22 months

We are nearing two and we definitely feel it!  The days are good, but Kyalo can be a challenge, too.

 cheesin' it up for the camera 

2.4.2013

This has been a busy month for our Kyalo. He started swimming 'lessons' at the local Y.  By lessons I mean I hold him and he splashes around, kinda kicks and drinks the water instead of blowing bubbles.  I wasn't sure how it would be when he burst into tears the first day, but since then he's really loved it.  And after swimming he's so tuckered out he sleeps 2-3 hours, so I love it, too.  The lessons are seven weeks and when that ends we'll do a gym class. I assume this is running/tumbling/climbing, but we'll see.  We have a one-year membership to the Y, so we'll do swimming again.  This Y is so cool - they have cooking, art and even woodworking classes.  I don't think he'll be old enough to do the woodworking class, but seriously? How awesome is that?! I think it would be a fun 'papa and me' activity for my guys.

I'm not sure what he found so funny, but I love the joy that is this picture

His talking is getting much better. He doesn't really have sentences and sometimes words aren't quite finished, but it is pretty easy to tell what he's trying to say.  THE most common thing for him to say right now is, " 'hat's 'at?"  (what's that?)  which can also sound like "whazzzzat?"  He says this All.The.Time.  Over and over and over and over.  And usually pointing to the same thing (my phone, my shirt, his food, his bottle, etc).  We haven't even gotten to "Why?" yet, and I'm already questioned out! Ha.  Another new phrase he says is, "No, my" (mine).  I'm not sure exactly how he picked up on the "mine" concept - I guess it is innate in us - but boy he uses it all the time, too.  In funny situations, too, where he doesn't need to be laying claim to anything.  But he also uses it when Ellen is over and she has the nerve (!!!) to look at one of his toys. Even if he wasn't at all interested in it before she looked at it, he'll rush over, rip it from her, and say, "No! My!"  Winning friends, he is.

 {don't worry - the cap was on, and I took this away immediately after the photo}

Over Christmas he went from "yeah" to "yes."  Which is sweet.  He now says, "pwease" or "peas". The first time he said it my heart broke just a little bit because my little guy is growing up.  And the big and very unexpected change is that he now calls me "Mom".  I'm not sure where this came from, either, since I always refer to myself as "Mama."  He does call me that, but most often it is something like this:  "Mom" "Mam" "Mum" "Mooooooooooooooooom."  Hello?  When did he turn twelve?

 {playing with a new firetruck from Erica & Bo!}

After swimming the other day, a mom was counting with her little boy. He was probably a couple of months older than Kyalo, but already counting up to 20!  I thought, "Eek. Kyalo's nowhere near that."  It is hard -- very hard -- for me to not doubt myself when Kyalo doesn't seem to be doing the same things as his age-mates (talking, reading, counting, whatever).  I worry that I'm somehow doing him a disservice by not being more intentional about some of this, and then I have remind myself that a) he is not yet TWO and b) he WILL read and WILL count and know his colors and all that jazz.  And in the meantime, we'll play with rocks/sticks/dirt/mud/play dough, go to story hour, read books, take swimming lessons, go to music class, and call it learning by living.  But still. . .hard not to second guess myself!  Who can relate?

 {love}

Kyalo hates to have his teeth brushed.  It is a real ordeal (chasing him down, screaming, tears, etc) to keep the growing number of pearly whites clean.  Usually we give up and just let him suck on the toothbrush.  That'll do the job, right?  My Dentist husband says so.  He also HATES to have his fingernails clipped, which is too bad because I'm basically the fingernail Nazi.  That, too, has been an ordeal. I've taken now to clipping the nails while he naps and that seems to be doing the trick!

If I had to say one word to describe Kyalo, I think right now I'd say 'loving'.  He really is so sweet and loving. For a little while he would - for no apparent reason - give me a kiss on both cheeks and my forehead.  It felt like a blessing.  He gives hugs easily and freely.  He'll run up and give me or Dexter kisses random places: a foot, a knee, etc.  Probably this is just a phase, but I love it.  I figure someday soon I'll ask him for a hug or kiss and he'll say, "aw, Ma, do I have to?"  so I'm relishing them now.

That isn't to say that this time is easy.  He is two months away from two, after all, and he certainly shows that.  He still throws his food all the time.  He'll pick something up that he shouldn't, run away from me, and then throw it.  He whines and fusses and bites when he doesn't get his way. 

This post has gone on far too long, and if anyone other than Grandma is reading this, you deserve a kiss from Kyalo.  Obviously, since my days are 100% (and sometimes feel like more) Kyalo, I could go on forever.  I like to write them down here to remember them by.  It is amazing how much I already forget!