..finn @ 20 months..

dear finn,

oh mr mr, where to even begin with you?! haha you just get funnier and more entertaining by the day little one. each day with you is a new adventure, and (most days!) i love it! some days i'll admit, i do want to admit one of us to an insane asylum, but those days are few and far between. ;)

you are still my sweet, easy-going little man, but i have a feeling the terrible 2's are headed our way, and i can't say i'm looking forward to them. i am looking forward to you growing and learning, i'm just not looking forward to the tantrums. you've given us a little glimpse of them, and they ain't pretty! haha in all honesty though, you are still pretty dang easy, and i hope you'll stay that way. you do throw fits (short ones, at least) when you don't get what you want, but hello, have you met your mom and dad? we're the same haha, so it's probably just in your genes. ;)

here are some things i want to remember about you at 20 months:
-you have started to exert your independence more and more. you don't like us helping you with things, such as putting shoes on, occasionally putting clothes on. certain toys you don't like us touching or helping you with. you like to do things on your own. good for you! (frustrating for us at times).
-you love wearing shoes. it's so funny! this is the source of many a tantrum though, because i don't like you wearing your shoes in my bed or on our couches, so when i won't help you put them on or make you take them off, you flip your lid. sometimes these tantrums last like 10 minutes! holy moly, get over it already! haha
-you are a climber, and climb on anything and everything. thankfully you haven't figured out how to climb out of your crib.....yet, anyway.
-you are extremely affectionate with everyone, but especially with your baby brother! you love him so, soooo much. it melts my heart.
-as stated above, you love sam sooooo much. i can't take my eyes off of the two of you, ever, because the second i do you are laying on top of him, giving him kiss after kiss after kiss. if he is in his carseat you basically just get right in his face and kiss him for minutes at a time. it's so sweet. if he has a bottle nearby, you'll grab it and start feeding him! dead serious. you're the best big bro.
-you like to give "bones" and high fives. you especially love giving bones to sam. sam has his hands in fists much of the time, so you'll come up to him, grab his arm and have his fist pound yours. it's so funny!
-your top k-9 teeth FINALLY cut through! hallelujah. this has been happening since you were 15 months old. i can't wait for them to come all the way through, because you have been lots fussier than normal and have been sleeping terrible! you wake up crying in the middle of the night almost every night, and are awake for the day at 6! no bueno for your tired mom and dad.
-you're not as picky as you used to be. you'll try most things, whereas you used to not even try food we'd give you! sometimes though, you'll chew food for hours. literally. it's really weird. haha but at least you'll try it, eh?!
-you like playing with other kids. you still need to learn how to share and not hit, but i'm sure those are normal behaviors for someone your age. your best friend is locke, and you've been playing with him a bit more lately. you also like playing with krew, lucy, max and brecken. i can tell you idolize boys, especially older ones. it's fun for me to watch! i can't wait til sammy boy is older and can play with you. you'll be best friends i think. :)
-you understand so much more than i ever thought you did, and i'm loving it! you'll do frequent favors for mom and dad, such as turning the bouncer off, throwing garbage away, fetching things off the table/nightstand for me, such as my phone or mug of water. i love it!
-you are talking more each day, but it's still not totally understandable. we're making progress though, which is a good thing.
-you love our christmas decorations, but especially the lights on the trees and garlands. you've always been fascinated with lights! you've been surprisingly good about not touching the ornaments.

i love you more and more each day, if that's possible. you have me rolling on the ground most of the time. sometimes i definitely want to pull my hair out because of you, but i'm pretty sure that's just part of the job. you sure are a cutie and i love you more than you'll ever know!

love,
mom