Changes afoot

This is a post about good news: Vivian is growing. Yes! She is now too tall for most of her 3-6 month pants. She fits into almost all of her 6-12 month clothes, and even some 12-18 month ones. We have even turned her carseat around, now that she is 21 lbs. She is not walking yet, but she's getting closer. Slowly, slowly. She has, on three or four separate occasions, taken up to 4 steps on her own. Do not bribe her or encourage her, though: she only likes to take steps when no one is watching. The words keep coming, too. Now she says "book", "buck-ah" (buckle), "poo-dah" (poodle), "sock", and has started mimicking us on occasion. I am hopeful that at our 15 month appointment (which will occur when she is 16 months old since Mommy's math and calendar skill are, well, lacking) she will be not only on the charts for height and weight but maybe (maybe?) even caught up on milestones. Yee-ha!!

Not to be out-done, Isaac has been changing too. He has now entered the "Why" stage of toddlerhood. Why, oh why (heh) is this so cute when other people's children do it but so incredibly mind-numbingly boring when it is your own? This is how it goes*:

I: Why did you shut the door, Mommy?
Me: Because we are coming inside, sweetie.
I: Why are we coming inside?
Me: Because we need to have lunch.
I: Why do we need to have lunch?
Me: Because it's lunchtime.
I: Why is it lunchtime?
Me: Because it is.
I: Why because it is?
Me: Sometimes it just is, honey. Let's just leave it at that.
I: Why just leave it at that?
Me: I'm really tired of talking about this, okay? Hey, do you want some grapes?
I: Why are you so tired of talking about it?

And so on. What a sweetie (ahem).

But there is this: The other day we were at my in-laws for dinner. As we all filed out, Isaac stopped, looked up at his grandmother and said, "Thank you so much for coming, Nonie. We had a really nice time." Then as we all giggled and told him how polite he was, he added, "It was so nice to see you."
I have not taught him these phrases--it's all I can do to teach him please and thank you!--he has just picked them up on his own. Pretty cute.

Oh, and:
Isaac is not potty-trained. Isaac is not even close to being potty trained. At 32 months, he has shown zero signs of being ready. We have a potty seat for him, and he will pee in there occasionally, but that's it. The other day, we were, again, at the in-laws, when I looked up and realized Isaac was no longer in my sight. I called for him and eventually found him in my mother-in-law's bathroom, where he had pulled his pants down and taken off his diaper--all unprompted and unaided. "I'm going pee in the potty!" he said triumphantly. I have no idea what inspired him to do this--when I helped him sit on the potty he barely got a trickle out, so I doubt he really had to go--but it was a pretty exciting day for us nonetheless. Especially since he usually has a really difficult time getting his own pants down. What a big boy! (Of course, this happy event occurred a good two weeks ago, and he has shown exactly zero interest in the potty since then. I am focusing on the positive here, okay?)

* I am not relaying this exchange because I think you don't know what I mean. I am relaying it in an attempt to make you suffer with me.