Landon – 22 Months

L.J. is so close to 2-years old and seems light years away from 1-year old. People have been asking me recently if it seems possible that he is almost two, and it doesn’t. Not even close. It’s such a cliché, but time really does pass in the blink of an eye.

An informal weigh-in on the bathroom scale has L.J. at 32 pounds. I’m guessing he’s still at the top of the charts because everyone comments on his size. He has been picked to play every spot on a football team except the lanky kicker. And, of course, we have college paid for and TV endorsement deals to help secure our retirement.

Unlike the general public’s preoccupation with his sports potential, L.J.’s current preoccupation trends toward anything with wheels. Cars, trucks, emergency vehicles and construction equipment rank high on his list of fascinating things. A special shout-out must be given to airplanes and fire trucks – his absolute favorites.

His teachers at school say his favorite activity is cooking in the play kitchen, and he also enjoys this at home. I have relayed this information to the North Pole, as his cooking options at home are rather lacking at the moment.

L.J. still can’t get enough reading time during the day, which still delights me to no end. New favorites this month are “Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See?” and “Goodnight Moon.” New cognitive skills are the ability to tell us what various items are in his picture dictionary books.

He continues to be very observant of things around him and is now able to communicate his observations better. Just the other day he told me there was a white car in front of me at a traffic light. He likes to tell us if something is wet. His favorite phrase is, “Have a seat!” Other multi-word phrases are coming slowly but surely. “Show you!” was heard the other day when he wanted to show me how he stacked his cup inside a bowl. It took me a second to realize what he was saying, but then I was so impressed!!

Eating is a toddler’s game – literally. Sometimes he eats a good dinner, sometimes not. I know he eats well at school, so I don’t worry too much. But I do need to figure out how to get him to eat more fruits and veggies at home!

Sleeping has been brutal this month. Apparently there is a thing called toddler sleep regression and L.J. had it in spades. It’s slowly getting better, but for a couple of weeks he was consistently getting up in the middle of the night. And he only wanted Mike. You’d be inclined to think “Lucky mommy!” – but I usually ended up wide awake too.

And, lastly, we’re seeing some new social milestones as well! L.J. is becoming a bit more interactive in his play and will (sometimes) share a toy when asked. In general, he just seems more aware when other children are playing around him. He’s very friendly with other kids and will offer a cheerful “Hi!” to anyone he sees who is about his size. He also says it to older kids who are usually so gracious about acknowledging him and saying Hi back.

We love our sweet little boy to pieces!