Peanut won’t stop singing! The little boy who would never sing breaks out into the ABC song multiple times a day and throws in some Jingle Bells, too. It’s so cute.

He’s really figuring out phonics. He’ll say a word, then name the letter it starts with. “My name is Peanut. P starts with Peanut. P says Puh Puh Puh. Peanut.”

He’s on a napping strike at daycare. He frequently comes home cranky and will cry at the drop of a hat. We’ve talked about the importance of sleep, how boys need sleep to help their bodies grow, and how much better we feel when we’re not in a bad mood from being tired. He’s always hated taking naps, even as a baby. He tells me he doesn’t want bad dreams, so that’s why he doesn’t sleep. He has a vivid imagination and I think he does have frequent nightmares.

He’s especially afraid of monsters, which seem to recur in his bad dreams. Hungry Bean started to cry on the way home from daycare. I made the usual soothing sounds and told him it was OK, that Mommy and Peanut were right there. Peanut looked over at him and said “It’s OK, Bean. There aren’t any monsters. I’m right here.” Then he told me Bean was crying because he thought a monster was outside.

Later, Peanut and I were snuggled on the couch when the dog got a drink of water. Peanut jumped and asked “What’s that noise.” I told him the dog was drinking. “Oh, OK. I thought it was a monster.”