Overall Update-Cal

It's been a while since I've posted an update on the boys and there are plenty of changes to report. I thought I'd break it up so this post doesn't become too long. Here's Cal's update:Calvin has been growing by leaps and bounds the past couple of months. Suddenly he is much more little boy than baby. It seems every day he is learning new words and phrases. Our days are filled with "What's this?" as he now craves to know the name of everything he sees. Another word we hear a million times a day is "why?". Calvin obviously picked this up from Tyler and now thinks it's the appropriate response to anything anyone might say. What's worse, even though we know he doesn't grasp it's meaning we can't help explain our comments to him as if he's 2 or 3 years older. However, this only results in another "why?" and we're back to square one. We have discovered that answering with "because I said so" tends to stop the cycle so this is now our go to response. Sometimes our conversations sound like utter nonsense. An example:

Me: Calvin, what do you want for breakfast?
Calvin: Oatmeal (pronounced O-mail)
Me: Okay I'll make it for you.
Calvin: Why?
Me: Because that's what you asked for.
Calvin: Why?
Me: Because I said so

Another change in Calvin is his fierce independence. He has become very good at declaring "I do it!" and "I did it! Woo woo!" (with both arms raised in the air) when he's accomplished his task. He knows exactly what and how he wants to do things and woe to those that get in his way. For example, when eating yogurt he has to be the one to pull back the foil and put the spoon in or the entire carton becomes suddenly inedible. At night I sing him a song before putting him to bed. Lately, he tries to request certain ones and I sometimes have to hazard a guess as to which one he's talking about. If I am wrong he will put his finger up to his lips and say, "Shhh mama shhh" and I will have to try again.He usually wants to sit in a big boy chair now, only opting for his booster seat when he's in the mood to do the buckles himself. Then he'll sit for a good while latching himself in and crying "I did it!" and "Again" as he needs help being released from the straps so he can start the process all over again. This little game keeps him quite entertained at restaurants. I just recently let him drink out of a big boy cup at the table and he is beyond pleased with himself, spending the majority of meals picking up and putting down the cup and grinning from ear to ear.Another sign of his growing up is the fact that we've had to start a little discipline. Calvin can throw a pretty good tantrum when the mood strikes, and the mood strikes often. We started putting him in his room and closing the door for a minute or two and when we go back in he says "all done", walks back downstairs and goes about his business. We've also used the No No chair a few times too with pleasing results.
Our gate at the bottom of the stairs in the basement has been broken for a while now and we recently removed it altogether. Surprisingly, Calvin has done really well with this. He loves the freedom of coming and going and is pretty safe on the stairs for the most part. A few times we'll all be in the basement and hear the door at the top of the stairs slam shut as Calvin has decided he's had enough of us and wants some alone time upstairs. We're not yet ready to remove our gates in the main level but definitely see it happening not too far off.
Overall Calvin is a blast. Yes, he has a strong personality but he makes all 3 of us laugh every day and has such a sweet nature. His love for his "bubba" and daddy melt my heart each day and there's nothing sweeter than when he burrows into my lap for a snuggle. We love you Calvin!