Tuesday with Charlie | Twenty-three Months.

...presented - in honor of Carole's vacation this week - in list form:

1. He ran to greet me - first time - usually I'm there at the car after his mom drives into the driveway, but I missed their arrival today. And now that I know he'll run to see me, I think I'm going to stop being so punctual so I can get a running hug to start all of our Tuesdays.

2.  After waving good-bye, we went right up to the playroom for "toys". I'm never quite sure which toys are going to strike his fancy and this morning he surprised me by going first for the "monster truck" (all trucks are "monster trucks" right now). Then he dug a little deeper in the box (freeing the alligator) and found the puzzles. Sara gave him three for Christmas - colors, numbers and letters. We worked them all (and found all the pieces!). And ended with "fash cards". He loves them - lots of pictures for him to practice his words. 

3. Next up - second breakfast. Oranges and cheerios and some of my apple. We talked about what we'd do today and I showed him some pictures of himself on Instagram (fun for both of us). Then morning chores. He loves to help make Marmie and Poppa's bed. His favorite part is Poppa's pillow. He takes it from me when we start, carefully sets it on the rug and then gravely hands it back when it's time. Marmie and Poppa have different pillows and he seems to know this - he never mixes them up. We also clean the bathroom counters and this is when Charlie gets to put two "wishes" (pennies, from Poppa's dish) in his pocket for later.

4. Prepping lunch. He's been on a pretty steady diet of hardboiled eggs (naturally cold and really quick to prepare) these past few weeks but today he opted for chicken (fingers). also tots ("don't tell your mother"), mixed vegetables and strawberries. I put his plate "in the fridge" so it would be ready once we got home.

5. Little Acorns at Avalon. Monster trucks (there are two big buildings under construction), a slide and coloring. Then he remembered his "wishes". He pulled me up to the fountain, found the two pennies in his pocket and threw them in. This is the look when I asked him if his wishes would come true.

Next up, story time. and finally

6. Riding the train. His favorite car is the open one up front (not gonna lie, it's mine too - more air = good thing in the summer). He's perfected the "waiting to leave the station - selfie with Marmie" wave... and the one he gives to everyone he sees along the way.

7. Lunch. of course we added ketchup to his plate. and he ate all of it, and the chicken and the tots (but left a few vegetables and strawberries). After lunch, we cleaned up (he mops and loads the dishwasher - seriously, his mom is training him well - he loves it!) and then got ready for nap.

8. Nap. He naps on our living room floor on a sleeping bag. We retrieved the bag, a blanket and "old macdonald" (his chosen story - actually Eric Carle's Around the Farm). He drank his milk while we read the story. Then he made sure Holly wasn't lying on his bag (I make a point of showing him that she was settled in my chair), lay down, and went to sleep.

9. for three hours. (subject of another blog post about Tuesday nap time ... three hours is over the top unusual, but I can usually count on two). Today I finished listening to Nobody's Fool - which I loved!! - and added a couple dozen rows the front of my Rose Granite Quill. 

10. After he woke up, we took Holly out. Then had snack (applesauce and milk) on the porch. and one final bit of toys (we built a tower with the legos) before getting ready to head home.

11*. We left here about 4:50 and I had him home at 5:15. Not great for a 3-1/2 mile drive, but the school traffic is back in session. Along the way we talked about what we'd done today so he could tell his dad.  Sounded pretty fun. and it was.

12. Home. I walked Holly. then came inside, poured a glass of wine and sat down to write this.

I can't help but wonder what the next few months will look like for him. for us. big changes coming!

Hope you've had a list-worthy Tuesday! and thank you for all the good wishes about my phone woes. I was able to get the old one up and running. and hey - the camera still works!

*this really isn't Ten on Tuesday!