twenty-one months.

another better-late-than-never p-ray monthly update!  parker will be twenty-two months in ten days so maybe next month's update will be a little less late & i can actually be on time for his two-year post?  let's cross our fingers.  i know you're all holding your breath.

parker is the big two-one.  officially in the twenties.  which really means almost TWO!  this blows my mind.  here he is all growed up to twenty-one months.
{compare previous monthly pics here.}

i keep saying i'm going to attempt to write down all the words he uses on the regular to prove to sam that it's somewhere in the hundreds.  he talks so much.  and my favorite thing he does lately is repeat everything i say back to me.  it's cute when we're playing, not so cute when someone cuts me off while driving down I-5.  but usually it goes something like this:

me:  "ready?"
parker:  "weddy."
me:  "ok?"
parker:  "otay!"
me:  "let's go!"
parker:  "wet's doe!"

...all day long.

and he says "thank you" for ev-ery-thing.  you get him out of his carseat?  "thank you!"  he put him back on the ground after changing his diaper?  "thank you!"  you hand him his drink?  "thank you!"  it really is the sweetest thing my ears have ever heard.

this last month hasn't been all butterflies & roses though.  he is definitely getting more independent & strong-willed & gets frustrated when things don't go his way.  but having him be able to express himself so that i know what he wants has been pretty nice.  when i tell him we're not watching tv after walking up to me with the remote saying "choo-choo?" he may throw himself on the ground in a fit of tears but at least i know why he is freaking out & i can deal with it.  speaking of "choo-choos" he's still obsessed with his thomas trains & we've spent a good amount of time looking on craigslist for a complete train set... one may be in his near future.

i think he's spent some time with teething of some sort this month.  he has been pretty irritable, not sleeping quite as good as the norm & chews/sucks on his fingers constantly.  hopefully this goes away in the next few weeks.  or, maybe it's just called toddlerhood.

some of his pants have become high waters over night & some of his shirts no longer go to his waist.  as much as i think parker could pull off the belly shirt, we've been weeding out almost all of his 12-18 month clothes & are now pretty much entirely in 18-24 months or bigger.

he loves standing at the sink & brushing his teeth & giggles every time we wash his hands at the sink after eating.  but trying to wipe hands & face down with a wet rag after eating?  you'd think i was trying to kill the child.  unfortunately this has to happen about three times a day.

and?  he is still so dang cute... even when stuffed into a wicker basket with his favorite toys & a beverage.

love this kid.