Maxwell turned 21 months last week and the only way I can describe him is FUN!  He says the cutest things, does the most hilarious things and is just fun to be around…most of the time!  🙂  When I took him to the doctor last week for his cold, he weighed in at 25.2 lbs.  I definitely thought he weighed more but he must just be getting taller.

This picture kind of sums Maxwell up these days – playing outside with a snack and some trucks!

His favorite things these days are:

Nanner, aka NeNe – his beloved monkey

Trucks, any kind, real or toy

His lawnmower, aka Nanower

His shoes and hat.  This kid wants to wear shoes all day, every day.  He doesn’t like being barefoot.  He also ALWAYS wants to wear his hat – either his baseball cap or his fireman’s hat.  In fact, he’s whining for this hat in this picture!

He also hates for his hands or feet to be dirty. If we’re playing outside and he gets dirt on his hands or on his shoes, he’ll say “uh-oh” and come over to me to wipe them off.  My little neat freak!  🙂  If only this desire to be clean applied to mealtime!

He’s still a big fan of Sesame Street and that’s really all about he ever watches.  I’ve put on a few episodes of Mickey Mouse Clubhouse but he isn’t too into it yet.  He loves the Sunday School Songs CD that Mrs. Susan plays for him every day.  His favorite songs (that we sing often!) are “This Little Light of Mine” and “He’s Got the Whole World in His Hands.”  We also still sing a lot of “Wheels on the Bus” and “The Itsy Bitsy Spider.”  Books are still tops and we have a handful that we read over. and over. and over.  Most are about trucks.

Maxwell continues to be a great sleeper.  He goes to bed with relatively no fuss after his favorite books every night between 7:00 and 7:30.  He wakes up every morning between 6:30 and 7:00 and is waiting for us in his bed when we go in in the morning.  He naps every day from 1:00 to 3:30 or 4:00.

Eating is a continual challenge…as with every toddler.  We have lessons daily about not throwing food on the floor!  Some days he’ll eat something and then the next day he won’t touch it.  It’s not frustrating at all, no!  🙂  Some things he’ll eat pretty consistently – applesauce, packets of any variety, Morningstar Farms veggie sausage, yogurt, yogurt melts, Special K bars, Oatmeal Squares, Morningstar Farms Veggie Corn Dogs, Cheddar Bunnies, and Pirate’s Booty Cheese Puffs.  He would live on those cheese puffs if I let him!  Veggies are touch and go and I’ve actually resorted to giving him a jar of baby food veggies at dinner many nights. He loves to eat it out of the jar with his own spoon and I figure it’s no different than giving him applesauce, right?  Notice I didn’t mention any fresh fruit in that list.  He won’t touch a piece of fresh fruit to save his life…and I’ve tried every. single. kind.  I continue to put it on his plate every day (just like I do veggies) and I just know that one day he’ll decide to eat it, right?  I sure hope so!  We also still give him a bottle of milk at night before bed (yes, a bottle and he’s 21 months.  No judgement please!) and he drinks it right up.

Peekaboo!

Some of his top words these days:

Pweez = please

Thank you – a new addition thanks to Mrs. Susan!

Truck = Duh

School = cool

Lamp = Hot. Yep, he just says hot for lamp after he burned his hand on the lightbulb of a lamp one day!

Yes = deh deh.  Yea, I don’t get it either.

Cookie = cccckkkkcccc.  Just a crackle noise.  Where does he get this?

Baby = Ya Ya

Yellow = Lallow…which he pretty much says whenever you ask him what color something is, whether it’s yellow or not!  🙂

Hat, shoe, hot, cold, Mama, Dada, juice, no and lots others that I can’t think of right now!

He’s SO aware of what we say and understands way more than I even know.  He’s just soaking it all in every day.

My sweet, sweet boy

He’s also been on a big Mama kick lately.  He wants me to do everything – turn off the light, get his juice, turn on the Twilight turtle, read his nighttime story – and if Dad tries to do it…well, that just won’t do!  Poor Robert!  I know it’s a phase so I’m just trying to appreciate the love right now!  🙂

My favorite time of day?  After Robert gets home from work and Maxwell has eaten dinner, we usually end up piled up on our bed with Maxwell rough-housing, throwing him around onto the pillows, playing airplane (or “sky” as Maxwell calls it), tickling him to get the best bellly laughs and just loving being together.  We’ll see if we can all fit on the bed once #2 arrives!!

Happy 21 months Maxwell!!  You are the sweetest, kindest, most considerate little boy I know and I’m so glad you’re mine!!