Year 3, Day 212

I came home last night to learn that Miles "had a bad day" at daycare. Before Jaclyn elaborated further, I asked Miles about it. His lips were sealed but, like a dog with its tail preemptively tucked between its legs, his guilt was unmistakeable as he diverted his eyes and eventually made his way to … Continue reading Year 3, Day 212 →

Year 2, Day 359

And just like that, Miles's days of clicking his tongue in affirmation seem to be behind us. He has finally added that crucial one-syllable word to his lexicon: YES. More accurately, he now says, "eeeYES." There's the slightest of wind-ups, followed by an emphatic, drawn-out pronunciation of the word, lingering on each phoneme just a … Continue reading Year 2, Day 359 →

Year 2, Day 308

There are four words that have become Miles's most frequent utterances. In fact, almost every interaction we have with him now is accompanied by one of these words...the cursed words that signal the coming storm of the "Terrible Twos"... "No." "Stop." "Move." "Mine." "No" is now Miles's initial reply to any question. We even turned … Continue reading Year 2, Day 308 →

Year 2, Day 289

"No!" Miles said defiantly as we pulled up to daycare today. "No what?" I replied. "Because if you're saying no to school, I got news for you..." Despite this suggested misgiving, Miles entered daycare sans further protests. I carried him back to the toddler room then plopped him on the floor. "Come on, Miles!" his … Continue reading Year 2, Day 289 →

Year 2, Day 204

Miles was chipper on the drive home today, especially after we stopped to pick mom up on our way. Jaclyn and I both knew that his babysitter would be seeing him tonight, and as we approached the house, I asked him a few questions to prime him for an evening with Lisa. "Do you love … Continue reading Year 2, Day 204 →

Year 2, Day 191

Just as Miles has gotten better and better at being defiant, he's also improved his ability to answer questions in the affirmative. However, while he's able to say "no" like a champ, things are a little...different in the latter case. Miles hasn't figured out how to say "yes" just yet. So how does he respond? … Continue reading Year 2, Day 191 →

Year 2, Day 190

Miles's ability to articulate language is growing more and more each day. Often, the intention of his words is a little clearer than the words themselves (such as "Dat-Dannnn!" being "Batman"). One word has become completely clear in the past few days: "No!" Watching Miles contort his mouth to say the word tonight was like … Continue reading Year 2, Day 190 →

Year 2, Day 157

While Miles talks (and babbles) more and more each day, his capacity for understanding words has demonstrably outpaced his ability to verbally articulate them. When presented with binary options (yes/no, this/that), Miles will almost always nod and shake his head appropriately. Riding home from daycare, I'll usually ask Miles if he wants to listen to … Continue reading Year 2, Day 157 →