Carter: 2 Years (24 Months)

So, I'm not sure that I will do a monthly post for C going into his 3rd year, but I do want to at least round the year out with his 2 year post. I may switch to quarterly (every 3 months) posts for this year.

Stats:

Weight: 26 pounds even. Oh kid, will you ever grow?

Length: 33.75 inches, but I think this is wrong. He wasn't exactly cooperative for this portion & if he was that short his pants would not be high-waters right now.

Head: 48 cm

Clothing: Finally starting to outgrow his 18 month stuff & is mostly in 18-24 month & 24 month clothing. He does have a few 2T things that fit & some 2T jammies that he has outgrown. I have hopes that by fall/winter he will actually be able to switch over to 2T full-time.

Shoes: Size 6s mostly, but will outgrow them fairly soon. He will likely be a 6.5/7 by fall. I just hope that his sandals make it through the summer.

Diapers: Size 4 in disposables (Huggies Little Movers) & highest-rise, third snap setting in cloth (BumGenius Freetimes AIO).

Milestones:

07/18--Met his Aunt Debi & cousins, Jade & Hunter for the first time.

08/06--Turned two!! =) That's the only one that really matters, right?

In Other News:

Sleep: He still sleeps about 10-11 hours straight through the night going to bed between 8:30-9PM (unfortunately) & naps about 2 hours a day. He's been giving us a lot harder time about going down this month & will often play in his crib for a LONG time before he finally passes out. I try to get him down around the same times each day, but he makes it hard when the time it takes him to fall asleep vary so much from nap to nap & night to night. I guess I can only do my best since rocking him to sleep every day/night is NOT an option. He's definitely NOT ready to fully eliminate his one nap daily as evidenced by passing out around 5:30/6PM if we try to skip it. I figure if I keep his nap limited to 2 hours max he will sleep better at night & in theory go down easier. So far, the consistency seems to be the only key. We will keep at it!

Eating Habits: Another month of hit & miss with the food. Still has days where he eats everything in sight & the next day he will barely eat at all. Toddlers....what can ya do, right? He still is drinking only milk & water. We don't offer him juice often (he doesn't seem to like it much anyway) & we have no plan to introduce any other beverage options any time soon. He's doing great eating with a spoon or fork, but still does prefer to use his hands a lot of the time. We're working on the whole cup thing, but he doesn't quite understand that it's not a game just yet. He will keep his mouth wide-open when he takes a sip so the water usually spills everywhere. Oh well though, it's a start. =) Favorites this month include mostly fruit, popcorn, cookies & ice cream (when we let him have them). Also, the kid is definitely still not a meat lover. We will keep trying with that one too.

Play/Activity/Vocabulary: Everyone he meets says "Boy, he sure talks a lot!" The kid definitely takes after me when it comes to talking early & often. He is speaking a lot of full sentences now & we understand him more often then not these days. It's been amazing knowing what he wants &/or needs. He still is big into ceiling fans, car keys, vacuums & plugging things in. He's also very tech savvy & can navigate both my I-phone 5 & Nook without any difficulty. He loves to play games on either device when we let him. Playing outside is an absolute favorite right now since it's been so nice. Swimming, sliding & playing in the Cozy Coupe are all big draws right now. Going to the park is a huge treat in C's mind & he loves to climb up & down on all of the play equipment. He improving everyday at climbing stairs & is able to go both up & down on his own now while walking. We are still cautious with him & walk down WITH him, but he'll be a pro in no time. He also is my best little helper & loves do simple chores for me. If I ask him to do something now (aka go get your shoes, put your book away, ect) he is more then ready to jump to the task. I love that he can follow simple instructions & that he enjoys feeling useful. He also REALLY loves to push the shopping cart around at the store when I will let him. Other then the above, not much has changed from last month. Oh! Other then the fact that he's *possibly* developed a fear of large, deep bodies of water. =( I don't know how that's going to bode for our vacation next week & the daily waterpark passes. Oi.

Favorites:

-Thomas the train
-Smart Pop Popcorn
-Swinging
-Singing songs
-Counting & practicing his letters
-Puzzles
-Animals, especially dogs & bunny rabbits
-Spumoni or Mint chip ice cream
-Counting & practicing letters
-Snuggling with brother (aka momma's tummy)