Today Levi turns 23 months old. Next month he’ll be two.
I’m having mixed emotions about this upcoming milestone.
It’s been incredible to watch Levi’s developments (he’s changed so much this past month!). He’s becoming a really goofy, loving, cool kid, and I love being able to interact more and more with him.
However, now that he’s a kid — a big kid! — it’s getting harder and harder to remember what he was like as an infant. Sure, I have (thousands of) photos I can view and blog posts I can read about that time in our life together. But I’m finding that with each new developmental stage we reach, I forget a little bit about what happened during the previous phase. It’s like I’m so consumed with the milestones he’s currently reaching that even the recent past seems ages ago.
Do you know what I mean?
At 23 months old, Levi…
…refers to his cousin as “my baby Max”
…is fascinated with cleaning supplies like brooms, vacuums, and the Swiffer and instructs us to “vacuum floor!” with the DustBuster (he once asked JB to vacuum dirt on the driveway)
…knows that ABC are the first letters of the alphabet and tries to sing the alphabet song
…loves to dance
…enjoys my singing voice (he’s the only one!) and frequently requests songs like “Itsy Bitsy Spider” and “Little Bunny Foo Foo”
…is finding his own voice and sings in his crib before falling asleep and after waking up
…has been mildly cranky lately and taking extra long naps (sometimes almost 3.5 – 4 hours)
…thinks rhyming words are funny
…remember passages from books (I said “thunder” to JB, and Levi responded with “boom boom!” from the book Mr. Brown Can Moo! Can You?)
…uses words I don’t think I’ve said to him before like “bubblegum”
…refers to the dog as “doggie” but knows that his name is Briscoe (“Bit-go”)
…says yells goodbye to everything — people, the dog, the garage, cars, his toys, etc.
…excitedly says, “More whee!” when he wants to go down the slide again
…has a renewed interest in his toy cars and trucks after watching an episode of Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood during which the children were racing cars
…builds tall towers with his Megabloks and tries to “fix” things with a wooden knife from his kitchen set
…asks to watch either Daniel Tiger (“tiger tv!”) or SuperWhy! when we let him have television time
…can walk down the stairs while holding a grown-up’s hand and the wall
…is getting much better at climbing onto the sofa and ottoman (he’s can also lift his leg very high, and I’m worried he might start trying to escape from his crib soon)
…asks to sleep with a blanket rather than his HALO SleepSack
…has added meatballs to his approved list of foods
…knows that trains say “chugga chugga choo-choo” and makes that noise when playing with his toy train
…grabs my forearm and pulls it in towards his face for a hug
He’s the best.
P.S. – Last month’s developmental milestones and a look back at Levi’s first year!
Mari
I know exactly wat you mean! I’ve forgotten what Birdie looked like as a a baby because her identity to me is always who she is in the present moment. Pictures suddenly take on so much more importance – when I took them I thought I’d never forget, yet here we are.
PJ
“…her identity to me is always who she is in the present moment” — I seriously couldn’t have said it better myself. Thanks for putting into clearer words the message I wasn’t trying to get across!
Paige
It is strange how these milestones can be so bittersweet. I recently stumbled upon your blog/instagram and am enjoying it as we have a lot in common (live in Omaha, toddler boys, husbands with initials JB). Levi is a cutie!
PJ
Thanks, Paige! I’m so glad to have you as a new reader. How funny that we have so much common!
Lynn
GAH! He’s so cute! I can’t believe he’s nearly 2.
Having a new infant (who is 4 months old now, WHAT?) really emphasizes how little I remember about baby Dubs. My husband and I often ask each other if we remember him doing the things Bertie is up to now. It’s so hard to think of the 2.5 year old as a baby with a new baby on the scene, because he is such a Big Boy now. It goes fast, doesn’t it? I look forward to hearing about Levi’s birthday!
PJ
The other day I was sitting with Levi in the glider in his room, trying to remember how he was ever small enough to held and nursed in that chair. It goes by way too fast, and I’m beginning to wonder if I didn’t let enough of that time really soak in.
Lynn
I certainly didn’t with Walden. Knowing how quickly it goes makes me a lot more patient this time. I know it won’t be long before my baby won’t want to sit on my lap and cuddle any more. I also know he could be mobile in a very short time now, and then things will get hectic. Often I stop and make a point to really enjoy the baby-ness, which I don’t recall doing the first time around. How can we know how quickly we’ll forget them as the tiny people who consumed the entirety of our world in those early days?