21 months.

what a fantastic number. 21. seven times three. and three, of course...is the best.

back on track. somehow, pratt turned 21 months old yesterday. three months shy of his 2nd birthday.

i missed my 20 month update, so i apologize now for the length of this one.

let's see. he's so funny. he gets humor. like our adult humor. me and his dad. sometimes when we say something silly or funny, he will drop his head down and shake it from side to side. all with this little grin on his face. like he's thinking, "great. this is what i have to deal with for 17 more years..."

he is the strangest eater i know. clint said it best this past week in destin when he said that he has an acquired taste for more natural/fresh foods. the kid, if allowed, would live on fruit alone. and olives. and cashews. and avocados. he loves oatmeal in the mornings. we buy the fruit pack. and he goes through the box, "srawberry, bueberry, nana, peeesh". and decides on one. i let him dump it in a bowl, then stir in the warm milk. it's a morning routine.

he likes chicken spaghetti. and rice. fried or white. bananas smeared with peanut butter. popcorn.

i think he's this way because of the foods he has been exposed to. i loved every single minute of making my own babyfood. is it for everyone? no. if i had had a job, i wouldn't have been able to do it. but i loved it. it made me happy. and in turn, he got lots and lots and LOTS of fruits and vegetables. fresh ones.

i gag when i open the baby food containers. it's one of my many problems. all i can do is sit there and look at that food. all stuffed in there. and i swear that i actually see the preservatives. yes, i really do. all the chemicals that must be put in there so that it can sit on the shelf for two years. ugh. (now...if you'll open it for me, microwave it, and then put some salt and pepper on it, i'm good. i'll eat it up. but there's something about doing it yourself. seeing the way the top makes an indention on the gelled food. ugh. i'm going to throw up thinking about it.)

so he's never had spaghetti o's. or ravioli. or any of those gerber toddler meals. and i guess i'm now living with those consequences because the kid won't eat any of that. i ordered him spaghetti o's in florida at fudpuckers. who doesn't love them, right? pratt doesn't. wouldn't touch it. even with the dinosaur on his spoon. oh well. it could always be worse...

he will sometimes eat chicken fingers, but prefers that it be grilled. hot dogs are a maybe. depending on how hungry he is. the love of french fries is found in his blood. so he could eat his weight in mcdonalds fries. they are the best. oh, and candy. he loves candy. and would probably give up his b for a few pez...

he knows his shapes and his numbers. we were on the elevator with him this past week when he started looking up at the number display and going, "two. free. four. five!" i had never even thought to really quiz him on number. i knew he knew his shapes. he has for quite some time. but numbers seemed harder. i don't know why. on our way to eat one night, i started writing down the numbers. asking if he knew them. yes. he did. 2 through 9. he calls 1, two. and 10, is for some reason 0. oh, and sometimes 9 is p. so, so funny.

we have some amazing dvds that i know are responsible for him knowing his. meet the shapes. meet the numbers. by preschool prep. there are several others, but those are the only two we have. all of this just reiterates that exposure is everything for kids.

he is able to walk up steps without using his hands or needing help. i watched him climb up the front porch steps yesterday. he held his little hands out, sort of bent over and very carefully stepped up. oh so careful to not need to use his hands.

he's becoming so independent. he always wants to hold whatever he's eating. he makes a total mess with jello. so i always try to get him to let me hold the jello and hand him bites. nope. doesn't work. he will point to the spot right in front of him. and say, "here. here." like, put it here mom. geez. he doesn't want anything taken away from him. stacy told me that one day she watched some little girl take his b at kids day out. he flipped. saw it happen and ran over to her, ripped it from her hands. painful.

he likes to draw. sometimes left handed. sometimes right. loves to have his hand traced. nana taught him this. and he seriously flips out if you won't oblige. he loves play doh and helping me make cookies/cakes/dinner/etc. he loves playing outside. he loves coleman harris and seriously wishes they were brothers. if pratt could talk, i know that's what he would say.

he repeats everything he hears. often i have to ask for a repeat on something. usually i can figure it out. or i'll ask him to show me, point to it. he does this well.

he has started saying, "huh?" which drives me up the wall. he gets it from his dad and i swear it's the worst thing ever. we are trying to teach him to say m'am or sir. he'll say it. but usually only when prompted.

he's a really good walgreens shopper. if we walk in to get a few things and i don't have to use the buggy, he's a good helper. as long as he has a task at hand. if he's free to roam, it's dangerous. but if i give him something to carry, he's golden.

he's super friendly. to a point that's probably dangerous. he really will speak to anyone. waves, smiles. blows kisses. men and women alike. doesn't matter.

he loves to go potty in his potty and the big potty. we went to applebee's for sheila's birthday party and he told me he needed to go. "i pee" is what he said. so off we went. he did it, i praised him and he couldn't get out of the bathroom fast enough. he ran the entire way back to the table, yelling, "i pee! i pee!". everyone in applebees knew he had tinkled in the potty.

he has a memory like an elephant. whatever he watches someone else do, he wants to do it too.

he is the absolute joy of my life. and i know that God has used him to mend my heart this past week. one night on the way home from dinner, we were all in spencer's car. i was sitting by pratt. next to his carseat. he looped his arm through mine and started kissing me. asking for "more". more kisses. he held my hand the entire way back to the condo. it was like he knew i needed it.

i never knew i could love anyone like i love him. here are a few pictures from this past week that capture his personality...

happy 21 months little guy. we sure do love you.