20 months

Henry is 20 months old today.

Stats: Henry fits well in size 18 month clothes. I can see that he'll probably move to size 24 months sometime in the fall. He wears size 4 diapers and size 5 1/2 shoes. Probably will be due for bigger shoes soon. I'm guessing he weighs about 23 pounds.

Schedule: Same as ever. Henry is now sleeping very consistently from about 7:40 at night, until around 6:20-6:45 in the morning.

Feeding: Henry still nurses 4 times a day, and is still very happy to nurse and shows no desire to cut back. He is eating well, but lately is heartily opposed to being confined in a seat during meals. We still try at every meal, but he sometimes does better kneeling/standing in a regular chair. When we have other people over, he's distracted and more willing to sit. He has also taken an interest in drinking out of open cups and using open cups with straws. He has a fit if I don't give him my water glass. Ridiculous.

Behavior: Speaking of fits, Henry is full of them these days when he doesn't get what he wants. I don't remember Celia being quite this bad about it at this age, but maybe she was. Henry can't be distracted by other things when he wants something, and he does not forget anything. He has also started hitting, pushing, and scratching sometimes when he is mad. It's all so lovely. We think he will be a fantastic two-year-old someday...

Language/Cognitive: When he isn't throwing a tantrum, Henry is a delightful little guy. He names all of our family members and says his own name. He can label pretty much anything around the house and things we see when we're out. He uses verbs. He understands the concept of "two". Henry uses single words a lot, but frequently uses 2 word phrases now. He easily imitates two-word phrases and uses a few three-word phrases (like "I take it"). Henry uses some very cute and funny phrases like "Oh my" and "All right!" He says "thank you" and "yes, please". He loves music and recently the kids saw a ballet-themed Sesame Street, and Henry wanted to rewind and watch/imitate the ballet dancers over and over. Today we went to a summer event where we have music classes, and Henry imitated everything. He is going to love music class in the fall. Now that Henry is getting older, he and Celia are fighting over things and not always getting along. Henry will try to take anything Celia has, or will try to keep everything for himself. He has little tolerance for sharing with her sometimes. In the past, because Henry was younger we would often just give him whatever he wanted or have Celia give him toys because he was just a baby and didn't understand sharing. Now we're starting to make things more even because Henry needs to learn he can't always have whatever he wants. Hence the tantrums... Henry is such a character and has a sense of humor. He is very social and loves playing and talking with people, and playing silly social games.

Motor: Henry can now run pretty well. He climbs well, and is a little dare devil. He often insists on going up and down the stairs himself ("Self!" he says) and tries to walk up or down while holding the railing like the big people do.

Henry is my sweet little lover boy. When he's in the mood, he is quite a snuggler. He lays his head on your shoulder and just rests there. He has also started to kiss me, which is very cute. Lately Henry has been overly attached to Chris and me, and sometimes doesn't want to be put down at all. Usually, before we switch sides while nursing, Henry stops to talk. He gently touches my eyes, nose, mouth, forehead, ears with his finger and whispers their names. Sweet little dude.