22 Months

I think all moms feel a little sad as their kids approach their next birthday. Of course we want our children to grow and we love to celebrate milestones, but we also mourn the babies and toddlers of the past since our kids will never be that little again. Micah and I often say to each other, "Can you believe our kids were that little?" and "I don't even remember them being that small!" when we look at old photos of our babes. Now that we are approaching Alexis, Jack, and Faith's 2nd birthday I am excited that our kids are becoming more like "big kids" every day, but there is also a part of me that longs for the simplicity of having kids that are stationary, that laugh easily, and that I don't need to cook for. Although we sometimes mourn the passing of time, we also celebrate as our kids are starting to come into their own.

F, A, J hanging out together in the backyard

A, F, J playing in the backyard

J, F, A at our makeshift gate in our backyard. I don't want them to play by the garbage cans!

F, A, J hanging out on the couch

How old? 22 months 

Weights & Heights:  
Alexis: 22 lbs 4 oz, about 33 inches

Jack: 21 lbs, about 31 1/3 inches

Faith: 21 lbs 11 oz, about 33 inches

Size clothes: We are starting to have "highwater pants" as all three are really skinny so they need to wear 18 month pants around the waist, but they are getting a little too tall for some of them. Luckily we have started to wear some shorts and skirts as well since the weather is warming up, and length doesn't matter as much with those. For tops, all three are starting to grow into 24 month / 2T, but many 18 month fit as well.

Eating:  WE HAVE OFFICIALLY DROPPED BOTTLES!!!!! Although our doctor didn't push us to drop bottles at 12 months, I know many doctors advise parents to do that, but our kids truly weren't ready until a couple of months ago, and then I hung onto the morning bottle for my own sake since it gave me a little time to wake up and get the kitchen organized or take a shower before making breakfast. We first dropped the morning bottle on March 16, but then the kids got a cold and I wanted to make sure they were staying hydrated so I started giving them a bottle again. But as of April 6 the bottles are packed away so I can't regress! Most days all three have been drinking the normal amount of milk that they had with the bottle. We have also introduced a couple of different cups that the kids really like (the Sassy Grow Up Cup that allows them to drink anywhere around the rim without spilling and the Contigo Striker water bottles, although I did remove the straw for now so it's more like a sippy cup). I think rotating the different cups helps keep them excited about drinking as well. And every night after the kids brush their teeth Micah is helping them drink water out of an open cup, so conquering that is on the horizon!

Most mornings I sit at the kids' table with everyone so they can drink their milk and eat some Cheerios while I drink my chai. Yes, I drink so much chai that the kids can name it now :).

As of April 9 (a couple of days after the 22 month mark), we have stopped using trays with our booster seats! I decided to try putting plates on the table since we have been trying to teach the kids that it is not okay to throw food on the floor and they finally seem to be getting it, so I thought they might understand that they can't throw their plates on the floor. Overall they did well and the plates never hit the floor, so now our trays are in storage and we are using plates full time! This is awesome for Micah and I as we no longer have to wash 9 trays a day!

Here is one of the last pics I took of A, F, and J using their trays. And, yes, they do all have full size forks as sometimes that is the only way to make them excited about eating.

Eating at the table with plates! They are still learning that the food goes on the plate, not the table, but I'm not complaining as this is progress.

Naps: We are still doing an afternoon nap that starts at 12 noon. Lately Faith has been the first to wake up, but Jack is often the first as well. Faith and Jack will sleep for 1.5-2 hours, and most days Alexis will sleep for 3 hours. 

Bedtime: Once in awhile someone has a hard time falling asleep, but for the most part this continues to go really smoothly. We had some night waking last week from the girls, which felt really rough since it was totally unexpected since everyone had been sleeping really well, but in general the kids go to bed at 7:30 and they wake up around 6:30.

Words: All of a sudden it feels like words are starting to click. All three like to repeat words we say and try out words now, even without our prompting. They are all getting much better at communicating what they want, especially when it comes to foods at the dinner table. It is impossible to keep track of all of the words they are each saying now, but here are some commonly heard words these days:

• Alexis: Jack (dack), paci (papi), mess, grandpa (baca), "I get you!", mama (FINALLY!! Until last week no one has been saying this intentionally!), buckle (she means unbuckle), milk, bubble, please (pease)

• Jack: monster truck, airplane, strawberry, fire truck, circle (while drawing it), Alexis (Lexis), medicine, open...he seems to have skipped over the one syllable words 

• Faith: sister (seesta), mess, stinky, paci...she doesn't say quite as many words yet, but she has no problem getting her point across. Faith also likes to "explain" what happened when someone gets hurt by gesturing and babbling.

In the last couple of weeks all three have been telling us (sometimes) when they have poopy diapers, either by saying "stinky," sniffing loudly (indicating stinky), or pulling at their bottom! I know this is one of the first signs that a child is ready for potty training, but we haven't decided when we want to tackle that yet. Quite often when someone has a "stinky" diaper at our house and they are being changed, one of their siblings will come up and audibly sniff in the air. I'm not sure why they do this, but it's so funny!

