Adam - stuff Part 1

I've been meaning to write a post about Adam and his development since his second birthday but I can think of so many things that it's just daunting. So, I'm going to break it up into chunks. I haven't even planned out what will be in each chunk. Let's start with some recent photos of things Adam likes.

An oldie but a goodie: very tall towers:
Stacking, BTW, is the purpose of markers. Adam has shown very limitted interest in drawing, colouring, or writing for several months. Not even, or especially not in finger-painting. But he frequently asks to watch me paint my nails pink or red.


A new like/compulsion: water play:
Ingredients: bottles, sifters, funnels, ladles, cups....
This is a great passtime and will keep Adam occupied for very long periods of time while I get something done. It's best at the kitchen sink because he can't reach the taps to crank up the flow rate or scald himself. When Adam came to visit us at the hospital when Naomi was born, he spent more time at the sink in my room than talking to us.


Another new like/compulsion: waving and watching as Poh-Poh and Gung-Gung walk through the parking lot to the subway station:
This is part of the separation ritual and Adam will fight a nap if he doesn't get to see them go. He needs lots of warning if he won't see them because they drove instead of taking the TTC.


Another recent like: lots and lots of STUFF in his crib:

The minimum requirements for Adam's crib decor:
- one wall-hanging sewn by my colleague, Rose Mouncey, mounted at the wall end of the crib
- the bear blanket from my curling friend, Lianne, hanging on the free end
- the quilt sewn by Rebecca and Susanna hung on the wall side
- the parachute blanket from Poh-Poh draping over the free side
- one 2-foot stuffed duck
- one stuffed white bunny
- two bottles (one water and one milk for naptime, one water and one warm water for nighttime)
- one (ha!) book
- the seal (Olga, his lovey), not shown
- two pillows. The pillows go OVER him, not under him, meaning he usually emerges from his room in a schwitz.

Most days, Adam adds recently used toys and books to this collection most times. Sometimes, he systematically moves every book in his room into the crib before sleeping. Dion, who also likes to have many pillows in the bed but only sleeps on one thin one and never throws away anything without a fight, says Adam gets this pack-rat behaviour from him. Sounds about right.

Adam's love affair with the seal has grown and grown since they were allowed to sleep together when he was 12-months old. A while before he turned two, he started having conversations with her. For a while it was always the same script. For him anyway. I don't know how or whether she answered.
"Good morning, the seal."
"How are you, the seal?"
"Did you eat breakfast, the seal?"
"Did you eat peanut butter, the seal?"

Which brings me to a couple of dislikes. If you ask Adam what he doesn't like, he'll answer:
"cheese, and eggs, and peanut butter." What two year old doesn't like cheese, eggs, or peanut butter!?