21* things at 21 months

Mo is practically 22 months old. Technically he hits 22 months this weekend but it has been a while since I properly updated on life as a madre so here we go. *Full disclosure: I started this post almost two weeks ago but realized quickly that it was going to be quite lengthy. So breaking up into a three parter.

21 things at 21 months part 1

1. Besos are abundant He learned to blow kisses a few months ago and now will kiss you on the cheek or even more recently the most gentle little kiss on the lips if he is being extra sweet.
2. Screentime is our best friend Controversial I know...From the start Mike and I knew we were going to have a lenient policy on screen time. We both work in advertising so screens are totally the norm. Plus it is 2016 screens, love it or hate it, are in abundance. We don’t have any real rules that we follow aside from not overdoing it or relying too much on them day in and day out. They definitely appear more on the weekends when we are all home together. We play tons of music videos and sing songs on our TV with the help of our Apple TV and the YouTube app.
3. Sleep is bonkers Nighttime is still touch and go. We completely lost the bottle about a month ago after my mom told me he should no longer be drinking from one, especially before bed. And miraculously he started sleeping through the night, which had not happened in what seemed like DECADES (or most of the Summer). But then just last night he was wailing once I put him down and after 45 minutes of fighting me he finally shut his little eyes for maybe four hours but then
4. We love Raffi Per the above Raffi is on repeat at our house. I unearthed a children’s concert he did in the 80’s on YouTube and Mo loves to dance and sing (he does his best) along. Raffi and his music are a big part of my childhood memories so it is really great to revisit with Momo.
5. 1-2-3’s Mo loves to count to ten and he points out the numbers he sees all around us. We were pretty surprised when he would walk over to us with his toy blocks and point to the numbers on them. It started with ‘six’ and we just thought it was funny that he knew the number. But sure enough soon after he got the hang of all the numbers 1-10. Sometimes confusing ‘three’ and ‘five’ but pointing them out now wherever he sees them. What can we attribute this fascination with numbers to? Beyond his actual interest and memory it has to go back to YouTube videos and the puzzles we have with numbers on them.
6. ABCs Similar to the above various puzzles, books and YouTube videos have taught Mo the majority of his ABC’s. He finds letters everywhere and proudly announces them as soon as they register. Walking across the street recently he bent down and pointed to the ‘S’ on the manhole that read ‘SEWER’ and proudly said to me ‘SSSSSSSSS’. It is pretty fascinating.
7. Daniel Tiger We introduced Daniel Tiger about a year ago and most mornings while we are getting ready for work, the show is on in the background. It is a super sweet twist on Mister Rogers Neighborhood and features Daniel Tiger in the role of Mister Rogers with a lot of the same characters from the show in the 80’s but now next generation and cartoons.

There you go, your long awaited update on life as a madre these past few months. More to come. Also, some of you might be happy to hear that the American Association of Pediatrics as of today has relaxed their stance on screentime. Read more here.

LL