Thomas at 2 forever (3)
Thomas is turning 3 on Friday, but he refuses to accept that he’ll be 3. He claims he’s turning 2 again and that he’ll be 2 forever. I don’t know why he’s so committed to being 2, but hopefully he’ll change his mind eventually because it’s going to be really weird when he enters high school claiming to still be a 2 year old!
I don’t know if it’s just because we’ve decided that he’s almost certainly our last child, but I really enjoy my little Thomas. From the time he was a little baby, I found myself saying things like “the chores can wait, this might be the last time I’ll ever get to hold my own little baby.” If you know me, you know what a strange statement that is coming from me (I’m obsessive about cleaning). If you are finding it difficult to balance your chores and responsibilities as a mother, you can look into the types of housekeeping services that are available and find the one that fits your needs. I should probably join him in that protest about not turning 3, I will really miss having a cuddly little one someday. He tells me he loves me all the time and asks for hugs. He loves to climb into my lap and pretend his hands are spiders. We tickle each other and pretend to eat each other. He runs to hug me with such intensity that he sometimes knocks me over and he gives me the kind of tight cheek to cheek hug that says I love you with everything that is in me.
Thomas loves to have stories read to him. His favorites are usually ABC and 123 books, but sometimes he he picks another favorite for awhile. We read Monsters on the bus so many times that I could close my eyes and recite it while reading with him. Some of his recent favorites have been Creepy Carrots, I am So Strong, The Monster at the End of This Book (sometimes I read it as “the Thomas at the end of this book” which he thinks is hilarious), Nursery rhyme books, and a library book about a group of hamsters looking for a new home. He is always trying to talk me into extra books at bedtime and if he’s ever still awake when Isaac goes to bed, he’ll crawl in with Isaac and convince him to read to him as well.
Thomas has a best friend who lives next door. They were instant friends and have spent loads of time together. Thomas never tires of his friend and they almost never argue or fight. I think they’ve only yelled at each other at my house maybe two or three times in the last year which is impressive considering the amount of time they spend together. When all the older kids had parts for the primary program, Thomas insisted that his part was “It’s a buddy Ian day today!” Thomas and Ian have the cutest conversations. This morning they were comparing underwear since they have both recently started potty training. Thomas regularly includes Ian in his prayers and I’ve heard reports that Ian also prays for Thomas. Ian has a stuffed dog that he loves to play with. When Ian gets his “baby doggie” out, Thomas gets a stuffed kitty out and they play together. I’ve never had a kid make such a good friend at such a young age. Ian lives next door and I hope he lives there forever so these little boys can grow up together.
This is Thomas and Ian in August of 2013 (Thomas is 18 months old and Ian is 2 years and about 2 months old)
In October of 2013 spontaneously holding hands as they play.
In October 2014:
Thomas loves letters and numbers. He loves to count and does fairly well. He typically counts to 30 with only a mistake or two usually around the middle teens. He knows all his letters and can read a few words. He always comes over when I’m giving Ila reading lessons and insists on a turn. He loves seeing his name in print. He can spell it now without looking. Sometimes he leans over when I’m sending an email and recognizes his name or Nicole’s name on the screen. He may recognize other names as well, but those are the two he has pointed out to me recently.
Here is a longish video of him arranging magnetic letters into alphabetical order:
It’s actually so long there’s a part 2 (and a part 3 which I didn’t upload because before Thomas finished the alphabet, Ila came in rudely insisting that she was hungry and wanted to eat immediately):
Thomas is naturally very polite. He’s always asking “please, I have_____” Even when potty training he’d say “Please I have go pee in the potty.” It’s hard to say no when he asks for things so nicely.
When Thomas gets to choose what to watch, he almost always chooses Daniel Tiger, Cars 1 or 2, or Planes 1 or 2. He likes My Little Pony and has watched so many of them with his sisters that he can name all of the ponies. His favorite is Rainbow Dash.
All of my kids generally have really good friendships with each other. They really like to be together. Thomas is no exception. Every one of my kids loves Thomas and has from the start. They all like to play with him and laugh with him. Thomas plays most regularly with Ila and Nicole, but enjoys Isaac and Charlotte as well.
Thomas has taken to the potty earlier than my other kids. He’s the first to be in underwear everyday before his 3rd birthday. He was very resistant to the idea for awhile. Occasionally he’d decide he wanted to wear underwear, but he’d just pee in it and request a diaper after a few changes. The morning that he really took off with the potty training was one of those mornings where he decided he wanted to wear underwear, but he announced that he did not want to use the potty. It sounded like a recipe for disaster and Zach was skeptical of my willingness to allow a boy to wear underwear when he was so adamant that he would not be using the potty. Thomas refused to use the potty and wet his pants a few times that morning, but at some point he decided to try the potty and he had much success. He went from a lifetime total of about 4-5 successful uses of the potty to about 10 successes in one day. He’s not completely accident free yet, but he willingly (and happily) goes to the potty each time I suggest it. He takes off his pants and underwear, tosses them in my lap, climbs on the potty, pees, gives me a high five, puts a sticker on his chart, and gets dressed again. He has not yet put #2 in the potty, but he’s got a new toy car waiting in the bathroom for him when he does.
Thomas likes to play Starfall on the computer and uses a mouse well. He likes to play on a tablet and knows how to access the games he wants on it. He often asks me to take his picture when he sees me with my camera and lately he’s been asking to take pictures of me. He plays with toy cars and toy planes every day. When the weather is nice, he rides his “car” up and down the street.