22 Months

My baby boy is growing up so fast!

In a little more than a month, he'll be a big brother and then a few short weeks later he'll be TWO. YEARS. OLD. How did that happen? It feels like I was just holding him in the hospital for the first time yesterday. Other days, it feels like an eternity ago (this feeling usually occurs during tantrums).

He's been eating well and it seems like he's growing like a week, though I don't have any measurements to corroborate this. Though quite frankly, he seems to be getting heavier as well, and some of his onesies had to be taken out of commission (the truck ones were snuck* out during laundry). He had his first grilled cheese, and loves bananas, apple juice popsicles and string cheese. He still like cucumbers, and has discovered that macaroni and cheese is actually quite tasty.

He's still talking up a storm. He talks all the time. Sometimes I think he must think we're incredibly thick, because we don't always understand what he's trying to say. For example, he kept saying "mee-mo" and I thought he was trying to ask for more milk, but he was actually saying "Nemo" and pointing to a drawing of two fish. New words seem to pop up daily, and he's really starting to put them together. Though he's pretty much been speaking in sentences, it hasn't been in English, but now he can say things like "Mama sit" when he wants me to sit with him, or "one more" when he's trying to get yet another round of "Wheels on the Bus" or reading of "Moo, Baa, La, La, La." 

He is willful and spirited, and his tantrums are still going strong. I think we're starting to get a handle on the physical aspects at least. It's a serious zero tolerance policy. Any time he hits, kicks, throws something at the dogs/us, pinches, etc, during the day, he gets a time out. He knows right where his time out spot is, and he stays there until he calms down. Then I talk to him, explaining why he got a time out, and what he could do differently the next time. I always make sure to validate his feelings, but explain why we can't react that way. Then he gives me a hug/kiss, and we continue playing or watching TV, or whatever activity we were doing before. If we're out, I can't usually do a time out, but he gets talked to in the same manner. At night (which is when most of this happens) he gets two warnings and the third time, I leave for 10 minutes. He almost always cries. Sometimes he falls asleep, but usually he calms down and is still awake when I come in again. He needs to know that I won't let him hurt me. As much as I hate leaving him crying in his room, it seems to be helping him to understand that I'm not just going to let him flail around at me. 

It's been a busy, busy month. Though, honestly, life is full of busy, busy months and weeks. We have a lot of adjustments ahead of us. Camp has ended, so Dad is around more, Mommy's belly is getting bigger and she's getting even less patient. Grammy is arriving soon, we'll be moving into a new house, and then welcoming his little sister into the world and our family. There are so many changes. I know it'll be difficult for him since we haven't had a break from changes since we moved, but I think once we get settled in the house with the baby he'll do really well. 

Mama, however, is still having trouble accepting that two years is only two months away.

*snuck is in the Oxford Dictionary, therefore I will use it. *sticks out tongue at any dissenters* (MOM!)

This is one of only two photos I have from the 14th. He's chewing on his foot in the other one.
I promise I'll get better photos next month!