Happy 21 Months, Isaac!

Didn't I just post his 20-month photos?  Another month has flown by and we're in the three-month window of our little man being TWO YEARS OLD!

He is a rockin' and rollin' toddler these days, that's for sure:

This was from his 20-month photo shoot.  I told him to "go and sit down for a picture" and he plopped himself down right in front of Maude and gave this smile.  He and his dad share the squinty-eyes-with-a-camera-flash trait!

Isaac rocking in a  very special rocking chair  from my Grandma's house.  Mama rocked in this as a little one, too!

Play-doh with Dad is awesome.

Beans, beans, and more beans.

A little stretching session with Daddy.

We baked cookies for our neighbor, and Isaac was all about it.

Happy 20 months, Isaac

Isaac is now 20 months old and is bursting with new words and new connections seemingly every day.  This boy continues to appear comfortable in his body (always moving!), and that little body is growing like a weed these days.

At 20 months:
Isaac is sleeping in a toddler bed!  After catching him nearly climbing out of his crib, we transitioned him to a toddler bed.   Mama had to play "goalie" for a spell one evening as he got the lay of the land in his new digs, but all in all it was a smooth transition and he seems to be enjoying his newfound independence.  I very much appreciated a lifeline call to our former Parents As Teachers representative in Juneau, the one and only Talea Kellar!  (Thanks so much for your helpful tips, Talea!)  Oh, and he can also open doors now!  Bring on the childproofing.  :)

Isaac is very into basketball right now and loves to watch the older boys play at the Y.  A special treat is for Mama and Isaac to "play ball" before we leave the Y, which means Mama gets an extra upper body workout by lifting him up to "shoot the ball!" into the little kid hoop over and over.  To honor his new enthusiasm, we took him to his first Drake University basketball game.  He watched the game for a bit, but meeting the mascot, Spike the bulldog, and watching the drum corp halftime show were a little more exciting for him.

Here's proof: (if his first ER trip was any indication, and his ability to sit still during this performance is another indication, I think we may have a drummer on our hands)...

At 20 months, Isaac also participated in his first march for women's equality!  Des Moines showed up with 26,000 fellow marchers, well surpassing the anticipated 10,000.  Can't wait to show him these pictures and tell him the stories of his first steps into participating in democracy.  :)

Isaac also started wearing the first pair of sunglasses that he doesn't immediately rip off his face.  This bodes well for all the sunshine Iowa is offering our post-Juneau-squinty eyes. 

He even likes wearing them indoors!

Happy 19 months, Isaac

It's January 2, 2017 and that means Isaac William Vander Naald is 19 months old.  NINETEEN!  I know before I know it he's gonna be 19 years old, so here's to savoring these special days of toddlerhood while we can…

Cheeseball camera smile

Donning new slippers for our hardwood floor home

Chowing on some green beans

Boogers in the nose and green beans in the mouth

Selfie with Mama 💙

At 19 months, Isaac is…

Offering us some adorably cheesy smiles for the camera;

Eats most of his meals on-the-move;

Is just generally on-the-move;

Enjoyed his first round of swim lessons at the YMCA and didn't mind being dunked;

Continues to love his books, snuggles, animals and all modes of transportation;

Likes to help mama unload the dishwasher;

Calms and "tunes in" at the sound of music, whether it's his grandparents singing to him, the cd playing in the car, or the church organ playing hymns;

Continues to charm his babysitters and the YMCA childcare workers (see below)

Today when I dropped him off at the Y, I walked out of the room just as two workers were entering the room.  When they saw me their eyes got wide and they smiled and excitedly asked, "Is Isaac here????"  I told them yes, I had just dropped him off, and they both started running toward the room with big grins.  I stopped and said, "Oh my gosh, you just melted my heart!"  They turned and said, "We love Isaac!  We look for him every day!"  I am so grateful for these girls and the YMCA!  

Happy 18 Months, Isaac!

Happy 18 months to our growing boy!  Isaac is awesome and being his parents is such a joy.  

At 18 months, he is:

• Running marathons around our dining room table to wind down in the evenings;
• Eating like a bottomless pit;
• Having quite entertaining conversations with himself and his stuffed animals;
• On the verge of having conversations we can understand;
• Still enjoying his car seat (as evidenced by 18 hours in it this past weekend with no major troubles)
• A snuggly bookworm;
• Welcoming just four more teeth;
• Amazing us by having pooped and peed on the (big) toilet a handful of times, on his own initiative;
• In love with his grandparents (as evidenced by his first slumber party with them this past weekend)
• Almost always in need of a haircut; and...

…as always, the light of our lives.  

😍

Happy 17 Months, Isaac

Happy 17 months to our beautiful boy!

At 17 months, Isaac:

Jabbers up a storm, although he is the only one who knows what he's saying (about 90% of the time)

Runs, jumps, kicks, climbs

Earned this feedback from his dentist:  "Well, he sure is an active one, isn't he?"  

(Isaac also has nice looking teeth, evidently)

LOVES books, dogs, cars, trucks, buses, vans

Loves to snuggle

Feels strongly about things (hello toddlerhood)

Can reach a pitch on par with an opera singer

And, as one of the YMCA childcare workers put it:

"He is just a joy to be around!"  

Go Brian!

This past weekend Brian wanted to run a 10K at a nearby forest preserve.  I asked him if he was going to try to "race" and he said, "No, this is just a nice Saturday morning run on a trail..."  Well, he went ahead and won his age group!  More importantly, he enjoyed running out in nature for the first time since we left Juneau.  Isaac enjoyed playing in the crunchy leaves, and mama enjoyed cheering on all the racers as they ran by.  Especially Brian!

YMCA

Isaac and I go to the Y most days of the week.  After I'm done with my workout, we hang out in the hallway and eat a snack together.  It's a nice time for him to work out some last minute fidgets before I put him into the car seat, and allows for some social time as people walk by and engage him.  In addition to the snacks and the ogling, Isaac really likes to watch the nearby exercise classes in the swimming pool and the gym.  We sit and cheer for the people working hard getting their exercise in.

In about a month or so, we'll start swim classes of our own!