29 Days and Counting...

I cannot believe that my baby, is going to turn 2 in just 29 short days!  Several times a week, we find ourselves discussing what a great boy Ty has become, in awe of his sponge memory, constant determination, and clever sense of humor.  I'm not sure how we became so lucky to be parents to this little guy, but we most definitely know what a good thing has fallen into our laps.

Despite an unexpected infection post-surgery, and a miserable 10 day recovery, Ty has bounced back with more spunk and motivation than ever before!  My absolute favorite accomplishment this month has been Ty's cold-turkey refusal to be fed by his parents anymore.  He has been able to feed himself with a spoon since he was about 15 months old, but has always been...well...lazy about it.  He'd take a few scoops, and then resort to using his hands, which would undoubtedly fling the food anywhere it would stick.  However, on Superbowl Sunday, in the middle of the pregame show, Ty grabbed the spoon from Dad, and proceeded to feed himself an entire bowl of spinach (yes, he's also an insanely healthy, and snobby,eater) with little to no spilling whatsoever.  And he has not turned back.  I have not put a spoon or fork to my son's mouth since that day, and I love it!  Our dinnertime battles are over.  He's not only eating his snacks, but scraping the bottom of the bowl to get the last drop of yogurt or applesauce, or chunk of strawberry.  It's a small 22 month miracle!

My second favorite accomplishment this month is Ty's communication.  He's always had pretty good language skills, whether it was spoken or signed language.  But something is different, it's like he really, truly gets it.  He finally understands that every single sound, object, and action has an associated word (or sign), and picks up on that word/sign instantly when shown.  For example today, he wanted to watch his new ABC movie, but didn't have the word for it.  He pointed at the tv, so I showed him the sign for "movie", and then turned it on.  Later this afternoon, he got my attention again.  When I asked him what he wanted, he used the sign for "movie" that I had shown him once, and pointed to the tv.  How could I not turn it on?!  We recently made a list of the signs he not only knows, but uses regularly and without prompting (some of which he does use with the spoken word)...at the time the list had reached nearly 50.  This week alone has probably brought the list toward 60.  Not a bad vocabulary for a 23 month old!  It's a great feeling to be able to meaningfully communicate with my son, and have conversations that we both understand.

I could go on.  Ty now knows at least 10 body parts.  He actively participates in his two early reading programs (Brillkids app, and Love and Learning) daily, and I swear, has signed some words when they have popped on the screen.  He recognizes some letters of the alphabet and signs them (a, p, q...random, I know).  Ty finally learned to stand up from the floor in the middle of a room this month.  He is making more and more attempts to walk without prompting every day.  He gives the BEST hugs.  His kisses are sloppy, but sweet too!  Every day is full of surprises, and I'm so lucky to be here to see them.

I'll leave you with a little video (though I have about 10 more worth watching to upload at some point!)  Everyone's first question is always, "how is Ty's walking coming?", so here's my video answer.  Here he walked about 8-10 feet across the playroom (and I dropped him when he lunged at me, which is why the video ends with his shocked face on the floor...oops!) This is about the farthest he can go independently right now, but that's okay.  He's making progress constantly, and WILL walk everywhere eventually!  My favorite is his little t-rex arms that he uses for balance...too cute!  Enjoy! 

Happy 23 months, sweet boy!!!