This kid!

This kid is 22 months old today! 

The biggest accomplishment this month has been potty training. With that came some sleep issues that I was not prepared for, but we've seen a ton of improvement lately with him going back to sleep after a middle-of-the-night pee. Some nights he doesn't wake at all to pee until 5:30 or 6 am! Yay for bladder growth! He's also understanding that he doesn't get out of his room until I come get him and say a big "GOOD MORNING!" which he echoes enthusiastically. Once, he woke at 5:30 to pee and then I told him to go back to sleep until it was morning (ahem). I was only going to wait 5 or 10 minutes and then bust in with a big Good Morning!! But we must have both fallen asleep again because we both woke up an hour later. A Good Morning, indeed!

Kent loves his underwear, which we call "culottes" (French). They fit great! Notice also our new set up: he can sleep anywhere he'd like (crib, floor bed, rocking chair) and still be safe because he doesn't climb out of his crib and fall on his head.

Our sleep issues now are mostly with naptime because it takes him a long time to wind down. His brain is firing at full speed ahead and so he has a lot to process. Just today, he was up there for 45 minutes yakking away about everything we had seen or done this morning: from Kevin and his mustache, to Theresa at the library, to the "camion poubelle" (garbage truck) we saw during our 2 hour meandering through campus and town. His language and his brain are exploding, no wonder he is having a hard time turning it off. (I ended up driving for 5 minutes and he fell asleep in a flash.) Once, I dared turn on some music downstairs while I did the dishes and then I heard "GUITAR!" because yes, there was a guitar playing in the song. I had to turn it off scolding "it's time to sleep, Kent!" up the stairs.

He's a little parrot and he's stringing words together faster and faster. And he's funny, too! Once he laid down in a puddle and exclaimed "Kent eeming! (swimming)". Another time, he saw a friend of mine wearing a bit of a low cut dress (she's also still nursing her infant) and during our conversation he pointed at her and said "naked!" Luckily, she has an awesome sense of humor and all was forgiven. Otherwise, he says "Kent do it" or "Maman hold it", "help you?" (from me asking "do you want me to help you?"), "close da door", "tiger eeping (sleeping)", "I did it!", "uh oh wawa - keem up" (when he spills), "Kent drive?" (anytime we go to the supermarket... thank God for those police car carts!!!!), "ou es Kent?" (where's Kent? when he's hiding), and now he can count to 12! We usually practice by threes, as in: 123, 456, 789, 101112! He can do the same in French. It's so cool.

Mostly, all you have to do is walk with him and he'll name everything he sees or hears. If he were a personal assistant to a blind person, I'd hire him. Guess what's happening here: "Maman drive, keys, get down, Gary's car (neighbor), steps, Lily's door (the cat door), grass, plane, wawa, boat, ower (flower), occer ball, bag, green bag, Maman's bag, phone, siren, police car!, shoes off, Papa? milk?" Yep, we made it from the garage to the back door.

Right now, he's obsessed with musical instruments, mostly the guitar, the cello, the violin and the piano. He will play guitar with any object and the dorm guys think it's awesome. Because I'm a proctor in the music building, he hears and sees a lot of instruments. We read books about it, but there's nothing like YouTube to help teach. Here, he's watching Sleepy man banjo boys.

 We still go to Kaleidoscope as often as we can and Kent recently mastered the Bear Walk:

 Yes, he knows how slides are supposed to work...

 ... but when there's a bar, Kent must hang from it.

 Mouahahahaha!!

And so I transition him to the rings and bars. The last time he did this, he pulled up his knees and rotated his lower body from left to right, twisting like that for several seconds working his obliques! Here, his forearms are getting pretty strong.

Because the weather is still nice, we try to spend as much time outside as possible, especially around the fields. Sure, last week he ran out during the field hockey game and into the goalie (as I'm sprinting to grab him out of there), but usually he stays on the side lines. Usually.
Here he is, having picked up 2 stray field hockey balls during their practice. He enjoys giving them back to the players, especially if it's into their bag. Much like he loves throwing trash away for you.

Here, he is avidly watching football and yells "RUN!" when they sprint towards the field goal. I think he think he's Coach. 

The entire school is sick, including the dorm boys. We tried our best to keep away from the germs with snacks high in vitamin C, but what can you do? Here he is eating kale chips and orange slices for snack. He loves them both, including the camera which he wants from me.

It's incredible how quickly he's changing into a big boy! We're so proud of you, little buddy!