What is Nolan Doing? 22 Months Edition

Actually, Nolan is 22 1/2 months now.....the birthday invitations are ordered and will go out in a mere 3 weeks or so. Wow - can't believe it.

Nolan is at a really fun stage of his development. He is learning how to express himself, which obviously has some high and low points. On the low side, he now knows that he can object to things he doesn't like. This sounds simple, but those parents out there can all think back to the good ole days when their kids didn't REALIZE they had any choice in various matters. We've now crossed the threshold of disagreement. However, it's still pretty minor at this point.....not wanting to put on his clothes, having "mine...no, mine...no, mine" yelling matches with Bailey, and refusing to eat certain foods (the food aversion isn't new, but the flailing arms and scowl that accompany his "no" are new). The worst thing, however, is that he's developed this bark-like noise that he makes when he's really upset with us. I can't even describe it better than that, but it's quite an offensive sound! :-) If only I could get it on video....

As for the positive developments, he's saying a ton of things. My favorite is that he's learned to point himself out in pictures using his name. He used to say only "baby." Now, he'll point out Bailey and then say, "there's Nolan." Again, I can't quite describe his pronunciation of Nolan, but it's quite possibly the cutest thing I've ever heard. We talk a lot about being a big boy, and sometimes he'll argue that he's a baby instead. This is a running conversation we have. This morning, I asked, "Are you a big boy or a baby?" He looked at me with a perplexed expression and said, "No, I Nolan!" He pointed at his chest as he said it. I melted!

He also says: I love you, walk home (Bailey sometimes walks home from grandma's while I drive right beside her....well, wouldn't you know that little guy would want to do the same. I don't let him, by the way!), want plate, chocky (chocolate milk), that's cute (when looking at pictures), and more that I can't think of right now. He watches a Barney DVD constantly and laughs like crazy. I think he's close to attempting to sing the ending song (I love you, you love me, we're a happy family.....) but I know it will just be gibberish at first.

He's still not doing well with strangers or people he hasn't seen in a little while (sometimes this applies even to my brothers or parents). When people are around, he tends to 1) want to be held, 2) plants a look of utter disdain on his face, and 3) leans as far away from those people as is possible, often causing me or Jason to have to contort our body to avoid dropping him. I hope he gets over it a bit. A healthy dose of stranger danger is good, but I don't want him to be anti-social.....especially since he's such a happy child when he's in what he feels is a safe environment.

As always, I'm looking forward to his 2 year well child appointment to see how much he's grown. Some days I think he looks chubby and other days he looks really little. He is eating much better, however, so I'm confident that he's healthy. I do know that we've had to take back all the 24 mos. and 2T pants anyone has bought him as he can still only wear 18 mos. Actually, 12 months would fit the best, but they aren't long enough. Shirts seem to be a little easier, because who cares how long they are (and they SHRINK) and you can roll the sleeves. So, I've been buying 24 mos. in those. Plus, even with his small size, he still has the tell-tale toddler tummy that looks like a little frog belly. :-)

We're looking forward to Halloween, as the costumes have now arrived. Nolan will be super cute as a future golfer. We took him over to show Jeanne and Phil the night the costume arrived, and they couldn't quit laughing....it's that cute. Bailey chose to be Minnie Mouse, which wasn't my preference but I'm trying to let her be in charge of some low-risk decisions, and the costume seemed to fit into that category. Of course, she'll look cute regardless!

We're also taking our first outdoor family pictures on the 25th. We're meeting the photographer at the Myriad Gardens, and I'm already nervous about putting together our outfits. I am just not very good at coordinating our attire. Anyway, looking forward to our first quality pics!!!