More of W

A couple more glimpses into W's inner workings:

1. A few days before we left for Emily's wedding, I approach W with a diaper and tell him it's time for a change. He grabs the diaper out of my hand, throws it, and says:

"No. Don't have to."

I stare at him for two seconds with a look of shame, and he quickly corrected himself, saying:

"No thank you. Thank you for saying 'no' nicely."

Lately, he likes to think using that phrase will get him out of whatever it is he's supposed to be doing. While it doesn't usually work, it does generally buy him a reprieve for about 2 or 3 minutes. We've got to encourage the good behavior, right?

The last couple days, after he's whined or yelled about something, all we have to do is look at him and he'll say either: "Is that how we ask," or "Is that how we get what we want?" Hopefully the message behind the phrases is starting to sink in, but I'm not holding my breath.

2. W loved spaghetti from ages 8 mos. until 18 mos. Then, he must have had a traumatic experience because he refused to touch it with a ten foot pole. We've fought with him on this point a number of times, and mom and dad usually lost. He'd scream, forgo desert, and sit in his chair for an hour before conceding. This past Tuesday, we decided to fight the war until the bloody end. We put W in his chair and brought out the spaghetti. This started the obligatory crying and whining. Steph told him that he could have ice cream and be done with dinner if he took one bite. Surprisingly, he complied, then looked at Steph and said:

"Mmmm. I love eating spaghetti. Can I have some more please mom?"

He ate a bowl and a half. Stinker.

3. Friday morning, W woke up after I'd already left for work. He came into Steph's room, while she was still cooking in bed, and the following exchange occurred:

W: "Where's dad?"
S: "Dad's at work."
W: "I love dad. I love momma. I love Cami. I love my family!"

He got a big hug and kiss from his momma for that.