23-Month Newsletter: Quinn

Dear Quinn,
Happy 23 months, my big boy! What a month this has been for you! Talking up a storm, doing all kinds of fun stuff all over town, loving the water and practicing early swim skills, and getting some new teeth. I don't have a lot to report that's "new" this month simply because you are just continuing to advance in the skills you have been working on for the past couple months - just lots more talking and stringing words together! But, alas, here are a few things I can tell you about this past month:

-You have gotten a couple new teeth filling in those gums with little pointy canines on top and bottom.

-Your vocabulary continues to boom. Luckily, you've also kept those very polite words in the forefront of your word bank: "thank you," "please," "sorry," and this month: "you're welcome," and "bless you." My favorite expression now is: "dokie-dokie!"

-Speaking of language, certain words sound like you have a thick Texas accent, and we love to poke fun just a bit. (Sorry!) You say "iPayad," "dayown" (down), "ayout" (out), for example. It's really cute!

-You really enjoy your friends and ask often about: all your cousins by name (especially Levi), Luca, Levi, and Ella.

-You're obsessed with pudding, and you ask for ice cream whenever we ask what you want to eat. However, once offered, you rarely eat the ice cream. Very confusing. But, pudding... you devour it.

-We moved to letting you cry-it-out at bedtime this month. We normally have rocked you to sleep or waited for you to fall asleep while still in your bedroom. If we left prior to you falling asleep, you would cry. If we stayed, you were too distracted to ever fall asleep. It just wasn't working. SO, we had had enough! Luckily, it only took 3 nights for you to get the message, and you have been going to sleep with ease since then. The first night, you cried for an hour. The second night, it was 20 minutes. The third night, 5! Now, no tears. So proud of you - and Mommy and Daddy, too! :)

-You've had a cough and cold the past 2 weeks or so. You're finally on the upswing from that. Most likely, you caught it from one of the many places we've gone to this summer for our "Camp Mommy" activities.

-Just this afternoon, I went through your dresser and pulled most everything out: all the left-over 12-18 month clothes, most 18 month sizes, and quite a few 18-24 month clothes. Then, I refilled your drawers with the rest of what still fits you - mostly 18-24 months & 24 months. And, then, I sorted through all the 2T clothes. We are ready for this year with lots of summer/fall school clothes and are stocked up on winter clothes, too, thanks to Banner's old 2Ts. It's just hard to believe all those 2T clothes are now yours and ready for you to play in, learn in, and get messy in! 

Quinn Redding, the next month will be a challenge for all of us. Before you turn 2, you will start a new school (one that you are not familiar with at all, unfortunately), and Mommy will be going back to work. We will experience new starts and changes as we figure out our new routine. But, I have no doubt you will be just fine - eventually. We will continue our My Gym class together, which I'm excited about. And, we'll still have one full day together each week. But, we will be missing each other pretty soon. I'm hoping we can rip the figurative Band-Aid off pretty quickly and fall into a new routine and a new normal. But, I can't help being a little sad and nostalgic for all of our one-on-one time together. My baby is growing up - ready for "school," and to be away from me (and Grandma) for more significant chunks of time. I'm so grateful for the special time we've had these past 2 years and this summer, especially.

I love you, my one-year-old. Next post, you'll be TWO! I'm gonna soak up this next month before that happens.
Happy 23, My Love!
Love,
Mommy