the kid is stubborn

some good things:

• noah can count things, correctly. probably up to 8 or something. (not just counting for counting sake, but counting things - one number matching one thing)
• he knows his colors
• he read aviva a story tonight
• he likes to give her goodnight kisses
• when she was crying tonight, he pet her to make her feel better, and told her "it's okay, aviva."
• he lets me cut his nails now, as long as i hold the clipper at the right angle

some other things:

• he's very headstrong. or strong-willed. or stubborn. and mad sometimes. example: he had a popsicle, made from smoothies that he helped make (he dropped the fruit into the blender and pressed the buttons). he was eating his popsicle and really liked it. he told me to take a bite. i took a bite. i liked it, so i took another bite. he got mad and so sad and cried and wanted the bite back. i ended up giving him another popsicle, and i finished his original popsicle. he wanted me to take a bite of the new one. i didn't/wouldn't, so he got very mad. mad because first i ate a bite, and then mad because i didn't eat a bite. then he said he didn't want it anymore, because it was too cold, and he likes his popsicles warm.
• for breakfast the other day, he had a bowl of blueberries and a bowl of yogurt and a bowl of oatmeal, just the way he wanted. he finished some of it, and asked for more. but he asked in a whiny way and josh wanted him to ask nicely and say please. he asked nicely but wouldn't say please. josh said he could have more as soon as he said please. he said he wouldn't say please, but he wanted more blueberries. without saying please, he didn't get any. then he ate his oatmeal and wanted more. josh said he could have more oatmeal if he said please. and he could have more blueberries too... he decided he didn't want blueberries or oatmeal enough to say please.
• last night before dinner, i told noah he had to clean up his toys before having dinner. when he refused, i said we could do it together. he told me he wasn't going to do it, and i should do it alone. i said no but we could do it together. he kept saying he wasn't going to clean. we said he could have dinner after he helps clean up, but if he doesn't clean, he can't have dinner. he could just have breakfast in the morning. so that's what he did. he didn't have dinner. aviva and i ate dinner (josh was gone) and he ate some crumbs on the floor. ! but no dinner. but he was fine with that, apparently. we brushed his teeth and did the whole nighttime routine and he went to bed normally and everything. slept through the night, and had breakfast as normal. 
• then again tonight, before dinner, i said we had to clean up before we ate. i said i would do it with him and he still refused. what he had to put away was: a piece of paper and 5 pencils. that's all. i even bargained with him - i told him he could do one or the other. put the paper in the recycling OR hand me the pencils. nope. so he skipped dinner again tonight. i think that's the end of this rule for now. no more making him clean up before dinner.