20 Months

X-man is 20 months old today. I can't believe how big he's getting (I say that every time, don't I?).

He is such a creature of habit but I'm sure that just the nature of a toddler, not some underlying OCD trying to come out! He likes things in exactly the same place. For a while now he insists I put his crib blankets and his little teddy and lion that he sleeps with in the appropriate places in the crib when he gets up. Sometimes I just put them in the right spot and sometimes I ask him where they go. More often than not, he points to the "correct" place for everything. Occassionally he'll go wild and want his Ms. Bunny blanket (made by TC's former boss...yes, her name is Bunny) hung over a different crib railing.

He is obsessed with shoes and if he sees them, he wants them on the appropriate feet. He's mostly figured out whose shoes belong to whom (did I get all that gramatically correct?) and if my shoes are lying around, he'll bring them to me and want me to put them on. Sometimes he puts them on himself...and seeing X-man in my heels just cracks me up!

He has figured out how to get people to come with him. If he wants you to go where he is, his first method is to walk the direction he wants to go, turn and look at you, and make a "come here" motion with his whole hand. If that doesn't work, he'll come right up to you and grab your arm, shirt, whatever (yes, daddy found out the hard way about how sitting like a guy on the couch can get you in trouble!).

X-man likes to sneak up on us, except he giggles the whole time, and we know he's coming. When he sneaks, he leans forward a little and does this real exagerated goose step thing...I think that's what I did when I was holding him and we were sneaking up on daddy. When he gets in front of you, he'll run up to you and just laugh! And he prefers it if you say "boo!" It makes me laugh every time!

He's increased his song repertoire. He has added the ABC's (which I understand is the same tune as Twinkle, Twinkle, but he really does sound like he's trying to say letters...ASH even heard it!), he sings Frere Jacques (and with his crazy language who knows if he's singing it in French or English! I sing it to him in French and daddy sings it in English) and he sings This Old Man (Knick Knack Paddy Whack). Again, the words aren't quite there but the tune and rhythm are!

He also is a man of habit. He knows exactly where he wants things to go and he wants them there everytime. For the most part, he wants the TV remote on a side table next to our recliner. But when daddy comes home, he'll take the remote to daddy. See? I've always said that X-man knows the boys need to stick together! He's still very good at picking up his toys before bath. Just the other day we were going to the kitchen for lunch and he walked by his tennis shoes. He picked them up and trotted to his room (we took down the gate that blocked the way into the hallway where all the bedrooms are). I followed him just to see what he was doing and he took his shoes and put them right in front of the dresser where I usually leave them. I obviously gave him my dormant neat gene...

X-man is just so fun to be around (except for when he starts to scream...he's just figured out how to really use his throat for screaming!) and surprises me every day with the things he can do!