23 Months

So much new stuff has happened this month, it's going to be hard to remember everything. Nash is talking up a storm...full blown sentences, carrying on conversations, recognizing and naming pictures in his favorite books. He's becoming such a little man, it's killing me on the daily.

Height:
Weight:
Teeth:
All 2T clothes (but sometimes the waist is too big)
Size 7 shoes still

Talking:
Like I mentioned, he's talking so much now. Hard to believe just 6 months ago, I was worried that he wasn't talking enough. He will literally repeat just about anything we say to him (today he met a little baby named Carter and easily repeated his name). He knows all these animals (zebra, penguin, and snake...not just puppy and kitty). He knows all the different kinds of vehicles (cars, trucks, trains, planes, helicopters, buses, fire trucks, scooters, etc.) and can identify tunnels, shovels, buckets, ladders and all kinds of other things when asked. He is making whole sentences of 4-5 words and can tell us what he wants (most of the time). The one thing he hasn't done (and his teacher even pointed it out) was sing a simple song. Not a singer, this kid.

Physical:
This has to be a category because my kid's a frickin prodigy. No joke here, people. He throws better than almost any kid I've ever seen. Like hard and straight. And all lefty. And he can kick, run down stairs, jump. He's got great balance too, so it's crazy. Joe is teaching him how to play golf (look out Tiger Woods, my kid's coming for you) and we're looking to get him into some kind of sport here soon. We saw a 3+ year old at the playground who couldn't climb the obstacle my kid could climb...it's insane. He masters the puzzles we have, throws legos together like it's his job and loves to help us do things like throw trash away or wipe his own face. He loves to "drive" the car and tries to help us carry bags. When he really tries, we can barely hold him...his strength is cray cray nowadays. He loves to be thrown, held upside down or swung around. He'll literally repeat Again, Again over and over until we thrown him upside down again.

Social and Emotional:
We're definitely struggling a little bit here. He's in full blown terrible 2's and is always testing his boundaries with us. He generally plays pretty well with others, but we got a report a few weeks ago that he clocked a kid in the head with a toy guitar. No bueno. We must have had three timeouts today alone...and while that doesn't seem like much, we generally reserve timeouts for the most serious offenses. We try really hard to make sure he eats and sleeps enough so there's no chance that's what's bothering him.

We're really trying to let him experience things and do things on his own, so he feels like he's in control as much as possible. We let him dress and undress himself, tell us what he wants to eat (to some extent) and give him options. And he's definitely an independent, let-me-do-it-muhself kind of way.

Likes and Dislikes:
Loves Nemo, Toy Story and any other high action animated movie (TeeTee, he says, when he first wakes up or we get in the car, where we have a DVD player). Loves anything to do with water, animals or sports. Loves going outside. Loves toast and french fries and bananas and corn on the cob. Loves his gummy vitamins and brushing his teeth. Loves his kitty and climbing, trucks and trains. Wants a tricycle like no ones business.

Hates bedtime, pasta, vegetables and diapers. Hates being told what to do and whenever he hears the word "no." Turns up his nose at juice and despises being strapped into his carseat. Doesn't like it when you try to help him do things.

As we rapidly approach the big TWO, I can hardly believe what a little man he has become. He's so strong and funny and smart, it's almost like he doesn't need me anymore. It's crazy to look at him and think that we made that just two short years ago. And they weren't lying when they said this is when it starts to get really fun. He's so much fun to be around, and I can't wait to show him new things and give him new experiences, since he's really at the age to notice and remember and appreciate all these new holiday and family traditions.