20 Months Old...

Our little man is 20 months old…I just can’t believe it! It feels like just yesterday I was holding our brand-new baby in my arms! I sit here today marveling at how much he has grown and how much he continues to grow.

I figured that today, on his 20-month birthday, would be a good opportunity to update everyone on all that he is doing and saying! He amazes me everyday with all that he is learning – he really is like a sponge, soaking up everything…all the time!

*Alex has two speeds…fast and faster! He is always on the move and always going full-throttle! He doesn’t know how to slow down, but he wouldn’t be Alex if he was still!

*He is saying so many new words and it seems like he is saying a new one everyday. On his list of frequently said words are:
-Go – and many variations of it, including “Let’s go”, “Go Away”, “Go, Go, Go”
-Hi and Bye (sometimes “Goodbye” and sometimes “Bye-Good”
-Dog and Kitty
-Here
-Hot (simultaneously blowing on food that he thinks is hot)
-Daddy – mostly to Daddy, but EVERYONE is Daddy though! I can come down the
stairs and he shouts “Daddy” – we laugh every time he does it, so now I think
he just does it because he thinks he is a comedian!
-Mommy – a word that just melts my heart
-Rascal
-Milk, Cup and Juice
-Please and More
-Yes, Yeah and Yay
-No and Nope
-Play
-Diaper and Potty
-Mouth, Eyes, Nose, Ears and Toes
-Cracker and Cookie
-Car and Truck

*He answers us “Yes” when we ask him if he want to do something and he does. He answers us “No” if he doesn’t want to do whatever we have asked of him! It is showing us that he does understand what we are asking him. He is also following direction very well. For instance, he will go and get his cup when I ask him to, or he will put away a toy when I tell him to.

*Alex LOVES to feed the dogs their dinner (see post on June 10 for pictures). Every night he waits by the pantry door and gets so excited when we tell him it is time to feed to dogs.

*He can tell us the noises that several different animals make and point them out in his little animal book. It is absolutely hilarious to hear him make the noises – I promise to try to get a video of him making the noises soon! He can successfully make the noises of and point out: a kitty, a dog, an elephant, a lion (by far his favorite), a tiger, a bird, a pig, a mouse, a bear, a frog, a duck and a monkey (his second favorite).

*He can point out his ears, nose, mouth, eyes, belly button and toes. He can also point them out on Larry and I!

*Saturday, I started to teach him the alphabet (we are learning by cookies shaped like the letters)! So far, he can recognize and say A, F, K, M, O.

*He is still a terribly picky eater. I swear, this child could live on macaroni and cheese and hot dogs!

*He has a cute little habit of putting on his batting helmet whenever he rides his Little Einstein’s Rocket ride-on toy!

*We are slowly working on potty-training! We are more interested in getting him used to the potty and what he is supposed to do on it, rather than trying to “make” him use it all the time! He is doing good and does realize what he is supposed to do on it.

*He gives kisses out randomly…and it is the sweetest thing EVER! He will pucker up his little lips and say MUAH!

*He is a creature of habit! When Daddy comes home from work, we wait by the window looking for his car, wait on him to come up the stairs and he leads Daddy upstairs to change out of his work clothes! He loves his routine!

*Alex is a dancing fool! Whenever he hears music, he will put up on of his arms (not quite sure why) and start be-bopping to the music. It is so funny to see him dancing…and it ALWAYS puts a smile on my face!

*We have a naptime and nighttime routine that he loves. We read him a story, give our hugs and kisses and tell him that we love him and goodnight. He waves us goodbye and then settles in for sleep! He takes a nap around 1 pm for about 2 hours and goes to bed for the night around 7:30 pm.

*He loves playing with the dogs. We are still trying to teach him to be nice and to not be so rough – he is getting it, but it is a slow process!

*Most nights, he shares his dinner with the dogs. Don’t worry though, he is VERY fair. He makes sure to throw down three pieces of whatever he is eating – he doesn’t like to leave anyone out! The dogs now wait at his high chair for his handouts!

*We have started implementing “time-out”. He knows when he does something wrong and starts to head to the “time-out” chair. He only has to sit in the chair for a minute and a half (the time correlates with his age).

*When he doesn’t get what he wants, he has started to throw himself down on the ground and cry! He looks so pitiful when he does it. I try my hardest not to acknowledge him until he calms down (I don’t want to encourage his behavior or condone it), but sometimes he is so funny that I can’t help but laugh!

*He loves to be outside! He loves running around, playing at the playground, going for wagon rides, riding his battery-powered four-wheeler and running through the sprinklers at the Sprayground! If he is outside…he is a happy boy!

*He has been trying to put on his clothes. Sometimes, the shirt is where the pants go and the pants are on his head, but he is trying and showing interest in doing it himself. He loves to put his own shoes on – he has a hard time with tennis shoes, but he is great with his sandals and Crocs! He has been known to put on my shoes or Larry’s shoes, which is quite entertaining!

Oh goodness, there is so much more, but I think this is enough of a “brag” post for now! All in all, our little man is growing up, meeting milestones and amazing us everyday. He is the light of our life and the sunshine on our darkest days! Even when he drives us crazy, we couldn’t imagine our life without him!