Months Twenty-One and Twenty-Two

June 30, 2017

Noah,

You’d be talking over the world if we could just understand what you’ve been saying the last few weeks. Your baby babbles are so much fun to listen to, as you sit in your car seat or booster seat and just tell us stories. We get half-words and almost-pronunciations on a regular basis, but you’re very clear with your “uh-uh”. As in, “Are you ready for night-night?” “Uh-uh!” Or, “Are you all done?” “Uh-uh”, which is swiftly followed by “mo!” with the accompanying sign. Alternately, communication may just be a yell at the top of your lungs, which we can then interpret based on context as to be good or bad.

Each and every day you are laughing and joyful, from waking up, to going to bed (save for a few times when it’s really time for a nap). No matter what we’re doing, something almost always will elicit smiles and giggles from your. Any camera lens will bring a “Cheese!” and a huge squinty-eyed smile. Changing diapers brings plenty of smiles, peekaboos, and giggles. So does the morning as you wake up and smile at us, and come to snuggle if there’s not something that must be done right away.

You’re learning to run, escape and discovering how things in the world work, from flashlights to blowing noses, to the gates in your playroom. You announced firmly to the world that you’d play in your playroom only because you want to by escaping by one gate by shaking it back and forth, presenting yourself in the kitchen, and the climbing back over the other gate to resume playing. Message received, we moved the gates out to the garage. You love to build with Daddy and Seth, from forts to car tracks, or whatever. Cars and motorcycles bring hours of fun, and plenty of driving noises, which are unique and fun to listen to you make. You’re certainly a lot faster, as you run playfully away from diaper changes and instructions. It’s funny now…

Clothes and shoes are providing hours of fascination this month. You figured out how to take your shirt off, though putting it on still requires a little help. Any time we even mention the word “yogurt”, and you want to eat some, you immediately set about trying to take off your shirt, no matter where you are. That’s in keeping with the general approach, though. Your spoon-work is improving, but not yet that skillful, and it generally degrades to use of hands, fingers, and painting with the yogurt still, so shirtless eating is often advised.

You refuse to go outside without your shoes, and know exactly where they are and where they go. Any time you’d like to go outside, we get a little boy bringing (or throwing his shoes) to us to put them on his feet. As soon as we get back into the house, you immediately sit, take them off, and then put them away. That care also extends to our shoes, Seth’s shoes, and pretty much anything that needs to go in the trash can. You are really a big helper!

You’ve started the transition to a two year old this month a little bit before you actually turn two. This month has brought the tantrums and the raw assertiveness of a two-year-old. Fortunately, your joyful nature still mostly shines through when you’re being fussy, so it’s easy to reason with you to calm down and choose a better path to take. That assertiveness also comes out in playing with your brother and others. It’s cute to watch, though we’ll continue to work on sharing and the feelings of others in the world. This has overlapped with new molars trying to make their way in (we think), which might explain some of that fussiness. Still, you’re an amazingly good-natured little guy under almost all circumstances. A good snuggle from Mommy or Daddy will take care of almost all your problems.

You got your first haircut this month, and trips to the doctor for the ususal. You couldn’t leave the doctor’s office wihtout your very own facemask.

And now it’s time to say goodnight, with your little bedtime routine. You like it so much that you even head for the stairs on your own if you’re tired enough. One thing you can’t miss is brushing your teeth now. Of course, you’re happy to try to do that with any toothbrush you can get ahold of. That normally means your brother’s since it’s pretty much always out on the counter in the hall bathroom. You and Seth share a love for playing the bathtub, and you’ll go charging upstairs right after him when one of us offer bath time. The two of you generally even get along in the tub with the toys. Bedtime pretty much always finishes with snuggles as we read books and you hold your wubbies (def: a pacifier attached to a small stuffed animal. They’re just for going to sleep, and yes, it’s going to be a challenge to eventually take them away. Still, you know they’re only for sleeping, and happily drop them into the crib when you get up in the morning or from nap). You still reserve a special laugh for when you see either your dog or your dinosaur wubbie, even though the dinosaur has lost his pacifier. Nights you don’t want to go to sleep have brought pitching practice with the wubbies, though, and you’ve gotten good enough to get them across the room as far as the rocking chair. We won’t come back in too many times to give them back, though, so you’ll end up called out on strikes.

Everything we do is up for mimicking, from cooking to cleaning to anything else around the house. You get sparkling eyes and a smile when you successfully do something “just like Mommy”. Seth is another key target of mimic opportunity, from his toys to his activities. Even hugs and kisses are copied, down to the dude-pat on the back that you see guys give each other. You’re a character, no question of that. We love you more each and every day. May you keep your loving and joyful spirit each and every day as you grow and learn (so fast it seems).

Love,

Daddy and Mommy