20 months

Here is a little laundry list (mainly for my record keeping) of all the fun things our big boy is up to lately:

- his favorite foods include: chicken & ketchup, turkey & ketchup, fish sticks & ketchup, ketchup a la carte, beans, yogurt, applesauce, cookies, goldfish crackers, raisins, fig newtons and the pureed fruit/veggie squeeze packs (this is the only way he will eat veggies) **Side note: Yesterday, I told him that the raspberries on his plate were cookies and he actually ate one.

- he is still saying lots of fun words: bird, hi, bye, mamadada (he has mushed together the two words when he addresses his parental unit), Nemo, Bambi, car, cookie, up, out, down, more, milk, two (he refuses to say any other numbers), and cool

- he is very sweet and loves to blow kisses. He does the hand motion and says, "MWUAH!" I have to get this on tape. It melts me every time.

- he adores his dada. When dad walks in the door in the evenings Dean is completely energized and over the moon. They play trucks & cars, they watch a bit of a movie together, they play games in the yard...it's very sweet and makes this mommy very happy.

- his favorite book is Parts (thank you Sarah Joseph!). He loves the page that says "something gray and wet fell right out of my NOSE!" I'm learning to love the boy humor.

- we are still working on his separation anxiety. I know he's going to get better but, for now he doesn't like it when mommy leaves. (and I secretly love it)

- he's developed a funny.....quirk? He has started to sniff Michael & I. He walks up to us and will put his nose on us, audibly sniff, and then look up with a big smile. It's hysterical and we always sniff him back. I'm sure I'll be getting a call from his teacher this Fall about him sniffing classmates or glue or something.

- he also seems to fancy licking lotion off of himself and trying to eat hand sanitizer at The Little Gym. I'm sure this will be another call from his teacher.

- he still enjoys Ms. Pat and The Little Gym. He doesn't enjoy his new "Tadpole" swimming class without mommy in the water yet. But, I know he'll get there. I (of course) am LOVING his new swimming class because I stay nice and dry!

Needless to say, we are enjoying every moment with our big 20-month-old. He is loving and sweet and exuberant and has such a good heart - what more could we ask for!? We are trying to enjoy the simplicity of just having one child because there is definitely an expiration date on that. Dean still doesn't understand it when we talk about the baby in mommy's belly but I know he's going to be a great big brother. We will be finding out the sex of baby number two in June and I am equal parts excited and nervous - our family is definitely going to be changing and we feel very blessed.

Mother's Day 2011

Sweet boy.