Alexander - 21 months

I am always amazed when I do these quarterly posts how much has happened and how much Alexander has changed in such a short time!

Xander's half birthday was Dec, 21st while Nana and Papa were here in Norway. We had a wonderful time with them and after they left we all had a bit of the winter blues. Thankfully we had some amazing snowy days in January to brighten things up a bit!

February rolled in, the snow melted, and Xander was sick for almost 2.5 weeks straight! First it was the stomach bug, then it was an upper respiratory infection. He missed a ton of school and we spent a lot of time resting on the couch watching "vroom vroom" videos on YouTube. Unfortunately, gone are the days when he will cuddle when he's sick . Now he just gets REALLY crabby! It's no fun for anyone in his near vicinity! I call it Toddler Man Flu!

It was still quite dark in February so instead of playing outside in the evenings we spent a lot of family time in the kitchen. Arthur and I perfected our home made flour tortilla recipe under Xander's watchful eye. He did a great job helping roll out the dough.

Oh dear, allow me to explain this next (future blackmail) picture. So in February, Norwegians celebrate Carnival. Not exactly sure why as there isn't exactly a huge Brazilian population here. Anyway, the kids all dress up and participate in festivities at school. So Xander wasn't digging his original costume so the barnehage put him in a spare costume they drug up from who knows where. And OMG!!! Could it be any more inappropriate!? I laughed so hard when they showed us the pictures. Apparently he is dressed as Lumpy the Elephant. But all I can see is that TERRIBLE trunk! Y'all will see this picture again in 16 years during his graduation slide show! Bahahaha!!!

As March approached, we started to get the last bit of baby preparations underway. Xander enjoyed testing out some of the new baby gear. He knows how to turn the new swing off and on...not exactly a good thing!

With my due date quickly approaching I had difficulty lifting Xander so Arthur took him to school in the mornings. Xander loves getting ready with his Dada in the mornings. They brush their teeth together, do their hair, and I even over heard Xander "trimming his beard" one morning! Haha!

It's amazing how much this kid has learned in the last few months! He likes to count although his favorite number is "TWO!" He can identify and name all his colors and many shapes. He will spend 15 minutes just putting all the blocks into the shape sorter box. I'm amazed by his ability to concentrate! He likes to "read" books to us by imitating our intonation. His favorite book to read is "That's Not My Bunny!" He has just started to use some two word phrases ("dada go", "bye bye mama".) I've said it before but I LOVE watching his language grow! It absolutely fascinates me :)

Along with his speech, Xander's style of play has also evolved a lot in the last 3 months. We bought him a ton of legos for Christmas and he likes building them into the tallest towers ever and then knocking them down (of course.) But he's also started doing imaginative play like building cars and driving them around making various engine noises. He picked up a toy block the other day, brought it to his ear and said "Hello!" pretending to talk on the phone.

We made a very conscious effort while I was pregnant to give Xander as much quality attention as possible knowing that the days of him being an only child were quickly coming to an end. The morning before I went into labor we decided to bring Xander down into our bed for some books and cuddles. Yeah right! Really it was WWF wrestling toddler style. Don't let the serene look on Arthur's face fool you...there's a good chance he had just been head-butted right before this picture was taken.

A major milestone these last few months...Xander's first selfie!

The other major milestone...Xander became a big brother! We took a video of Xander's first introduction to Benjamin. At first it seemed like Xander was totally uninterested in the the little baby bundle on the bed. In fact, I think he thought it was a toy. Then Benjamin made a little baby noise in his sleep and Xander's eyes got SO BIG! I think that was the moment he realized it was real...and maybe all this talk about a baby started to make a little more sense to him. From day 1, and every day since, he LOVES holding Benjamin. Of course, he also likes popping the pacifier out of his mouth once he's sleeping and trying to touch his eyeballs when he's awake...ugh! Sorry B!

Man Xander, you are just the coolest kid! You're playful and loud and ornery and loveable and creative and your giggles are just infectious! We love you so very much and are so proud of the little boy and big brother that you are growing into.

Next stop...2 years! Pray for this mommy. There will be tears!