23rd Monthday!

Domingo you are 23 months today, and just to prove this blog isn't all sunshine and roses, here's a little taste of reality: this past month you've been kind of a stink. I'm not saying all the time of course. In general you are still your sweet, funny, charming self. But on occasion, usually when I'm nursing Amalia, or when it's nap time or time to go, or get dressed, or change your diaper, you show your less sociable side. So this month has seen the introduction of the dreaded "TIME OUT". It hasn't come out all that often, but the few occasions when you have been placed in the "esquina", it has been for fairly extreme behaviors. One of your favorites is to roughhouse while I'm nursing Amalia. You get this crazed look and clench your teeth and start to roll around, sometimes kicking me, sometimes just shaking your head like one possessed! I know that you would never intentionally hurt Amalia, but you might accidentally on purpose hurt her. I hate punishing you for what amounts to just an abundance of energy, especially when all you want is to be close to me, but I'm giving you the gift of self-control. Your welcome.
In general I think you are still a little young to grasp it entirely, but recently if you are doing one of the forbidden behaviors, and I ask if you want to go to the esquina, you say no and sometimes stop. That's progress!
Speaking of progress, on the food front you've started to be a little more adventurous in the world of meats, you've eaten and asked for more steak, pork, and chicken. Now I just have to get you to eat some fish and then my mother of the year award is in the bag. But seriously, I can't complain about your eating habits. You love milk, would rather eat edamame and carrots than french fries, and usually let me finish my ice-cream without stealing it, usually.


This month has seen at least one first- your first hair cut! I must say, although I did laugh at the mullet and curls, I was a little sad to see you turn into a little boy before my very eyes. But it was time, and you are still a baby at heart even if you look, and talk like a big boy.


As I had mentioned in an earlier post, the no t.v. rule went firmly out the window around the time your hermanita started waking up. So when she's extra needy, you enjoy a wide variety of Spanish language programing thanks to our beloved cable. But that means I have "three little birds" being sung by little children (Sprout por favor!) going through my head all day and night. I'm not sure if it provides any relief.
You continue to talk more and more. This isn't really news to anyone anymore, but I feel it bears documenting. You speak in complete sentences, know how to use the past tense, and conjugate regular verbs correctly for everyone except the first person, you still talk about yourself in the 3rd person! saying things like "no quieres" instead of no quiero. I think this is mostly because I haven't corrected you. When I do correct you and say things like "mio" or "conmigo" you pick it up right away.
You talk in English a fair amount, mostly to your father and other relatives who don't speak Spanish. I've heard you count to 8 in English (while you can count to 20 in Spanish- but skip 13 every time, maybe you're superstitious?) and say random things spontaneously in English. You've actually started counting things rather than just reciting numbers which is something new. And you know several of your numbers and letters by looking at them. (The number 8 and letter M have been your favorites for some time, I don't really know why!)
You say funny weird things all the time, and I am kicking myself now for not writing them down so I can post them now. But trust me, they provide hours of entertainment for your Papa and I. One thing that cracks me up is you look out the nursery window and show me the houses where the monsters live with the goats. They are apparently our neighbors.


Next month you turn two, and I really can't believe how the time has gone. It's gone both really fast, and it also seems like you should already be two years old. And even though you are difficult and willful at times, I am so glad that I'm getting to spend all this time with you right now. And even though I relish your nap times almost as something holy, I love our time together much more, even if it's watching Bob Constructor for the 100th time and doing your chicken arm dance to the theme song with you. That's the best.
Love,
Mama