31 months

Hunter is 31 months today, officially closer to 3 than 2. It is hard to believe, it feels like we were just celebrating his 2nd birthday. We have reached some major milestones since his 2nd birthday, potty training (a shockingly easy transition,) the move to a big boy bed (I will post photos of his new room when it is painted), another easy transition and sleeping through the night very consistently. All have made life much more manageable.

With the 2s has also come the stubborn determination to do things himself, even when he isn't capable, tantrums, and some down right odd quirks:

1. If you cut something that he would have wanted to eat whole, bread, fruit, etc., he will throw a tantrum and the item is ruined. He will never touch it again.


2. Since he was 18 months old nothing has changed, he still won't wear a shirt with buttons, this has expanded past the classic button down shirt, into any shirt with a single button, polo shirts, those waffle knit shirts, a sweater with a button near the neck etc.


3. He won't wear pants, only jeans, occasionally sweat pants.


4. I can't wear buttons on my shirt either, he also doesn't like me wearing earrings, or any shirt that looks particularly dressy. I have determined that he associates all of the above with my "work" clothing and even on the weekends, doesn't like it. He will throw another tantrum. Some days it just isn't worth it and I find myself picking clothes to suit Hunter's taste, terrible I know.


5. This morning I had come in to wake him from the shower so I was wearing a robe. He told me to go put a shirt on. I asked if he would rather wait in bed until I was dressed and he said yes. Weird!


6. A few months ago at school every child wanted to sit in one of the few pink chairs for meals, arts and crafts etc. Lately, peer pressure has won and now pink is for girls only. I tried to probe him to find out where he learned that, but no luck. This week I was reading a book with a pig in it and he told me that pigs were also now only for girls.

That list is amusing when I am writing it, but some days living it is another story!

Another new development which is very interesting for a parent of her first child....Twice in a couple weeks I have been channel surfing while Hunter is in the room and landed on two programs, Everybody Loves Raymond, an episode where Ray and his brother were fighting. It was supposed to be a funny sequence, but Hunter started to cry and told me to turn it off. The second was America's Funniest Home Video, a boy was jumping on a trampoline and got his head stuck in the outer edge. Again, Hunter started to cry and told me it was too scary. I wonder when we learn to laugh at people getting hurt, clearly not at 2 1/2!

He is a very fun kid, laughs a lot and loves playing with other children. I can't wait to see how he adjusts to being a big brother. He so far seems excited to meet his baby brother, hugs and kisses my stomach and talks to him on occasion. Just a few more months....