W.F.T.

My life:

I'm almost 18 months old, but it goes without saying, that I'm wise beyond my (1 1/2) years. I've begun going to preschool at Lincoln Park Preparatory. Overall, I'm not terribly swayed by preschool in one direction or the other. I cry briefly every morning when daddy drops me off, but then I quickly recover and enjoy the many activities my teachers plan for us each day, such as circle time (mommy still can't believe I actually sit by myself with the other kids in the circle while the teachers sing songs to us), painting/craft time, our activity centers, Spanish lessons (but do I really need to throw another language into the mix?), story time and trips to the zoo.

My words:

I'm apparently not so advanced in the spoken word department. I'm an introspective type and don't feel the need to communicate my thoughts and emotions aloud in words (blogging is a completely different matter). I find empty talk unappealing. M & D aren't terribly worried because apparently daddy couldn't speak a word until the age of 3, at which point he began speaking in complete sentences according to Grandma. And this is also the man who scored a perfect on his SATs, but he's probably going to be very upset with mommy for letting me write that.

Anyway, these are my (very few) words (half of which are in Romanian):

Mama, dada, apa (Romanian for "water"), ice (this one goes hand-in-hand with "apa," despite the fact that it's in English, because I always need to drop some ice cubes into my water sippy cup), alta (Romanian for "another one" which is a key term I employ prior to bedtime when I beg for more books to be read to me), asta (Romanian for "this one"), papa, (Romanian for "food"), caca (Romanian for "poop"... which I use to signal that I should head upstairs to my potty either during the act or immediately after having finished the act), arsch (a somewhat mangled Romanian rendition of "it burns"), haine (Romanian for "clothes"), more, ball, uh oh, oh no, no, bye bye, and Elmo. I can pick out and say the names of a bunch of letters too, but mommy doesn't count that (which I don't believe is fair, but there's no point in trying to argue with her... as daddy knows all too well).

Animals sounds I can make: Moo, Neigh, and Woof. (Again, it's more about the quality, not the quantity.)

Favorite activity: Currently it's a tie between reading and picking out letters.

Favorite letters: A, F, I, J, M, N, O, S, T, W. And a word about the letter "W." I am obsessed with the letter "W." I like to collect (mommy and the preschool teachers actually call it hoarding) blocks and other objects with the letter "W" on them and hold them in my arms for hours on end. And I laugh every time I see the letter "W" in a book. It's a funny letter, that crazy "W."

Favorite toys: My new Legos (which I must play with at the very least once each day) that Grandma and Grandpa gave me for Christmas, the rubber farm animals at preschool, the shapes box (which I've already mastered... come on mommy, give me something more challenging), my street sweeper, cement truck and combine harvester that Aunt M gave me for Christmas, Wacky (my stuffed frog), my two stuffed chicks (who don't have names but whom I feed and hydrate and sing to and rock to sleep), my Dr. Seuss alphabet cards, and, probably my favorite of all currently, my letter blocks. My beloved letter blocks.

Cute things I do that mommy and daddy love: When I play hide-n-seek, I hide behind the curtains in the living room with my feet sticking out from underneath. When I'm looking for something, I turn up my palms toward the ceiling and say "Eh???" I like to hide objects behind my back and trick M & D into thinking I don't have them by pointing somewhere else. I carry as many toys as I possibly can carry in my arms at any given time. I like to read books while on the changing table.

And last, but certainly not least, some pictures from the past several months:

M & D went back to the city early after Thanksgiving while I hung out at my country home with Buni and Papa John, and then I came home to this!

Checking out the Christmas decorations.

Hanging out with my best friend. I'm his mini me.

I like to read while on the changing table. So what? Why do they always need to take pictures of it?

On other occasions, I like to have someone else read to me.

At the Christkindlmarket.

At Macy's, taken minutes before the traumatizing encounter with Santa. All is well at this point in time.

Then comes this. My visit with Santa at Macy's was an obvious success.

The old man and I got on swimmingly.

Peek-a-boo

A mommy-and-me post-bath selfie.

Brunching at Kingsbury Cafe. I must have my reading materials with me at all times.

Chillaxing.

