The Last Hurrah - 21, 22, & 23 Months

These last three months have flown by like crazy! We have been super busy this semester, as shown by the lack of blogs. It is hard to believe that Ian is 23 months old today and at this time next month, we will have a two year old! I had been keeping little notes of his accomplishments along the way, but I can only find the 21 month ones right now. Looking at those notes though, I've realized that 21 months was a big month developmentally for Ian and the last two months have just been a continuation of the 21 month changes.

So, without further ado, here's 21 months!

At 21 months, Ian:

* has figured out how to jump with both feet. We think it comes from nap time in his crib when he grabs the rail and jumps up and down. Before this, he would just hop on one foot or the other.

* was super cuddly. We loved all the cuddles, but not being allowed to be more than six inches from our child made it hard to get stuff done sometimes!

* was in a big "grab and drag" stage. One of our good friends, Katie, coined the phrase. And that's exactly what it was! Ian would grab one of our fingers and drag us wherever he wanted us to go! (Often it was to turn on a movie, go outside, or get a snack.)

* developed a love of swinging. Before this, he severely disliked being put in the swings at the park.

* started saying "up". (It usually sounds like "uh" with a hard "h" sound...but was said to get us to put him up on slides, his high chair, our bed, etc.)

* started saying "eat". (Sounds like "ee-ee".)

* could get on slides by himself. Beforehand, he couldn't figure out how to coordinate all his limbs to sit down without falling over.

* started sleeping 12 hours consistently at night and taking two hour naps during the day.

* fell in love with his wagon from Nana or Pop-Pop. In fact, it became his mainstay for everything and Pop-Pop started calling it his office. :-)

At 22 months, Ian continued all of the above, except he:

* started pulling Mommy and Daddy (and everyone else!) into all sorts of funny places. If we were on tile, he'd pull us both onto carpet. If we were in the kitchen, he'd pull us into the corner or into the pantry.

* started actually going down the slides by himself. He figured out how to turn sideways to stop himself at the bottom.

* insisted that Mommy and Daddy take him on 2 one hour walks everyday!

* solidified certain routines during his walks. He branched out now and then, but he had his must-haves on every walk (like throwing rocks in the creek).

* started not taking his afternoon nap unless he got a good, long morning walk.

* has developed a love of the washer and dryer. His favorite of our chores is when we do laundry and he gets to help.

* started to really enjoy swinging for longer periods of time.

At 23 months, Ian:

* has reverted back to hitting and biting after an out-of-town trip without Daddy. This has been less than fun for Mommy and Daddy.

* actually has taken someone's hand (Gramma K's and Daddy's) and led them to his bed for bedtime! We sure hope this continues!

* "sings" along to several of his Veggie Tales songs. Our current favorite right now is when he grunts along with the mute Cebu in the Cebu song.

* has become quite the drummer. He's really starting to develop a noticeable rhythm.

* has shown a longer attention span than normal, especially when it comes to watching movies or sitting patiently in his wagon waiting for Mommy or Daddy to take him for a walk.

* likes to lead Mommy and Daddy to sit down on the floor and then push their shoulders until they lay down. Then it's heads down for Mommy and Daddy - no looking up! Otherwise, we'll get a strong little toddler hand on our forehead pushing our heads back down. Of course, Mommy and Daddy don't particularly behave well and it seems like a head or an arm is always coming out of place and needing to be put back down. It's amazing the patience Ian has for this! He also loves to lead us to a central location where we can all jump together. He's the tiniest workout instructor we have ever had!

* has mostly mastered big kid swings at the park...he at least holds on and stays upright for 4-5 minutes before he is done. He also loves to swing in the baby swings for 10-15 minutes at a time!

* still loves laundry!

Little man, we love you more than words can say and are so blessed by your quirky sense of humor and joy!