Blake. 3 Months until 3 Years

Blake has been giving compliments lately. He told me he liked my "cute toes" one day. Another day I was cooking in the kitchen and he was sitting on the stool. He said "Mom, I like your shirt and pants, mom." (They were not new, and not even cute for that matter.) He died easter eggs last week and when examining his egg he said "I love these beautiful stripes."

He went through a rhyming phase. All the rhymes he would make up started with the letter "h." All day he would say "Mom, watch this. Motorcycle, hotorcycle. Yogurt, hogurt." He would do this for every object he saw around him. Then he went through names. "Katie, Hatie. Eric, Heric."

Blake loves coming to my activities on Wednesday nights for Young Women. I take him sometimes when Eric stays late at work. Last week he wanted to come but I didn't know if Eric was going to be home in time and I didn't want to get Blake's hope up. Blake kept asking and telling me that he wanted to come and I kept telling him "I know you want to come." He became annoyed with my response and said "Why you not saying the words when I say I want to come to the activity." Or in other words--just answer my question mom.

Blake gets very shy in social situations. He doesn't love large groups or unfamiliar people and he will stay very close to me. In retrospect, I think this is why separating for nursery was so difficult. His nursery leader told me she was concerned because Blake won't sing or participate during singing time. I was told he just sits there and stares with his eyebrows furrowed. And I don't think he talks at all there either. I take him to lots of activities at librarys and play groups and try to help him participate in music time or interacting with others. I think he is getting better and recently will participate more as long as I am right there doing whatever it is with him and giving him lots of positive reinforcement. It is funny to see him loud and crazy one minute and so shy and quiet the next.

He also is afraid of a lot of things. He won't really go down slides. Until Janie does it like its no big deal and then he will follow along on his tummy. He wouldn't paint his face at the museum until recently so I consider that progress. He loves playing hide and go seek but gets startled when finding someone and doesn't like that. He will not go in the basement alone but maybe that one is scary?