Smile, darn it, smile!

I asked Tom to smile for the camera - it looks like he's forcing himself manually doesn't it? Note the sticker chart on the door in the background - that's Tom's 'pee in the potty' reward system. He's being a smart little cookie and he has just about got it. He has become king of the precautionary pee and, at the slightest internal urge, called for the throne... only to produce a teaspoonful.

Tom can...

We're in the midst of potty training. Lots of positive reinforcement is going Tom's way; cheers and stickers whenever a performance is made (sometimes while silently gagging - we really need to look at what we're feeding him) while a soothing, blame-free 'Oh dear' greets the accidents. This has led to a number of words being added to his vocabulary including the sing-song 'never mind...' that accompanies Nik discovering pants full of poop and 'Tom-tom PUMPED!' (a phrase that fully deserves its resounding triumphalism).

So, while watching my son's gait transform from padded waddle to snake-hipped jaunt. I had one of those disappearing childhood sensationss. I began to ponder on all the things that Tom is nailing at the moment and it filled me with smiles so I had to share.

• Tom routinely puts his coils back, giving them a reassuring pat when they're in place.
• He's pretty adept at putting DVDs in the machine and gets frustrated with the endless trailers.
• He knows that bogeys, burps and pumps are all hilarious but is not quite the judge of 'context' that he might one day be (hopefully).
  
• He knows that riding up front is far, far better than being strapped in the back of the car, no matter which way you dress it up.
• He knows that watching TV in bed in the morning beats getting dressed and hurrying anywhere...
  
• At the weekend, while playing in the garden with Joe-from-next-door, there were times when their running gait looked the same. Tom's balance is improving enormously (thanks Deborah).

Nothing reflective to say about all that really - it's just a joy to watch him grow up.