21 Months

Oh, my sweet and sassy Nosy-Posy, full of baby bear hugs and attitude, squeals of delight and screams of frustration. How grown up you seem to be all of a sudden. This is the month that I suddenly noticed (sigh) that there is practically no baby left in my baby. You are quite the toddler.

No-nos, your personality is HUGE! You are filled to the brim with life and joy and fun. You are almost always happy and trot around with a smile on your face and a spring in your step. Your zeal is contagious, making it impossible not to be in a good mood around you.

On the flip side, oh my word you are a STINKER!! You are super opinionated and know exactly what you want, when you want it. You can throw a pretty impressive fit when you don't get your way, which, I am sad to say, happens quite a bit. And when it isn't quite worth the energy expenditure to throw a full blown fit, you settle for angry grunts and sharp glares. (I love you, little toot! Just writing this makes me grin and shake my head.)

Thankfully, you hold no grudges and soon get over yourself. You are far too afraid of missing out on something to kick and scream for long. If I just leave you alone for a few minutes, you hop right up and join back in the fun, all grievances forgotten.

I love, love that you are talking more. Not a ton, for neither of my Guys have been big talkers, but it is amazing how much you manage to communicate with your 15 or so words, mixed in with sign language and grunting. You make us laugh all day long, telling tiny jokes (like moo-ing when you know it's a horse, just to hear us giggle. You will do it over and over again for the reaction, funny clown!), singing silly little songs that are just syllables glommed together (complete with your quirky marching dance steps), constantly requesting a "bol" full of "nak-nak" (your terms for any type of dish full of any type of food).

My absolute favorite development this month is pictured above. Any time I ask for a helper or ask a "Who wants..." question, your chubby hand shoots in the air, your face splits in to the widest of grins and I hear, "ME!!!" squealed out in the sweetest of voices. Oh, you fill my heart with joy, Noah. Just look at that face...

As much as you love races, jumping, and all things sports, you do have your quiet moments too. This month you have started playing more with toys that aren't balls, bats or golf related. Your favorite quiet activities are cooking in O's kitchen (You dump out every bit of food, stir it all up until you find your fave green skillet, piece of American cheese and yellow spatula, which you then carry around with you, occasionally putting it into the "microwave" or "oven."), playing with Play-do, and looking at books. You love to be read to and even listen to long, involved stories for quite awhile before wandering off. School and craft time is high on your list of fun activities. You can draw a mean squiggle with a marker, and even if no watercolor makes it to your painting, a lot of water decorates the page. I think you are picking up a bit of knowledge too. You can recognize the color blue and the letter "A." And, much to this Mommy's delight, you still love to snuggle in short spurts. Your baby hugs and juicy kisses are the best!

Noah quirks:

You adore shoes and often wear a pair of my flip-flops around the house. You wear Crocs with your pj's until I make you take them off to get in to bed.

Your favorite song is "Blessed Be the Name of the LORD." You request it every time we get in the car (by grunting and shaking your fist in a funky kind of dance), and we often listen to it two or three times in a drive.

You hate to have grassy feet.

You eat ketchup on absolutely everything from pizza to grapes. Hey, if it helps the food go down, go for it!

You HATE to have your nails clipped and will fight me to the death to avoid it. So if you notice long, dirty nails on Noah, I'm doing my best!

You are addicted to baby toothpaste and chapstick.

You are a Boy who loves his Big Bro! You two have been playing together so well, and truly are becoming friends, which thrills my heart. You both refuse to go to bed if we have forgotten to let you hug each other goodnight. You guys are learning to share and trade and respect each other as God's precious gifts to each other. We have been working on putting your brother above yourself, which is a hard lesson at any age, but you are beginning to get it a little...when you want to. (That's a whole 'nother post for a whole 'nother day!)

Nosy, you are completely different from your Brother, and I love that about you. You are an individual, unique, created to glorify God. Your Daddy and I are so privileged to have been entrusted with you for a little while. How thankful I am for every day that I get to spend with you, my crazy, temperamental, wonderful bundle of joy.