...and he is just every bit a toddler.
I'm not even really sure where to start with him and the past three months. He's bigger, stronger, braver, talkative...r, and ornery. Oh, the orneriness. And smart, too, along with the ornery.
So let's start with the overview of how the family is doing. Good? We're good. Mostly healthy (Atti had a bout of impetigo right before we left for Colorado, otherwise just colds and allergies), mostly busy (Colorado was GREAT, swimming lessons, berry picking, garbage trucks, family time), and mostly sane (I mean, this is always questionable...).
It's August, which means the school year is officially started - which doesn't mean quite what it used to. Michael is "officially" on his last year of graduate school, but is at his internship for one full year, and that started at the end of July. Thad "officially" started pre-K this past Monday. (WHICH MEANS HE STARTS KINDERGARTEN NEXT YEAR, I NEED A MINUTE) Atti's still cruisin along happily with his friends and teachers in the Toddler 1.
I can tell we're definitely inching to more of the independence era. He's adventurous - I hadn't pushed him learning to climb things with his short little legs, as I knew it would just lead to more work, but this week he's figured it out. The couch. All the tables. Chairs. And then he gives his ornery smile. I've given up on trying to keep him off of the end table - we've just established an "you can only sit on this - no standing" rule. He is also a pretty steady runner and doesn't fall down a ton. He's learning what he shouldn't do (and looks at us to see what we'll do), and is LOUD, which is new. Thad was always loud at home, but never had to worry about hearing him much in public. Atti's just loud everywhere. And taking him out to eat is a challenge because he wants to climb and explore. He eats really fast and then would like to escape. Even my handy phone doesn't keep him entertained too long.
Which brings up... I can't believe how different, yet the same, Thad and Atti are. Thad has always been a little extra sensitive, doesn't like loud noises, is a little dramatic, loves cuddling, can't handle food being very hot. Atti is still sweet, but seems less sensitive, can handle loud noises as long as they don't last too long or take him by surprise and we're right there with him, and doesn't really care what temperature his food is as long as it's not burning him. However, more recently, when Thad starts getting worried or upset, some of it rubs off on Atti. If he hears Thad truly upset, it upsets him too. Both LOVE being outside, playing sports, playing in the water. Then there's always the physical aspect - Thad looks SO MUCH like my dad did when he was little, and is definitely the tall and skinny. Atti looks more like Michael in the face, and is overall just more an average height. Brown hair, dark hazel eyes vs light brown hair and blue eyes. Genetics are crazy. I love it.
Which brings up... I can't believe how different, yet the same, Thad and Atti are. Thad has always been a little extra sensitive, doesn't like loud noises, is a little dramatic, loves cuddling, can't handle food being very hot. Atti is still sweet, but seems less sensitive, can handle loud noises as long as they don't last too long or take him by surprise and we're right there with him, and doesn't really care what temperature his food is as long as it's not burning him. However, more recently, when Thad starts getting worried or upset, some of it rubs off on Atti. If he hears Thad truly upset, it upsets him too. Both LOVE being outside, playing sports, playing in the water. Then there's always the physical aspect - Thad looks SO MUCH like my dad did when he was little, and is definitely the tall and skinny. Atti looks more like Michael in the face, and is overall just more an average height. Brown hair, dark hazel eyes vs light brown hair and blue eyes. Genetics are crazy. I love it.
Basically - we're good. I'm exhausted at the end of each day - but there's a lot of love around here. We have a roof over our heads, happiness in our hearts, food on our tables (though the table may be covered in lemonade) - and I can't ask for much more than that.
His blue-gray eyes. My heart.
- His appointment is on Monday, but he seems to be about 32-33 inches and 24-ish pounds. Definitely smaller than Thad was.
- 18mo-2T shirts, 18 month pants. I have some 24mo/2T pants and they're just... comically huge.
- A decent eater when he wants to be. Goes through the normal toddler thing of liking something one day, then not the next. Mac & cheese plus hot dogs, pasta of any kind, pizza, and yogurt seem to be his favorites. Oh, and mashed potatoes. What? A carb monster? My kid could never...
- Teeth #7 and 8 just started popping through the past week. But all but two are on top? He has the front four on top, plus the molars. Then just front two on the bottom. It's cute.
- Sleep is the ever popular topic with him. We did move him to a toddler bed in... June? Just getting to the point where he didn't want to be rocked, but wanted me near him. He's never been a giant cuddler (though he loves sitting on your lap, or climbing on you, and giving hugs and kisses to the right people) but he likes me being near him. Anyway, there were a few weeks in there where he was sleeping through the night, or just waking up once. It was amazing. We've backtracked a bit with teething and now the ever-terrible 18-month sleep regression. Just awake for hours at night, not wanting to rock, or lay in my bed, or be walked around. Just roll around his bed being angry.
- Talks SO MUCH more than Thad did at this age. Has probably over 20 words, and a few 2 word phrases. "Uh oh", "Oh no!", and "Dada!" are popular ones. He also says his version of thank you unprompted, and rocks all his animal noises. Cow is especially funny. He can also say Thaddeus, which is adorable.
- He does straight up adore his brother. Thinks he's hilarious. Wants to do "big kid" things to be with him. That includes building legos, playing with garbage trucks, and playing sports. He's way more "athletic" than I thought he would be. Definitely seems like a lefty, though... Thad is warming up to him, for sure. They play "together" a bit more. He talks to him sometimes (but doesn't understand why he doesn't understand things), and it's kind of handy that Thad tattle-tales on him occasionally. Heh.
- Still addicted to his paci and doggy. Not worried about taking those away for a bit yet
- Went to his first USWNT game with me and Thad when they were in KC. He did pretty well - did NOT like the fireworks, or how loud people got when they scored. He was clinging to me like a spider monkey. He only cried a few times but he was very much attached to me.
- His favorite things right now are making messes (dumping out all our balls, or action figures), watching nursery rhymes on youtube, and playing with daddy and Thad. He is great at puzzles, building with duplo blocks, and standing up (and knocking down) little playskool action figures.
- WILL NOT BE RESTRAINED
He's hilarious, and infuriating, and so much a part of my heart. He's fairly adaptable, and very loving. It's been such a pleasure to watch him grow and learn, and I'm excited to keep on keeping on.
Oh my. I didn't realize how much he'd grown in the past six months (or even the past three!) until the side by side below.
