Gaëtan - 21 months

- has started daycare last week and so far everything is going well (he has only spent 15min alone there but it's a beginning!)
- is officially only napping once per day (in the afternoon)
- is washing his hands all by himself in the little sink in the toilets (thanks to a little IKEA stool)
- is saying more and more words, although he doesn't pronunce them very well
- still looooooves strawberries
- is looking for - and finds her - my sister Marie in a magazine (Femme Actuelle): it's actually a brunette modelling for Monoprix but she has a similar fringe!
- says "Tonton" (uncle) whenever he sees the red apples we brought back from Cussac + asks regularly after "tonton" [he spent time with 2 of his uncles this summer]
- adooores the slides at the park or at daycare and seems to prefer going down head first
- is not interested in the slightest by the potty but will gladly sit on it (or stand in it!) from time to time (all dressed up or with his diaper on... hardly ever butt-naked)
- likes to take people by the hand (very cute!) and lead them somewhere (he usually doesn't know where himself... this is not the point! The point is: HE is leading!)
- is starting (very slowly) to give REAL kisses (ie on our cheeks and not only blowing them) to REAL people (ie dad, mom, grand-parents, "tonton"...) not just to his plush toys or animals in his picture books!
- is gives kisses very generously to every single animal he comes across (plush toys, images in books, on tv...) and blows many kisses when saying goodbye; including to people with don't know that well like the postman, salepeople at the stores...)
- desperatly needs new shoes and new slippers (bad mother!)
- cries/screams whenever he is at the pediatrician... this is why I've ordered/bought some books on the subject to prepare next visit (in December)
- likes to wander in the flat pulling our shopping caddy: it's heavy, quite big and doesn't turn easily... which proves VERY frustrating to the little man! (meaning many tears!)
- still wakes up regularly (but briefly) during the night: nightmares? night terrors? I went to calm him down almost every single time this summer because I didn't want him to wake anybody up, but I am now trying to get him used to calming himself down. I really do hope things will quiet down shortly. I need my beauty sleep!
- loooves having someone read him his books, quietly sits down next to the lector to listen/watch the images, then runs to get another one as soon as the first one is finished...
- still has a weird obsession with bottle caps ('chon, 'chon! = bouchon), doors ('poh, 'poh! = porte), lights (kia, kia! = lumière), cars ('atur, 'atur = voiture) and especially trucks (cahon or cayon = camion) since this summer and our many road trips
- has a new car seat facing forwards and it's pure joy!
- takes a shower more and more often in dad and mom's shower (instead of his usual bath) and takes great care to wet himself thoroughly with the shower head, then to scrub himself with the shower gel
- found two great ways to make mummy smile when she's angry with him: either by saying "maman, cahin [calin = hug]"/"maman {kiss in my direction}" while stretching his arms in my direction OR by saying "nez, yeux, cou..." (= nose, eyes, neck...) while pointing at the various parts of my face.
- looooves to help me unpack the grocery shopping from the caddy and bring it to the kitchen. Whatever he's carrying, it is always "lour" (= heavy) and carried with much huffing and puffing!
- says "bébi" (= baby) whenever he sees a baby or another child in the street, in the park, on tv, in magazines... He also says the same thing whenever he sees a picture of himself.
- has started to climb on the back of the sofa and get down on the other side... ER here we come!
- has already had his fair share of bumps and bruises but nothing major yet (fingers crossed!)
- his hair is still very thin but is starting to get longer again
- is still cute as a button and still melts my heart whenever I look at him ;)

All in all, a little todler who is growing well and whose spirit (somebody said temper??!) is beginning to show through!