Rudy:
- Sleep - Rudy wakes up every morning usually between 6:00 and 7:00. He takes a nap around 1:00 (sometimes as late as 2:00 if I'm busy with Avery, too) and sleeps anywhere from 1-3 hours (1 hour and I'm not exactly happy, three hours and I start to get restless and anxious for him to get up, 2 hours is juuuust right and pretty typical -- sounds like Goldilocks). He gets a bath about 7:00 and afterwards we snuggle on the couch and watch a show until its time to go back and rock, right about 8:00. By 8:00-8:15, he is asleep for the night. On his way back to bed, we say "night-night" and kiss or wave to everyone and just about everything, "Night-night Mom/Dad/Gran, night-night Avery, night-night Elmo, night-night Rufus, night-night kitchen, night-night outside, night-night library, night-night cars, night-night Mommy and Daddy's room, night-night bathroom..."
- Eats - We are always trying to introduce new foods and push vegetables and fruit, but Rudy is pretty persistent on doing the opposite. "They" say it takes up to 10 times of a food be introduced before a kid will come around to it. Well that's a lot of times of making and wasting food, and exhausting. But we try. On the up side, he is tolerating dairy much much better and we are able to give him cheese regularly and milk, too. He still doesn't drink too much milk, but we try to get dairy in other ways or he will eat milk and cereal. He wants to do everything himself now and that includes eating with utensils. He is actually getting pretty good at going from plate/bowl to mouth. And he loves to drink from our glasses/water bottles/soda cups with straws and is getting pretty good at that, too. Of course as much as we try and "help" -- basically keep water from spilling everywhere -- he adamantly says, "No, no" and pushes us away (and/or throws a huge fit). Which means that we can't drink around him unless we want to share (and get plenty of backwash in our drink for that matter).
- Speech - Even though Rudy can't say a lot, he is good at getting his point across. He uses his motions and melt-my-heart, crack-me-up, priceless expressions to communicate...like when he puts his arms out to the side for "Where...?", the way his brow furrows when he's in disbelief (I don't know the best word..not mad or upset..but "Ugh, I can't believe that ball just went under the couch, darn it!), when he does the opposite of a wave when he wants you to "come here", when he points at the floor next to him because he wants you to sit next to him and play, the way he motions and shakes his arms and hands to talk, etc. We were driving home close to dinner time the other night and I said to Rudy, "Rudy are you hungry for dinner?" His eyes got big, he nodded his head, smiled a big grin and said, "Yess!!" I turned back to John and commented how much I love that Rudy is able to communicate with us now, even if he can't say a lot of words, I really feel like we can understand each other. So John said to Rudy, "Rudy do you want poop for dinner?" His eyes got big, he nodded his head, smiled a big grin and said, "Yess!!" John says, "You do?? You want to eat poop??" "Yess!!" Soooo I guess we aren't all the way there yet, but we are making strides. We have some more words to add to our count:
- Aaack (what a duck says)
- Em-mo (Elmo, which sounds a lot like "Mom")
- Hey (a lot of times pronounced "Heeeey")
- Hot (as in his food is hot or my coffee cup is always hot)
- Mmm-maa (his sound for giving kisses)...the doc did say we could could his sounds!
- I think he is close to a sound for Avery. It kind of comes out "Avy" but isn't consistent enough to add to the list, not yet at least.
- And a lot of unrecognizable babbles. He will just talk and talk and talk and we nod along or say, "Really?" "Oh yea?" "Whaaat?" and he just keeps going. He cracks himself up, too. He will be babbling away and laugh and laugh, like he just can't get the words out because whatever he is saying is just so funny.
- Mr. Independent and In-Charge - Rudy wants to do it all, all by himself. We often get stiff armed away from him when we try to help. Thankfully it is starting to be sandals weather because I don't know how many more fits I can handle when he tries to get his tennis shoes on by himself and just can't quite do it, but doesn't want our help either. And there is no denying that Rudy runs the show, at least he tries to. He is always directing people where he wants them to go, sit, get for him etc. He's unbelievable sometimes. EXCEPT when it comes to walking. For whatever reason, there are certain times throughout the day that he wants to be held and if you don't pick him up, he will stop in his track, throw himself on the floor and cry. Sometimes we give in...because we gotta go. Other times I have no option since I'm carrying Avery and I can't give in. He gets over it, though. He picks out his pajamas at night and what he wants to wear for the day. He knows his shows and what he does and does not want to watch.
- Dancing - The kid still loves a good tune. His moves keep developing, too. He now does a "monkey dance" and is trying to jump, or so it appears. He bends his knees and lifts his heels off the floor, but that's as far as it goes right now.
- Mini-John - Rudy is a mini version of his Dad. For example, rocking him to bed the other night, Rudy put his hand by my face and kept touching my eyelashes. I ignored him, hoping he would stop on his own and just fall asleep already, but when he didn't and I told him to stop, he cracked up. Then I yawned and he quickly shoved his pacey in my mouth and he cracked up again. Not that John flutters my eyelashes (well...he sometimes makes my eyelashes flutter :)) or puts paceys in my mouth, but he loves getting under my skin and finds himself pretty funny while he's at it. Rudy also tries to mimic anything John does. For example, John fake laughs at Rudy every once in awhile (a loud "Ha-Ha Ha-Ha") right by his face. The other morning Rudy was taking a drink out of John's glass and John was right by his face trying to brace the glass when Rudy put it down and right in his face said, "Ha-Ha Ha-Ha." They were outside playing with the basketballs and John did a "trick" where he bounced the ball off of his knee and Rudy followed suit and has been attempting it ever since. I could go on and on and on in this category because really, anything John does, Rudy wants to do the same. John is his Super Hero.
- Play - Rudy LOVES the outdoors (more detail to follow). He is also very sociable with those he is familiar with and if not, once he gets warmed up, you'd think he's been best friends for life with the person. When we have friends over with their kids, he does great right away. When we are places with other kids that he doesn't know, it is very obvious he wants to approach them and get in on the action, but just isn't quite sure. He will stare at the kids, take a few steps towards them, stop and stare, take a few more steps, look up at me and point to them, and this repeats. All while I tell him he can go play, etc. Granted, a lot of times its when there are a lot of kids (at the park) or the kids are much bigger/older than Rudy (the neighbors down the street at my parents for example). But get him when he feels comfortable and the kid sure knows how to work a crowd.
- A Man on the Go - Rudy loves to get up and go. If by mid-morning, we haven't left the house, he is usually at the door, holding his coat, wanting to get out. Of course now that we have the outdoors to play in, I'm guessing this will change. But he is always up for a car ride or a trip somewhere out of the house.
I can't believe how fast time is going and how much I adore and love this little boy of ours. 20 months. Wow. It just sounds so much older than any other month he's been. He's into the 20's... in just 4 short months he will be 2...incredible.
No comments:
Post a Comment