Time for the latest update on the boys. They've officially reached toddlerhood, celebrating their second birthday the end of May. So I'll need to post about their birthday party, but first I need to catch up on their fourth quarter of year one (22, 23 and 24 months).
22 Months (St. Patty's Celebrating)
23 Months (Waterfall at Wehr Nature Center)
24 Mos. (Bday balloons from Gma & Gpa D.)
The Max:
Everyone always asks, "which one is the naughtier one". That would be this guy. He is into everything and never stops. He can get himself in and out of every nook and cranny - he can climb and lift himself up into anywhere. He is a dare devil too. He does things without thinking that Jake wouldn't dare do: climbs in and out of his high chair, climbs out of his crib, climbs on the big kid stuff at the playground, goes down big slides without waiting for anyone at the bottom, jumps off couches (Jake does it now too, but at first only if I held his hand whereas Max will push my hand away), goes in their kiddie pool with shoes & shorts on...the list could really go on and on. He's pretty clumsy (this might be due to his turned in feet), but mostly because he is usually not looking or thinking about where he is going so he runs into things and falls a lot. But falls don't really phase him and he's never really injured himself yet. But besides the tripping, he really is very coordinated - nothing slows him down. As Chris says, he just doesn't have that voice of inside his head warning him of danger.
Overall he's a pretty independent dude who loves his Mama and Dada. Always looking for Mama in the morning, it's the first thing he says when he wakes. When Dada leaves or we leave without him in the car, he will cry out his name over and over. Same thing if we are coming home and he sees Dada's car in the driveway, he can see it upon turning into our subdivision and will be so excited. He is like his Mama and loves to be around people and whenever we leave somewhere fun or someone beloved leaves, he gets very sad. Hates his goodbyes. He also fiercely loves his brother. He will say his name over and over (both can only say Jake, neither can say Max yet) and if Jake is somewhere else or still sleeping he is constantly wondering where he is. If he wakes second and Jake is not in his crib, he's very concerned and will come running out of the bedroom to find brother shouting and pointing at "Jake". Just loves to have him nearby (I don't think Jake shares this same fierce love).
The guy is obsessed with monkeys and with the song monkeys jumping on the bed. Obsessed. You could read the book and sing the song over and over for him. He likes to take his monkeys (we have 9 of them) and jump them up and down and then throw them for "fall and bump the head". He also says "my-doh monkey" over and over but we don't know what that means. Loves his house shoes (slippers) with monkeys on them. He still loves any singing, dancing and music. Always seems to be bopping around. He loves playgrounds and if he sees one on a car ride and we don't stop he can become very angry. Will just giggle and kick his legs when we arrive at a playground, he will be so excited. He still has his chipmunk giggle that he does when he's happy, being naughty or when you ask him a question, his giggle is usually his "yes". He also loves his screen time and watching singing videos on the tablet (this creepy one called Surprise Eggs is his favorite), it has become obsessive at some points where we have to hide it and wean him off of it for a week.
He is still the better talker. Just single words for now. Both boys know their colors, animals and animal sounds that is for sure. The funniest word he says is probably "yellow" which sounds more like "yell-doe" and "George", the name of Peppa Pig's brother. Max is probably the better eater of the two although meal time is not what we dreamed it would be where the boys would sit down and eat what we eat. Sadly we have to meal plan every week for something separate for them, usually for food I never thought I would end up feeding them (all children's staples, I'm too embarrassed to even mention....*cough* frozen corn dogs *cough*).
Paw Patrol was a big obsession and then Peppa Pig. No train or car obsession really yet. They mainly just like to play with their figurines (like Little People, mini zoo animals, dogs and their Peppa Pigs). They will load them into things and then take them out or just carry them around with them, even sleep with them. Max has his blankie which is his muslin turtle blanket that is his most prized possession. One night he was crying after I put him to bed which isn't uncommon so I let it go. It kept escalating and escalating and so I went into their room and he was standing, sobbing and saying something over and over. I didn't know what he was saying, so I lifted him out of his crib and said "show me". He ran over to Jake's crib to grab his turtle blanket (that he had thrown in there), held it to his face and said "tu-ttles" (turtles). Only then did I learn that was what he was saying. When I put him back in bed, he hugged the blanket trying to catch his breath, almost like he was thinking "whew, that was a close one. I was not going to go to bed without that blanket." It was so cute after the fact! To wash it I have to hide it in the laundry basket or have him help me put it in the washer and dryer because he does love helping with anything.
Sleep is pretty good, but Max still wakes in the middle of the night maybe once every 1-2 weeks or so. Sometimes we think he's cold so we are still putting him in the fleece footie pjs at night (whereas Jake is our sweaty guy), other times I wonder if its molars coming in. Good thing is that Jake will sleep through whatever noise he is causing. Max is usually the first one to rise and the last one to sleep at night. Always jumping in his crib and hanging out in the corner by Jake trying to get him to cause a ruckus with him. Jake will join, but is also the one who usually taps out first. Max is our little party boy.