Hat head.

Sometimes when I get hungry, I have to take matters into my own hands. I constantly beg for papa (food), but often to no avail.

Playing with mommy and my letter flashcards. They were a huge source of entertainment for me for a good stretch of time, but they've recently fallen out of favor due to my newfound love of the letter blocks.

Playing with the Legos Grandma and Grandpa sent me for Christmas. It's a favorite activity for daddy and me.

On my way to Jett's biker birthday bash.

One of my greatest joys in life is pulling mommy's hair. I'm not sure she enjoys it as much as I do.

I love the ball pit at My Gym.

Passed out.

This is what goes down during dinners with daddy.

Dinners with daddy are obviously the BEST.

Party Val and Auntie Heather got me this awesome scooter for Christmas. Everyone was shocked when I was able to ride it. They never fail to underestimate my athletic prowess.

First time playing in the snow.

Then came more snow days.

M & D were a little overzealous in bundling me up.

One day in December, I decided I wanted to wear my Halloween costume... and have daddy read me a book, of course.

On my way to preschool.

Me and my ridiculously oversized backpack that LPP gave me.

Hanging out with my twin.

Again, I must have my reading materials with me at all times.

I like to wipe up the floor after I spill on it. M & D call me the messiest clean freak they know.

I'm a master at this hide-n-seek game.

That crazy W.

Hello readers,

Before beginning this blog post, I must inform you that you are no longer reading the musings of a mere baby. The author is now officially a toddler. I have 13+ months of wisdom and experience under my belt. If you thought my prior posts were witty, amusing, humorous, and yet simultaneously informative and thought-provoking (which, by all objective measures, you should have), then just you wait for my pieces from here on out.

Now that I have your attention, I would like to get something off my chest. I'm a narcissist. I've said this before, more so in jest than anything else, but this time I say it as an earnest and somber confession. One of my favorite activities is looking at pictures of myself on M & D's phones and, since this is a confession, I should reveal that I also kiss those pictures of myself repeatedly. In an effort to teach me numbers, mommy counted the number of times I kissed the picture set as the wallpaper on daddy's iPhone (a picture of yours truly at 4 months). 16 kisses ensued before I lost interest. Pure narcissism. I also sit very still (which never happens under any other circumstance) and watch with the utmost attention when mommy shows me videos of myself.

And, in true narcissistic fashion, let me tell you a little bit more about - what else - me:

Current passions: Garbage trucks (I watch them in the alley from our kitchen window and the garbage men wave at me each day), dogs, toy trucks, balls (an unfailing joy), leaves, the pumpkin on our stoop, my new Cozy Coupe, reading books with M & D, playing in the courtyard, playing with my neighbors Tricia and Jack (so what if they're 7 years older than I am; we connect on an intellectual level), dancing and twirling around in circles, giving kisses, waving, clapping, going to the zoo, snuggling with my stuffed animals and with M & D (I wouldn't have pegged myself for a snuggler a couple of months ago, but I must admit I love it now).

Favorite books: Quiet Loud, Moo Baa La La La, Alphaprints, Panda Bear Panda Bear, Trucks, Hush Little Baby and Baby Says Peekaboo. I like to read this last book over and over again, which sometimes annoys daddy. I know he'd rather be reading me Dr. Seuss or Walt Whitman (but Walt Whitman sure as heck doesn't have any flaps I can lift to reveal hidden pictures of babies).

Favorite stuffed animals: Big Dog, Jingle, Ham, Snoopy, Sheep, Froggie.

Favorite games: mommy lines up all my toys and tells me what to pick out and bring to her. It's not a terribly complex game. But apparently mommy is bewildered by the fact that I am able to pick out exactly what she names. Mommy is so simpleminded sometimes. Also, I am constantly asked to point to my nose and mouth. Drives mommy wild when I do it. I also like to play peek-a-boo with mommy. I duck down behind the sofa and mommy thinks I have disappeared. She wonders out loud where I've gone and then I jump up and surprise her. I do this about 15 times in one sitting and each time I duck, she has no idea where I've gone. Poor, naive mommy.

Favorite recent photos of myself from the last couple of months: