Things That I Love.

Just look at my boys. They were playing in the big ball pit/tent thingy that Erica and her family got Roman for his first birthday. We don't bring it out very often because it's huge, but Rome always loves it when we do. It was pretty funny this time though, because he was really adamant about making us crawl through it with him, and both Marc and I could only sort of fit in the tubes. I think it was worse for me because I can't lie down on my stomach, so I was trying to crawl through on my sides, which didn't really work... especially when a certain little boy won't let go of your finger because he's trying to pull you in. But we had it out for the last few days, and we spent lots of time crawling and throwing balls through his big play area.

The real reason for this post is that I needed to take a minute tonight to write down some of the things that I absolutely love that Roman is doing right now, so forgive me if this post seems a bit disjointed, but I know that he will grow out of most of these things, so I need to write them down before they are forgotten. He is just such a silly, happy little boy, and I really, really cannot wait for him to start talking because I would love to know what is going on inside that head of his. Especially when he freaks out because the trash can lid, cabinet door, or dishwasher door is not closed all the way. He seriously cannot handle it, and I am not sure why. He will stop whatever he's doing, whether he's eating lunch or playing with his toys, and point and grunt at the thing which has been left open. I am not sure that I "love" this, but it certainly is funny, but Marc and I do have to move quickly once he notices something otherwise he will get really agitated. I guess we all have our quirks; I just wonder of this little OCD trait is here to stay or if he will eventually move on. Only time will tell.

It seems like recently there has been a kind of boom in Roman's communication skills. He started signing with "more," and now he knows "all done" (twisting his hands in the air), but he's also mimicking more and more. The other day (when he was supposed to be taking his nap) some cop cars drove by with their sirens on, and I heard his little voice through the monitor saying, "wooooo wooooo." It was so funny. He also learned a new animal sound (elephant) and has almost figured out the sound a train makes, but instead of actually making a sound, he just pumps his hands up and down because that's the gesture I make every time I say "choo-choo." He will also say "uh-oh" when something drops... or, you know, when he throws something on the floor. Another aspect of his newfound communication skills is to tell us when he really likes something, by nodding his head or giving us a thumbs-up; it is so adorable. The head nodding he started doing all on his own. We'd give him something to eat, like the yummy soup from our Chinese food place or pineapple, or play some music, and ask if he liked it, and he would start nodding and smiling. Then the other day when I was making dinner, he was snacking on some fruit and I said, "Oooh, Romey is that yummy? Thumbs-up?" and I showed him a thumbs-up, and he tried to give one back. It looks more like he's making a gun with his fingers than a thumbs-up (see the pictures above), but he's getting it, and I love it. Oh! And the last bit of mimicking he's been doing is blowing on his food when it is hot, or when it is not hot really, because he has seen us do it so many times that I think he thinks that food has to be blown on before you eat it. But what really tickles me is that he will also blow on non-food things that are hot expecting them to cool down, like when I told him the oven was still hot, or that the cement outside was hot. At least he gets the idea... sort of.

He's also been playing some new games around the house. He absolutely loves playing hide-and-go-seek in the closets, and will sit and wait patiently for you to go find him. One day I realized he was hanging out in our closet with the doors closed while I was folding laundry for quite a few minutes. At least I know where to find him when he runs off. But sometimes he doesn't even need the closet, because if he can't see you, then you can't see him! He'll just run into a corner of a room and hold his eyes closed really tight or cover his face with his hands so that he's "hiding," and he'll laugh and laugh when he brings his hands down and sees that we're still there. He loves it. He is also learning how to play fetch with the dogs, and luckily we have very good, very patient dogs who don't mind that Roman's version of fetch is throwing a ball directly at their faces. Millie will catch the ball, but Brock lets it hit him in the face and then chases it. Rome thinks that that is great fun. And we have been spending more and more time in the front yard because we have lots of cool bugs to play with. I think that the lady bugs have moved on, but we had tons for a little while, and we would go out and count them. (This is another thing that Rome is learning to do: count. He'll find something in a row, like the dots on his fork or food on his tray or something in a book, and he'll try to point to each one while we count, and he always claps when he's done. He's so proud.) But now we have rollie-pollies, and they are so much fun to play with. We are trying to show him that he needs to be gentle and not grab the bugs, and so far no bugs have been harmed in the front yard, but I have a feeling that it's only a matter of time before something gets squished. Our front yard is also really good for blowing on dandelion seeds. This is a favorite activity, but it does mean that we are noticing more and more dandelions popping up in our yard... but it's really just flower beds full of weeds right now, so who are we to complain if he's having so much fun?

And the last new thing that I absolutely love is that Roman is giving us love; all we have to do is ask. We'll say, "Romey give mommy/daddy/Brock/Millie/your reindeer/your owl/etc. love," and he will run right over and give whomever a big hug or put his head down on him/her/it. He will even give himself love (which sounds really bad now that I typed it out, but you know what I mean) if he sees his reflection in the mirror. Just today I saw him giving himself a hug in the mirror... he just has so much love to give! I hope I am not forgetting anything. I have started keeping lists so that I do not forget because this is such a fun time for all of us, but I can already see time flying right before us. Livia is due in just under three months, and I am sure that those first few months are going to be a crazy transition for us, and part of me is really loving these precious last months in which it's still just me and Marc and my dude hanging out.