Who Is This Toddler and Can I Keep Him?

We had a great, but busy, weekend with William. And the best news to report is that he has consistently been eating a ton. And I'm talking chicken nuggets and meatballs and broccoli and cleaning his plate and everything! At lunch, he ate a ham and cheese sandwich. And for dinner he ate a meatball, 3 chicken nuggets, broccoli, apples, and half of my dinner roll. And for breakfast, he has been downing pancakes like nobody's business. Now don't worry. I'm fully prepared for him to go on a food strike again at any time. But now that I've seen him eat "normally," I won't feel quite as worried when he slows down again.

Also, he went the whole day without a bottle. He had a small one in the morning, and his before-bed bottle, and that was it. At daycare, he's down to one bottle, which he has after his nap, so they're going to work on getting rid of that one this week. My biggest challenge during the week with bottles is our commute to and from work. He usually has one both ways, and it helps to calm him down when he gets really fussy. Not really sure how to cut those out, but I'll keep trying. Progress is progress, right?

Unfortunately, I can't report that his sleeping has improved much. He's back to his 4:00 a.m. wake-up-for-a-bottle-or-throw-a-conniption-fit pattern. This morning, after he drank his bottle, he still threw a fit when I tried to leave him in his crib, so I slept in the guest room with him. On Friday night, we slept at Ed's parents', and when he woke up, I brought him right to our bed and he went right back to sleep without a bottle. But if I try that at home, he has a fit. Every night is an adventure!

As far as his recent clinginess goes, he's still a Mama's boy through and through. But he was great at his grandparents' house this weekend. On Saturday, I was co-hosting a bridal shower, so Ed, Ed's dad, his grandfather, and William went out to lunch. Ed said he did really well, and Pepa (Ed's grandfather) said William ate like a champ. He was tickled pink, and it was so cute seeing the four of them walk inside the house together. William walked in the house right in stride with the men. I wish I had a video! He also charmed everyone by giving hugs and kisses on demand, and turning in circles. He's a blast at parties!

So all in all, we had a great weekend. Having a child is so much work and so much responsibility, but it is such a privilege to watch a child grow and learn and develop a personality right before your eyes. It is rewarding beyond words. Whatever phase we're in right now is a great one. We'd like to keep this toddler for a while!