Graham: 23 Month Update

I cannot believe we are a month away from G turning 2 (on April Fools' Day/Easter)! I seriously can't believe it! He is the funniest little human and will definitely be the class clown in years to come. 

Personality: This child will do anything to make others laugh. He LOVES people and he LOVES people looking at him. He gives "big hugs" and "kisses with no paci" and he will grab my face and kiss me. I die every time he does it. If he is doing something to make you laugh, he does everything in his power to not laugh. He will look away, act like he is sleeping, roll his eye backwards, etc. He does not want to give in to the laugh. He is a sweet soul, but HOLY COW did he get his momma's stubborn attitude. Time-out or any threat doesn't phase him whatsoever. We will put him in time-out then he will shout, "NO!" and get up and start running around the island making the most evil laugh sound, ever. It sounds like, "muuuaaahahahahah!" And, it takes everything in Chris and I to not die laughing.  

Talking: The last month has been the biggest change as far as his speech goes! He is actually saying words correctly and speaking in semi-complete sentences. Instead of saying 'mock' he says 'milk' and instead of 'maci' he is now saying 'paci'. He knows his friends by name, most of mine and Chris's friends, his teachers, and all our family. He is able to expresses what he wants which is SO helpful. I love when he says, "I love you MOMMY!" and in the mornings he yells out the car window, "BYE BYE DADDY!!! LOVE YOU DADDY!!!" He still signs "please" and "more" anytime he says the words. He also says please, thank you, yes/no ma'am, and yes/no sir pretty religiously. Being from the south, the use of yes/no ma'am/sir is non-negotiable! He will tell me, "No like music..." and then cover his ears when he doesn't like what is on the radio. He is also really in to scrunching up his face and saying, "Jusss one mo', peeese?" I cave every time. 

Learning: All props to his school because this momma/teacher can't take credit for much of what he has learned! The other day we were in the car and he said, "black car, mommy!" and I was shocked. He knows his colors, but everything is always boo (blue) the first time he guesses. He can (roughly) sing his abcs, he is so good at praying before his meal, he knows tons of animals and their noises, he is a great "artist" (laughing as I type that one), he knows how to properly wash his hands, and he knows to throw his napkin/trash away after a meal. He loves singing worship songs and Happy Birthday. They tell me that at chapel he dances the whole time! He is also really into saying, "I do it," and trying every task by himself. He has learned how become the master manipulator and will scream/cry louder and louder just to add drama to the situation. He is a sponge and seeing him learn new things everyday is the best thing. Also, can we all acknowledge the memory of children? Graham will remember that we ate grapes at Evelyn's or that my cousin's dog's name is Bronx. The way kids compartmentalize their thoughts is fascinating! 

Food: This kid loves to eat! We had a week where he was cutting molars and he ran a fever and hardly ate anything, but he made up for it the next week! He will eat dinner and then he sees you eating something and he wants your food, too. He LOVES Annie's bunny gummies, peanut butter toast, raisins, popcorn, pizza, and spaghetti. He is NOT a fan of potatoes of any kind...not even french fries! He hates mashed potatoes and Chick-fil-a waffle fries! Like, who is this kid?? 

Sleep: He is still a really great sleeper. He went through a week-long phase of waking up screaming for us, so we would run in thinking something was wrong, but then we quickly realized he was manipulating us, so after a few mornings/nights of us ignoring the drama show, he went back to his regular ways of going to bed and waking up without a fuss. He also still LOVES his naps. He will tell you, "nih-nih" when he is ready for a nap. He sleeps with his blankie and recently demands his bunny-lovie as well. 

Randoms: 

- He knows every kind of ball and "shoots" everything. I'll be driving and all of a sudden I hear, "SHOOT!" and a shoe comes flying at me. He also loves "shooting his paci and breakfast while I am driving. 

- He will not keep his shoes on, ever. He hates clothes in general, but really hates shoes. Except for these Sperry's that are three sizes too big. He will wear those all day, everyday. 

- He has just now started being vocal about what clothes he wants to wear and it is always a task to get him to keep his shirt on.

- Everything is "TOO TIGHT!"

- He loves Mickey Mouse, but not necessarily watching Mickey. The boy would rather play than watch TV any day of the week. I try to bribe him to watch a show for just 10 minutes, but he isn't interested. We gave him an old phone of ours and he loves watching kid song videos on 'his phone.' I hate him having it because he constantly pushes the home button and then yells out, "UH OH MOMMY!!!!" like he has no idea what happened to his video. 

- He can fake sleep and it is the funniest thing ever.

- He slept in our bed for the first time when he was sick. Chris was traveling, so I let him...and it was terrible. Oh my gosh. He slept great, but I didn't sleep a wink. Needless to say that won't be happening again. 

- He always needs a snack when I pick him up from school, even though they just had snack.

- He still loves his paci, but will take it out to talk. He is also good about giving it to us when he doesn't want it.

- One day when he was sick I was rocking him because he woke up form his nap early. As we were rocking I was saying, "shhh shhh shhh," and all of a sudden he got a smirk on his face and started to say, "shhh shhh shhh," as I rocked him. I started dying laughing and so did he. 

- He has pooped on the potty THREE times! I didn't even know he knew to go poop on the potty! One day we were in the kitchen and all of a sudden he said, "Poop. Potty." At first I was like, "Huh?" and then I quickly started yelling, "OH! Poop on potty, let's go!" From that day on he has gone two other times. I asked his teacher about it and she said two of his older buddies in class are potty training and G has caught on. I have no desire to fully potty train him until summer when we can be home for several days in a row.

- He is obsessed with my brother, Uncle Sam.

- Everything is daddy's. Daddy's truck. Daddy's tools. Daddy's remote. 

- He thinks smelling his feet and saying, "Peee yewwwww!!" is the funniest thing ever.

In one short month we will have a 2 year old! Chris and I still have to pinch ourselves that we are parents to a fair skinned, blonde little boy who is built like a line-backer! 

Graham, G, we love you buddy! Happy 23 months!