Two years old!

Looks like I missed the last two months...whoops!

Calvin is now two years old and is such a goofy, loving, little boy who tries so hard to be older than he is.  He's got a fiercely independent/determined side and will do things on his own timeline leaving us not able to fully savor the our last "baby" moments.  My first clue of this should have been when he decided to completely be done nursing without me making any real attempt to wean him.  He was down to three times a day and then we were just done.  It's also appearing that we've changed our last diapers without really realizing it.  Last Monday he just decided to put on underwear and he hasn't looked back. Like any potty training child, there have been lots of accidents, but he has no desire to go back to diapers and has been having quite a bit of success.  It looks like there will be no big to do about getting rid of diapers and they will just be gone.  He's also fully ditched the high chair and joins us at the table in a booster seat now.  Now don't get me wrong, he is still holding on tightly to some parts of his "babyhood."  Did I mention our two year old still sleeps with three, yes three pacifiers?  He likes one for his mouth and one for each hand. Any suggestion from us that those should go away is met with tears.

Calvin started speech about six weeks ago and wow has his vocabulary improved.  He's willing to try so many words now and is using more and more each day.  His teacher is so nice and patient and Calvin just adores Sue.  In fact, if we ask if Sue is his teacher he says "no." If we ask if Sue is his friend, he says "yeah."

Calvin may just be turning two, but that doesn't stop him from keeping up with the big kids.  He's convinced he's learning to ride a bike as soon as the weather gets nice enough...and I don't doubt that he will be riding around on a bike by the end of summer.  He loves to tag along with his big brother and join in with the big kids at Outdoor Campus classes and library story time.

Calvin has been going to Sing N Sprout most of this year and has always liked it, but he's really participating so well now and knows a lot of the songs.  He's developing some rhythm and really seems to have a great time with the classes.

Calvin is still in a crib (and will be for the foreseeable future), but he is loving every minute of sharing a room with his brother.  He was a little disappointed when he figured out he wasn't sharing a bed, but once he got over that disappointment, he thinks it's pretty cool to be in a room together.

21 months

He thinks he's hysterical (and he's mostly right)

Only 12 days late with this post...oops!

We can call this month the month of milestones I'd be ok if Calvin took a while longer to meet.  These include:
- unzipping and taking off his coat.  For the most part, this one is ok as it is pretty helpful that he can unzip and take off his jacket when we get inside the house.  Not so nice when he unzips his jacket and tries to take it off the second we get inside anywhere.  I would really prefer him to leave it on while we get groceries.
- opening doors.  He's an expert at ones that are handles instead of knobs.  You know, the ones that are ADA compliant so they are on all family restrooms.  So glad he's learned these!  He's also getting pretty close with door knobs in our house. He's successfully opened his own door a couple of times. The doors to outside will take him quite a while yet.
- taking off his own diaper.  So far he can only get off the cloth ones and can't take his pants off yet, so we're safe for a while!

We still aren't seeing much changes with his speech.  Caleb sure is trying to get him to say all sorts of words, but no such luck.

Calvin had fun at both USD football games we've ventured to this fall.  He really likes the popcorn, band, and apparently the bathrooms.  During both games he made multiple trips to the bathroom and miraculously kept his diaper dry from 11:00 in the morning until bedtime that night.  I'm sure the people sitting next to us weren't near as excited about Calvin's frequent trips to the bathroom!

Oh, and don't even think about telling Calvin he's not as big as his brother.  He thinks he is!  He even attempts to stay at preschool every single time.

Taking off his coat to stay at school with Caleb. 

Painting his pumpkin. 

He has no idea what he's trying to do here, but he saw his brother do it. 

Putting on his own diaper

He tried underwear one afternoon.  He didn't like it. 

Attempting to master the two-wheel scooter. 

Hi Dad!

Just part of the bedtime routine...stalling!

Pumpkin Palooza! With this many kids, this is the best we can get. 

Like I said, don't even try to tell him he's not four. 

Loved touch a truck!

20 months

We're making a bit of progress with Calvin's speech this month.  He's willing to "parrot" quite a few words and sounds and is saying a few more words on his own: Mom, Dad, yeah, no, baby.  There are other words that he's said quite a few times in one day, but then not really ever again: hi, beep, honk, bug, so hopefully he keeps adding to this list.  He's also learned a lot of animal sounds: dog, cat, duck, pig, sheep, kitty.

Calvin's motor skills and coordination continue to impress us. He loves to run, climb, jump (he's even getting his feet off the ground) and his newest trick is a somersault.  He's been practicing for quite a while and can finally do it.

