Alder's Tone

C1: Colours

Our first C came last week, with colours. The boy has some plastic crockery and cutlery from IKEA, which comes in 6 of everything, and 6 different colours. Each set of plate, bowl, cup, knife, fork and spoon can be colour coordinated. We never have.

One evening last week, however, we realised it had to start. With a blue plate and a green fork not being acceptable the boy climbed down from the table (now unable to see the plate) and headed to the cupboard where his things are kept. Out came most things during a mini-strop, and he returned carrying his blue fork, leaving his frustration behind. So not only was he not happy at the colours being different, he remembers which one he had, and what item he was replacing.

Since then we have gone from offering two colours of something (eg blue and red cup with teh blue plate) and we've always been told he wants to coordinate. So that's us then, colour coordinating it must be. Laura Ashley wallpaper next, then?

C2: Counting

This one came a bit from left-field, but it shouldn't have been a surprise really given I nearly always count the stairs on the way up them - even from him being a tiny baby. But, the other evening while messing about on our bed, "one-two-three" with rough & tumbles following, for some reason I paused after two, possibly to get some sort of reaction. I don't know what reaction I was expecting, but I got "three". Surprised, I looked at MOTS who was looking back at me, both saying the same thing without any verbal communication. "Did he just say three?" While this silent conversation took place, another verbal one started: "Vun, toooo". OK, I was impressed on two counts (no pun intended) - firstly the counting, its the first time he's done anything other than a single number, and secondly the hidden message in there, the "get on with it Daddy" given I had stopped due to being in awe at the first "three".

C3: Clothing

We had a head dropping moment one evening last week when picking him up from nursery. "I only turned around for two minutes" it started. Oh, what now? "And there was two of them with just their t-shirts on, trousers and nappies off". The exhibitionism starts - Mr Filmstalker will be proud!

And it continued... On Friday in the local soft play cafe, he emerged with nappy in one hand and trousers in the other. "We've all seen it before" reassured one mum sat just behind me. "He's not mine" I declared, "because if he was his t-shirt would be off too, in his left arm and being swung around his head!"

It was repeated on Sunday in the same place, but we saw it was a direct copy of a much older boy having done it. And way too old to be doing that, but with no parental supervision to keep it in check. Anyway, ours started the copying, fingers in the side of the trousers, looking out and smiling cheekily waiting for that "OK" from us. "NO". So off he went a little deeper in. And that looking for approval, not getting it, and stepping back continued until he gave up. Then, 5 minutes later, he emerged with nappy in one hand and trousers in the other. But he was smiling so cheekily...