20's.

My son is officially in his 20s.

20 months old.

Holy crap.

Ok, it's not like I didn't know he was getting older, but to for him to be out of his "teens" and just four short months away from being 2... wow. 

Just wow. 

This has been such a fun month, though! Aldon is learning at least a new word a day, and loves to mimic everything Keegan & I do (which will undoubtedly come back to bite me in the ass. For now it's just cute).  

Here is, of course, All Things Aldon from the past month:

Favorite Food(s): peanut butter; cheese, cheese, and more cheese; kale chips (seriously. he ate about half a sheet tray that I made the other night for dinner. by himself.); corn on the cob; peach or banana yogurt- no other flavors, please; and just about any kind of pasta.

Favorite Toys/Games: He is obsessed with animals & trains, so most of what we do all day revolves around those things. He still loves his pull along train, and will bring it around the house for hours all day exclaiming "choo choo!" to anyone within a 10 mile radius, I swear. He also loves spelling his name and learning his letters, so we spend a lot of time playing with alphabet blocks.The past few days it hasn't been completely hotter than Hades here so we've logged some serious time in outside blowing bubbles and decorating the patio with chalk- and the trees and bushes and grass, too. Because nature just wasn't beautiful enough.

Favorite Books: 101 First Words: Animals. And yes, he knows just about every single animal on every single page. 

New words this month: It would be impossible to list all of them! I read online that toddlers his age should be speaking 10-50 words, on average. That seems incredibly low to me. Keegan & I keep a running list of words Aldon can say, every time he learns a new one we add it on there. So far he's up to I think 112 words, that he can say and, more importantly, use correctly. Sure he can repeat just about anything you tell him, but it only makes the list if he consistently uses the word correctly. No, I'm not trying to say he's a genius (cause that goes without saying ;) ), but I don't see how a 19/20 month old child could only say about 50 words on average. 

That being said, his most favorite words this month have been "poop" and "potty". If you read about how he recently went potty on the toilet, you can guess why. We still haven't had any success with him going "like a big boy", but he loves to tell whoever will listen that he just took a poop....

New/Other Developments this month: He is so proud of himself for learning how to jump! Sure, he only gets about 2 inches off the ground, but if we're on a carpeted surface- be prepared to watch him jump and cheer for at least 20 minutes. And I mentioned it a little bit above, but he can recite the letters in his name! We've always had his name written on his bedroom door, and spelled it for him since he was an infant, and then one night he spelled it back for us! If anyone asks him what his name is, they get: "A....L....D....O....N....Aaaaaaaldoooon!" :) 

What he really does not like: Bedtime, though nap time is perfecly fine & fuss-free. Juice, surprisingly. We've tried giving him a cup or two here and there, and he gets So. Mad. It's milk all the way... And he also hates when you try to clean off his hands or face- instead you must sit there and wait while he does it, even if you're running late and he keeps missing spots (because that always seems to happen).

Here's a couple candids now that big boy is 20 months old: 

His best friends, Tigger & Pooh. This is a regular sight in our house- wherever Aldon is they must be as well.

Somewhat less than thrilled to be riding the carousel.

However, totally thrilled for his first Sno-Kone!

He must put his own shoes on now- and you cannot fix them if they're on the wrong feet (which happens more than when they wind up on the right feet). Also, crocs are appropriate to be worn with any outfit and any occasion, because they are the bomb (per Aldon).

The fact that he is so close to being 2 means this momma (or, if you're Aldon, "mommom") really needs to get her butt in gear and start planning his 2nd birthday party! More on that, later, though :)