James: 21 months

James' biggest milestone this month was becoming a big brother!  It has been bittersweet - I think he has had both his best and worst moments so far just this past month.  He LOVES his baby brother.  Loves to touch Samuel's tiny fingers and ears, loves to give him hugs and kisses and rub his head, and loves to share all of his favorite things with Sam (such as his Tupperware in the above photo).  All of his favorite things... Except for his mama.  The first two weeks, James did great with only a minor meltdown here and there.  Then, after Stuart went back to work, James became super clingy and had one long temper tantrum all day, every day it seemed like!  The most challenging time for him is when I sit down to nurse Samuel (which lasts for 45 minutes and repeats every 2-3 hours...), so that's a lot of snuggles from mama for Samuel that James seems to be missing out on.  We are trying to do something fun or special just for James every day - story time at the library, going to his favorite park, or just going for a walk to see the ducks.  I'm also trying a few things to help James get through the long nursing sessions - reading books and building block towers have mostly been winners so far.  Hopefully this season of adjustment passes quickly!

Verbal language seems to have really exploded this past month!  We haven't taught him any new signs because I think he's growing out of signing and using verbal words more often.  He will almost always attempt to say a new word when someone tries to teach him, even if he says something that sounds totally different.  But he usually at least gets the beginning sound correct when repeating words!  I tried to keep a list of the new words he has used consistently this month, but I know there are more!  Here's what I was able to keep track of:

Boy

Girl

Bus

Bear

Brother "bruh"

Green "gee"

Ppaw "p" " puh"

Mow

Bird

Boat

Sad

Cup

Bowl

Broken

Dear God (praying)

Dump (truck)

Cheese

Moose

Book

Crash

Bubbles

Blocks

He knows all the basic colors, but only actually says blue and green.  He has words that he consistently says for orange and yellow, but they don't sound like the real words so we're still working on those!

He also has started pointing to things when I count (mostly in books), but he doesn't say any numbers himself yet.

Favorites:

-Building block towers (always, always a winner!)

-Playing outside, eating outside, walking outside... Anything outside!

-Watching people mow or use the weedeater

-Water play, particularly if there's running water

-Picking vegetables from the garden (still doesn't comprehend only picking the red tomatoes...)

-Getting into the pack'n'play with little brother

-Being chased and tickled by daddy

-"Cooking" in the kitchen: I set him up with a measuring cup, which he uses to measure water into a mixing bowl and stirs it with a spatula (working on a DIY play kitchen for his 2nd birthday/Christmas!)

James had his two canine teeth cut through on the bottom this month (in fact, the very week Samuel was born... Worst timing!), so now he has a full set on top and bottom except for his 3 year molars.  Glad teething is mostly behind us for him! 

James has begun to participate in getting himself ready for the day.  He loves to brush his teeth and comb his hair (though he requires assistance to make it really count).  Sometimes he has an opinion on what he wants to wear (usually pajamas), but always has an opinion when it comes to picking out his shoes (sometimes he chooses his bear slippers and I can't say no) and choosing a hat to wear (he is usually quite concerned about whether or not dad is wearing a hat, and that influences his decision to also wear one or not).



A few months ago James started using the word "no" quite liberally - both the sign and verbally.  Recently, he has started saying "no" to other children in particular, like when we're at the playground or we pass a child in the parking lot walking into the grocery.  He even tells children in books "no."  We're not sure why... Either he is just super bossy, which would make him a lot like his mama, or he is confused when it comes to discipline and thinks everything for all children is "no!"  I hope it's not the latter... We try to "create a garden of yes" and create a free space of safety and fun for him to thrive in with certain things that are off limits and are always "no."  I suppose in his toddlerhood, however, he pushes those limits a lot and he hears "no" all the time.  Parenting can be confusing and it's hard to know when you're doing the right thing!



James had his first professional haircut this month!  We had been trimming around his ears and neck at home since his first birthday, but recently the front got long enough that it needed some work.  I tried cutting it and it looked super goofy!  After a few weeks I decided he just needed a solid cut that I could then keep trimmed up at home (hopefully...).  Memaw joined us, and James did totally great!  He was quite brave and didn't cry at all, though he did NOT like the trimmer the lady tried to use around his ears.  He looks nice and clean cut now!

We love our sweet, silly little dude!