Ethan (Monthly Update)

Ethan is 16-months-old today, and boy is he ever a hoot! He still loves to eat, though he is slightly more discriminating than he was a few months ago. I think this is mostly because his vocabulary and long-term memory have enlarged and so now he can remember what is in the fridge and pantry and ask for it by name. I don't give him everything he asks for, but it is harder to deny him now that he can ask specifically (with a huge smile), instead of just crying and flailing. He still refuses to say "Please" and "Thankyou", despite the fact that he has over 100 words in his vocabulary. Every time we ask him to try, all we get is a head shake and "no". It really boggles my mind. He will attempt almost any word that we suggest except these two. It's like in a weird way that he knows these words will be constantly required once he can say them. Maybe he hears us reminding Caleb all the time, and he just doesn't want to go down that road. As smart as he is, I'm not convinced that he has that much insight at this age, so I guess I'll just keep wondering why he's holding out on us.

He still tries with dogged tenacity to do EVERYTHING that Caleb is doing. And he won't consent to a parallel activity. Today, Caleb was putting together a 48-piece puzzle, and I was trying to get Ethan to do one of the baby puzzles with me, right beside Caleb's puzzle. Ethan would have none of it. He flung each baby piece I handed him across the room and used all of his strength to pull, push and wiggle past me so he could get to Caleb's puzzle. It wouldn't be so bad if he would just sit quietly holding a couple of pieces, but he wants to dominate the entire activity. He insists on sitting in the middle of the puzzle and holding at least ten pieces in his lap (that Caleb dare not touch without extracting a scream). And it's like this with any activity: if we're reading, Ethan insists on turning all of the pages, whenever he pleases, regardless of what words have been read (or not read). It would be fine if he would look at a book by himself (at his own pace) and let me read to Caleb, but if I am reading to Caleb, then that book is the book that Ethan thinks he absolutely must have. Now, don't get me wrong, I don't give into all of these demands, or even half of them, but they are present regardless, and the clamoring and protests make many preschool activities challenging. On the bright side, he is able to participate in many more activities than he was a few months ago, so play dough, coloring, sports, role-playing and music time are now enjoyable for all three of us.

Developmentally, Ethan is on track. He is stacking blocks (no more than 3), running, walking backwards, kicking and throwing balls, taking his shorts and shoes off, handling the steps on his own (up and down), using a spoon and fork well, naming or pointing at his body parts, and following all kinds of instructions (when he feels like it). He's also been making some valiant efforts to start jumping. He bends his knees and does a jumping motion, but his feet aren't leaving the ground yet. I remember Caleb doing that, so I know it won't be much longer until he gains some air. Ethan's verbal skills are in great shape. He combines two words several times a day, and he's even come up with a few 4 or 5 word sentences. This afternoon, Caleb was doing some "real cool jumps" (Caleb's description) from couch to couch, and I would tell him "Good job, Caleb!" after each jump. Next thing I know, Ethan busts out with a clear-as-day "Good job, Bubba!" (He always calls Caleb "Bubba".) Ethan often says things like "I wan dat!" and "Dat my ball!" and "Wan my mama!" If you are wondering about all the exclamation points, it's just that everything Ethan says needs an exclamation point because he says everything with intense urgency.

He's our precious little guy, and I'm glad he's getting a post all his own, because he hasn't had as many of those as Caleb has.