Louis is 22 months old. In 2 months he will celebrate his 2nd birthday. Hard to believe.
He is such a joy to have around. Louis is nearly always happy, smiling and laughing. He absolutely adores his big sister and his little brother. He shows very little jealousy towards Gabriel. He just wants to be a part of whatever I'm doing with Gabriel. So if I'm changing his diaper, he wants to help. If I'm nursing the baby then he wants to help. He usually burps Gabriel afterward. Louis sometimes becomes a little frustrated with having to share me, like when he wants to sit on my lap and I'm feeding Gabriel but as long as I talk to him and let him know that I will be right with him as soon as I'm done? He is good to go.
These days our daily schedule basically revolves around "What are we doing next?" Louis loves activities. We have a music/dance break several times during the day, usually 1 arts and craft activity. Louis loves to draw and really likes when you draw things for him and he guesses what they are. I am a terrible artist, little to no ability to draw but to Louis? I'm a genius. He almost always guesses correctly. We usually watch 2 tv shows a day. From 9 to 10am he watches Sesame Street. This gives me time to get ready, check emails, make phonecalls, do PTA work and feed Gabriel. Then around naptime after lunch he will watch a Thomas the Train episode and most days go down for his nap.
His latest favorite thing to do is go through flashcards. Not just picture ones, he loves vocabulary ones as well. He also likes puzzles. Especially puzzles that include animals and cars.
He is learning his letters and colors. I didn't even know he was doing this but he is. He knows orange, green, purple. Purple and orange being his favorite colors at the moment. He points out the letters, G, A, C.
Current favorite animals are alligators and crocodiles. He will sit and watch any show on tv involving the two. We sit and look at photos of them on the computer at least once a day.
22 Month Developmental Milestones
Mastered Skills (most kids can do)
-Kicks ball forward -
Louis enjoys kicking balls around but he prefers playing catch.
-Follows
two-step requests (e.g., "Get your doll and bring it here" -
He follows requests very well, often times better than some adults I know :)
-Imitate others behavior -
Louis is a big copy-cat-especially when it comes to anything Leah is doing.
-Show good signs of bladder control -
Louis is using the toilet and/or potty most of the during the day. We're going to start working on nighttime use in the next month or so. When he shows he's ready, an interest in doing so.
-Start to learn 10 or more words per day -
When I first read this I didn't think he is learning these many words a day but I realize now he learns a lot more than 10 a day. Every so often he'll say something and completely throw me off guard because I didn't realize he knew the word, let alone what it means and how to use it correctly.
Emerging Skills (half of kids can do)-Does simple puzzles -
Louis LOVES puzzles. Overall he does really well with completing them.
-Draws a straight line -
We're still working on the straight line. His thing right now are circles.
-Names several body parts -
I've lost count of how many body parts he can name. The other day he pointed to his leg and told me 'calf'. I didnt know he knew what a calf was, let alone where it was on his body.
-Walk down the stairs with some assistance -
Louis can walk down and as of the last few weeks prefers to. Still makes me nervous.
-Form short but complete and understandable sentences
Advanced Skills (a few kids can do)
-Puts on loose-fitting clothes -
He has started to insist that we allow him to dress himself but he still needs help getting the clothing on, so I try to set up the shirt for him to put over his head and then make a game out of getting him to put it, while helping him do so. Same goes for pants.
-Might be ready for a
big bed -
We still co-sleep and bedshare. He will sleep wherever you put him.
-Understands opposites (e.g., tall vs. short) -
He understands big and small in terms of what is the big ball versus the small one but I don't know if he gets they are opposites.
-Use up to 40 or more single words -
Louis has a great vocabulary.
