Andrew 28 months

Its been a big month for Andrew, lots of new things, and some regressions too. Andrew went to his first movie at a movie theater. We saw Ratatouille - very cute movie. Andrew was great, he sat on Dad's lap the whole time and was very happy to watch the movie and eat popcorn. (Andrew had his own seat, but he didn't weigh enough to keep the seat-part from flipping up.)

Andrew has started to sing. It started with Happy Birthday last month, and now he sings Eensy Weensy Spider and Baa Baa Black Sheep (he'll sing Happy Birthday any old time too). He's known these songs for a long time and always wants us to sing them to him, but now he is finally starting to sing these songs by himself.

He's also starting to speak in complete sentences. Last night Andrew said, "I want mama to go downstairs." That is a complete sentence with a lot of words and most significantly, a perfect stranger would have understood it. He still says many words and phrases that only those fluent in Andrew-speak would understand.

Andrew continues to be a major Thomas the Tank Engine fan. We've resisted investing too much in the Thomas toys, but he has a nice collection of different sized Thomas trains he's received from family. Here he is in his happy place: watching Thomas on T.V. and playing with the trains.

His grandma Peters visited this month and brought some of Eric's old matchbox cars with her. There must be a section of the boy brain labeled "cars" because Andrew LOVES them. He likes to make them go forward, backward, hitch a ride with Thomas, he even took one for a dunk in his yogurt. He plays with them all of the time and usually takes one with him wherever he goes.

Andrew can share. Just a week or so ago, he let Owen borrow his bunny and blankie while Owen was napping. THIS IS HUGE! Bunny and blankie are Andrew's most prized possessions. I think this bodes very well for these two brothers. He also understands the concept of taking turns. Yesterday we were at his friend Charlotte's house and the two of them were able to share ONE hand-held bubble machine - with actual relinquishing of the toy to the other child - with no tears or other hysterics of wanting to do it "by myself". I was so proud! I have to say that when your child is being good it makes you feel like the best mom, but when your child is good at somebody else's house, it's just down right magical.

Andrew is also branching out socially. This month Andrew got his first kiss (well, first documented kiss, we have a feeling that he's been kissed before : ). This is Andrew and Mandy.

Andrew is fighting going to bed these days. I think he just doesn't want to miss out the cool grown-up action and go to bed. He now will cry when we put down for the night. And this is good old-fashioned tantrum crying - lots of tears, big runny nose, etc. Its surprising that he is having such a hard time because he used to be a champion I-can-sleep-anywhere-anytime kind of kid. I'm surprised also because he now goes to bed with so many things that its hardly torture to go to bed. He usually has bunny, blankie and the passie, but now he's added Thomas and a couple of matchbox cars to the "must have" bedtime list.

Eric and I thought potty training was going to be a snap because going to the potty at Kindercare is a big part of Andrew's daily routine and he had some early success. But now he's stop going in the potty at school. So we need to be a little more supportive of the potty training at home. We're now putting him on the potty with more regularity. Although I think potty training is going to happen much like speaking in complete sentences - when he's ready he's just going wake up one day and do it.