22 Months Old

So here we are. Two months away from reaching the two year milestone. Whether these twos are really the "terrible twos" or the "terrific twos" still remains to be seen for our family.

Unfortunately, we've been catching more glimpses of the "terrible twos" side of the coin recently. This past month was a bit more of a challenge in terms of temperament for one of our little guys in particular. Daddy and Mommy had to continually remind themselves that screams and tantrums (and growls?) are merely a part of growing up. We frequently pray for wisdom and patience and we help our little guys work through their developing emotions. It IS all just a passing stage, right?? :)

Cody & Jaden -- 22 months old!

Cody, Jaden-- giggling as they poke their homemade playdough

Jaden & Cody-- not sure if they want to pose for this pic

Jaden, Cody-- getting ready to run!

 Most of our challenges this month revolved around toy battles. When a toy is first stolen, the brother victim will angrily point at the brother thief with a firm growl. Then, if the problem is not quickly resolved by a nearby adult, the growl soon becomes a full out scream, cry, or stomping fit. Mommy and Daddy are getting very used to the mediator role! Other reasons for tantrums this month have also included not wanting to go inside, not wanting to leave playtime to get a diaper change, not getting one's way, and not wanting to change out of a favorite set of PJs.

Another challenge of the month has been surrounding naps and bedtime. No longer do our little toddlers fall asleep like a charm (we had been so spoiled!). Now, instead,  Jaden swats at the door handle (and has even figured out how to open the door by reaching out of his crib!) while Cody stands up in his crib and whimpers. They're often up for anywhere from 5 to 20 minutes, making these noises, but thankfully eventually end up falling asleep. We are glad that their naps are still a good length, even with the rocky beginning. We're taking these sleep battles as a sign that we need to push back bedtime a bit, so we'll see how that goes for a while...

Thankfully, amidst these challenges, every day has many moments of laughter, mischief, learning, and play, too. The boys have made us laugh with the "trouble" they've gotten themselves into this past month. They've enjoyed hanging out in Mommy's closet so they can toss all of her shoes into the hamper. Another day, Mommy caught them attempting to squeeze all of their socks into the diaper genie. Oh, my.

We've also loved hearing the boys' language continue to develop. This month's new favorite words include bye-bye, off, on, hot, and cheese (chhhh). They also like making a few new animal sounds-- baa (for a sheep), bvooo (for a cow), and meee (for a cat). Both boys are very willing to say hi and bye-bye to people that we meet. Cody has recently started to use the word "Mamy" (pronounced like Amy, just with an M) to refer to Mommy.

At mealtimes, Jaden and Cody have gotten quite proficient at fork-spearing. They LOVE using their forks and will often eat twice as much food (particularly veggies!) after receiving a fork. They've also recently discovered the joy of hearing a loud crunch when biting into raw carrots.

It's been a big blessing to play outside more again this month. The boys have enjoyed pushing their mowers EVERYWHERE, having their mowers filled with bubbles, trying out sidewalk chalk on our driveway, and digging, pouring, and dumping sand in their sandbox. Inside the house, Cody and Jaden enjoy pushing around their car transporter and their bus, putting together basic peg puzzles, and using their Dot Painters. 

The most simple things will make our boys excited. They are both completely fascinated with the printer and will watch it in amazement. As soon as the print job is done, they'll eagerly rush the finished paper to Daddy or Mommy. They also have come to love the song "Love Take Me Over" by Steven Curtis Chapman and will start dancing like crazy whenever that song comes on the radio.

CODY

enjoys giving his doggie a taste of whatever's in his sippy cup

first taste of a Girl Scout cookie!

VERY into Duplo blocks this month-- will
spend up to 10 minutes putting together
and taking apart the same 4-5 blocks

a BIG fan of playdough

JADEN

Jaden's first taste of Thin Mints

Learning how to reverse

Up to no good in the sock drawer!

Poking, molding, and throwing playdough

We're figuring that since God gave us the taste of the "terrible twos" this month, next month is our turn to try out the "terrific twos," right? 

Either way, like the children's book says, we love our boys "through and through" including their "happy side" AND their "mad side." We're thankful that God has entrusted us with this challenging and yet still joy-filled role of parenting!