21 months

Neil is 21 months old. He is talking a lot more and definitely starting to develop a mind of his own.

Per daycare so far he is counting to 11. I've heard him count further but he also likes to leave out the number 5. He seems to know where number 5 goes because if I try to say "5" he continues with 6, 7, etc. If we ask him to clap two times he doesn't seem to get that but he likes to count things. So we encourage that when we read books, or are picking up toys, etc.

I know that he listens in on Spanish at daycare so I made the mistake of saying "Hola" as I was strapping him into the car one day after daycare. He repeated something several times that I didn't understand. I could tell he was repeating the same thing and started to wonder if it was Spanish. It was- he was saying happy birthday (cumpleanos felis). That seems to be one of his favorite sayings and he'll even start singing the song in Spanish and then English.

Also, out of the blue he started reciting the months in order. This is from daycare as well. When I asked, they said there is a song the kids sing that lists the months in order. Let me say how impressed I am with daycare at this point, as much as I miss not seeing Neil all day and being at work.

Singing while walking in our neighborhood

Neil talks a LOT but it can still be hard to understand. When we figure out what he's trying to say it almost always makes sense but figuring it out can be hard and there are still times I nod my head to agree (may not be the smartest thing if I don't know what he's saying).

Neil still loves to sing, especially Happy Birthday, Yankee Doodle, Peanut Butter Sandwich (Raffi), and Wheels on the Bus as well as too many to name. I should have started to keep a list.. If mommy gets the order of verses "wrong" on Wheels on the Bus, it is quickly corrected.

One day I was in the kitchen and he was on the stairs. I walked over to make sure he was okay and he held out his index finger and said "Wait." I was shocked. I think he learned this from daycare. So I asked what he was doing and he held up his index finger again and said "Wait. Two minutes." Um, sorry bud, but I know you have no concept of how long two minutes is. But wow. I couldn't believe it.

He is also definitely getting opinionated. We took the picture to announce on Facebook that I'm pregnant again and had found a really cute Batman costume for him to wear. Now he loves Batman and will run around singing "nananananananana Batman" but when I tried to put the costume on him he refused and kept saying "No like." And no bribe worked on this so the picture ended up just being in a Batman short sleeved shirt. At least it was warm outside. October is always hit or miss with the weather.

Pumpkin patch

Neil is starting to get even more mobile, climbing up onto the couch and chairs pretty easily. Daddy showed him to take the stool over to our bed so he can get up to that. (Thanks, Daddy. Sarcastic there.) Neil is fascinated with opening and closing doors although he can't quite get the doorknob to work and likes to claim it's stuck. Now we need to keep an eye that he doesn't inadvertently shut himself in somewhere. He also has gone up and down the stairs of our deck (3 steps) by himself now, so he's getting better on the stairs as well although he's still pretty tentative.

With Dave in Savannah, GA

Foodwise, we have introduced more junk food. Pizza, first trip to McDonald's, eating out on a vacation in Savannah so it was almost all junk food like hot dogs, pizza, etc. He still seems to like most foods, with a preference for chicken. He does not like broccoli but eats most other vegetables we've tried.

Neil also wants to participate in whatever we're doing. When we give him a bath, he tries to help wash himself. Then he wants to towel dry himself (we use two towels- he gets one and I get the other). And when I put lotion on him he wants to rub it in himself. The easiest way now to distract him during diaper changes is to give him a wipe, which he then uses to wipe his face, his hands, his butt... you name it. (He also likes to wipe off the table after eating.)

Opening and closing the room door in Tybee Island

Stats:
Clothing - 18 month pajamas seem too tight now, so we're going to move up to 2T for pajamas only. Everything else is 18 months and the pants still seem to be too loose fairly often. BUT I have seen some change here. We pulled out his shorts from the summer for our trip to Savannah and he filled them out so much better!

Diapers – size 4 
Shoes - size 5.5, just decided yesterday to move up half a size and see how it works. We really only have one pair of shoes that size though.

Weight - 25 pounds even (He was 25.5 last month.)

Height -  Just under 31.5 inches.