10 & 30

I finally found the alligator & giraffe, so I could take the "official" photos. 10 & 30 months.

10! Months!

The Vitals:
Holding steady at about 23lb
30.5" I think. Maybe 31", it's hard to get him to be still

Highlights:
Started Mother's Day Out
First move to a new house
Sleeping in a real crib, not a pack & play

Visit from Aunt Cheryl, Granny Boswell, and cousins

First day of Mother's Day Out

Skills:
Standing. By himself. Alone. Unassisted.
Climbing stairs
Clapping
Rolling balls & chasing them
Throwing things
Babbling. Lots of mamamas & dadadas, but only occasionally with purpose

Works in progress:
Cruising. He can do it, but knows he's faster on the ground
Walking. He can do it holding on to our hands & I think if I got him a walker toy he'd conquer the world
Teeth? Maybe? Never? I don't even know anymore

He likes:
All the food
Peek-a-boo
Wooden blocks
Balls
Throwing things
Standing in the tub

Crawling in the dog's crate

He dislikes:
Grass
When the food is gone

I like:
His smiles, which he hands out freely
Long pants season. Babies in jeans are the cutest
That he takes his afternoon nap at the same time as Eleanor now. Hoooooooray!

I dislike:
The Mohawk is gone, though he still has a little Alfalfa sprout in back
His complete disregard for safety

It's October, and that means costumes and I'm so excited to have 2 kids to dress up! Eleanor is starting to express OPINIONS about what she wears, so this is going to be fun. Sadly, I can't find where I packed his alligator to take his 10m picture just yet.

Two and a half

My baby girl is hardly a baby anymore. She's running and planting seeds in her "garden" (read: patch of dirt conveniently located to get current position) and generally just being amazing.

The Vitals:
Tall & not as leggy as I thought. 37' She wears 2t pants, 3t shirts & dresses. I guess she's got more torso now. She hovers right around 30lb and has for nearly a year now. She's front facing in her car seat, which she can climb into &  out of on her own.

Highlights:
The past six months have been such a blur in so many ways. She had her first teeth cleaning appointment, and she was amazing. Fluoride, flossing, the works. I mean, she's been to the dentist 5 times since she broke her tooth at ten months. She didn't want a toy at the end of her visit, she wanted a dental mirror.

We went back to the haunted house where J works. Last year she went as a hippo and was really too young to understand and be scared. This year, we talked a lot about going to visit the monsters, and play peek-a-boo. She put on her tutu and flower headband and loved it! She giggled and grinned. She launched herself into J's arms, not at all bothered by his makeup.

Skills:
Sentences. Full, developed, mostly grammatical sentences.
She tells stories. As in, you can ask her what she did today, and she'll tell you a sequence of events.
Her imagination has really taken off. She's fantastic at looking at some random object and making it whatever tool she needs in the moment.
Staying awake on the drive to my folks' house
Feeding the dog (that's her morning chore)
Setting the table. Not well, but she can do it.

She likes:
Daniel Tiger
All the movies, especially Brave, Tangled & Mulan. Nemo & Monsters Inc. aren't in heavy rotation anymore
Grape tomatoes
All the fruits
Cheese of all kinds
Quiche
Noodles
Pop Tarts (unfrosted strawberry, because I'm not a total monster)
Mama's breakfast (which is chocolate Belvita
Going to school and church
Playing in the dirt
Being outside
Being our "big helper"
Washing her hands
Going upstairs
Her blankie & paci
Getting a ponytail

She dislikes:
Getting a ponytail
All raw vegetables that aren't tomatoes
Coming inside
Not going upstairs

I like:
The level of communication! It's just mind blowing to have whole conversations with her. She can express her opinions and we can negotiate.
Her curly hair. I have no idea what to do with it most days, but it's beautiful.
Her delightful mispronunciations. She wears a baby suit (bathing suit) to go get in the cool (pool). She gardens with a bucket and a shuggle. She likes to snuggle under her co-wees (covers). OK, she can say covers (co-wers) but I'm not encouraging that. Combo letter sounds are still hard, so snack is 'nack and clock is...hilarious. She mimics everything we say. EVERYTHING.
Her fearless attitude (except she learned about being afraid from Daniel Tiger & that's kinda lame, though it did help us with the haunted house, so he can stay).
Daniel Tiger. Yeah, the songs help us so very much. We sing them daily.

I dislike:
The willful attitude
Boundary-testing
The return of the bottle? Since we moved, she's been asking for a bottle again. I'm hoping she settles in & gives it up again soon

She's delightful. I take videos of her all the time, because I can't get over how great she is.

Chocolate face