20 Months

Justin is 20 months old today and while it's amazingly hard to believe he's almost 2, his vocabulary makes it hard to dispute. He repeats everything we ask him to say, and some things that we don't ask, including "Dang it!" He's putting together three word sentences and while he still says "down" when he means "up", his progress is impressive. The ladies in the nursery have told us that his communication skills are very advanced compared to the other boys his age, much of which we accredit to arguing with his big Sis.

Some of his new phrases and words:
Tiger (and will point out other animals when we ask him to)
Happy (this is said in the form of a question as well as a statement)
Jeff/Heather (he thinks it's hilarious to call us by name and does so with great authority despite our pleas for him to call us Daddy or Mommy). At least it's not "Homer."
Hug? Kiss? (when he wants a hug and kiss before I leave for work)
"Watch this!" (typically said right before he does something he shouldn't and with a very large grin)

He also calls Norah by name to get her attention or to find her, which is really sweet to hear, especially when she responds.

He has also started trying to sing songs, which of course just melts our hearts. One of the first baby gifts we received is a toy farm. It plays a cute little song about the animals that Justin has started trying to sing. The main part he has figured out goes "the animals go up and down" which sounds really cute coming from him! He also likes the song "Wheels on the Bus" and will sing it over and over again as we look at the book. His favorite part is the singing "the babies on the bus go wah, wah, wah!" However, I think we can all agree that he particularly like singing into the microphone. He never sings words into the mic, but he sings as enthusiastically and as loudly, and as often as possible, then giggles at his own antics.

At Christmas he received a baby doll of his very own and he loves it. He walks around with it cuddled up in his arms, kisses it, and will tells me that it's crying (to which I tell him to go hug it and he does)! He is very soft while playing with his baby and likes to have it in his crib with him when he sleeps. When he wakes up he will make sure he has his water, plug, blanket and baby before we are allowed to pick him up.

He has finally begun pointing out eyes, nose and ears without prompting. He thinks he's pretty funny when he does it and can get pretty enthusiastic about it. He is also very much a "boy" according to everyone! When picking him up from the nursery one Sunday morning, the lady was just laughing. She said all he wanted to do was go around pounding walls and windows (again with the construction theme). Ironically enough he never wants to use a hammer when doing this, even at home. Rolling pins, big spoons and baseball bats seem to bring out the "Bam Bam"in him. He is always busy, never stopping very long at anything.

By far Justin's favorite things to do remains pointing out messes made by tractors and cuddling. Everywhere we go he is looking for messes and apparently all messes are made by tractors. Norah generally calls out "There's our church!" when we get within sight of our church, which Justin immediately follows with "MESS! Tractors make MESS!" In case you are wondering, the new sanctuary is under construction and the debris and stockpiles drive him insane.

In his favorite book (Farm) all he wants to do is look at the first four pages that picture tractors hauling things and point out the "messes" of hay, corn, etc. The pages that follow are filled with animals and he could care less. When he sees messes, he wants them cleaned up (I'm pretty sure this obsession is genetic)!

As for cuddling, that is and always has been his favorite activity. He curls up in our arms and snuggles as often as possible throughout the day. It's very hard to put him down for a nap or bed time when he starts asking to "cuddle". Another new word for the month! With his blanket, plug, and sometimes a pillow, he is content.