What the beast is up to these days...

Every once in awhile, I realize how quickly it's all going by and I wonder if I'll remember all the little thing. That's when I'm glad I've got the blog to chronicle all of these little moments and habits and lightening-fast phases that make up the content of Ethan's growing personality.

His new obsession with coins--pennies, nickels, dimes, quarters--they all fascinate him. He's desperate to have as many as he can get, either for his piggy bank or for his jeans pocket (like daddy). He will walk up to Husband upon his return from work and ask, "Do you have any coins, dada?" Of course he does, so Ethan lays claim to it, carefully examining each coin Husband gives him and then depositing it into his own pants' pockets.

Yesterday I made the mistake of jingling the change in pocket as I walked into the livingroom. His response was Pavlovian. His head turned to me. His eyes lit up. He asked, "Do you have coins, mama?" And when I responded that I might, he came towards me, saying, "I want them. All. I can have them all, mama." Have I mentioned that pushiness is one of his primary characteristics these days?

The problem with this new obsession is that it coincides with his stomach bug of two weeks ago. I realize that seems like a stretch, but let's keep in mind, my 32 month old child weighs a whopping 23 lbs. Or at least he did. After the stomach bug, I could tell he'd lost a bit of weight because pants that had finally been fitting him after months of my having to roll them at the top, once again needed to be rolled. So, take Mr. Skinnypants and then put about $3 in spare change in his pants pockets. Can you see it? My child running around the house, then falling over on his face because his jeans have fallen down to his ankles in mid-run under the weight of the coins in his pockets?

Poor little bean. It frustrates him to be so pants-heavy, but he won't give up the coins.

The other new thing he's doing is rambling. Suddenly, it is not enough to answer questions or ask them (I am unspeakably grateful that we've not yet fallen into the abyss of "Why? Why? Why?", although I realize that's got to be coming down the road soon); Ethan now needs to talk, at great, incoherent lengths, about everything we've done on any given day. I wish I could recall the exact specifics of any of these toddlerese narratives, but suffice it to say Husband and I are suppressing fits of laughter as he attempts to string together meaningful sentences that can be understood outside his own uber-busy brain. It's the sweetest thing.

Also? Random observations about his own physical self and the world around him are abounding. "I have a thunder cloud in my mouth, mama" was his explanation for the coughing he's been doing lately with this new cold. "I have an eyeball in my eye" was his gem of insight (no pun intended) this morning. And the penis? Let's not even get started on the penis. Every day Ethan has to go through the list of every single person we know and let me know if they in fact do, or do not, have a penis.

Then, as Husband and I enjoyed our coffee and Ethan sipped his chocolate milk and refused all other forms of sustenance at The Coffee Bean this morning, a man with 3-4 days old beard and a bandana around his head sat down next to us. In the first ever "crawl under the table and die of embarrassment" moment we've suffered at his hands, Ethan turns to Husband and me and asks, "Is he a pirate?" Thankfully scruffy bandana man had a good sense of humor and made a joke about leaving his eye-patch and parrot at home. Living in LA, I'm sure Ethan will have many opportunities to horrify me publically in this fashion. Everyone here seems to look like a pirate or a prostitute, so there are bound to be questions rattling around in his 2.5 year old brain that will make their way to his mouth and out into the air around us. Should be wicked fun.

So that's some of what the little beast is up to. Pictures? You'd like pictures? Sure, I can do that.

Not sure if he's singing or eating here, but it's cute...

Our first crack at rice crispie treats...pink for Valetines day. He liked making them, but he won't eat them.

Showing T-Rex who's boss...

just being preshus

Trying to feed me. He's such a giver...

Oh yeah, that's another thing he's doing these days...the never-ending quest for nose-goblins

Our little tree-hugger

cheeeeeeeeeese

This is the day after the stomach bug--that sippy has pedialyte in it. Of course, he never drank it.

Blowing bubbles. Or, standing around with the bubble blower and giggling....

And just because...KITTEHS!!! They are not entirely pleased with me and my camera. Oh well, they can deal.

Echo says: Woman! Again with the camera?! Seriously. You're crazy."