Whoopsie, Shoot, and Oh Man!

These are the 3 words that I hear Alek saying quite often. Last night as Rafal and I were going to bed, we heard Alek in his bed saying "Whoopsie, Whoopsie." Rafal went in to see what the problem was and Alek had dropped his plug and couldn't find it. Rafal gave Alek his plug and then he was right back to sleep. Anytime Alek drops something he says "Whoopsie." Every time I hear him say it, I just laugh.

"Shoot" is his other word, which isn't the worst word in the world, considering the alternative, but I guess I need to teach him a better word. If he's trying to do something and he can't, then he'll say "Shoot." He was trying to screw a penny to the wall with his drill and after several attempts, realizing it wouldn't stay on the wall, looked at me and said "Shoot Mama."

"Oh Man" is what he says when he's disappointed about something. He will usually put his head down and in a sad voice utter the words "Oh Man." The other day in nursery, he wanted to play with a train that someone else was playing with, so he tried to give that child another toy in exchange for the train. When the child refused his request, he walked over to me, put his head down and said "Oh man."

Alek is talking so well and I love to hear all the new words he learns. I just have to be careful because he loves to repeat whatever you say.

So BIG So Fast!

I can't believe that Alek will be 2 years old next month. The time has gone by so fast. He is no longer a baby, but a little boy who is learning new things all the time. He has really started talking a lot now. He has started to use three and four word sentences and understands English and Polish. He speaks mostly English because he's home with me all day, but there are a few words that he says only in Polish like "tak" (yes), "daj" pronounced die (give) and "Dziadziu" pronounced Jajew (Grandpa). He knows most of the color names, however when asked what color something is, he usually will say "red" first and if it's not red, than he'll say "blue." He knows all the names of the people in my family and can say most of them very well. When asked what his name is, he says "me." There are so many things he can do on his own as well. He puts his dirty laundry in the hamper, he can put on some of his shoes by himself and on the right feet, he cleans up most of the time, he gets things on his own when asked, he turns the TV and DVD player on and off, he opens and closes the doors and the freezer, and so many other things. Some things I wish he wouldn't do on his own, but he wants to be independent and thinks he knows how to do it all.

Alek's new favorite things to play with are cars and trains. He refers to trains as "choo choos." He went with his daddy to the train expo and was in heaven. He loves to be down on the floor driving his cars and trains all around.

My nephew Vance was born on January 28 and Alek is in love with him. The first time he saw Vance, he ran over with a big smile on his face and couldn't wait to hold him. He was giving him kisses and loves. He is going to make a great big brother. I'm going to have to watch him closely because I have a feeling he is going to try and hold the baby and carry him on his own. He loves to help out with Vance and I know that he is going to love his new baby brother.

Last year I had to follow Alek all over the playground and help him climb up the steps and go down the slides, but now he can do it all on his own. He kept putting his arms in the air and saying "I big" as he climbed on everything.

Alek's best friend is his cousin Ryker. They love to play together. Ryker is at our house 3 times a week and they've grown up together. It's like they're brothers. Even though Ryker is almost as big as Alek, he is still treated like the baby by Alek. Alek takes good care of Ryker and tries to show him and tell him what to do. He also tries to pick him up, but doesn't have much luck.

Every time I take out the camera, Alek says "cheese" and gives me a great big smile.