Walker, 20 Months Old

Walker is 20 months old! He is most definitely a cute little riddle. We can never quite figure him out. He has this sweet, adorable, cuddly side to him that is just precious and I can't get enough of. I look forward to his hugs every morning and whenever I pick him up from school. The fact that he gives hugs spontaneously and grabs your hand without being asked just melts your heart... And yet there are other times when Walker just cries. And we have no idea why. He can throw massive fits in public, evoking stares and sympathetic looks as his mom carries him in a football hold while trying to dodge his powerful kicks and flailing arms. He can throw massive fits at home, but those are much easier to ignore. I just have to make sure he's laying down on a soft surface so he won't throw his head backwards and hurt himself. He's pretty good at doing the backwards-head-butt - the back of his head into the front of my face - and that hurts. It's hard being 20 months old. A roller coaster of emotions and a lack of communication makes for a grumpy Walker sometimes.

As a 20-month-old, Walker...

• is really jabbering, using inflection and imitating our facial features
• throws rocks - if he has one in his hand, he's very likely to throw it
• says that most things are “ha” (hot) even if they aren’t – Ben thinks (and I agree) that this is his way of discussing temperature…hot or cold
• loves to fake sneeze with a head bob and everything…and he even tries to make the sound of a sneeze
• can (sort of) do the hand movements to “Itsy Bitsy Spider”
• can move his hands to the song "Wheels on the Bus" (really just the part about the wheels going round and round)
• tries to imitate Yiyia’s whistle ("hoo hoo")
• can sometimes tell us what a dog says ("hoo hoo") but most of the time all of his animals have the same sound, and they sound similar to a car...
• loves to identify and say the letter "G" (not sure why)
• loves to toast by saying "chee" (cheers)
• is talking more...he's getting better
• has some words that mean the same thing, like "chee" means "cheers" and "cheese" and "ha" means "hot" and "hat"
• likes to throw a bag over his shoulder and wave "bye" to me...much like Lainey did when she was around his age
• loves bending down and putting his arms behind him like he's taking off to somewhere exciting...this is how he runs around sometimes
• has learned to say one of the most important words in a toddler's world..."MEH!" (MINE!) He'll grab whatever he wants, swing it away from his sister, and shout "MEH! MEH! MEH!" :)

"Geee!"

still doing the "cheese" smile :)

 "Hmm. What happened here? Lightning McQueen and one of Lainey's princesses used to be driving this truck. Where did they go?"

"No worries. I can make do without drivers."
(Love that little booty.)

This one is all about cars these days.

Happy 20 months, Walker! Love you tons!