Let's Play!

I had to do an update about how much fun it is to play with Jesper. He is learning something new every day, and I’m often surprised that he knows how to do something or how well he understands what we say. It’s so fun to watch him learn!

Current favorite games:

• Acting Out “If you’re happy and you know it”: As soon as this song comes on our “Toddler” radio station, Jesper starts clapping his hands and stomping his feet along to the words.
• Singing Along to “Six Little Ducks”: I wasn’t familiar with this song, but like all toddler songs it has pretty simple components. The chorus is something like “Six little ducks say ‘Quack Quack Quack’”. Jesper heard this song and he started saying “Quack quack quack” along with the chorus. Okay, so it sounds more like “cack cack cack”, but you get the picture. :
• Bubbles: Everything in my toddler's life can be made better with bubbles. Did he just fall down? Does he have to have his diaper changed? Voila! Bubbles make tears disappear. 

• Reading books: All those evenings of reading together seem to be paying off. A few days ago, he was looking at the books in his room and he picked up “Red Hat Blue Hat”. The whole book is pictures of animals wearing an item of clothing in a different color with the last animal wearing it incorrectly. For example, the words on the first page are “red hat, blue hat, green hat, OOPS!” Jesper opened the book and said “da-duh, da-duh, da-duh, UH!” in the same cadence and intonation that I use when I read it. I dissolved into a big puddle of mommy pride. What a smart kiddo!

• Being Outside: Jesper will pick up his sandals and follow me or Josh around the house with them. He gets SO EXCITED when we put them on because it means that he gets to go outside. We don’t even have to do anything outside. He just wants to wander around. Or eat mulch. Or pull leaves off the hostas. You know, normal things for a toddler to do. :)

These leaves come off, Mom!

Can we stay outside all day long?

• Water Play: He still loves his bath, but now playing with water has expanded to the backyard. We have a little hard plastic pool that we get out for him on weekends. And last week, we introduced him to the hose and sprinkler while we were watering flowers. Wow, did he think that was fun!

• Stacking Blocks: I bought the cheapest square boxes of Kleenex that I could find at Target and gave them to Jesper. He loves them! He can stack towers higher than he is tall. Did I mention that this kid is smart?!

Everything is a block

His comprehension is growing quickly, too. Now when I ask him if he’s hungry, he walks over to his high chair and starts to pull it away from the wall. What a difference just a few weeks make!