Camara Trap!
I always thought it would be great to be the kind of field biologist with an excuse for a camera trap -- set up the motion sensitive trip-beam and see what wild-life comes by. I've ended up with a strange permutation of this with my iPhone. Picture after picture that looks like this: a toddler peering down, operating a touch-screen like he was born to it. When Ronan finds my phone he knows how to turn it on, find the camera, change it to front-facing mode, and snap away.* He hasn't figured out how to glam for it yet.**
*He also knows how to turn it on, scroll three pages until he finds flight-control, and start crashing airplanes.
Deep Questions
Ronan often volunteers that he likes us (and occasionally that he doesn't), but I decided to explain more about the word love. I asked him once, "Do you know what love is?" and was treated with a repeat of that question for days on end. He'd ask it a few times a day, hearing different answers, and then put this gem together:
Ronan: "Mama, do you know what love is? Love is when you really really like. I really really like you."
Overheard on the monitor
There could totally be a twitter feed (or whatever you call them) for this topic. Here's what I've heard recently:
1:30am: Is this my car binky?
3am: Do I like coffee?? Ooh! I DO like coffee!
9:15pm: I wanna be up on mama. I wanna be up on dada. I wanna be up on mama. No I wanna be up on dada, not mama!
Are you happy?
Ronan is always asking "mama, are you happy?", "dada, are you happy?", or proclaiming "I'm happy!" Sometimes he says this when he looks more tired than anything else. It's been interesting to have this little happy-check in our lives. At 7:30am, pre-coffee, we usually manage to say something like "right now I'm pretty sleepy, but I'm happy to see you." I'm not sure where this comes from, but Ro does seem to be pretty tuned in to other people's feelings. He particularly notices when other little kids are crying and points it out.
Moral compass:
I always envisioned toddlers as impulsive and reckless with an ounce or more of death-wish thrown in: climbing unstable structures, grabbing things they aren't supposed to, and getting into everything. Much to my surprise, I'd have to say that our kiddo is careful. He's deliberate in his actions, prefers to avoid potential hazards, and occasionally cautions us to be very careful while we use that really sharp knife. When he started using scissors at school I wasn't surprised that they told us he was really interested, or that he would carefully snip paper bits forever. It comes in very handy sometimes: he runs to the end of the school path, stops before the parking lot and shouts "wait!" or "stop", holding his hand out.
It's particularly something I notice because I'm not a rule person. Ronan wants to know right and wrong and should and shouldn't. He'll ask me if food is good, or if he should put something in the trash, and he remembers all the rules. The flip side is that we often get told by our toddler "no, you should not do that." When he climbs the stairs he likes to say "I'm almost grown up." I'm inclined to believe him!
Shy
Ro clams up around new people in new places, but this is when we get to see a little gesture we used to get more often at home when he talked less. He gives this odd little shy smirk and lifts one shoulder to his ear that looks like the gesture version of blushing.
This month's quote board:
1/24: D: Do you want some more tortilla?
R: No, thank you for asking, but I had enough. (We did not teach him to talk like this!)
1/26: (After running in circles): Hey, the room is spinning around!
1/26: Mama, is this perfect? (referring to stomp rocket placement)
2/4: Hi mama making a fire.
Hi dada pushing buttons on the computer.
2/5 (showing off to babysitter Hanna): I have two lawnmowers, one green and a yellow one.
2/8 (sings): Hush little baby don't say a word... mama's gonna go to work work work.
2/9: I'm on my bicycle. And I'm riding ALL the way to California!
2/9 (In the car)
R: Hold on!
A: We don't need to hold on -- we're wearing seat belts
R: I was hoping you are holding on to the steering wheel.
2/20: We're going on a dragon hunt! I'm gonna be in my cave. Are you coming on a dragon hunt?
2/22: (Holds up a lego tower to his eye like a telescope). Ooh! I see raccoons in the mudroom. I am going to get them so that they will eat some cat food. (Returns with arms outstretched).
He sounds like he must be his parents' child.
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