Because I no longer keep a baby book...

Ah my sweet Baby Butter! He's becoming less of a baby by the minute! Almost 22 months old now and he thinks he's as big as his siblings who are 3 and 6 years older. His vocabulary is practically doubling by the day and he's starting to put 2 and 3 words together. Of course you still have to know exactly what he's talking about to understand him, but if you do...well then, it's unquestionably clear! My favorite statement first occurred when we were shopping at Target*(imagine that!), We walked past the walkers and bouncy-seats and he wanted to stay and play with them for a bit. As we were on a mission to find shoes, I said "Oh those are for babies. Are you a baby or a big boy?" To which he clearly replied, "I Big!" I know I'm so silly to get all excited about him answering a question with more than just a "Zheah or No," but it really was so cute. So now when I find a need to show off his cuteness, I have him perform this little trick and I still get as genuinely happy as I did the first time he said it!

He loves to sing! After playing "Ring around the Rosies," one day, we broke into "If You're Happy and You Know It" at which point he kept pointing to a spot on the floor on the other side of the room from him. I was a bit confused at first, but then finally figured out that he wanted me to sit across from him like I was the Singing Lady in Nursery at church! Yep, he loves all of those little songs and spent the longest time singing "Old MacDonald" with a 4 year old girl while swinging at the park the other day. He got to choose the animals and would say, "uhhhhh cow" etc. like he really had to think about it. While picking up all of the toys at Grandma and Grandpa's the other day (yes, he puts all of the toys away almost all the time...he is truly a remarkable child!) he was rambling on and on...I finally figured out he was singing the "Clean Up" song! Oh how I love this little boy!

With the approach of summer vacation, I've found the need to spoil him a bit more than usual before he'll have to share me every day with his siblings. We've been going on several outings (instead of the usual...gym and errands). Of course we've been to the zoo and playgrounds and the botanical gardens and the train museum, but my new favorite thing to do with him is to walk around Forest Park. It's just so darn pretty down there, and I can get a good brisk walk while he enjoys all of the fun bridges and fountains.
He's still entirely too attached to his "mimi and banky" (that's binki and blanket!) and loves to bury his head into Mom's shoulder! Yes, I do love that anything can be made better with just a little snuggle time with mom! He is however, great with other people now. This is truly amazing because the boy wouldn't even look at anyone else (except a very select few) for his first year or so! I love that instead of bribing him (oops, rewarding his good behavior) with a toy after shopping, he gets all excited for a new shirt! He tries so hard to keep up with his big brother and sister. I watch him as he attempts to do everything they do...hence the "You're the example, so make sure you're making good choices!" speech to Big Butter! This includes his current use of the potty - more to come on that as we see how it unfolds! He loves treats, (a boy after my own heart!) and soda! (I'm such a bad mom!) but loves his strawberries, cheese, turkey, crackers of any kind and noodles too! I could go on and on about this little guy, but it's way past my bed-time...which reminds me of just one last thing ~ sleep. We're still working on that one! It seems like as soon as he has a few nights without waking up, I go and tell people about it and then he'll spend the next few getting me up and out of bed a few times. I'm trying to let him cry it out a bit, but...he's my Baby Butter! So is he actually spoiled, or does he just have Mom wrapped around his little finger...hmmm, is there a difference?