Monkey See, Monkey Do

My son is just adorable. I love watching him play, and I am just amazed at the things he shows that he has picked up on, and the things that he learns all on his own. But most of the time, it's just amazing to see the things that he learns from watching us. You dont think they pick up on things, you dont think they will notice the smallest habits you have, until you see them mimic you. And my son teaches me every day just how attentive he is.

Some of what he learns is cute and good that he knows. When I brush my hair in the morning, he knows what a brush is for. He picks up another brush and starts trying to brush his hair. He knows that you are supposed to stack the crackers, meat, and cheese in a lunchable. He makes stacks of cracker, cheese, cheese, cheese, cracker, meat, cheese. He knows that shovels are for digging in the ground, and he knows that you put water on plants to make them grow (well, he might not know exactly why you water them yet, but he does know that you put water on plants). He knows what a toothbrush does. He lets me brush his teeth first, then he enjoys holding it himself. He has a hard time moving the brush back and forth, so he puts it in his mouth and shakes his head back and forth to brush.

He even picks up some of our words. When he's doing something we dont want him to do, we tell him to stop. Well he knows exactly what that word means now, because when we do something he doesnt want us to do, he tells us "toooooop!" LOL it's hilarious. When he wants something, he knows how to say please. It actually sounds more like "eease?" He says it when he brings us his empty cup, asking to be refilled. He says it when he brings us a closed package of crackers or a lunchable asking to be opened. I feel really bad when he says please and I have to turn him down, like candy before breakfast or something, but in a case like that, I dont care how cute he is or how he asks, there is no way he's getting candy before breakfast!

I dont talk on the phone very often. At least, I dont notice that I do. But I know that my husband calls every day from work to talk about his day and see how we're doing. Well, my son has picked up on what a phone does, because he picks up my cell phone, holds it to his ear with his shoulder, and talks on it. Sometimes, he even manages to press the right buttons and call someone! Usually (thankfully) it's only my husband that he calls, and he always shows it off at work that his son, not even 2 years old yet, misses him enough to steal mommy's phone and call him. Haha. Of course, my son will pick up anything that looks like a phone and try to talk on it. It's especially cute watching him try to talk on the TV remote or my iPod.

When we're outside feeding the animals we take a bucket, fill it with bird seed and corn, and go to each cage and fill their feeders. My son has taken a small bucket he found and holds it up to us near the feed barrels and says "please?". This tells us he wants some feed. We give him a scoop in his bucket, and he picks a nice comfy spot in the grass and dumps out his whole bucket. The yard birds (chickens, ducks, geese, and guineas) all come running to eat the feed, and my son just sits there and laughs. He reaches out and pets them, and he even picks a few of them up. He's especially good at catching the chicks when he's in the brooder boxes... we just need to teach him that chicks arent meant to be thrown!

On the topic of throwing things, I find that my son also picks up on our bad habits. When we take off our shoes at the couch, we have a bad habit of just throwing them over to the shoe rack by the door. Later, when I get up again, I'll go over and stack them correctly, but at that exact moment I just toss them over there. My son now things that we throw our shoes everywhere. He even thinks that the shoe rack is a nifty device that holds your shoes until you are ready to throw them. It has made us realize just how much we throw and toss things around the house when we are too lazy to get up and put them away. And we cant just tell our son "throwing is bad" because how bad can it really be when mommy and daddy do it all the time? Guess we'll have to make a few changes. On the bright side, my son is not even 2 years old yet and he can throw a football with better precision and aim and just mindblowing accuracy then I could have ever imagined possible. Of course, he's still learning how to catch. We have to start with step one: hold out your hands, lol.

Some of the things he does, I have NO idea how he learns it. Whenever he hears music, he starts dancing. My husband and I are both very positive of the fact that neither of us can dance. Well, my husband can 2-step, but I think that's a normal country thing that country people just sort of know how to do. But my son can get DOWN. I mean he moves his hips side to side, sometimes he picks up his feet, he bobs his head, and he moves his arms around. If it's a slow song, he moves slower, and if it's a fast song he really gets moving. And he really loves it too, because once he starts moving to the music he gets the biggest grin on his face and he looks over at us to make sure we see him. I admit that I sing along to just about anything, whether its a song on the radio, a song in a movie, or even a song on a commercial. My son has started singing along to music as well, and sometimes when he's not doing anything, like sitting on the couch or just standing around in the living room, he will start singing and dancing out of nowhere. He just starts swaying and singing... he never uses any words in his songs, but its very obvious that its a song. The best song I've ever heard is the one my son sings to me when he sits in my lap and looks into my eyes and just starts to sing.

But of all the things he does, I have one favorite. We give him hugs and kisses all the time. We tell him we love him all the time. Whether it's just because we feel like telling him, or if it's because he fell down, we make sure he knows it. Sometimes I can tell it annoys him. I'll move in for a hug, but the moment my arms are around him, he wiggles out of it and yells "toooop!". It's hard to even be sad that he didnt want a hug with his cute little version of "stop". But there are times when he wants me to hold him or play with him, and I just cant. Sometimes I'm busy planting or weeding in the garden, sometimes I'm trying to get some dishes clean, whatever it is I just dont have time at that exact minute to hold him. I guess he thinks he did something wrong, or he knows I'm not in a good mood... or he's just the sweetest kid in the entire world and wants me to know he loves me too. Once I'm sitting on the couch or for whatever reason down at his level, he puts his arm around my shoulder and leans his face over mine with his mouth wide open in the traditional toddler kiss. Once I give him a kiss, he climbs up in my lap and gives me the tightest most awesome hugs in the entire world. He doesnt let go until I tell him I love him, and at that point either he stays in my lap or he gets this satisfied look on his face and runs off to play.

No matter what he happens to pick up, I am just thrilled that he knows how to show love. He is the sweetest kid. I hope when his little brother is born, he will be a good role model and show his brother how to do all sorts of things.