I’m just amazed all the time about how much my little guy is growing up. He is really turning into an awesome little guy. He’s also getting really good at sharing.
For example, if he’s eating cheerios he and my husband can say, “can we have some cheerios please?” and he’ll feed us.
I know that sounds sort of silly, but it’s just crazy that a year ago this person was so small and helpless, and now he understands sharing and being nice to people. He seems to get such joy out of doing things “right”.
Since I was a teacher before I started to work at home I know a lot about positive reinforcement. While we’re no strangers to saying, “no, don’t touch that!” we focus a lot more on what he does right than what he does wrong.
When he shares, says “dada”, walks long distances, etc. we clap for him and cheer him on. Even though he can’t understand a lot of the things we say, he understands that we’re happy with what he’s doing, which leads him to doing these things more. Plus, it gives us a greate feeling to see his huge smile as we’re cheering him on. Positive reinforcement rocks!
One thing we do need to make sure of is that he learns to interact with other children. Since this is our only child (so far!) and I stay home with him I’m really starting to feel like he is missing something by not being around other kids very much. The problem is that I don’t know of any playgroups or Mommy and Me groups around our area. There are some about an hour away so I’ll have to look into those. Hopefully he’ll be as good at sharing with other kids as he is with us 
I wrote a couple of months ago about how excited I was that my baby took a “sort of” step. Well, now he can walk very well! Okay, he’s sort of wobbly, but that’s why they call them toddlers after all. We actually caught his true first steps on video, which was wonderful because now we can cherish it forever.
It’s amazing looking back on this past year. Actually, it’s been just about a year since I’ve started this blog! There have been so many changes with my little guy and I can’t wait to see what he has in store next. Let’s see, I’m going to list some of the amazing things he’s doing since I haven’t updated in a while.
- He likes to share the crumbs he drops with me and his dad
- He said “dada” first, and says it when my husband comes in the door
- He has not said mama
(lol) - He likes to hold up his toothbrush to our mouths to pretend to brush our teeth
- He thinks EVERYTHING is funny
- He does not like to go to bed
- He is in the 95th percentile for weight and 92nd for height
- He has 6 teeth, and a gap in between like I used to before braces
I’m sure there is plenty more, and I promise to update more often! I’ve had some great, loyal readers over this year and I have learned so much. Hopefully I’ll be able to start posting helpful things as well since I’m a research nut. I’m determined to learn everything I can about toddlers…because they already seem harder (but more fun) than babies!