At his two year appointment, Max was 25 lbs (15th percentile for weight) and almost 33.75 inches tall (40th percentile for height). Our little "Baby B" is still our peanut.
At his two year appointment, Max was 25 lbs (15th percentile for weight) and almost 33.75 inches tall (40th percentile for height). Our little "Baby B" is still our peanut.
Big Jake:
My blue-eyed, sweet and sensitive Jake. Unlike his brother he doesn't need much of a warning to stop doing something naughty. If Max has him going on something (like throwing all their toys down the stairs), I can usually get Jake to stop by threatening a time out. He will drop what is in his hands and lay down on the ground to close his eyes and hide his head. He'll do this even if you say "be careful, Jake". So sensitive sometimes! We'll then have to say that we aren't mad at him, we just don't want him to get hurt. I do believe that most of the trouble the two of them find themselves in is usually started by Max, and Jake has just follows suit. If Max is doing something naughty, Jake will watch him first to see what happens next and then jump in if it looks safe. Or if Mom hasn't yelled by now. One night Max had taken the step stool and put it by the counter and was reaching up to grab candy. I wish I had a camera for this because Jake was watching him with a smile on his face and looking back and forth between me and Max. Like he was thinking "omg, what is mom going to do...omg is he going to get away with this... omg Mom hasn't said anything yet....omg I can't believe this guy". Instead of getting mad at Max, I just bursted out laughing at Jake because his reaction was so darn cute! He's always observing and watching that one.
Jake is going to be our marathon runner or weight lifter. Mr. Beefcake. He's still running or galloping everywhere, seriously. He'll lift the heaviest things too. And he's a really good jumper, like really high. He'll run and jump, almost like he's doing a long jump for track or something, and he really sticks the landing too. He's a great hugger and still my favorite snuggler. This is partly because he will sit still much longer than Max. His smile and laugh just lights up my world, I love it. Definitely our shy and "nervous nelly", but once he warms up he is all good. Jake's the one that when I ask "hold on to the stroller" when we are walking, he actually does it. Whereas his brother laughs and runs away.
Jake's talking has become more frequent just recently. Still just single words. Anything more is just tons of babbling, although you can tell he's trying to communicate something over and over. His favorite word is "no" even if it's not even the right answer. He can also get pretty mad quickly, some of those terrible two's maybe starting? If Max takes something from him is especially what starts it, he can stomp his feet and has the loudest cry. He's gotten into trouble a few times for hitting out of frustration (but no serious time outs though like his brother).
He is better at independent play and keeping himself occupied. While they both hoard a lot of their toys from each other, Jake is definitely the bigger hoarder. Even if something he's trying to do is hard because of what is in his hand (climbing something), he'll never put it down for fear that brother will swoop in and take it. He's still our Snacks McGee who loves his pretzels and cheese. I swear he can hear you opening a bag of cookies or pretzels a mile away. But also eats any kind of fruit too, I can't believe how much fruit we buy week to week. Also likes his breakfast served right away, and gets pretty excited when you are pouring his cheerios (he did that as a baby too).
A pretty predictable sleeper, you can usually count on him to be napping in the car just minutes into the ride and he'll always fall asleep earlier than Max (he's ready for sleep when he gives you a hug and tucks his arms in under him). I think he could also sleep later than Max but usually gets woken by him playing in the morning. Both are still our little donut makers waking around 6:00 every morning no matter what.
At his two year appointment, Jake was 25 lbs (15th percentile for weight) and 34.5 inches (60th percentile for height). The guy is pretty thin, but we think that is because he is always grinding - always working hard doing something.
A pretty predictable sleeper, you can usually count on him to be napping in the car just minutes into the ride and he'll always fall asleep earlier than Max (he's ready for sleep when he gives you a hug and tucks his arms in under him). I think he could also sleep later than Max but usually gets woken by him playing in the morning. Both are still our little donut makers waking around 6:00 every morning no matter what.
At his two year appointment, Jake was 25 lbs (15th percentile for weight) and 34.5 inches (60th percentile for height). The guy is pretty thin, but we think that is because he is always grinding - always working hard doing something.
Brothers and Friends. Wherever you go, I go.
Of course, they've been to the zoo a lot this spring/summer. The week of their birthday they went three times! Also enjoying our bikes outside, slide & balls in the backyard and their kiddie pool. They venture out every morning with Nanny Ra Ra, myself when I am home or with both of us on the weekends. So they lead a pretty heavy social life.
Our Family
Milwaukee Museum
Easter
We've had lots of fun with family doing things like Kayla's Park, Trampoline Parks, Zoos, Nature Centers, Milwaukee Art Museum. Play dates with the cousins and our friends, the triplets.
Sleepy Fellas
And that's two years! Bring on the toddler chaos.