23 months

Wow in a month we will have a 2 year old. I was just hugging Neil today, thinking about this.

Neil is still asserting his independence and it seems like he's testing us. He still wants his own separate towel after a bath, but doesn't try to dry himself. (If I try to take it away, though, WHOA, watch out.) Where he used to choose from two sets of pajamas now he refuses to change and if I pick one he will pick the opposite. I didn't realize reverse psychology could work so early, ha. He also likes to tell us no, point his finger at us (I blame daycare for that) and is not listening. We say Neil over and over and he ignores us. But we know he can hear because he does respond when he hears something he wants to respond to.

With that said, though, I think (so far at least) this was the perfect age for Christmas. We could explain things to him- he got Santa. He understood that not all presents were for him, and even helped us give presents to each other from under the tree. He didn't open them until we said okay, and took his time for the most part. When we were at his aunt's house, though, once he opened one he just kept going so I think some of it was novelty for him. He also points out Baby Jesus and Mary, as well as the Three Wise Men, so thank goodness he's also getting the Christian aspect of the holiday, which is really the whole point.

Neil still calls all colors green but he does differentiate so that's a good sign. He still loves books, singing, and talking. I keep getting comments from people about how clearly he talks compared to other kids his age. I still think at times it can be hard- it's much easier if you understand what he's actually talking about. This month of course the theme has been Christmas, and we have been hearing repeated renditions of Frosty the Snowman, Jingle Bells, We Wish You a Merry Christmas, Santa Claus Is Coming to Town... I'm sure I'm forgetting more. He just loves all the Christmas music and books.

Speaking of music, combined with independence, he doesn't want me playing the piano anymore, which is kind of disappointing because I like to play. Now he wants to play himself and he even had Mickey playing the piano (putting Mickey's hands on the keys). Santa got him a drum set for Christmas and he really likes that as well, but alternates playing with his Dad. He tries to alternate with me as well but I'm not really thrilled about playing drum set. I prefer those melodic percussion instruments.

We got out the toddler bed and gave Neil a blanket for the bed for Christmas. I'm not sure how or when we're going to transition but he loves hanging out in it and recently asked us to read to him in his bed instead of in the living room. He still goes to his crib to go to sleep but I'm wondering if he's going to ask to sleep in his big boy bed soon... For anyone reading this, I realized for now that he won't use the top sheet so we'll probably just have a crib sheet (crib mattress on the toddler bed) along with a blanket and this is when we are finally introducing a pillow for him. It doesn't look like he'll use it but we'll see. Dave doesn't really want him sleeping in there until he anchors some of the furniture because he's exploring more and we don't want him pulling the dresser or bookshelf on top of himself.

We also started letting him sit in the booster chair at the table to eat instead of the high chair. Right now I'm kind of letting it be his choice and so far anytime I've asked he's said booster chair. I'm not sure if it's that I can't handle him growing up, or I'm just being lazy, but I'm letting him pace it himself, for now. We may regret this later if he doesn't transition on his own though!

Neil takes FOREVER to eat. They tell us at daycare that he's middle of the road (good eater) so I don't know if we're doing something wrong at home but he takes a bite and then sings, talks, and has a good old time. Often I have to threaten to or actually take his plate away and he starts crying saying he wasn't done. We also ask him a lot if he's done and he says no, and stuffs food in his mouth. I will take any advice on this, or maybe it's a good thing because he's not just gobbling food and eating more than he really needs...

Speaking of eating, his tastes are changing and he's getting a bit more picky. I still think it's because he now has had more junk food so he doesn't want the better food anymore. He still eats vegetables for the most part, except broccoli, but he sometimes refuses to because of the other things on his plate. We also finally are letting him have chocolate/candy to some extent.

Closer to 22 months

Neil also got a portable basketball hoop for Christmas and has been playing with that. He likes to throw and kick balls, although he doesn't have any aim.

Sleeping wise, I think the naps are shorter. Last month I'm pretty sure at home he was still napping for 3 hours each day but it's dropped to between 1-2 hours. He seems tired but doesn't sleep longer than that even if we're quiet. One thing I probably don't mention is that when he wakes up, both from nap and in the morning, Neil doesn't cry or anything. He just lays there and waits for us. Sometimes I feel guilty because I don't know how long he's been awake. And this is one thing I'm nervous about with the transition to a toddler bed- I wonder if he's going be up and around as soon as he wakes (and who knows what time that really is).

Potty wise there hasn't been any progress but again I'm letting him call the shots on that. I think personally that it's too early. He doesn't tell us when he poops in his diaper- even if we saw him squatting and can smell it, if we ask him, he denies that he pooped. I will put him on the potty if he says he wants to go but this month he hasn't gone at all.

23 months

Stats:
Clothing: I started putting him in 2T pajamas but they are too big so we just let him wear a mix of 18 month and 2T pajamas. We're doing the same with shirts. Pants have to be 18 months and even some of those are too loose and fall down on him.
Diapers: Size 4
Shoes: Size 6 although I think 5.5 fits but we like the size 6 pairs better (and only have 1 pair of 5.5 size that I see)
Weight: 27 pounds
Height: 34 1/4 inches