Twenty Months: A Letter

Dear Nicholas,

You are twenty months, and the fact that your monthly age now begins with a two means we are in the final countdown to your second birthday-- a fact that amazes me daily. Your 20th month began in late August and included Labor Day weekend, your baptism on September 15th . . .

Just before your baptism

All tuckered out after the baptism

 . . . and a visit from your Godfather, Uncle Geoff, towards the end of September.

September 23, 2013, your 20 month birthday

During your 20th month, we saw a big growth in both your gross and your fine motor skills-- and your overall sense of adventure and independence. During our last few trips to the pool in late August and over Labor Day weekend, we discovered that you like (or at least tolerate well) being dunked under water (we would bounce up and down a few times and then count up to three and dunk), and that you love being thrown into the water canon ball style. Daddy would stand up on the side of the pool and then swing you and throw you in the pool into my arms. I always caught you, but you definitely went under water before bobbing back up to the surface. You've loved the pool since you were a baby, but our last few trips to the pool this summer sealed the deal, and towards the end of summer you started loudly proclaiming "yay poohl!" any time you saw your shark floaty in the hall closet.

You also fell in love with the set of Legos (or "way-gos" in your words) that we bought you early in the summer. You've enjoyed playing with them from the beginning, but in the past month, we've seen your fine motor skills take off. You sit quietly and patiently stack tall towers of Legos, lining up all the pieces just so. You also love to build a "boat" with the rounded piece on the bottom and are very creative in how you construct the other shapes to look like a mast and sail. Your concentration and attention to detail are impressive. We are happy for you to pursue any hobby, field of education, or career that interests you, and it's obviously a little to soon to tell where your talents may lie, but I wouldn't be surprised if you end up being very handy or showing a talent for something like engineering.

Your other favorite new toy to play with are your "mah-nas" (magnets.) You love putting magnets on the fridge and then pulling them off, so we got you your own set of letter and number magnets to play with. Right now you love dumping them all over the floor and then haphazardly attaching them to the fridge, but hopefully they'll grow with you as you start to identify letters and numbers.

In the language department, September was the month of commands. A few of your new favorite instructions include "eat it!" (offering us a bite of your food), "get it!" (asking us to pick up anything that has fallen beyond your reach), and "read it!" (while handing us a book.) You also like to say "up!" as a request for us to pick you up, but it's also the word you use when you want to get down.

Football season started during your 20th month and you learned a few important words and phrases, including "Go Ducks!," "Touchdown!" (while raising your arms in a touchdown sign), and "go go go!" (loudly exclaimed when Oregon is rushing for a touchdown.) One evening before bed, we were playing with your farm puzzle. You picked up the duck piece and I asked you what a duck says. Totally unprompted, you paused, looked out the door of your room into the living room at the TV, considered your answer for a moment, and then said "Touchdown!" That's right, buddy, that's right.

You are starting to pick up words to songs. Your recent favorites are "Wo Wo Wo" (Row Row Row Your Boat) and "Py-guh" (The Itsy Bitsy Spider.) Each night before bed, you request each song about 3-5 times. You love it when I hold your hands and help you do the hand gestures for Itsy Bitsy Spider.

Speaking of bedtime, your routine has changed up a little in the past month. After we had your 18 month doctor's visit (at 19 months), we got the OK to switch you from whole milk down to nonfat, which is what I drink normally. At the same time, we decided to stop giving you a sippy cup of milk right before bed. Now you drink your milk with dinner, and then after bath time we put you in your PJs, brush your teeth (not a favorite activity, but the Elmo toothbrush and toothpaste help), read some books, sing the aforementioned songs, and put you in bed. You continue to maintain your normal habit of going to bed around 7/7:30pm, but sometimes you wake up before 6:30am, which is a trend we hope is temporary. You have also had some bouts of waking up repeatedly throughout the night screaming, and you won't fall back asleep unless we go into your room and lay you back down, cover you with your blanket, and reposition your Bert and Ernie dolls. I'm assuming this also just a phase.

We continue to learn more about your personality. Over time we've noticed that you do not like to have dirty hands, and your teachers have affirmed this. At school, you paint or draw tentatively so that you won't get your hands too dirty. At home, you love to shovel (some) foods into your mouth, but you are constantly asking us to wipe off your hands mid-meal. A meal like pasta, for example, requires a lot of paper towels.

At times, you also get very distressed when you spill or drop something. You are constantly pointing out if the floor is wet, or if you've spilled drops of your milk (although this doesn't dissuade you from chucking your sippy cup on the floor or across the room, usually several times each meal, inevitably resulting in little puddles of milk scattered across the kitchen floor.) Even if you aren't distressed by a little spill on the floor, you will still point it out with a concerned "oh no!" or "uh oh!" We always assure you that it's OK or "no big deal" and that we'll clean it up. The jury is still out on whether these tendencies indicate that you will be neat and orderly as an older child (you don't seem to mind baskets of toys dumped all over your room), but I think it's an interesting trend to observe.

One thing we know for sure is that you are smart, and funny, and loving, and these traits will serve you well in life. You are a joy to be around, and everyone who meets you loves spending time with you!

Much love,
Mommy