Top 10 at 20

Holden is officially 20 months old, and it just seems like he's changing so fast and doing so much these days. We've been struggling to update this blog on a regular basis (in case you couldn't tell), but it doesn't mean that Holden is getting boring or that we're faced with less interesting issues ... completely to the contrary! So here is the fastest way to give a quick Holden update here at the 20-month-old mark -- the "top 10" at 20 months (in no particular order):

"TOP 10" at 20

10. Pronounces 'boat' like 'butt' (nice "Finding Nemo" reference, eh?)

9. Has identified some good hiding places in the living room where mommy and daddy pretend that they can't see him ; )

8. Just growing like crazy. While he may still be below average size, I swear he's getting taller and heavier recently. He can now reach door knobs, get his chin over window sills, and get up and down the stairs with more ease. And when we carry him these days, he really feels heavier.

7. Fear of bubbles has subsided (for now) thanks to mommy teaching him how to pop them.

6. Has been saying "Ciao!" for a while now (which makes us super popular at Italian restaurants) and said "Ciao Baby!" for the first time this past weekend. Too pretentious for a 20-month-old?

5. Loves snorkeling. He picked this up from a few of his books that have characters snorkeling under the ocean. Not an easy thing to explain to a toddler, but he loves the concept anyway.

4. Totally into boats (yes, you might notice a water theme to much of this list). Might be partially due to a trip to Lake of the Ozarks a couple weeks ago that involved his first official boat ride -- on grandpa's boat. Now he builds boats out of blocks, and turned a cardboard box into a boat that he could ride in while we sing "Row, Row, Row Your Boat."

3. Really enjoys reading "Where the Wild Things Are," especially the part when the Wild Rumpus begins and he can howl like the wild things. Oh, and I think it goes without saying that he loves Max's boat (which may have also inspired his own cardboard boat).

2. Developing an ornery sense of humor, which is both cute and slightly worrisome (we're just laughing at him for now). Still amazed that a 20-month-old can have a sense of humor (saying things to specifically get us to laugh, which I think is a step past just being silly).

1. Hugs, hugs, hugs! When he's not running around at the speed of lightning, he loves giving hugs and snuggling. And for mommy and daddy, there's nothing quite like a little hug from our baby bear (quickly becoming a big bear).