23 Months

(I'm changing it up a bit this month. The monthly letters were starting to get to feel like a chore and of course I didn't want that. Since my ifriend Eva (I can't link her because her blog is private) was the one that inspired the monthly letters I'm following her lead again in going to a more concise bullet list of sorts. My ifriend Shannon has had the right idea all along. My mom asked me today when I was going to give up taking their photo on the 17th of every month. That I'm not ready to change just yet. I was so inspired by Hazel's photos in front of her antique fireplace that I tried to duplicate them at my mom's house. They're adorable but nothing can compare to that baby in a tutu.)

• Grandma bought Jackson his first matchbox car for Valentine's Day, a jeep just like Auntie's. Madison immediately claimed it as her own which led to many tears on Jackson's part. So that night we took a trip to TRU to stock up on matchbox cars. It's still not enough. They both want ALL of the cars.
• We got one of those wooden-bead-on-a-track toys from our friend Susan and it has been one of their favorites lately.
• They still don't interact much except for the occasional giggle fest that results from chasing each other.
• Swimming lessons are going very well. They both enjoy it very much except for when they have to put the toys back. They don't have any floaty things on and we hold them just under the arms and away from our bodies. They both feel secure enough to reach out with their hands to grab toys and they both kick their feet when they're on the kick board. Madison will put her head back when it's time to "float" on their backs but Jackson resists it. He just sits right up and the teacher yells at us like we're not listening to her. I should probably write a post about her because there is enough material to warrant it.
• Nana will be so happy that Jackson hasn't had a binky since Sunday and Maddie since before that. He asked for a "bink" once yesterday and today but he was easily distracted.

• Jackson always asks where Maddie is "a ma-ee".
• After he accomplishes something he exclaims "I did it!". These things include putting the cabinet lock back on the trash cabinet and taking the decorative screw off the front of the refrigerator and putting it back in.
• Jackson's hair was getting a bit long so we got out the clippers. Even on the longest setting it made his hair pretty darn short. It makes him look so old and a lot like my cousin's son Tyler when he was Jackson's age. I had never noticed a resemblance before but it's definitely there.
• Jackson's diet still consists of baby food sweet potatoes, apple sauce, yogurt, whole grain goldfish, and milk. I've tried all the suggestions. The boy just won't let anything else past his lips...unless it has sugar in it.
• Jackson is all boy. He loves to throw things (including balls at lamps and into the kitchen sink), wrestle with things (including Maddie who does NOT find it amusing), hit things (including me and the cat), but also to cuddle. That boy is a cuddle machine and I just can't get enough of him.
  

• Madison labels everything and who it belongs to. Mama's coat, Jachan's Mickey, Daddy's phone, Grandma's car just to name a few. As she's walking around the house she's constantly pointing out something and saying what it is.
• I fill a small bowl of goldfish for a snack. Maddie will go in the other room, put the goldfish in her hand then come back to me with the empty bowl and ask for "more pwease". I put more in the bowl then right there in front of me she dumps the ones from her hand back into the bowl.
• We bought a 5 pack of matchbox cars. I told Madison which one was my favorite now every time she holds it she says "Mama's favorite".
• Madison is a better eater so we share our dinner with her.
• Maddie says bye bye to everything. We really don't know where this came from since it's not something we ever encouraged either of them to do. If we're leaving the house she'll say "bye bye jachan's mickey, bye bye cup, bye bye mama" (even though I'm coming with her). She even says bye bye to things on her way to her room for a nap. We've never read Goodnight Moon to them either (go ahead...I'll wait here while you call DSS...oh, you're back? Ok moving along...) so it's not like she got the idea from there.
• Today she said three words "Mama's favorite car". I think this is her first three word phrase but I could be mistaken.
• Madison usually tells us when she poops. She says "po-poop" every time. I'm not sure where the extra syllable comes from but she sounds so cute saying it. Now she has taken to saying it when she...ahem...passes gas. Jackson passed gas this morning and Maddie pointed at him and said "po-poop".

I love you both with all of my heart.

Side note: 2 years ago today I had my baby shower. I was lucky to have been released from hospital bedrest and to be allowed out of bed to go to the shower!