20-month round-up

As Izzy is now 20 months old, a nice round number, I thought we'd take a moment to look back through some previous posts and see whether the issues raised still apply.

Early rising: I know it's much too soon to be drawing any conclusions, but that's never stopped me before. For the past four mornings Isaac has woken up at a perfectly reasonable hour, which correlates perfectly with the acquisition of new bedding -- he just got his own crib-sized pillow and comforter. For about the past month he's been interested in crawling "under cover" in the "big bed," as he says about Mama and Dad's bed, so he's excited to have his own covers. Perhaps he's just more cozy and comfortable in his bed now?

Singing: No, no actual singing from Isaac yet, but he even more frequently asks for "more hong" when he wants us to sing more of a particular song he likes. And he's begun reciting snatches of lyrics -- "master's gone away" from Jimmy Crack Corn, "give a dog a bone" from This Old Man, and "macho, macho man" -- Joel taught him Macho Man by the Village People in honor of his burly toy construction worker.

Violence: On one unhappy day a month ago, Isaac was having a good time being defiantly violent. I'm happy to report that no more violence has ensued, and not much more defiance. He's back to being pretty gentle and easy-going. I guess he just wasn't feeling like himself that day.

Multi-word sentences: Isaac combines words very successfully, although his word placement is sometimes funny. I was trying to teach him how to call for me when he needs help (after he got into a little "pickle" at "Nicholat hout"), and I suggested he try, "Mama, help baby!" He rephrased it, however, as "Mama baby help!" In addition to stringing together multiple words in sentences, he strings together multiple sentences to carry on a conversation or tell a story, which is even more fun. After a playdate today, Isaac said, "Jasper come. Play outside. Bye-bye, Jasper. See you later. Come back."

Recklessness and injuries: Right now Isaac has two skinned knees (he's been running, and he's not used to wearing shorts), so it's not like he has remained injury-free, but he really hasn't hurt himself as much lately. And despite my concern, he's certainly not turning out to be reckless. I guess I'm back to worrying about him being excessively cautious.

Diaper awareness: Well, after six weeks of telling us when he had a dirty diaper, or even better, telling us right before he had a dirty diaper, Isaac has ceased to communicate about the whole affair. In fact, now if you ask him if he has a poopy diaper, he invariably says he doesn't. So much for early potty training!

What about you, dear readers? Are there any posts that raised unresolved issues, or are there any questions about Isaac you'd like answered? The phone lines are open and operators are standing by.