The Lion at 19 months

Oh, my little goofball.  You love being silly, or, really getting attention in any form you can.  This month, that has meant you've developed some...odd...habits.  For instance: you now hit yourself.  A LOT.  Because whenever you start to hit yourself in the head and face, mommy becomes very concerned and tries to get you to stop.  SUCCESS.  Sigh.  So, whenever Robby is bad, sad, or angry, he starts smacking.  He usually has some claw marks on his cheeks because his nails aren't short enough.  I feel so bad for him!  I know that probably the answer is to ignore the behavior, but it's hard to ignore the wild smack-o-matic.

Robby is OBSESSED with cars and trucks still.  Grandma is magical because she finds garbage trucks wherever she goes, and while she was visiting for Christmas, they went to the grocery store almost every day to watch the trucks unloading.  He'll shout "truck", "trash truck", "bus", "digger", and even "taxi" when he sees them.  And, oh he knows the difference.  He can point out every type of vehicle in his MANY truck/vehicle books, and can say most of them.  I MAY finally be able to do the same.  Pre-toddler boy?  I certainly didn't know the difference between a grader and a paver or an excavator versus a concrete crusher.  :/

Food is a little hit or miss.  Robby is opinionated, and he also likes to do everything for himself most of the time.  Although, there are moments where he wants me to feed him the applesauce or yogurt, and will ask for "hep" getting a bite on his fork.  He is pretty good with utensils, but still eats most of the meal with his hands. Chris was just asking when they make that switch.  No clue.  He mostly drinks out of sippy cups, but likes straws, juice boxes, and drinking out of mom and dad's real cups.  He also MUST have his own dixie cup at bath time and when brushing his teeth.  His favorites are carbs or sweets, and he dislikes meat.  His favorite fruits are bananas, oranges, or blueberries and his favorite vegetables are peas, tomatoes, and broccoli.

Physically, he can jump, climb, get on chairs, brush his teeth and hair, clap, stomp, pretty much everything at this point.  He can kick, use his arms, and blow bubbles in the pool.  He can jump on a trampoline, climb ladders, and go down slides.  Individual finger dexterity is a little tricky, still.  We were trying to do the hand movements to "Little Bunny Foo Foo", and he still needed help putting just two fingers up.  A few strange things he cannot do: take off ANY piece of clothing (though he can unzip a jacket) and climb out of his crib (thank goodness).  

Mentally, we've seen some substantial leaps this month.  He is talking in sentences (disturbingly, he told me "Mommy diaper...ew!").  He is very aware of body functions and we're starting to focus on the potty a bit more (no success, but he tells us every time).  He grasps "hot" versus "cold" in food, temperature, and what that means for clothing.  His "babies" and bath toys all now do pretend things.  He gives them kisses, or sings with them, or more complex activities.  In particular, he's spending a lot more time with his "animals" in his little people barn and zoo.  Though, by far, he plays with his trucks the most.  I'm a little sad that he is somewhat less attached to Mommy, and will now ask for Daddy, Grandma, or Grandpa on occasion.  He was home for a week and 1/2 over the holidays, so he got a lot of time with all 5 (2 gm/gp)!  (I was working.)  I LOVE being able to have conversations.  I LOVE being able to say, "No crying, tell me why you're sad."  I LOVE that on the ride home from daycare yesterday (ok, he turned 19 months a week ago, whatever).  Yesterday when asked what he did at school, he told me, "Played inside Nana".  (He played inside with Gianna.  It was too cold for outside recess.)  He is such a BOY.  As much as I love who he is, it is hard to realize that the baby is gone.  Thank goodness he is still a snuggler.  Because ALSO yesterday, he asked for "popcorn", "drink", and "cuddles" when we got home.  I'm a lucky mom.

Remember when he was a baby?  Sigh.

    

Oh!  Size!  I'm not positive.  He's in 2T clothes, size 5 diapers, size 7 shoes, and is probably around 30 lbs.  He's definitely a lot taller than last month, since his pants that fit before are now floods and ones that didn't fit are perfect.  So...somewhere between 34/35" maybe?  I need to measure.