Mr. No

We have definitely entered into the "no" stage of toddlerhood. Whereas it was so fun and cute when Jonah answered "Yeah" to every question, it's not quite as cute when the answer turns to "No" for just about everything. He'll still answer in the affirmative if it's something he really wants, so it's not like he doesn't know the difference between yes and no. Still, a lot of the time I think he just says "no" for the heck of it and not because he really means no. I was heartbroken the other day when I asked if he wanted to sing and he said no. I couldn't believe it! But I really don't think he meant it, he just likes saying no. Tonight I asked him if he wanted some macaroni and he said, "No. I want macaroni." As if he was really didn't want what I was suggesting and had thought of macaroni all by himself.

When do toddlers learn to choose things? I often try to get him to pick one thing or another and he can't do it. "Do you want Cheerios or Kix?" "I want Cheerios. I want Kix." "Do you want to wear sandals or flip-flops?" "Sandals or flip-flops." But I guess I should enjoy the non-decision making while it lasts. I'm sure the time will come when he will have very distinct opinions on breakfast foods and footwear.

I'm also eagerly anticipating the day Jonah gets to the point of really being able to feed himself with a fork or a spoon. It seems like many kids his age can eat quite well with a utensil, but Jonah really hasn't gotten the hang of it yet. He really enjoys trying, but most of the food ends up on his tray, down his chin, and all over his shirt. He invariably gives up, dumps the food onto the tray and digs in with his hands. I sometimes try to enforce the "no dumping" rule, but what's the point if he really can't effectively use the fork or spoon? To Jonah the most best part about having a spoon or fork is pretending it's a bat. You can guarantee that at some point during a meal he will pick something up and pronounce, "This is a bat. I hit it." A grape or a Kix functions quite nicely as a baseball or basketball. He'll even stick his finger in the middle of his peanut butter and jelly sandwich and say, "This is a baseball glove!" That's not as messy as when the PB&J becomes a phone or a hat.