... is a complete bundle of energy. He wakes up at 7am every morning, and doesn't stop running around, singing, fixing stuff around the house, playing cars, assembling puzzles, etc, until around 7pm at night. That means I'm his care-giver for at least 12-hours straight every day. I love spending this time with him, but it's super challenging finding ways to occupy and entertain for such long periods of time, since toddlers have a rather short attention span. Thankfully, he's really into books, so he can sit for at least 30-min per stretch reading. We keep his books in several large boxes on the floor in his play area, and on his own, he goes through at least one box of books per day.
He speaks well, and his vocabulary is vast, I think. I'm not really sure how many words he's supposed know by now, but he impresses me with the many four-syllable words his knows, and by being able to tell between octagons and hexagons, for instance. He knows every tool in a toolbox, and knows when to use which tool. He'll look at the screw to decide whether he needs to employ a Phillips or slot screwdriver, he uses a wrench to loosen bolts, pliers to take nails out, etc. His eye for detail seems rather amazing to me (I admit I'm a little biased), but it could very well be the case with every other kid out there and I just haven't compared notes :/ He also knows the tunes and lyrics too all the cartoons he watches, and entertains us daily with his cute renditions. He loves animals and we show him interesting creatures like narwhals, monitor lizards, otters, and he surprisingly remembers them all.
Food-wise, I began to completely wean him off breastfeeding about a week ago (up till then, he was still nursing at least twice a day). He was naturally very resistant to it at first, considering he has been nursing for over two years. But I repeated that I had not much milk for him anymore, and he's already a big boy who doesn't need Mommy to give milk. I could see the hurt in his eyes when I refused him. But I need to stick to my plan because the main reason I'm weaning him off is so he can learn to be more independent now that he's older, and be able to be in control of his own emotions. Breastfeeding was a source of comfort and it calmed him down before bed, etc. Since he's much older now, he needs to start mastering emotional stability and regulating how he's feeling. To compensate for the breast milk, I give him two feeds of about 8-ounces of formula milk, and one average cup of fresh milk (with his morning cereal) per day. With his, he also eats about two servings of cheese daily.
For breakfast, he takes cereal in the morning with fresh milk, fruit and sometimes a wedge of cheese. I give him organic whole grain cereals such as puffed buckwheat, puffed quinoa, honey-coated cornflakes, cocoa-coated puffed brown rice, etc. I love Nature's Path and New Morning cereals because they are made with whole-grains, usually gluten/wheat free and are 100% natural. Great for the body, and these cereals cost the same as Post or Kelloggs!
Lunch would usually be pasta/ soba/ sandwich, depending on which he chooses, with a protein, some vegetable, and finished with a fruit. Tea time for him is some biscuits/ home-made cake or muffin/ ice-cream and maybe some more fruit, together with his formula milk feed.
He eats dinner with us, and I'd normally prepare him meal with with soup of the day (watercress, lotus root, chicken, pork rib, etc.), put some rice, shredded steamed chicken and chopped vegetables in.
So that's what my little 26-month old boy's eating and doing. I don't realise how fast he's growing up and he catches me off guard when he uses sarcarsm on me, or when he chuckles at witty humor on TV. My baby is most definitely no longer a baby :/
Faking a smile for the camera.
Playing with Toy Story lego, and making up voices for the characters.
