22 months!

This was Ryder's first full month as a big brother.  After Vivien had been around for a week or so, Ryder decided her face was a drum set and would hit it any chance he could.  He was still giving her kisses, but hitting was more frequent.  Luckily he stopped, cold turkey, one Wednesday and it's been only kisses, hugs and fist bumps since then.

His speaking skills are really taking off at this point.  He probably knows twice as many words as he did two months ago and he is starting to repeat words after us much more easily.  The word of the month for this month is "fire truck," followed closely by "choo choo."  I'm pretty sure I've heard him say "up" this month and after meals he says "sleeves" so that someone will pull his sleeves back down.  He has also mastered the word "other" and will ask us where the other ball is, for example.  He has also learned a bunch of animal sounds, probably since he has so many books about animals.  He also hums along with songs now and sings a couple of words too.

He got a lot of fun new toys and books for Christmas and now he can really entertain himself with them for quite some time, so that I can do things in the kitchen while he plays.  He builds all kinds of big trucks with his Legos and shoots hoops with his new basketball hoop.  He even sits and reads/looks at books by himself.

He is definitely getting to the terrible two age and has been having lots of temper tantrums and cries at the slightest provocation.  It must be hard to not understand why things happen- why he can't have or do certain things and why he has to do other certain things.  That doesn't make it any easier to deal with though!

We got a new fireplace this past month and Ryder is obsessed with the fire and the candles.   He likes to stand by the fire and warm his hands, which is too cute.  He also loves to help start the fire and to help move the logs around the living room and he tries to put them in the fireplace.  He makes us very nervous!  So far he has a healthy respect for the fire; we are trying to keep it that way.

I told him that I wanted him to sit down for a picture- I was thinking the living room, but he jumped right on his table, sat down and looked at me!

Getting his music going, he loves to dance and sing.

Eating some delicious kale soup.

Pondering something.

I told him I wanted him to jump, so he went and stood up on the couch.

Just chillin'