22 Months

Age: 22 Months

Favorite Activity: Lunch dates with Daddy! You love walking over to school each afternoon to eat lunch with Daddy. As soon as I open the door, you come racing over to hold my hand and start walking. You know what door leads to the dining hall and you get highly annoyed when we bypass that door to go meet Daddy first. You enjoy eating with the big boys and you especially love when they clap. Your entire face lights up and you clap too!

We often walk Daddy back to his classroom and then meander our way home. One day, we happened to be walking home when another teacher let his dog out (I think she's a Maltese). You thought she was just the neatest thing since sliced bread. She didn't hiss. She didn't hide. She chased you and you chased her. Happiness. I know, I know...you want a puppy, now.

Honorable Mentions:  Flower picking! We always stop along our walk to pick flowers. You carry that flower in your hand for the rest of our walk. You love yellow flowers. Dandelions are your favorite, but you also like the mums out in front of the school. Shhhh...we won't tell anyone you're the one picking them.

Least Favorite Activity: Teeth brushing. Don't get me wrong, you love chewing on your toothbrush, but if I try to get you to brush your teeth or I try to brush them, oh heaven help us! You didn't use to mind, so I'm hoping this is 2 year molar related. Please, oh please, let it be molar related.

Milestones: You will hold our hand when we're walking in public! Now, that doesn't mean that you won't try to ditch us if you see something really interesting, but for the most part, you've stopped the go limp, sit on the ground when we try to hold your hand. This has resulted in a lot more freedom from the stroller for you which makes you almost giddy.

New Activity: You're attempting to scare the bejeepers out of me. One morning, I was washing my hands in the kitchen when you suddenly got quiet in the living room. When I went to check on you, I found the following scene:

Stop climbing on things!

You also love washing your hands. As soon as you hear me go in the hall bathroom, you come racing down the hallway, grab your stool, put it at the counter, and start washing/playing. If we wash (with soap) and dry our hands, you're ok with leaving. If we skip a step, oh my.

 If I happen to open the fridge when you are nearby, you will come grab a fruit pouch out and hand it to me to open so you can have it.

Communication: It feels like you are gaining communication skills every day. Phases like, "here you go, Ma" pop out when I'm least expecting it.

Sleep: I'm convinced you are on the cusp of dropping your nap altogether. If you get up past 8 o'clock, I know nap time is pretty much shot. If you get up between 7 and 8, I have a 50/50 shot. This makes me very sad. First, because you really need a nap. Secondly, I need a few minutes during the day to do selfish things like sit down, eat, shower, and go to the potty. I'm working on quiet time bins for you to play with during quiet time (formerly nap time), but since you're so little it's challenging to find things you can do that are safe if you decide to eat them.

Best Moment: A few times, while cooking dinner, you will run over throw your arm around my legs and hug me. It melts my heart every time (THAT is the time to ask for a puppy, Buddy).

Worst Moment: Carrying you home after lunch one day while you had a screaming meltdown because I wouldn't let you walk home because you refused to hold my hand was not fun. You have to hold my hand. It's to keep you safe.

Eating: Grandma keeps asking me if we feed you. You are a bottomless pit! And you ate broccoli! Granted, only one floret, but you ate it!

Favorite Foods: You are an apple lover. This makes me so happy. Together, we will eat a lot of apples, baby.

Teeth: Four little white bumps on the bottom right side of your mouth! 

Oh, and this! One night during one of "free range" walks, you suddenly dropped Daddy's hand and started to run while holding my hand. You thought it was great fun to run away from Daddy, then stop and let him catch up before taking off again. It was almost like you were playing tag with him. It made us all laugh and it was also great exercise for Mama. Win-win!