What Makes Noah

This is the post I've been wanting to write for several months. So many things have been going on (good riddance February!!!) that it's been hard to find the time. Ever since Noah hit the age of 2, I've been a lot worse at keeping track of his development. There's so much to say, even if things don't change as much and as fast as they did when he was a baby. So here goes.

We'll start with the physical information.

• Noah is a skinny minny. People always tell us he looks tall, but I think it's only because he's so slim. I don't think he's any taller than other boys his age. He wears size 5 diapers, and 2/3T shirts. As far as pants go, 2T fit ok, but if they have tabs we shrink them down as far as possible.
• He seems to have some clear gross motor delays. Noah still hasn't mastered jumping with both feet off the ground. He has done it in the past, but I haven't seen him do it recently. He also looks very uncoordinated when he runs, especially compared to other two year olds. I'm not overly concerned, and I'm fairly certain he wouldn't qualify for services through an IFSP or IEP because they rarely service motor delays on their own. The OT/PT at my school is giving me lots of great advice, too.
• His speech/language skills seem pretty great. Noah has an awesome vocabulary and speaks in complete sentences. Sometimes I think his speech is a little difficult to understand (probably because he loves his paci a little too much), but overall I think he's a-ok in this department. He still has a few words that he pronounces funny, but I think they're so stinkin' cute that I don't even try to fix them. Some of my favorites are "root be deer" for root beer, "poodle" for pool, and "truck n' towed" for tow truck. Too adorable to correct, right?
• As a school psychologist, I can't help but pay attention to cognitive development. Occasionally we use play-based assessment to evaluate kids under age 5, so I have access to the age tables for all areas of development. I know as a parent I might show some bias, but I am confident that he's nearly mastering all cognitive skills expected at 36 months, which he will be in 2 short months. Eek! He can without a doubt perform all skills expected at 30 months. So no concerns here, either.
• Noah has been having some sleep difficulties. I started recording the information on my phone so I can eventually share it with the pediatrician. Basically, Noah wakes up crying and upset several times per week. I recorded 9 incidents in January and 7 in February. It usually happens within a few hours of going to bed, between the hours of 10pm-1am. Sometimes he is inconsolable and won't let me touch or talk to him. Other nights he just needs a song and drifts back to sleep. Sometimes he is able to tell us why he is upset (often sounds like a scary dream), but sometimes there is no explanation. Anybody else experience this with their toddler? Despite this weird phenomenon, he is still an amazing sleeper overall. He might not always want to go to bed, but he rarely puts up a real fight and almost always settles down immediately. On weekends he sleeps from 8:30pm-8:00am reliably, and he still naps for 2-3 hours in the afternoon. At daycare naps are shorter though.
• He's still a pretty picky eater, but I think this goes in phases. Lately it's seemed a little better, but sometimes he will look at something and make up his mind that no way in hell is he eating that. Again, daycare reports he will eat anything, but I think she's full of shit. :) She does tell me he's the slowest eater ever, though. Yes, that's true!

Then there's all the little personality quirks that make me love him so darn much!

• Noah has discovered how to pout. When he gets scolded for something, he buries his face or runs away to hide from us. He lowers his eyebrows and sticks out his lower lip, then glares at us. When we make eye contact, he hides his face or grunts. Unfortunately for him, both Brian and I find it adorable and not the least bit offensive, as I'm sure he's intending.
• If we have to redirect Noah away from something he wants, he tells us things such as "Don't say that mean word!" or "You don't say that at me, Mommy!" Again, it just makes us laugh. Who's the parent here, kid?!
• In true toddler form, he's sassy, opinionated, and extremely contrary. These days when he actually needs a timeout, he treats it as a time to be even naughtier. He'll stand up in the timeout chair and yell, "You have to take a timeout, Mommy!" Sometimes he also says things like, "I kill you, Mommy! I kill you!" Um, should I be concerned?
• So yeah, sometimes he threatens my life. But he also tells me that he loves me. I love when it comes out of nowhere, without me telling him first. He's still a mama's boy through and through. He has just started telling Daddy that he loves him too, which Brian appreciates. In addition to loving his parents, Noah loves everything. It's so funny how often we hear him declare his love for the most random stuff. And it's always said with so much sincerity.
• Noah is a social butterfly. Everywhere we go he makes new friends, young or old. If little kids are around he always wants to get right in the mix. If adults are around, he wants their attention. He gets lots of smiles and we get lots of comments about him as a result. It makes me beam. It also makes me wonder where he got all this extroversion. It certainly didn't come from his parents! Maybe it's the universe's way of making Brian and I interact with people more! 
• On a related note, Noah says really cute things about his friends and other kids. One day I asked him something about Wilson. He replied with, "Wilson is my friend. That's my boy!" I also recently showed him pictures of my friend Danna's new baby and he replied, "I love that baby! He's my baby!"
• Noah is BIG into pretend play. Recently some of his favorite themes are witches and pirates. He likes to use objects to cast spells on us, then tilts his head back and breaks out this crazy witch laugh. I need to get this on video before he stops doing it! He's also way into Jake and the Neverland Pirates. He has a toy pirate ship and the pirates that go along with it have been named Jake and Cubby. He often pretends to be Jake, I am assigned Cubby, and Brian gets Captain Hook. Everything that comes out of his mouth is followed with an "Arrgh!" What book should we read Noah? "The Lion King. Arrgh!" Oh, he makes me laugh!
• Speaking of book and bedtime, he is learning sneakier ways to stall the routine. Now, usually while we're somewhere into the 3rd book (we read four most nights), he'll hop off the chair and walk to the stop of the stairs. Then he yells down at Brian, "Daddy! I need a drink!" Brian then gets him some water and we get back to reading. I'm pretty sure Brian enjoys the extra attention each night, even if he is being manipulated!
• There are so many other things that I forget to write down. For example, even just seeing him run past me in the morning as I dry my hair, then double back to show me his toy fire truck as he shouts out, "Hi! Fire truck!!" can make my whole day brighter. Seriously, toddlers are the best!

So that is Noah in a nutshell, just over the age of 34 months. I can't wait to watch him continue to grow and develop. I just know that someday he's going to be the best big brother ever!