Calvin isn't a fan of his brother going to school.  He cried the first day when he got left at home and cried the next time when I carried him out of school and his brother got to stay.  Fortunately for Calvin, it's during his nap time, so the time without Caleb goes quickly.

We're still working on molars...I'm beginning to feel like this is a never ending process!  Three are completely through, but the fourth just won't pop through.  I think by the time he gets that one through, his incisors will be quick to follow.

Calvin is showing more independence each day as he tries to dress himself, put his own shoes on, and drink out of a big kid cup.  He has had some success getting his own pants on but no luck with his shirt.  He did completely surprise me tonight and pooped on the toilet, so maybe potty training will be in our future.

One of Calvin's favorite things about fall is playing outside with our neighbor and getting to eat an apple off their tree every afternoon.  They're a bit sour yet since it hasn't gotten cold yet, but he doesn't mind at all.  He still eats basically the entire apple...including the core and seeds.

Just waiting for the dr at his check up.

This is what he does when he doesn't get to buckle his own seatbelt. 

Helping clean. 

Just relaxing at soccer practice. 

I told Caleb to go get his swimsuit on for lessons, and this is what I came back to...

He'd really like to ride it.  We have the seat up too high so he can't quite reach the pedals yet. 

Thinks he's a big kid getting ready to learn how to decorate cookies. 

19 months

Calvin is now 19 months old, but thinks he's basically a four year old.  He thinks he's big enough to do anything Caleb can do and will throw a pretty good fit if he's told he can't.  Just a few of the things he thinks he's big enough to do now:
- move chairs all over the kitchen
- put his own shoes on (I wish he could, but he just can't.  He insists on trying for 3-4 minutes before letting me help).
- putting his own toothpaste on his toothbrush
- walk down the stairs instead of going down on his belly...I let him win this one and he does a pretty good job
- not only play on the big kid side at the gym, but also play big kid games.  He tried to play "Simon Says" last week.
- change his own diaper.  He's been screaming when we change him because we won't let him do it himself!
- pick out his own pjs.  Fortunately he hasn't started picking his own clothes yet.  Not ready for that daily battle yet.


Areas he has no desire to grow up in:
- sleep without a pacifier.  We've given in and have just accepted we will have to take away a pacifier from a way too old child some time.
- potty training.  Not that we're there yet, but any mention of the toilet or not wearing diapers, he immediately starts shaking his head and saying no.
- giving up his stroller.  We're not fighting this at all.  It's nice to have a little boy who realizes his legs are tired and gladly climbs in the stroller.

The determined side of Calvin's personality is starting to show more and more.  He fell down the front steps the other day and was crying, but wanted nothing to do with being comforted.  Instead, he wanted me to put him down so he could go up the stairs and do them again without falling.  He's also figured out how to do puzzles this month and if you try to help him, he will take the pieces out and do them on his own.

Doing some tangrams like his brother 

Fun morning at the spray park

All dressed up and ready to party.

Drawing with chalk like the big kids.

Had to have a walking stick just like his brother. 

He climbed there himself in about 8 seconds!

Feta cheese straight from the container. 

Just picking potatoes like a big kid. 

18 months

Oh has this little boy kept us on our toes this month.  He is just so full of energy and love for life.  He's been both a wild man and a lover this month with endless hugs and kisses for all of us and plenty of crashes, falls, trips, and slips.

Favorites:
Food -- still likes to eat a lot and has quite a few favorites including: steak, corn on the cob, and almost any fruit, but especially blueberries.  A pint of blueberries barely lasts a day in this house.  I have to ration them or Calvin would eat them all in one sitting.

Toys -- He's really into trucks/cars right now.  He's also starting to stack blocks and thinks it's absolutely hilarious to knock them down.

Outside things -- riding his scooter, grilling with play good, swimming

Books -- oh does this little man love to read. His favorites right now are "Moo, Baa, La La La," "The Belly Button Book," and  "The Going to Bed Book."  We read these three on repeat most days.

Dancing -- when Caleb turns on his CD player, Calvin starts dancing right away.  It's such a funny little dance with his arms up above his head.

He's still making his mother crazy with his serious of uh-hu instead of talking, but I'm sure he will get there someday!

Swimming

Just reading a few books

Doesn't matter the time of day, if he's swimming, he insists on wearing that hat.

Loves to eat outside. 

Helping fill the pool

We had our own private creature feature at the zoo one morning. 

Brothers enjoying the zoo

First hair cut.  Caleb best the photo credit

VBS fun

Exploring the caves at VBS

And in case you're wondering what Calvin thinks of bouncy houses, just see the videos below: