Charlie: 21 Months Old

It's been a while since I did a "monthly" post on Charlie, but I feel like I need to do one now because I just do not want to forget a thing.  I feel like I want to freeze Charlie right now and keep him in this sweet, adorable, charming stage forever (but I also feel, at times, like I want this almost-terrible-two stage to move quickly :).  At 21 months, Charlie is a wild bundle of energy, and is talking up a storm.  He has so many funny little expressions, words and phrases right now.  And although Charlie is clearly not perfect, he really is a sweet, kind little person.  He LOVES his sister, and talks about her frequently.  He asks for her as soon as he wakes up and always wants to kiss her before bed.  He randomly decides that he MUST hold her (usually when she's getting a bit too much attention) and gives me an emphatic "hole!" (hold) and then yells for his "Boppy!" (indicating that someone should place the Boppy pillow in his lap to aid in the holding).

My other favorite Charlie quips:

"Cargie" (the way he says "Charlie")

"Have!" (when he wants something)

"Happy happy happy" (self-explanatory :)

"Hiding" (when we can't find one of his toys.  This one is useful, as Charlie appears to be almost as Type-A as I am about having all of his things in order.  Luckily, he accepts the explanation that they are "hiding")

"So funny" (he uses this all the time.  Everything--from Cargie to Daddy to his hiding toys--is "soooo funny")

"Cargie funny" (Cargie is often proclaimed to be funny--especially when bodily functions are involved :)

"Biiiiiiig.  Soooo heavy."  (when he's trying to lift something that won't move)

"Call ____."  (Charlie often requests to call his grandparents, aunts and uncles, and cousins.  Of course, he goes mute when we call, but he loves it anyway.)

"Silly Billy" (for some reason, this expression cracks him up)

"Poopy" (Charlie is already loving potty humor.  The idea that animals (especially deer) poop cracks him up, as does the phenomenon of calling anything poopy.  One of his books (The Town Mouse and the Country Mouse) revolves around a character named "Pipen."  Charlie finds it hilarious to refer to him as "Poopen" :)

"Help me." (This means that Charlie is "helping" us do something (wildly unloading the dishwasher, rummaging through the groceries, grabbing the broom, trying to get to the lawn mower, moving laundry from washer to dryer (and back again), etc.), not getting in the way (no matter what it might look like).  When he is "helping," we are not supposed to stop him from doing whatever it is he is doing.  Charlie especially loves to help Clint run errands or work in the yard.  His favorite errands are to Home Depot and Whole Foods (where he eats a meal of "samples").)

"Dada says 'no sir'!" (When he is doing something Clint has told him not to do)

"Yay Dada!" (Charlie is crazy about his Daddy right now, and nothing makes him happier than when Dada is on his way home.  He says "Yay Dada!" when Clint calls to say that he's on the way home.)

"Bless you ____." (Charlie loves to say "bless you" when someone sneezes.  But then he gets very excited by his politeness and starts blessing everyone in the room. :)

Charlie still loves nothing more than trucks, and is developing an encyclopedic knowledge of them.  We have a "Big Truck Book," and Charlie has memorized every vehicle in it (from big rig, to backhoe, to excavator, to trash truck, to ambulance, to telephone repair truck...he really knows them all).  "Big" is still a synonym for "great" in Charlie-speak, so nothing is better than a "Big Truck".

Charlie also loves playing outside right now.  His favorite outing is to "Big Bop" (or the park) ("bop" because he couldn't say "park" when he first started talking and "big" because it's great).  He also loves "Cargie's big bop" (his backyard), and playing in the front yard with the neighborhood kids.  He loves playing soccer, loves his basketball hoop, and loves his football (but hasn't quite figured out what to do with it).

Charlie's other love is books.  We read a lot, and he has definite favorites.  He has "memorized" a number of his books, and it cracks me up to hear him finishing my sentences (or correcting me) when we read.  He does NOT like me to paraphrase his favorite books. :)

Charlie is full of life and fun.  Although he can be a stinker, he always wins me over with his quick smile and silly sense of humor.  He sweet hugs and drooly kisses don't hurt either. :)

On a recent cold, rainy day, Charlie and I passed the time by building a fort under the breakfast table.

Charlie carefully arranged his trains (another favorite vehicle) on top of the fort.

His stuffed animals joined us in the fort...

And here's sweet Evie, waiting patiently for her turn to enter the fort. :)

It's hard to capture Charlie's quirky, exuberant personality in a blog post, but I really am so crazy about this little guy.  As we said prayers tonight, I watched those chubby little hands pressed together and wished I could just freeze time.  When he says "I luv Mommy!," I feel even more that way.  And then he devolves into a tantrum because I cut his banana into pieces instead of leaving it whole and I think maybe a little passage of time isn't a bad thing after all... :)