer later that day) because he wanted to wear his flip flops that morning.

I want to remember his giggles when I tickle or kiss him on his neck under his chin.  Sometimes he'll tilt his head up for me to tickle him.  He starts to giggle even before I get close to him because he knows what's coming.

I want to remember how he played with his friend Hagan the other day, running from the back porch to the fence.  He'd yell "GO" & run as fast as he could & then yell "STOP" & stop while holding his hand out in front of him.  They kept this up for a few laps.  They play Red Light, Green Light at soccer but Alex never wants to participate - he's too interested in the soccer balls.  I guess he's paid attention, though.

I want to remember how I put him in the corner for the first time the other day & sat him in an open corner in his room before realizing I put him right in front of an uncovered electrical outlet.  Spent the time out trying to keep him from touching the outlet.  Parenting fail.  He didn't seem upset by the corner time at all, but he did correct his behavior & do what I told him to do. 

I want to remember that he's entering the stage where he likes to try to do things himself.  If I start to help him & he doesn't want help, he'll say "mama!!" with this tone that is too funny.  With one word, he immediately conveys that he is not interested in his mama's help.  He's starting to say it a lot more often - when he tries to use a fork to pick up his food, when buckling his car seat strap, when taking off his shoes.  The tone really makes me laugh.  But he's also willing to ask for help when he can't quite get it.  I'm glad he still needs me sometimes.  J

I want to remember he LOVES trucks.  In the car, he's always looking for big trucks.  He'll see one & say "big truck!"  In fact, if too much time goes by & he doesn't see a big truck, he sometimes gets upset.  Luckily, there are quite a few houses under construction in our neighborhood, so we see a lot of big trucks. 

I want to remember when he leaves a place & we tell him to say bye bye, he goes around & not only tells the people bye bye but often says it to inantimate objects.  Every day we leave the daycare provider's house, he likes to say bye to the toys, the entry table, the candle on the table, the door, etc.  He's such a cute little goofball.

I want to remember his current bedtime routine.  We read books (he's always asking for one more), then I sing a few songs.  Lately's he likes to "sing along".  This means he loudly sings gibberish while I sing.  Love it.  We say our prayers & then I tell him how much I love him.  Then he asks "dada?" & I say "yes, Daddy loves you too."  He then proceeds to go through all the people he knows - Sadie (our dog), DeeDee & Grandpa (my parents), Mo & PaPaw (Michael's parents), Aunt Amanda, etc.  I reassure him that they all love him.  I'll say "oh yes, so-and-so loves you so much."  He'll say "yeah" like he knows it's the truth.  So, so cute.

Of course, these are only a few of the many things I want to file away in my brain forever.  But that's all that comes to mind at this minute.  Which is why I should do this more often, so I don't forget these wonderful memories!