New Things: All three are into watching airplanes, pointing out bugs, watching the birds in our backyard, and watching the lizards run around our backyard. They have become super observant of their surroundings, which is fun, especially when we go to the biopark and I can talk to them about the animals and they act interested. They all enjoy trying to sing along when I sing the ABCs or Old MacDonald. 

Unfortunately, they all have begun asking for "shows" during the day as they know I cave in when everyone is super cranky or when I really need to get something done, such as make dinner. I feel super guilty about this as I now TV shouldn't be the babysitter, but when you only have one lap and two arms, but you have three toddlers, sometimes TV is the only thing that works. Also, it's pretty cute to hear them say, "shooow?" 

Biting continues to be a bit of a problem, especially with the teething, and hitting and pushing are becoming quite common around here as well.  

Watching the garbage trucks. This is the highlight of Mondays at our house!

"A bug, a bug!"

Anything can become something to balance on or sit on. When they balance on something they all say, "Ta Daaa!"

We have a ways to go before we are proficient with the handles, but couple of times we have tried it they have done okay.

Sitting close while watching a "show"

A, J, and F are getting much better at going out to eat! Although every meal with our trio is work, it is nice when we don't have to cook or clean up after a meal.

Watching the turkeys at the Botanic Garden

• Alexis: She seems very concerned that "messes" are cleaned up as she'll run and get a cleaning cloth whenever she sees a problem or if I mention that something is dirty. The other day she slobbered on my shirt and when she saw it she ran to the drawer, pulled out a cloth, and tried to wipe it up! Alexis has become super attached to her pacifier lately, which makes me nervous about taking it away permanently since she finds so much comfort in it. I've had a dentist tell me I should try to break the habit by 3, so I guess that's what we'll aim for, especially since they JUST dropped their last bottle. Also, it's really cute when she asks for a "papi," which is her own word for pacifier.

Trying to figure out the new no-spill bubbles

Bubbles!

F and A

Sitting on drums (A, F)

A and F sitting close watching TV. I wish I could snuggle with them on the couch more, but there is always so much to do! At least they find comfort in each other (sometimes).

F and A cuddling with their big stuffed animals and "reading" books

Alexis near the horse at the Botanic Garden

• Jack: He has been a mommy's boy for quite awhile, although he seems to be just as content with either grandma when they are in town. There were a couple of days when he wouldn't even go to Micah, but luckily that was short-lived. Jack is super sweet and he loves to come up and give me and the girls a pat on the back or a kiss (although usually it's just a kiss in the air near our heads), and I think it's his little way of saying that he loves us all. Jack finally cut his two top canine teeth, which is great because teething bothers him so much.

Jack in the backyard

He loves trucks (and so do the girls!). I'm pretty sure he has pick-up trucks confused with monster trucks since he says "monster truck" constantly when we are out in the stroller, but it's so cute I don't want to correct him.

All three love to build towers, but Jack seems the most interested

Standing on a brick looking at the cow at the Botanic Garden

"Ta daaaa!"

The kids love the mirror in the dining area and they stop and look at themselves many times throughout the day. It's so cute to watch.

Jack giving Faith a little backrub

Jack hugging Alexis

Jack hugging Faith

Jack is soooo affectionate!

• Faith: A few weeks ago Faith started running to Micah as soon as he walked in the house when he got home from work. It is so cute to see her excitement to see him, and Alexis and Jack have both been doing this sometimes as well. Faith has claimed a Husky dog stuffed animal as her own, and whenever she is upset she grabs the doggie and hugs it tight. Jack and Alexis will bring her doggie to her as well when she needs comforting. Alexis has claimed the Snoopy dog, but the attachment isn't as strong as Faith's to "her" doggie.

Getting cozy with her doggie

"Ta daaaa!"

Faith and Jack

Faith running around the Botanic Garden

Alexis and Faith in the farm portion of the Botanic garden

I know that it's hard for babies and toddlers to work on more than one thing at a time (i.e. after they start walking they usually start talking but it's hard to learn both together), so I'm wondering if our kids are a little bit behind in some things (such as knowing their colors, trying to put on their own clothes, etc) because they are learning social skills now when most toddlers don't deal with this much until they go to preschool. It's amazing to watch the relationships between our kids as they truly interact, communicate, copy each other, fight for our attention, and respond to each other's needs. They love being near each other, which is evident in some the photos (I did not stage any of them)! We look forward to watching our kids grow as individuals and with each other as we quickly approach their second birthday in June! 

At the end of our hike in the Sandias with Grammy and Grandpa we let the kids run

Our new magnet boards in the dining area

We've already enjoyed the water table a couple of times this year. Jack could stay there all day, but the girls got a little bored and decided to wander the backyard in their bare feet.

I often tell the kids to put on their socks and shoes, even though I know they aren't even close to being able to do it by themselves. One day when we were getting ready to leave I said this and then I went upstairs for a minute. When I came back down they had all grabbed their shoes and sat down together like they were going to figure out how to put them on as a team. It was so cute and they were so proud of their efforts!