15 life skills mastered by my son this week

Perhaps many 2 ½ year olds have mastered these skills long ago, but to us they are new, as of early March 2014. Digger takes quite some pride in all of them. And so do we.

1.    Serving himself at dinner. Including filling our water glasses.
2.     Smiling and waving goodbye, when I said I was off, leaving him with his nanny. Normally he will wobble. That felt very strange for me. Not entirely sure I like this new response either.
3.     Retrieving his dummy from another room. He asked, I suggested. Off he went and returned with it. This is complicated stuff. Q&A, imagination, translating words into concrete scenarios, and then stepping into action. Wow.
4.     Filling a mould with sand, the tapping on the sand to compact it before tipping over the mould, ‘Tap, tap, tap…’ again, before lifting the mould. And hey presto: a fine moulded mount. Lots of neat little mounts in the local sandpit this weekend.
5.     Blowing a whistle. Will probably live to regret this one.
6.     Firing a water pistol. Quickly moved on to level 2: firing at his dad’s crotch. Will definitely live to regret this one.
7.     Popping bubble wrap. Again quickly moved on level 2: driving a tricycle across a great expanse of it. Much more efficient and fun.
8.     Blowing his nose. I mean really blowing it. So we can forget about the Nuk snot-extractor, which did many a times end in tears, and only marginally red noses.
9.     Skipping and spin jumping. Much of it exhibited while dancing Martha Graham style to mummy and daddy’s (bad) flamingo-style clapping. New evening ritual, as off this week.
10.  Drawing circles. Very Giottesque. At this rate and determination, Digger should be able to do a perfect circle – without the aid of compasses – at the ages of … say… 16. This week he also did a perfect capital ‘A’ and a perfect capital ‘D’. By accident, we think.
11.  Heading off to the Park - on his own. This is a dodgy one for many reasons. Not least that it was 8.15am, when Digger took of on his scooter, dressed only in a diaper and wellies. But it does show he is 100% certain we’ve got his back.
12.  Playing by himself for more than a few minutes. Then checking in with me, then off again. The jo-jo is working at ever longer intervals. I even opened a book when at the playground today. No complicated literature, but all the same. He still needs me, but is also happy for a bit doing his own thing. Again tugging a bit at the apron stings here. But it is very interesting. I already miss his all time need of me.
13.  Went to the loo to do his business, like all the above - at his own initiatives.
14.  Ringing the doorbell with a stick. Never know when that might be really useful.
15.  Getting and out of the buggy all by himself. Soon there will be little need to strap him in.

All in all another week of quantum leaps. Where are we headed?