growing up at last

Over the last couple of weeks, I've been struck by how much older Corbin seems. A large part of that is probably due to his increased verbal skills. He's generally talking more and we can understand almost all of it. His behavior has also dramatically improved, in line with Burton White's theory that consistent parenting between 18-22 months results in a cessasion of testing authority and consequences. It's about time! These days, he generally obeys, though we do have to remind him often to "do what Mommy says" or occasionally threaten spankings. But he's much less rebellious and defiant, although we've also learned to manipulate him better. It's easier to prevent incidents now that we know what they are likely to be, and thus vary our approaches to keep him from defaulting to a crying fit. The best example is when he first wakes up in the morning, and Mommy insists on changing his diaper before he gets down. That used to be a major ordeal every single day, but now he's resigned to the fact that this is inevitable, and we walk through the door ready to placate him with a bottle of milk or promise of playtime if he cooperates.

He also looks older, it seems. Maybe he's lost a little baby fat, or maybe he's just gained a couple inches. We've had to keep him in 24-month pants for this winter, simply because of the length. There's not much room in the waist, though, so I hope they last all season.

This past weekend Nana and Papa Cole came to visit. Corbin was very excited and acted a little hyper the entire time. I'm sure it's a rush to get so much attention. On Friday, they took him to the State Fair. They rode on one ride, but Corbin keeps talking about the animals and the waterfall. He lasted until about 1:30 before he crashed for a nap. Then on Saturday they went to Gymboree and the mall, two of Corbin's favorite things to do. Saying goodbye didn't seem too traumatic, but he kept asking about them from the moment he woke up the next day.

Corbin's been behaving extremely well at church the past few weeks. He sits quietly and mostly still, spending a lot of time in Mommy's lap just watching what's going on. It makes me glad that we're including him at this age, as hard as it's been at times. Now he knows what's expected of him and how to cope with it. We're still taking him out during the sermon, but I think he could probably handle the additional time.

His birthday is coming up fast, and I've been rather frustrated with the toy selection for this age. A lot of it is for younger toddlers and the rest is really for preschoolers. There's some great pretend-play stuff made for girls, but it's all very pink. We've updated his Amazon list, though, as best we can. Part of the problem may be that he's not obsessed with any one particular thing, like cars or even music. Not wanting any large floor-hogging toys also limits the selection.

Anyway, the moral of the story is: Corbin is a lot more fun now! :-)