This is a hard one...It seems like more of an update on 7 new things Fisher is doing right now.
1~Lemons. He loves them. When we go to a restaurant, I order ice water with lemon. As SOON as he sees the lemon, he has to have it! He will try to put the whole thing in his mouth, which usually means his tries to eat the peel too. Rather than try to fish the peeling out of his mouth (and risk getting bit by a screaming toddler), I peel the section like and orange and just give it to him. He eats the whole thing with hardly a pucker! Anyone at the table puckers-but he just wants more :-).
2~Fisher's bedtime is SO easy. I hope this doesn't come off as bragging, but he truly is amazing in this department! He is usually in bed ASLEEP by no later than 7:45 (when we are at home). At 7:30, we brush teeth (while singing the ABC's-me, not him), change the diaper, get on jams, say night-night to Daddy and Mommy, then to bed**. Rarely do we even hear a PEEP after that! Sometimes we let him stay up a little later, but Fisher has this "switch" and when it's flipped we know he's had enough. He starts to get frustrated with his toys and throws temper tantrums. He's ready for bed, and goes willingly. He has always been like this. I attribute this to getting him on a regular feeding and sleeping schedule by 2 months old. So by my count, we've been doing good for about 20 months. I'm just keeping my fingers crossed for this to continue well into childhood-how naive am I???
3~Fisher's "stinker" sense of humor is starting to come through. He got a Sarge jeep (from the movie Cars) for Easter. By default, any vehicle that is not a car is a truck (or "kuk") to Fisher. Sarge is his first jeep. When he first got it, I tried to teach him the difference. I would say jeep-he would say kuk...back and forth-back and forth. A few days later, he showed me Sarge and said, "beep!". I was so excited-yeah bud! that's a jeep!! He looked at me, smiled, and said "kuk" then laughed!! Stinker!! Now it's a game. Every time he finds Sarge, we have the same beep/kuk exchange :o). Fisher has had (Taco Bell) soft tacos twice. I cut it up and he really likes it. Now, if we ask him what he wants for dinner, he says "caco!". Oh-you want a taco? He then smiles an says "NO!"
4~I'm sure this next one is a stage that all kids go through, but it CRACKS ME UP!! Fisher is Mr. Pete-Repeat. He will say the last word of whatever you say. And speaking of repeating, it's really funny when he says things that you know he's picked up from you on his own. Like the other morning, Dave was still in bed, but Fisher thought he was in the basement. He sat at the top of the steps saying "Oney!" over and over again. It took me a few minutes to realize he was doing what I do-I stand at the top of the stairs and say "Honey!" when I need Dave and don't feel like going downstairs. Too cute, right??
5~Right now, Fisher could live on chicken nuggets and oatmeal. Don't get me wrong, he eats other things-loves **vegetables, as a matter of fact-but "ah-tum" is his FAVORITE breakfast, and "kah-kin" is his favorite lunch/dinner. This could change as quickly as tomorrow, though. He definitely goes through food phases. Strawberries were a real hit for a while, now he acts like he never wants them. Same thing with blueberries and grilled cheese. One day I made him a whole grilled cheese for lunch (thinking I would eat what he didn't) and he ate the WHOLE thing. Two days later, he wouldn't even eat 1/4 of it. Go figure!
**edited to add**Fisher stayed overnight with my parents a while ago and they took him to our "Sunday breakfast place"-which Fisher loves. My Mom had to call me to say that Fisher was loving the vegetable soup and SALAD! Yes-the kid loves salad. I never knew a not-yet-2-year-old would even try salad, much less love it!!
**6~Fisher's new thing is to cuggle-a combination of the words cuddle and snuggle. Our new bedtime routine is to cuggle after brushing teeth. We read books and wind down from the day. He's such a little schemer though! Fisher uses cuggle if he gets in "trouble" or as an excuse to not take a nap. Sometimes when we cuggle, Fisher gets a little rowdy and likes to run around and jump on the bed. As soon as I say it's time to go to bed, he rushes back over to lay on the pillow saying, "cuggle cuggle cuggle". I love that kid!
7~Fisher still uses a pacifier. Only when he sleeps. I don't like it. I hope this isn't a hard habit to get rid of. I plan on phasing it out at nap time-"reasoning" with him that he will only get the "caci" at night time when the moon is out. He's pretty smart (I must say), so I hope this first step works. My goal is to have it gone completely by the time he's 2 (July 19)-or at the LATEST, by the time I go back to school in August. If anyone out there has any advice-please let me know!!