Although I’ve been in a little bit of denial as I’ve slowly removed too-small clothing from Alexander’s wardrobe and have tucked away his rattles into a keepsake box, I can deny it no longer. Our little boy is growing up into a full-on, curious and boundary-pushing toddler. Today only cemented that fact when Alexander attended his first birthday party for the son of two of our friends.  Watching him run around holding a balloon and toddling wildly around a gymnasium floor was a swift, but loving kick to the gut– he’s not a baby anymore. Dress him in pastel blue all we want, but Alexander is a toddler through and through.

So back to the party. After a less than ideal afternoon nap, we whisked the young sir off to his first ever mustache party (thank goodness, mustaches were provided!) Alexander seemed to enjoy the party, mostly because of the large quantity of balloons and a toddler slide at his disposal.  It’s increasingly heartening to see Alexander interact well with other little folks– and he might have even been one of the best-dressed there with his little vest and tie!

Alexander enjoying a spinning toy with the birthday boy

Along with the addition of weekends booking up with playdates and birthday parties, we’ve now entered a phase of Alexander wanting to mimic us in every way. We knew we wanted him to have a little kitchen so he could “help” us, and we settled on a great and fairly easy-to-assemble wooden Ikea model.  We contemplated waiting to assemble it, but his great week of napping allowed me to use afternoons to slowly build the wooden masterpiece that Alexander immediately loved! We hauled it upstairs late Friday evening after he went to bed– and he squealed with glee as soon as he saw it on Saturday morning following breakfast.

Testing out his new kitchen

For all of you who gave advice on kitchens, thank you so much! We tried to find a kitchen with plenty of nooks and crannies for Alexander to store things. He immediately tested out all the cabinets and checked the burners. For any of you interested,the unit was not that difficult to assemble, is very sturdy, and has three easily-adjustable heights. Also, for what it’s worth, I was able to assemble it completely on my own over the course of two days worth of afternoon toddler naps.

In other news, Alexander’s therapy continues to go well. We’re now beginning to push his comfort level a little in order to increase his attention span and also to see just how much he is comprehending when we interact with him. After watching our therapist try and coax Alexander to assist in cleaning up a manipulative (ie toy), I figured it was worth a shot. Just tonight, after Brian read “The Little Blue Truck” to Alexander for the umpteenth time, he asked Alexander to help clean up and to put his book away before dessert and bedtime. Both Brian and my eyebrows shot up as Alexander grabbed the book from his dad, toddled over to his book bin, and carefully put it away.

Signing continues to be incredibly successful for us, as Alexander really seems to latch on to using his hands to communicate along with vocalization. After just one meal where I was eating a banana and giving him a little to try while signing it, he seems to have committed the sign for “banana” to memory. I try to throw in signs as much as possible, and I’m still amazed when after maybe one or two repetitions, I’ll see him sign something back to me when I mention the word later on. We’re currently working on “please” and “thank you”– he’s got the sign for “please” down, but he’d prefer to try saying “thank you”– which is just fine with us!

Though we continue to struggle with Alexander becoming more aware of his surroundings and attempting to communicate his little will to us through any method he finds effective (signing, grunting, pointing, howling, and the quintessential toddler tantrum), we are also watching him become increasingly more comfortable with us. Though Alexander has never been difficult, he’s never been one to cuddle or run to hug us. Now, we’re seeing him hug and kiss us, and even lean his head on our shoulder as he gets tired for the night.  I never thought thought I’d be so excited to have a little man clinging to my leg and literally hanging off my apron strings.

This kid parties in style

Alexander continues the tradition of holding a utensil for our family photo