20 months

August was my last monthly update and much has changed since then. I apologize for the verbose nature of the post.  It is by very definition a gloating platform of my offspring, and so it is only natural that I should find much to say about the fruit of my loins.

It may be the pregnancy talking but I cannot get over how quickly he is growing before my very eyes. I know that once this baby is here he will morph into a little boy, and I am not ready for that in the least. Toddler-dom remain I say!

Cutter is saying 'no,' 'yes,' 'up,' 'down,' 'sister,' 'blue,' 'purple,' and can point to a few more body parts than he did before.  I will admit I have been frustrated in his lack of speech, but am purposing myself to remain engrossed in his own personal development and not that of other kids his age, though that is at best nearly impossible. He has yet to utter Mommy and I would be lying if I said it didn't bother me.

He adores coloring with a newfound passion and has taken to carrying his crayons around with him. This can be quite precarious as he is intrigued with ‘marking’ everything with his tagline – a straight line. Towards the end of the summer he really began to enjoy drawing with chalk on the deck, and one of his favorite things to do was to lie down and have someone trace him. This has translated to the indoors and he regularly lies down on the paper and asks you to trace him. Some of his papers are quite small, so it makes for some interesting outlines. Favorites include traced feet and profiles.

He has started walking with his hands behind his back, which is my signal that he is about to begin chasing one of the dogs. Bless their souls they are so patient with him and don’t seem to mind in the least.

He catches on to sign language well and has been signing 'please,' 'more,' and 'all done' for quite some time now. He has only recently added 'butterfly,' 'spider,' and 'thank you.'

He has exhibited quite the initiative over potty training believe it or not. We aren’t pushing it by any means but nightly now he will ask to sit on the potty and pees in it before bedtime. He has been telling me when he wants his diaper changed for a few weeks now, and though I know very well this could just be a phase, I’m just following his lead and going with it for now.

He still loves to eat fruits and vegetables though vegetables are becoming a distant second to fruits. If we have meat for dinner he will have a few bites, but he prefers fish. He loves oatmeal (with flaxseed), scrambled eggs, an occasional hard-boiled egg, applesauce, yogurt, and cheese. Just the other day my mom was able to get him to eat roast beef for lunch and I was floored – he never ceases to amaze me.

We are still having a bottle as part of our bedtime routine and I don’t want to give it up until I have to. Looking back at our 18 month post, I jumped the gun on that one! It works so well for him, and us, right now – I am not looking forward to that change. As I’m also dreading moving him to a bed. We will be using the crib for the baby so we will have to transition him to a bed before her arrival. It pains me to do so as he has been a saint **knock on wood** in his crib. I still have the bumpers on and he has yet to make an escape attempt.

Thankfully the biting has ceased momentarily.

He still adores reading books and has really fallen in love with the library. Storytime is back in earnest and we make it a point to pick out new books each time we go. He even sat down in the lobby just yesterday and opened up his book and began reading. Needless to say the librarians were quite smitten with his love for reading.

He has a deep affinity for the Wii, specifically Just Dance. He loves to dance around and that game is just fun, fun, fun for him – and for me.

He loves his Daddy, Grampie, Pop-Pop, and Uncle Jason to pieces and gives them some of the most heartwarming welcomes home you could ever hear. I only wish I was greeted that way every time I came home!

He doesn’t quite grasp the concept that a baby is growing in mommy’s belly but we talk about ‘sister’ a lot and he has been practicing saying it. It sounds a lot like wrist and he often will point to his wrist if we ask him to say ‘sister.’

Clothing wise I am surprised but he is still in size 12 month bottoms but can comfortably wear 18 month tops. He is just like his daddy, a long and lean little boy. This means I have to pull out the winter bin and get out some pants that actually fit and stay on his waist (which is decidedly nonexistent).

Our bedtime routine at this point has not wavered one bit since he was a little babe. It works so well for him, and he lets us know if we miss any part of it (a stranger to schedule he is not). We get a bath at 6:30, get our pajamas on and brush our hair, read some books, pray with Daddy, and then bottle with Mommy in the chair and then into the crib. Some nights he is in bed by 6:45 but most nights it is by 7. He is never really asleep when I put him in his crib, and he always rolls over and grabs puppy or bunny, I pull the blanket up over him and he reaches for the silky edge. I don’t hear from him again until 6:30 or 7 am. Steve and I quite enjoy our evenings alone together.

Just recently Cutter has been battling a weeks long cold that coincided convincingly with the beginning of regular weekly bible studies (read: excessive amounts of time spent in the nursery). A bit of separation anxiety has sprouted in the last month as well and drop-offs are becoming harder both on me and on him. We’re working through it but those cries are awful to hear.

Regardless, his smile can light up a room and my stress instantly vanishes when he looks up at me and voluntarily offers a hug or a kiss. He is precious beyond words and I am gratified beyond belief to be his mommy.

Milestones this month:

- Spending the weekend with his cousin, Charlie. The first time with him since his birth-day.
- Retiring the beloved crocs for socks and sneakers.
- Getting stung by a bee on his face – he took it like a real trooper.
- Braving no power for 4 days.