Happy October and 19 months!

(Climbing off the chair while grabbing the camera at the same time......multitasker!)
(Modeling his pumpkin hat)

(I snapped this one just as he was inching his way off the chair)

Mikey is in full fledged toddler mode these days! As you can see, he is no longer sitting politely for the camera during his monthly photo shoot. He wants to do everything independently and easily gets frustrated when he is unsuccessful at something. He will immediately sign "help" and turn to us for assistance. While out at playdates or in group settings, Mikey has no trouble telling other children "no, no, no" (insert bratty voice here) or pushing them out of the way. He shares NOTHING. This brings on many tears, tantrums and more tears.

Yesterday was the first of four weekly group sessions that I was asked to cover at work. It is a parent-child group that meets for an hour and fifteen minutes. They roped me in when they said I could bring Mikey. I obviously didn't visualize how challenging a job like this could be----as an occupational therapist AND a Mom. We start off in the gross motor room playing with balls, sliding, crashing into the crash pad, swinging, bouncing, walking up and down stairs, etc. We were the first ones in the room, so naturally Mikey thought he owned the place. As soon as other children arrived, he became very territorial and had no issues taking reign over what was "his". This was an excellent experience for Mikey to learn turn-taking, however, when Mommy also needed to make her rounds throughout the room, the situation got a little hairy. At one point a nanny asked for a tissue. I needed to leave the room to get a new box and I was instantly in "work" mode. With that said, I arrived back at the room 30 seconds later to a very upset little Mikey crying at the door. Oops. That pretty much set the stage for the remaining 45 minutes.....nice job, Mommy. Mikey was clingy, whiny and kept saying "up, up" with his little arms reaching out for me.

In the classroom, I was able to get another staff member to help me out (AKA: watch Mikey) so I could actually do my job. This went much smoother. Circle time was interesting as I was leading the group and had Mikey on my lap (he wanted no part of the mats that the other 9 kids were sitting on).

After I wrote my notes and was ready to leave, Mikey had an encounter with 2 year old. This isn't just any two-year-old. This special two-year-old weighs a whopping 70 pounds! The child was playing with a toy that Mikey had been playing with moments earlier (we were putting shoes on to leave). Well, Mikey got right off that chair and continued to position himself in between the toy and the 70 pound kiddo. Apparently, this child doesn't play nice however, Mikey had been so persistent that the older child just got up and walked away. What a bully! Michael and I have observed this at My Gym as well, with the same response from another child. Boy do we have our hands full!!

Halloween is now 30 days away and still no costume for the little boy. I am torn between the "UPS man" and a "blue crayon". We went to the party store and they were out of both, so it seems I will be doing my purchasing online. Last year Mikey's lion costume was an instant decision. This year....not so much. He gets so excited when the Fed Ex and UPS trucks whiz by the apartment multiple times a day, yet at the same time I still want him to be in a "baby costume", ya know?!?! Ah, decisions, decisions.........