As I'm sitting here writing this post, you are showing off just how big you are these days. You've got some sort of superhero toy that has a disc you can load and then shoot. You are loading the disc, then aiming and shooting it at me, with a huge grin on your face each time you succeed.
Your language and communication have really exploded over the past month. It is hard to describe how many more words and phrases you are saying compared to the previous month. You are putting many more words together into phrases such as "Gone. More please." One of my favorite things you say is "I'm coming mama" whenever I call you. Your voice is sooo sweet when you say it.
With your communication explosion this month has come your ability to really say Ella and Troy's names well, and to say them often. You've been able to say them for a while, but you've really started to use them to call them or direct them to do something for you. I often hear you say "Ell-A! Elp me! (help me!)" One day we went to drop Ella's water bottle off at school, and when we pulled up you started saying "Ell-A! Ell-A!"
You love to give directions to us these days, sometimes with words and sometimes by pointing. For instance, if someone gets up and leaves you start pointing for them to come back to where they were. Though you are still a stubborn two year old in many ways, you've really been obeying better each and every day. You do a great job coming (most of the time) when we call you to come. You also love to complete tasks that we give you to do such as taking something to the trash, putting shoes by the front door, or even going to find your cup. However, with that said, if you get something in your mind about how you are going to do it and we ask you to do it differently, you usually end up throwing a fit.
I think you really missed our dog Reeses while we were in Paraguay, though I'm not sure how much she missed you ;) ! You love to chase her around, even though she isn't very keen on that these days. You also LOVE to let her in and out the back door, and you don't like if someone else lets her in or out. Not only can you open the back door, you can also unlock and lock it too. A couple of times you've decided you'll go outside and play on the slide or in the sandbox by yourself.
This past month you also moved officially into a twin bed. When we left for Paraguay, I took your crib down, and didn't intend to put it back up when we got back. I was pretty skeptical at how you would handle being in a twin bed (especially since at the moment you are sharing a room with Troy), but you've done pretty great. I think the first week you were in the twin bed you didn't think you were allowed (or could) get out of the bed without us getting you. You've since figured out that not only can you get out of bed by yourself but you can also open the door and leave your room.
You are quite the sorter of objects. You sorted (without instruction from us) your animals in the photo by color and kind, and also sorted all the jenga blocks by color. You also love to stack and build things
You've loved to color for a while now, but this past month you've started doing what I call "squiggling." You get really intense, and then draw these little squiggles over and over again. It is quite funny to me! Even your Bible class paper was covered in squiggles when you brought it to us. And, speaking of Bible class, you've moved into the 2 and 3 year old class, and seem to be doing great in there. I was a little concerned about how you'd transition from class in Paraguay to the older class back at home, but you've done well. We've been told by a few different people that you love to do the puzzles in there, and that you do a really good job with them.
Our one day excursion to Disney World was really fun with you! You were SOOO excited at all the characters, and loved waving at them during the parades. I wished we could have taken you to meet Mickey Mouse, but in our short time there we didn't get to do that. I know you would have loved it though!
Signs you do: more, finished, thank you, hungry, thirsty, please, sleepy, bath
Body parts you can identify: nose, ears, mouth, eyes, tongue, teeth, hair, face, hands, feet, belly, neck, arms, legs (You can also identify soem body parts by their Spanish name)
Animal noises you make: cow, duck, dog, anything that roars (especially dinosaurs!) (I think you can do more, but I didn't take good note. . . .)
Favorite foods: Yogurt, chicken (especially chicken nuggets/strips), nutrigrain bars, donuts, mac and cheese, ice cream (if we offer you ice cream you start jumping up and down and yelling "yay! yay! yay! ice cream!"), and foods you get to eat with a fork
Favorite activities/toys: Books, balls, little figurines (like Mickey Mouse), cars, buckle stuffed lion. You love to "put things in things" as well as throwing. You also love to play chase with the other kids. You also enjoy shutting doors and drawers. You also love to play peek-a-boo! You really love singing as well! One of your favorite things to do is to "wrestle" with your dad and siblings.
Words you say: I cannot keep up with the words you say anymore! You say so many things (in English and Spanish)!
Luke @ 23 months
Troy @ 24 months
Ella @ 24 months
