In my experience, the more people there are around, the more bounce my toddler has. He's gotten used to the holidays and is now in for the harsh reality that there isn't always going to be someone to constantly cater to his want of attention. No grandma to hang on his every cute antic. No mom to play against dad. Daddy has to do dishes, feed the little sister, do laundry, get snack, feed the dog. By himself. But oddly--sorry for the ego bubble burst, little man--business as usual is nice.
As I told Kelly last night, it's not that we didn't appreciate grandma and grandpa or her being home to let me sleep in while she got Cole his morning cereal. I just miss my little boy who patiently waits on the livingroom floor while I give his sister a bottle. I miss the quietly aware kid who knows when he is ready for naps. And who has a nice (yet delicate) balance of playing alone silently with toys versus wrestling and giggling with me.
Cole is a different kid when there isn't multi stimulus to hype him up, throw him off routine, or engage him in off-schedule activities. And it's going to be a long road to the next days off with mama. A dark winter of dad, if you will.
In other news, however, his extra sleeping and grumpiness pre-Christmas turning into a minor cold and a major growth spurt involving...finally!...language. He's still a 75% grunt-and-pointer, but nearing 18 months now he's moved up in the word realm. Strangely enough (and as I guessed) to full sentences. No experiments with vocabulary. He's moved straight to "yes, it's good" and telling me "that's silly" regarding the dog jumping onto our bed. It's not all understandable, but a pretty good chunk is at least getting his point across now. Such as pointing to things on a plate with requests for bites of whatever food next. "Mashed potatoes" was plain as day last night. He's also good at "what's this?" and "excuse me." Such a polite boy.
Mostly he just runs into the kitchen and stands at the sink/fridge area knowing you will get him a bottle though.