jc at twenty-one months

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here we are again! another month closer to two. i don't even want to think about it. i can't believe my little guy is approaching this birthday so fast. it's been easy to distract myself with our impending home purchase and wedding, but it's coming no matter what. i guess i better get to pinning some second birthday ideas, eh?

this month has been SO much better in toddlerland. the tantrums have been to a minimum and happy-go-lucky jc has been in full effect. i know the grumpy, grouchy jc usually comes around when he's sick or teething and he's been very healthy all month. but that still means NO NEW TEETH! i swear, i'm going to have to get dentures for this kid. no molars yet. no canines yet. i'm not sure if i should be worried about this or not. i can definitely feel them under his gums (at the risk of getting bit) but there are no signs of them cutting through yet.




another reason that i've been a little concerned with his teeth is jc's speech, or lack thereof. again, i don't know if i'm just being a worry wart first time mom but i feel like jc should be talking more. and charles who is usually mr. cool-doesn't-worry-about-anything has expressed the same concern. i wonder if his lack of teeth may be limiting sounds he can make? and therefore, words he can say? i don't know. i tried really hard to compile a list of all the words jc can say and i got about 40-45 words. he's put two words together a couple times, usually "bye bye daddy" or "bye bye puppy". i guess it's a fair amount of words but he just doesn't say them very frequently. i guess i kinda thought he would take to talking the same way he took to walking. once you start, you keep going and get better at it and do it all the time. but he seems to learn a couple new words every couple weeks but then he won't use them consistently. i'll ask him to say a word that i know he can say and he will refuse. get mad even. i don't know if this is just being a toddler, testing his limits and whatnot but it is SO frustrating. i've been trying to play dumb more often to make him actually say what he wants instead of just pointing and grunting but he will get SO frustrated with me. if i push it too much, it turns into a full on tantrum. so if anyone's got any pointers or can assure me that this is normal or even tell me that it isn't so i don't feel crazy, i would love any and all of it!

jc has also been exhibiting a sort of split personality at times. sometimes it seems like his separation anxiety that i thought was a thing of the past is in full swing. other times, he is happy and friendly with people we just met. i think that if he thinks we are leaving (even if we aren't), that's when the separation anxiety kicks in. if he's pretty confident that, yes we are in a new place with new people but my parents are staying here with me, he is super happy and friendly. he will offer you the toy he is playing with and fist bumps if he really likes you. kisses and hugs if he loves you.

some of his favorites this month include the books Good Night California and anything elmo related, CHEESEBURGERS (all caps is necessary because this is the kid who wouldn't eat meat at all), park trips, turning anything into a drum, and just hanging out in his little tikes cozy coupe.




here are some 21 month milestones via babycenter. again, jc was born almost two months premature but i'm going to compare his stats to his actual age anyway. because that's how i roll.

mastered skills (most kids can do):

can walk up stairs - yes, as long as he can hold onto something. he definitely prefers to try to walk up them rather than crawl.

able to set simple goals (e.g. deciding to put a toy in a certain place) - yes. in fact, he spends most of the day trying to place a menagerie of toys in mr. potato head's butt (if your kid has a mr. potato head, you know what i'm talking about). and it's only certain toys and if they fall out, god help us all.

emerging skills (half of kids can do):

throws a ball overhand - yes, all day everyday

kicks ball forward - yes, all day everyday

stacks six blocks - it might be cheating because we don't have regular blocks, just mega blocks that connect together but i've seen him stack at least ten blocks

advanced skills (a few kids can do):

names simple pictures in a book - this is one of his favorite things to do

can walk down stairs - same as with walking up stairs. it's not perfect but if he can hold onto something, he will prefer to walk down rather than climb down.