Stepping into Toddlerdom

This week has marked the transition from first steps into the world of toddling (on a regular basis). While crawling is certainly the option used when speed is required walking or toddling is the new way to get around this week. It is so much fun to watch Dylan as he carefully and cautiously steps across the room with his arms out. I know it is only a matter of time before speed replaces this careful and cautious mode of walking.

We also started our new ECFE class this week. The class is not separating but there is time when the children are supposed to play on the other side of the room from the parents. Dylan was fairly happy to move away to play on his own (without Mommy) but he did resort to tears a couple of times when he wanted to check-in with me and couldn't immediately see or find me. There are lots of older toddlers in the class so I am sure that he will be more comfortable with this very quickly.

Music has been lots of fun in the last couple of weeks, both at home and at class. Dylan has been taking the sticks from the box of instruments and banging them together and on the floor. This week at class he showed more confidence and more enjoyment. He was also wowed by the guitar that the substitute teacher played for the goodbye song. He was so wowed that he just wanted to look, look, look. When Molly offered the guitar to him to touch he snatched his hand back.

I have been putting the cushions from the couch on the floor and covering them with our cozy red blanket to provide something interesting to crawl over. It seems that this obstacle is not so much fun to crawl over as it is to flop down on and roll about on, all the while looking at mommy with the "look at me, aren't I cute" look. So cute. Love love it.

We are also back on sleep training this week. Mexico broke our little guy from sleeping through the night. We think it was those molars pushing through but whatever it was he didn't go back to sleeping through the night once we returned home. Matt has taken over the job of tending to the nighttime needs in the hope that it speeds up the message that there will be no milk. We seem to be getting there. Hopefully it will not be too much longer...I don't think Matt can take many more nights.