Davis Family: Waylon Update

Waylon is almost 34 months old. In mid-November I came home from shopping and Waylon was outside with his Grandpa, who was holding him. For the first time, Waylon looked like a big kid to me. He is HUGE--very tall and "sturdy." I feel like we got jipped out of part of the toddler stage because he grew up so quickly. He went straight from 2T to 4T clothes and wears a size 9 shoe. He is the tallest kid in his class (by far) and even taller than several kids that are a few months older than him. So far he has not figured out how much bigger he is than the other kids, and so far has not been a class bully. He is in the midst of a transition to the big boy class, which he did not want to do, and I think part of his hesitation is that he likes being a big fish in a sea of little fish.

In addition to being physically much more mature, Waylon is also much more cognitively and emotionally mature. About a month ago we noticed a HUGE difference in his ability to focus. He can now self-entertain for 20 minutes, and is very content to play imaginary games with his Little People playsets, or cars & trucks. He is still very physical and loves to rough house with daddy, but he can also be very calm and play quietly for significant periods of time. I find myself feeling guilty that I am not playing with him, but I know that it is good for him to spend time playing by himself. Dont worry, we aren't sitting around twiddling our thumbs, about the time Waylon became more focused and calm, Avalon became more active and needs a lot of supervision. Never a dull moment around here.

I have to admit the terrible twos were definitely terrible. He was a funny little guy, but the moodiness and fits were a test of our parenting. He seems to be coming out of that phase and is much more reasonable unless he is totally exhausted. However, I have heard from many parents that the three's are worse than the two's, so we are gearing up for more fun ahead.

Waylon is constantly surprising us with his observations and ability to hear and repeat EVERYTHING. He has been in Spanish classes since September, and was slow to warm-up, but now really enjoys classes with Maestro Hugo. He knows his colors, some animals, and although he ignores our commands to "stop" he will listen when we say "alto!"

As I posted below, Waylon is a really loving, sweet older brother to Avalon. Seeing them together has brought tears to my eyes many times. I know they have a long road to go, but I hope he continues being tolerant and gentle with her.

Here are a few Waylonisms:

He loves to tell us that things are perfect:
Waylon: I want to go outside.
Daddy: No, its too cold out there.
Waylon: Its not cold, its PER-FECT. (said with A LOT of emphasis)

Waylon: I want my chicken nuggets. (his favorite food)
Mommy: Not yet, they are crazy hot.
Waylon: They're not crazy hot, they're perrrr-fect hot.

Waylon was playing with his bread, saying that it was a cruise ship. I told him to beware of Somali pirates coming on board, and now he loves to play with and talk about "tamale pirates." When he actually ate a tamale last night he seemed genuinely disappointed that a pirate did not pop out.