As of a couple of days ago, we officially are at the halfway point of the terrible twos. As I see Nolan's little body strut around our house trying to be Mr. Independent, I can't help but already realize how much my future self is going to miss these days. I'm about 6 days into my summer break, and I already have seen such a different kid. With the hustle and bustle of school, schedules, and daycare, I sometimes forget to notice the little developments. I took Nolan into his checkup and had to fill out a long, detailed questionnaire. The survey included questions about how he could walk up steps, throw a ball, respond to my questions, draw a vertical line, a horizontal line, a circle, etc. It also asked Nolan to identify a half-drawn figure with missing pieces. In other words, would something that looks close to a person still be a person in his little world? When asked what it is, Nolan was supposed to respond "man" or "snowman" or something along the lines. Instead, Nolan responded with, "Oh no? Happened? Missing eye. Draw a leg, mommy. Draw an eye, mommy. There." I couldn't help but laugh as I sat there debating whether he was using 3-word sentences and he was worried about not having a complete picture (I decided that counted as a "yes" on the survey).
His favorites haven't changed much. His mind works on balls, wheels, and trains. He's very particular about them, too. I tried playing legos with him today, but I kept frustrating him because I would put something in the wrong spot. He finally told me to go sit on the couch. He also can open and close our primary door, and can open the pantry to find his "bunny snacks." He's an excellent younger brother to our cats (and cares about them deeply when they run outside and don't come back inside when he asks). He can be so sweet, but also can be quite goofy. For instance, today, we went on a date to Meijer. When all of the older ladies stopped to "ooh and ahh" at him, he'd respond "hello" in a loud, growling, monster voice. It caught everyone off guard (I should be used to this), but he thought he was hysterical.
In other aspects of our little world, it's been a crazy few months. I wrapped up teaching my first year of 2nd grade. While the students were still young, I still learned a lot from them (always one of my goals), and enjoyed seeing the eyes from a new world. While I miss teaching higher-level (well, middle school) mathematics, I do enjoy settling in some foundational skills, and laying ground for some more kindness and compassion.
While I feel like my busy life is over for a bit, Scott's has unfortunately went on overdrive. He's working more than over, while applying for Fellowship. As a reminder, he's done his 13 years of education, 4 years for his bachelor's degree, 4 years for his medical degree, acquired his "doctor" status, and now we're about to start year 4 (of 5) years of residency. However, despite 2 more years to go, we're now applying for fellowship for the year after residency. This will be a one-year training (most likely in abdominal radiology) that will sub-specialize him and hopefully make him more marketable. I can't imagine life not in training, but applying for fellowships seems more "almost there" than the past stepping stones. These 2 remaining years come with a sucky workload, likely selling a house that I love, possibly a move, a short stay for Scott in Washington DC, and a daycare switch this summer. Our biggest focus, right now, however, is getting applications and hopefully some interview requests for Scott. Fingers-crossed! :)
I think that's enough rambling. It's been a while, so I figured an update was appreciated. I have lots of time available now, so feel free to come visit us! At least 2/3 are available.
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