Some favorite things

Here are some of our favorite things about Aidan right now:
- His toddler run is rediculously cute. He still doesn't aways pick up his knees very high when he runs, and kind of throws himself forward assuming that his legs will catch up (it is remarkably effective!). Mommy loves that he still definitely has his "toddle."


- He gets deliriously happy. When we all walked back home from Bennett park on Friday, Daddy was chasing Aidan and then picking him up and kissing and tickling his tummy, and Aidan LOVED it! He kept racing forward, eyes shining, with a huge grin, saying "More! more!", and then laughing freely and delightedly, and then doing it again. His joy is contagious!


- He is completing songs with us! On Wednesday and Thursday, Daddy was singing "Twinkle, twinkle, little star", and left the last word of each line out, and Aidan chimed in with each one! ("...star!...are!.. aye![high]...sky!"). Then he did the same thing for the Wonderpets theme song ("way!...day!..tough!... stuff!") and even the "A,B,C" song! The ABC song was particularly cute, because not only did he get a bunch of letters (at least: d, g, j, p, s, v, x, and z), but and the end, instead of filling in "Next time won't you sing with me?" Daddy said "Next time won't you sing with...?" and he said "Aidan!" Mommy and Daddy are amazed that he understands "me" and translated it to "Aidan"!


- He is playing games with himself. In the car and in the house, he will randomly start covering his own eyes with his hands and ask loudly, "Aidan?! Aidan?!", inviting us to play peek-a-boo with him, and he is thrilled when we ask for him ("where's my baby? Aidan? where are you?") and he can open his hands and "surprise" us.


- He is really ticklish and loves being tickled, when he asks for it. When we nurse at night, he loves it when Mommy gives his finger tips "butterfly kisses" (blinking and tickling his fingers with her eyelashes). He loves the anticipation of having Mommy take off his socks (Mommy makes a really big deal out of it and kisses those naked toes when the socks are off). He loves "round and round the garden" tickles on his tummy and feet and under his neck. And in the bath the other day, Mommy pulled a washcloth through his toes and found out that he has extremely ticklish toes! He asked for more of that and we both laughed and laughed for at maybe 10 minutes!


- He is really into dancing! On Wednesday, Maria from daycare called Mommy to ask her if she was a modern dancer, because Aidan was just dancing and dancing and dancing to her African music! She said he was moving his arms and his body, his head, doing yoga stretches and then getting up and dancing some more - totally in a "flow"! We do dance with him spontaneously a lot for fun, and are so happy that his daycare people are getting to know what a happy Aidan is like!


- He loves snuggling. He especially likes it when Mommy lies down with him with her head in his lap, so he can stroke her hair (still his favorite attachment object, even though he does love his buses and his baby). He also is getting into hugs! Tonight, when Mommy and Aidan were walking back from the park together, he told Mommy he wanted to "ug" Daddy (and did a big "hug" arm gesture to be clear), and than ran into his arms with a big hug as soon as we walked in the door! So sweet.


This week was a good week, with nothing particularly exciting to report. Although it is exciting to say that a "good week" is becoming normal in daycare. He is also consistently sleeping all night (9PM-5 or 6AM), a pattern which has become more normal following Mommy's UN meetings in March. Two very good things to celebrate. Yay!


This weekend, we visited Innwood park and the Little Red Lighthouse, had picnics in wonderful warm (80-90 degree) weather, where we watched baseball games and trains, played baseball, threw stones into the river, and relaxed.