Great Grandparents

The first photo is my parents with Erik yesterday. Erik wears his heart on his sleeve when it comes to my folks. For example, when I pulled our Jeep into their driveway Friday to drop Erik off, he took a good look around, saw where we were, giggled, and would have chewed his way out of his car seat restraints to get to grandma and grandpa if I hadn't been quick in getting him out of the car.

The second photo is of Erik, my grandmother, and her dog Katy. My grandmother came to town specifically to spend some time with Erik this weekend, and I think Erik really enjoyed her and everybody being together. As for the dog, he loved her, too. He is very gentle with animals, unlike most toddlers, and runs his hands very carefully over dogs' fur, almost like he is blind and he is reading Braille. My mom baked her famous cinnamon rolls with gooey frosting, and Erik was very sticky and happy. We had a lazy day after everybody left. It was about 90 degrees here, which is just too hot for me to enjoy much outside. We had some leftover food from the party Friday night, and Erik and I read through almost all of his book collection. He now brings me books regularly to read, and I am hoping that he will have the ability to read well in the future. There doesn't seem to be a consistent consensus on what to expect regarding reading ability in Williams from what I have studied, so I will have to wait and see. He is looking good so far, at least in the interest department. He certainly is picking up more words as far as receptive language and is suddenly able to pronounce the words "shoe" and "up" correctly (the "uh" and "ashoo" are being replaced). I am a proud mama. I am working on 3-syllable words like "applesauce," and he is at least making 3 sounds when he tries to repeat what I say. This is new as well. I am thinking he will surprise us all by talking earlier than we expected. I had to store the lids to my Tupperware in a higher cupboard, as they are often strewn about the house now, and there is quite a collection of items lying at the bottom of our deep Jacuzzi tub each morning that Erik has thrown in up over the side (socks, doorstops, toys, toilet paper rolls, blankies...). If I ever hear, "Honey, where's my ______ (fill in blank with appropriate missing item)?" I check the bottom of the tub first. I am not complaining! I never thought I would see the day that he would have the ability or interest in opening cupboards or trashing the house like the rock star he is.

After I put Erik to bed, I watched deliciously trashy movies and Law & Order reruns. Brian took off for horse racing in Prineville with friends, and Gracie and I enjoyed a quiet evening. I wrote much more about what I was thinking all day, but it seems freakishly out of place here, so I will save it for the next entry. Looking into what is going on in my brain is kind of a frightening concept, even for me.