20 Months Old - How'd This Happen?!

I can't believe how unbelievably on time I am with this post!  Normally, I post these things weeks late, but this time?  Just a few days belated.  Yep, on Saturday, we celebrated Bub entering his twenties (months, that is) by finally spending a day relaxing in Florida.  After a crazy vacation, we were eager to just veg out and play with toys while OD'ing on Dora and Dinosaur Train.  

So, I asked Joe (aka Daddy Man) to help me list all the new things going on this month...because there are a lot!  No joke, we're talking two pages worth of fragmented sentence-bullets.  It's just been insane.  So for the sake of brevity, I will try to keep this, er, brief.

Hat: Gap / Tee: H&M / Belt: Children's Place / Jeans: Zara

 

Stats:  Oops, forgot that part...will add those in tomorrow after I do all that stuff in the morning.
Height:  TBD
Weight: TBD
Teeth: Same - 16
Hair:  Still sandy brown/blonde and baby fine
Eyes:  Still weird

He's currently wearing pretty much all 2T clothes, although the waist is still big on a lot of the bottoms.  We're phasing out all of his size 6 shoes in favor of 7's, although he needs socks for some of them.  He seems like he's getting taller but not heavier, as his pants keep getting shorter and shorter.  His 18-month tees barely cover his belly now too, so 2T it is!  The best part:  he's totally rocking a farmer's tan a la Daddy.  That's the I-talion in you, son.

His talking has really exploded this month! Beyond just his favorites (kitty, ball, shoes, juice, mama, ca {cracker/cookie}, truck), he's begun to say just about any simple word we throw out.  I said "bear" today while remarking about his teddy graham snack after school and he repeated it right away.  He's saying two words phrases now, like Uh Oh, I did it, Ummm No, I see, It's Hot, etc...   He's also able to point out things that I say when we are reading our books - like trees, boy, sister, wagon, train, puppy, truck, car, bucket, etc...  He can point to a dozen or so body parts and we are currently working on perfecting elbow, chin, cheeks and tushie.  

He's finally taking an interest in movies and LOVES Toy Story.  Cars, eh, not so much.  We actually survived two 8-hour car rides thanks largely to a portable DVD player (thanks Chris and Sophy for lending us that), Disney/Pixar and McDonald's Play Places.  He still loves cartoons likes Barney, Dinosaur Train and Fresh Beat Band.  He's also recently discovered Elmo and Sesame Street, so I foresee a lot of that in our future (halloween costumes, anyone??).

We're are sooo on the cusp of potty training, people...although I know it sounds nuts.  He's showing all the signs, but we're holding off until he seems totally ready AND I have some free time to really dive in head first.  So far he's been telling us when he goes (says Poo for both peeing and pooping, so it gets a bit confusing), he can pull his shorts down and take off his diaper (we're waiting for this one to backfire), and seems very interested in the potty.  He hates to have a poopy diaper and pretty much goes nuts until we change it (not that we could ever miss it...).  I'm a little unsure of what our next step is.  We have two potty seats - one that sits on the floor and one that sits on top of the regular toilet.  I heard a lot of chatter about undies versus pullups and what have you, but I think we'll cross that bridge when we get to it.  Until then, it's a whole lot of "poo."

His personality is just blossoming now.  He's active, talkative, running around blabbing and screaming (much to our dismay).  He's playing games and wrestling...showing moods, likes and dislikes...and has definitely entered the independence stage.  We try very hard to let him do things on his own...especially once he's told me not to help.  It's been messy and a bit frustrating for all parties, but he's learning and growing, so we're happy. 

He's dancing, jumping (officially) and conquering stairwells one step at a time.  He's getting good at brushing his teeth and uses forks and spoons pretty well now.  He's still pretty picky about what he eats, but we're managing ok.  His favorites are fruit, oatmeal, yogurt, cheese sticks (finally), chips/crackers (of course), and hot dogs.  He loves to dip things and will consume an entire bowl of hummus or salsa if he gets to dip himself.  He still loves broccoli, but that's really the only vegetable we have much luck with these days.  He's still doing fake coughs, sneezes and funny faces all the time, so it's hysterical just to hang out with him.  He gives awesome kisses (no more sloppy open mouths) and we're teaching him to give hugs.  He even blows kisses, waves buh-bye and can give high fives.  Now if only I could get him to say Love You! 

All in all, it's a tough age thanks to many a tearful, screaming tantrum, but it's been a lot of fun too.  He can walk everywhere, help throw his trash away and has real likes and dislikes.  He's slowly becoming this amazing little person, and I only wish I had more time to spend enjoying it.  He'll be two before we know it!