Carter: 22 Months

Carter Man,
You are TWENTY-TWO MONTHS old today! Big boy! Only two months away from your second birthday! And let me tell you, Daddy and I cannot stop talking about how BIG we feel like you are now.  You've moved up a size in clothes, added two little sisters, and now you seem to have aged overnight.  We love that you are a BIG boy now, but you will always be our little baby boy.

This month was a huge transition for  you with a rotating door of caretakers.  I spent as much time with you as possible, but you were also in the care of Daddy, Mama K, Nana and PawPaw as I was at the hospital.  As much as you love your Daddy and grandparents you sensed a change and had some rough days.  We completely expected this and soon enough you got to the point where you just waved "bye-bye" to me as I walked out the door and continued on with your day.  I'm so pleased with your flexibility during this time of change.

We brought your little sisters home on the 27th and 28th of this month and you are IN LOVE! We expected some jealousy and lots of tears, but you gave us the exact opposite.  You are completely infatuated with them.  You want to love, and hug, and kiss on them all day.  You don't mind when we hold them or even when I nurse them...you just want to be around and be involved with whatever we are doing.  You are such a big help to us holding bottles and throwing away diapers (when you want to.)  Watching you transition into your new big brother role has made me love you even more than I thought possible.  You have my heart, Carter Man.

Our biggest obstacle this month is still communication and your limited vocabulary which leads to many, many tantrums.  Some say it is the terrible twos starting early, but I think a lot of your frustration would be gone if you could articulate to us what you want and what you are feeling.  The mood swings are pretty over the top these days and what I thought was a tantrum a few months ago now just looks like a blip on the radar.  You have perfected the art of throwing yourself on the floor while simultaneously screaming, kicking and flailing.  If I weren't so stressed over this I would be impressed with your ability to multi-task! I feel like I walk on eggshells all day because I never know what will set you off and cause a meltdown.  Sometimes you get upset about having to stop a fun activity to go somewhere or me leaving you at preschool, both of which I understand.  But sometimes you get upset over things I didn't see coming, like I put the wrong movie in the DVD player in the car or the bubbles popped.  Seriously?!? We feel like we have tried everything with your tantrums, including distractions, reasoning (not sure why I even try), time-outs, trying to have other choices available, but you are hard-headed and it usually doesn't work.  Most of the time I just have to sit with you and pray while you work it out.  I know this is just a season in parenting, but I have to say it's definitely not my favorite season.  I'm so ready for you to start talking!

We were warned that when we brought the girls home with us we would see some regression from you, and that has manifested in naps and eating.  We had finally started getting some really good, long naps out of you and now you are back to hour-long naps.  Since you are already in your toddler bed you simply get out of bed and knock on your door when you think you are finished with your nap.  I always leave you in your room with hopes that you will get back in bed and go back to sleep but typically it ends with you crying at your door until I come in and get you.  I'm not sure how to remedy this but I know you aren't getting your rest in one hour.  And you are back to being the pickiest eater on the planet.  You would live on crackers, cheese and yogurt if we let you.  You are still not interested in any kind of meat and have even started turning down Chick-fil-A.  You simply cannot be my child!

You are still a busy, BUSY little boy.  Why walk when you can run?  Why step when you can jump?  I swear we need to get you a helmet for you daily life.  You have no fear and will climb up on anything, kitchen table, bathroom counters and jump off.  There's no child proofing anymore.  We just have to keep a constant eye on you to ensure your safety.  And you still love to be outside.  Thankfully it's the one place you are the safest and most independent.  You love to take your tractors and push toys outside and just run around in the grass all afternoon.  Bubbles are a favorite as is swinging and riding your tricycle.  I'm glad you are so active and happy to be outside.

Carter Man, it is so fun to watch you grow and learn.  I know you are just on the verge of a language explosion and can't wait to finally hear what goes through that little head of yours all day.  You are so much fun to be around and make me laugh with your silly antics a good portion of each day.  I'm so glad I get to spend my days with you and love watching you transition into this role of big brother.  I love you, to the moon and back.

22-Month Stats:

Weight: 28.6 pounds

Length: 32ish inches

Eating: milk and water, cereal or oatmeal, PB&J or nutella sandwich, yogurt, fruit, smoothies, and a hodge podge of food at dinner 

Bedtime: around 7:30pm

Awake: around 7:30am

Nap: around 1:00 

Diapers: size 5 Huggies

Clothes: 18-month and 24-month 

Shoes: 5 wide

Favorites: playing outside, anything with wheels, your paci, books, watching TV
Dislikes: meat, people leaving the room, being in the stroller, diaper changes

Development: communicating 95% of the time even with your limited vocabulary 

Words:

Use daily: up, uh oh, that, yes, no, more, move

Will repeat: mama, dada, nana, dog, night night, what is that, outside, bye bye, hi, hey, hello, deer, duck, who is that, Nemo, cup, tractor, dump, bucket, blue, all animal sounds, diaper, truck, movie, zip,