We will have 2 year old in less than 2 months! Sometimes I wish we could rewind time back and enjoy just a little more time being one, yet I am so excited to see what 2 years brings.
Over the last month I think he has grew in leaps and bounds. For more than a year he wore size 3 shoes and in the last month he has surpassed most 4s and is headed to 5s. For someone who loves shoes and much as I do...I am excited he can finally fit in shoes from Old Navy---I guess it really is the little things isn't it? :) Well, not only his feet have grown he is most full fledged 18-24 clothes, which includes pants (with adjustable waists). I have even bought a couple of 2T items for winter.
Picky eating...is the newest thing. For the past 21 months he has been the best eater out of any child I have ever seen, he would eat practically everything. At daycare, he continues to eat regularly, but at home, he picks and chooses what he is going to eat...another quest for his own independence. Some of his favorite foods include yogurt, green beans (the whole can), ketchup, bananas and popcorn. I guess we will call that well rounded for a toddler's liking. Despite the pickyiness, he still weighs in at about 24 pounds.
Speech is picking up like lightening speed! Harrison regularly uses the words, "apple," "acorn," "bubble," "no," "yeah," "more," "all done," "da, da," "ma, ma," "bye bye," "cookie," "banana" (he says nana), and "popcorn." On any given day you hear those words---he can say numerous other words with prompting and he attempts to repeat words and sounds you make. It's absolutely hilarious to hear his interpretation of a cat meowing. It's like a broken record! :) This morning during an episode of Mickey's Playhouse on Disney, they were counting cows and asked the audience to moo like a cow...next thing I know he is mooing loud and clear and said Mickey twice during the clubhouse song while he marched in place as did the characters. While his language continues to grow---he is still notably behind. We continue to use the program Birth to 3 to help with language. Daycare said that Harrison is quieter, but knows many signs and does a good job communicating his needs and wants. The other daycare he surprised a staff member there by saying, "all done, all done" when they were in the middle of coloring.
Immunity? Could that quite possibly on the rise? Harrison has been ear infection free for a month now, he continues to have the chronic runny nose and cough that we treat with singular, 2 inhalers, Allegra and cough medicine. Some days it helps, other days it doesn't. But with daily use he also hasn't vomited in a month which is a HUGE relief." He even takes his medicine out of a cup now, no more syringes. This will also be the longest we have gone without seeing a doctor, we see the immunologist and pediatrician next in December, with the exception of getting a flu shot later this month. So with that said, we supply our house with endless boxes of Kleenex and continue on our daily regimen and see where this fall/winter flu and cold season takes us.
Time outs. You bet Harrison knows what these are! We set the timer on the microwave to two minutes (usually discipline how many minutes to their age--so 2 for Harrison). Behavioral overall is that of a typical two year old. I think it's really important to set boundaries and stick with them.
He can walk, run, jump and march...all milestone of 22 months! He also can successfully make himself dizzy and fall over on the neighbors clothes line post. We spend our days looking for acorns, chasing squirrels, feeding the birds, sweeping (even the carpet), rock collecting, cookie in his kitchen, helping momma bake, "swimming" in the bath-tub and painting. He is becoming quite the artist...daddy even pick up a big art table on his way back from the cities the other night. The only question is where do we put it? Re-arranging is on my list of to dos today.
Harrison also given up his morning nap in the last two weeks. Having a one napper---gives us more time for fun in the morning (and less time for Mommy to get anything done :). All in all sleeping through the night....some nights yes, some no. He has been sleeping in his toddler bed for nearly a month now, he loves the bed, but just doesn't want to go to sleep without you in the room, something we are working on. We are also working on the plug issue or the nuk, pacy, pacifier, binky, whatever you term it, we call it a plug. You rarely see photos of Harrison with a plug...He only uses at home when he is tired or sleeping. Most times we also venture out of the house without a plug now, unless we know it's close to nap or bedtime. I guess I don't have a real issue with him using at night because I sucked my thumb until I was 10. Yep, I just admitted that. I think within a year, he won't be using it all, if fact, he is more attached to blankets than he is to his plug.
I love the ALL the signs for potty training! It comes as huge surprise to me how soon all this potty trainings business is starting. I thought I would have to convince Harrison to use the potty, not have him try to convince me that he is ready to use the potty. Harrison isn't a big fan of sitting on his little potty, but he does a really good job of letting you know when he did a number one or number two. Sometimes if you aren't paying close enough attention, he will go get a clean diaper and throw at you and then lay on the floor. Yesterday morning I changed his diaper and got him dressed and he started to have what seemed like a tempertanturm is his room, so I went on and ignored him and went about finishing getting ready and he comes storming into the bathroom with a diaper and hands it to me. I asked him if he went potty and he said, "yeah." Sure enough, no poop, but just a friendly number one. The hardest thing is pulling together language/communication as so when he needs to go. Lately his biggest sign is what seems to be a tempertanturm is his way of communicating I did/have to go. This weekend I am going out on a quest to find a potty chair for the big potty as well as spend sometime researching online potty training, hopefully by the end of this weekend I am potty training knowledgeable.
This is all I've got for now...nap time is in fully swing, I better get to studying and then it's off to the apple orchard this afternoon and TEWS corn maze tomorrow! I love fall!
