Month 29 - Recap

My sweet Batman,
You have officially decided that you are, in fact, Batman. For a week or so, you kept calling yourself 'Matt-ban' but you eventually figured it out. Whenever Natalie wants to play 'Frozen' with you, you insist on being Batman. I've seen Frozen approximately 298 times, and I'm quite sure Batman doesn't make so much as a cameo in the movie, but that doesn't matter to you (or to Natalie either). She's always Elsa and you're always Batman-Anna (Bat-manna ... ha!).

In addition to being Batman, you've also decided to whine and pout about EVERYthing. I'm no superhero expert, but I don't think part of Batman's costume includes a giant pair of Pouty Pants. I need to go back to Natalie's recap when she was your age to see if she turned into a whiny sourpuss at this age, too. Because DUDE, kid. Other than "I'm Batman!", your favorite phrases this month have been "Nooooo!", "Waaaaaaaah!", and "I caaaaaan't!". I don't think this is abnormal for a two-year-old; neither is my feeling that you're a giant goober for being such a whiny-face this month.

You liking baths was short lived. You're back to screaming like we're bathing you in fire ants. *sigh*

Natalie loves telling you the rules. And you finally feel it's high time for you to do the same to her. Case in point: If Natalie is playing with a toy that you want, you'll walk right over to her and try to take it. When Natalie protests, you say "Share, Nattie!" And when Natalie says (screeches) to you "Charlie, no! I'm still playing with it! You can play with it when I'm done.", you say "Kind tone, Nattie! Be kind!" This, clearly, only results in tears from both of you, but it (secretly) makes me giggle.

You rub my back when we hug. You say "I yuhve you, Mommy" a lot. You pat my head when I have a headache. You latch onto my leg when I'm in the kitchen. You are so good for my heart, my sweet bear. And I can sleep easy knowing that if I ever come across the Joker, I'll be safe with you.

Hugs and smooches,
Mommy & Daddy

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Headlines for April 9, 2014:

• At Least 20 Injured After Stabbings at Franklin Regional High School in Pennsylvania
• UConn Defeats Kentucky to Win Men's NCAA Basketball Championship
• '19 Kids & Counting' Star Jill Duggar is Engaged
• New Underwater Signals Detected in Flight 370 Search Area
• Zoo Names Polar Bear Cubs in Germany - Nela and Nobby
• Low Wages, Long Commutes = Stressed Out Workers

March 2014 - Recap

My sweet peach,
So the Big Event of 2014 happened this month. Frozen came out on DVD. I specifically avoided taking you to the store in the weeks leading up to it because I didn't want you to know when it was getting released. Once I told you it wasn't in the theaters any more, you asked when it was coming out on DVD. I casually mentioned (lied) that it probably wouldn't be until the summer. And then we'd have to wait for it to come out on Redbox, which would mean it could take even longer for us to see it again. You seemed bummed, but you were stoked that you would EVENTUALLY see the movie again. The FedEx guy delivered it after dinner the day it was released. I handed the package to you and you looked totally confused. And after you opened it up, it took a good five seconds for you to register what you were actually holding. You screamed. You yelled. You laughed. You hugged the case and jumped up and down while tears streamed down your face. I haven't seen you that excited in a looooooong time.

I love listening to you read. You read your first 'big' book this month. It had 40ish pages. I was so proud of you for reading it all. You looked pretty glassy-eyed when you were done, but you had a big smile on your face when you closed the back cover. Thankfully (mercifully), in this case, it was a cute book. Because a lot of early reader books? Snore pie with yawn sauce.

The weather's warmed up a bit so I've thrown (not really) you and Charlie outside a lot to play. Our rental house is on a fairly big piece of land, so there's lots of places to explore. One afternoon, I was pulling weeds and you and Charlie wanted me to play with you. I told you I would once I was done, and instead of going off to play until I was done, you two sat rightbyme as I pulled weeds. I gave you both the side-eye and said "Go do something! Go explore the woods!" You looked flabbergasted and said "For real? We can go over there?" I said "Um, YES! Of course! Go! Get out of here!" So you and Charlie explored the undeveloped part of the property, looking for bugs and sticks and leaves and dirt. You jumped on every tree stump and pile of sticks that you could find and belted out songs from Frozen for almost an hour. Charlie dutifully followed after you and threw sticks at the trees. And it was so good.

You've started helping me in the kitchen a lot this month. You've asked me for a while now to help, and while I let you from time to time, I realized I say "No, baby - it's okay. I've got it!" a lot more than I should. Yes, it takes longer when you help, and yes, there's a lot more clean up required, but you're certainly not going to learn anything (and you'll probably stop asking if you can help) if I keep saying 'no'. So I've said 'yes' a lot this month. You chopped up an entire box of mushrooms by yourself for dinner one night. It took about 30 minutes, but you didn't care - you were just proud that you had helped. Daddy made sure to compliment how yummy the mushrooms were when we ate dinner. He's such a good daddy.

You took your cap and gown pictures today for pre-school. I can't even ...

Hugs and smooches,
Mommy & Daddy

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Headlines for April 1, 2014:

• Pessimism Grows as Search for Missing Malaysia Flight MH370 Drags On
• Cheetos Marks April Fools' With 'Cheeteau' Fragrance
• NY Student Accepted at All 8 Ivy League Schools
• Man Spends Month Offering Random Acts of Kindness
• When Did GM Know It Had An Ignition Switch Problem?
• Death toll from Washington mudslide hits 24