My little monkey

When K turned 2 I intended to write a post summing up 'K at 2'. I never quite got around to it, so here's 'K at 2 and a bit'.

Taking care of him can be a challenge at times, but K is generally a sweet and easy-going little boy. Lately he is really affectionate, coming up to me for a hug or a kiss, or to press his little face against mine. He's good about sharing his toys with other children and will happily offer you food from his plate, but gets upset if things are taken away from him.

K really likes Bob The Builder, but can't stand Pingu. He loves playing at the park and has recently developed a taste for the big slides, climbing up and sliding down all by himself. All the old favourites are still popular - books, puzzles, building towers, playing with anything with buttons and switches. Phones are particularly popular and if there isn't a real one around then pretty much anything will be held to the ear and spoken into: remote controls, calculators, combs..

K is keen to do things by himself, such as getting dressed, but recently he wants me to feed him again. Everyday things like teeth-cleaning, nappy-changing and washing and dressing seem to be easier again nowadays, though mealtimes still descend into Musical Chairs a lot of the time. Unfortunately he's started waking up in the night again sometimes, and won't settle down again by himself. More often than not, those nights end up with the 3 of us all in bed together and I always seem to be the one pushed right to the edge...

K's vocabulary is gradually expanding now. For a long time it was limited to 'bye-bye', 'Bob' and, yes, 'bum' but now he's branching out into words that don't begin with 'B'. He greets H excitedly with 'Dada' and I get the occasional 'Mama' too. He knows that he is '2!' and counts '1,2, 3'. He points out various parts of the body including nose, eyes and teeth, and requests 'up' and 'more', sometimes with an added 'please'. When something is broken, dirty or just not quite right we get a very forlorn 'Oh no...', and if K spots something naughty he scolds 'no no no!' even though he is usually the one responsible... Now and then he manages a little 'hello' and today's favourite game was pointing out all the doors and cars we saw.

Animals are referred to by the noises they make; dogs go 'woof-woof', cats make a rather strange 'wah-wah' and tigers and lions roar. And when I pointed some out at the park, I discovered that dandelions roar too...