22 Months Old

I can't believe we're only 2 months away from Connor's 2nd birthday!  Connor has definitely been acting older this past month!

The biggest change this past month has been Connor's potty skills.  This kid totally surprised us a few weeks ago when he started telling us he had to go potty.  This kid has been a rockstar and yesterday he went most of the day (with the exception of naps) with no accidents.  He even went number 2 on the potty the other day.....without us even asking....he just went over to his potty and went.  I know he still has a ways to go, but we've had a great start to the whole process.....and his willingness to try and go in public bathrooms has been a huge plus!  Although he is pretty much in pull-ups rather than underwear, I had to post this picture because I think his little tush looks so cute!  Unfortunately, these undies are no longer with us, as Connor had a little accident while he was teething (eek....I'll spare you the details)!

In addition to his potty skills, his language has also started to take off.  He is picking up new words every day and becoming quite the talker.  He even started combining a few words together to make a few short phrases.  His new favorite word is "toot."  I'm not even kidding....and he loves to call people out (even when they didn't do anything)!

 Connor is a relatively good eater; however, we do struggle during meals.  I'm not sure if it is because I compare him to Elli (and she might not be the best toddler to compare him to....girlfriend can eat....and will eat whatever you put in front of her...asparagus is a new favorite for her).  One thing is for sure, he will always eat sweets and almost never turns them down.  This is how he ate his cupcake at Avery's birthday party the other day.....

 Connor still loves his trucks, 'choo-choos,' busses, cars, tractors, balls, and animals.  He also enjoys a good riding toy and when we venture to the park, the first thing he looks for is a wheel to turn.  He loves playing with the tires on his tricycle, tractors, toy cars, strollers....basically anything with a tire.  It's like he's amazed with how it spins....I'm not really sure and I don't understand the fascination, but he appears to be right on track, as I've heard that many boys love this!

 Connor still loves to cuddle up and sing before bed.  However, bedtime has been a little difficult lately.   For the past week and a half, Connor has been crying for at least 5 to 10 minutes when we put him in his bed.  He never used to do this, so we're not sure what is going on.  He cried so much one night last week that I actually rocked him to sleep....I haven't done that since he was almost 4 months old.  I let him pick out a special nightlight, offered to keep the door open, etc.....nothing has helped just yet, so were hoping this is just a stage he grows out of.  He's gotten some new teeth within the past few weeks, so he's been a little off.  He's also been having trouble falling asleep at night and will sometimes lay in there for 2 hours before going to sleep (not crying, just laying in there).  This results with him sleeping in the next morning, having a later nap, and then going to bed late again.  So....the past few mornings, we've been waking him up by 8:30 and I've been waking him up from his nap and won't let him sleep past 3:45.  He fell asleep by 9:30 last night, so things are getting a bit better.  He takes after me and can stay up late and sleep in.  Unfortunately, Elli is not that way....she falls asleep earlier and wakes up by 7:15 regardless of when she falls asleep.  If they both would sleep in, we'd have no problem with them having a later bedtime, but Elli kind of ruins it for them :)

 I think I've mentioned before that Connor is the messiest kid.  And he is!  I'm pretty sure I'm going to have to keep him in a bib until he graduates from high school!  He can make a mess out of anything that he eats.  Even with a bib on, I still have to stain spray all his clothes.

Connor loves to swing and could swing for hours at a time.  We often sing while he swings and he loves this!!

 I wish I could have caught his excited and 'I'm so cool' expression when he put this costume on, but I didn't!  This kid was loving life while acting like a fireman!  He's grown up with an older sister that is far too obsessed with everything princess and I love it that he is so into boy things.  However, this kid can also push a stroller, hold a baby doll, and try on high-heels with the best of them!

Although I wish time would slow down a bit, I'm loving that he's becoming more independent (well most of the time I enjoy this).  He is such a fun little boy and we're so excited to watch him continue to grow and develop.  He is just so sweet!!