Journey to the Knot: 21-Month Newsletter: Knox

Dear Knox,
Happy 21-Months little boy! Oh, where to start?!? You've been sick the last week or so - mostly a nasty cough that seemed to be getting worse and a constantly runny nose, so this post is somewhat late because of the stress coming with that - trying to make up for time missed at work to take you to the doctor (a 2 hour ordeal I'll explain further down) and trying to get as much rest as we could when we weren't sure what our nights would look like while trying to sleep train your big brothers (who were mostly the ones keeping us up, not you!). So, I apologize for the tardiness of this post, but better late than never, right? I have so much to say about you at this age, so let me just get on with that already!

What have you been up to this month?

-You said goodbye to the high chair! We still have it available, but more often than not now, you want to sit in your booster with the big boys at the big table. I have to say, it makes clean up easier actually. You're going to throw out most of your food anyway - and you're required to pick that up. And, since I'm already having to clean the table from your brothers, getting rid of one more item (your high chair and tray) is actually speedier for me. I will say, though, no matter where you are seated, you don't like to stay there long. You eat what you want and are "ah done" pretty quickly. This is very frustrating at restaurants.

-We celebrated Halloween this month; you were the Stay Puft Marshmallow Man. We also went to YesterLand Farm for your second visit. Lots of fun!

-You have become addicted to my phone. This is my own doing, and I tried as long as I could to avoid losing you to the screen, but it helped me keep you calm during B & Q's swim lessons, helps speed a long wait in the doctor's office, or settles you when I'm trying to cook dinner and you are whiny from hunger and fatigue that late in the day. So, I've leaned on it to help me out a bit, but now you are obsessed.

-You're also obsessed with Michael Jackson's "Bad" videos and song (yes, videos- the kid version, the long version, the short version, the "making of" versions, the Despicable Me 3 version)... and hence another reason you are addicted to my phone - to hear "Baaah" any time you can. "I wah Bah, I wah Bah." You're even starting to sing along.

-We took you on another hotel stay - just last night actually! We went to Great Wolf Lodge and had a blast! You did awesome - staying up late, sleeping in the Pack 'n Play (that is getting too small for you!), and playing in the water park. Several moments made my "Favorite Memories" list, including floating you down the lazy river while just holding your head. You were so relaxed and enjoying the water.

-You are officially facing forward in your carseat. We switched you a few weeks ago, as you were getting too tall for rear-facing to be comfortable.

-Popular phrases we hear from you: "Mine!" "No!" "Eat" "Watch!" "Moooooommmmyyy!" "I want that." You also have a vast vocabulary and are putting two words together often. We hear sentences from time to time, too. At the sick visit you just had, Dr. W was very impressed with your words and your ability to make sentences. "Wow! At 20-months, that's impressive!!" I was just glad she was able to understand you!

-You hopped with both feet off the ground for the first time this month. You've been working on this, and Daddy and I both saw it happen and shared your excitement. We can't wait for more "hop hop."

-You have decided to carry on the torch of initiation for cousins. Your 5-month-old cousin, Damon, is not safe around you any longer, as you threaten to launch any toy in his direction when you are around him. You hit him over the head with a magnetic/metal ball last week, and while he was perfectly fine, it officially made me nervous to have you around him. Being hit over the head by a cousin is a rite of passage in this family, so you fit right in. But, I hope that was the last of it. Unfortunately, for your brothers, you are still a force to be reckoned with. Last week, the three of you were taking a quick shower together, and when Banner was rinsing his hair, you hit him in the face, and then Quinn. We tell you "NO!" and then, you tell us "NO!"

-You love to pour . . . water out of the bathtub, milk out of your cup, bubble soap out of the bottle, Danimals out onto the floor. Pretty much any liquid is fair game for you to experiment with.

-After a regular cold seemed to get better and then worse, I took you to the doctor, and now we are back to regular breathing treatments to help clear your cough and keep your lungs healthy. Your pulse Ox was lower than Dr. W would like to see it at, so we did a breathing treatment in the office and then rechecked you. Luckily, you were improved afterward, so the thinking is that apparently, when you get sick - for up to 3 years after your RSV experience - your body can trigger some of "secondary RSV" symptoms. I'm not sure I'm explaining or even understanding that correctly, but needless to say, we are back to managing your breathing and hoping you feel better soon!

-You've been doing much better at school! In fact, you just had your first "performance" showing off your Thanksgiving shirt, hat, and song for us on Friday. You did awesome. I was anxious you would just cry on stage, but you didn't! You had a very serious look on your face the whole time, and right at the end, you spotted me and Daddy, BeeBee, Grandma, and Aunt Mischelle in the crowd and then gave a super-big smile!! It was awesome! Then, they led you off stage, and it took me a minute to get to you, and that bottom lip was already puffed out so far as you looked all over for me! Sweet boy! Made my heart hurt that you were so worried. But, you are making friends at school, eating well there, and playing with toys! I'm hearing good things! (And your conference is tomorrow, so I'll learn even more!)

-Perhaps my very favorite new thing this month is your hugs to your brothers. You give great ones to me and Daddy, yes, those too. But, these "brother hugs" are the best! You like to give each brother a hug before you say "Nigh Nigh" for the evening, and then the three of you give one big hug to each other. I'm left out, and that's totally okay - because I get to watch you three just giggle and love each other - and usually fall over on each other.

Knox Morgan, being your mama is the best! You are whiny and demanding and needy a lot of the time right now; you're supposed to be. But, you are such a funny, sweet, gentle (most of the time) boy who is learning so much so fast - and I am so grateful to be in the front row to watch it all happen. I do not take that for granted. As I watched you "jump" over the waves in the wave pool this morning, I couldn't help my smile and the thoughts of "Thank God I get to be here to see all these fun moments." Time is passing so quickly, and as always, I want to bottle you up and freeze you just as you are. But I also want to see the person you are going to grow up to be. Just take your time, Baby Love!

I love you more than you could ever imagine!
Happy 21-Months!
Love,
Mommy