The Schmitts

Dear Noah,

Today you are 20 months old! First, I have to tell you how proud I am of you for going pee on the potty for the very first time last night (and again this morning)! It may have just been luck, but it was a very exciting moment nonetheless! Recently, you've been showing an increased interest in the bathroom/potty, so Mommy and Daddy decided it was time to introduce a potty chair into our nightly routine. Much to our surprise, you really seem to enjoy sitting on your potty before bath time. We aren't quite ready to dive into serious potty training yet, so for now, we are in the pre-potty training phase aka "just having fun and getting you acquainted with the potty" :)

Hands down, the biggest developmental leap these past few months has been your ability to understand what is being said to you, along with your ability to communicate to us. You've been picking up on a few signs lately, too. Your most used signs are "more" and "all done", which have been especially beneficial during mealtime. You continue to expand on following instructions and are learning the meaning of new words every day. You now know 5 body parts (feet, head, hands, belly button & nose). You are also able to recognize and point to a variety of pictures in books when asked. You especially love reading your "Brown Bear, Brown Bear" book, and can recognize/point to all 9 animals on the last page. Perhaps the most impressive new skill you have shown us is being able to recognize all 5 characters in your favorite TV show, "Daniel Tiger". We had no idea you knew all of their names :) You have even added "Daniel" to your list of words you can say. It has been pretty amazing to watch your communication skills grow so much these past few months. You can say a handful of words, but still prefer to babble (in sentences) quite a bit. It has been quite cute listening to you "talk" to us when we ask you a question. It is very clear that you know exactly what you are saying. In time, Mommy & Daddy are looking forward to all of that adorable babble to turn into real words :)

With your newfound communication skills, it has become very clear as to what your preferences are, therefore; I thought it would be fun to update you on a few of your current favorite things:

Favorite TV show: "Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood"
Favorite movie: "Cars" (Disney)
Favorite books: "Brown Bear, Brown Bear", "Little Blue Truck", "Goodnight Moon", and "Dr. Seuss's ABC". You also really love your First Words book.
Favorite toys: Die-cast cars from the movie "Cars", tractors, dump trucks, planes & fire trucks (basically anything with wheels!). You still love books, and have become more interested in completing puzzles lately, too (you can complete your 8-piece farm animal puzzle on your own now).
Favorite activities: playing outside/at the park, going for rides around the neighborhood in your blue car, riding in the shopping cart, bath time (still a big favorite of yours!), and being chased.
Favorite foods: Granola bars are the new favorite at the moment; however, you seem to be going through a growth spurt as of the last few weeks and have been eating pretty much any and everything we put in front of you. No complaints here though (especially after going through a rough picky phase just about a month ago). You are a growing boy, that's for sure! ;)

This past weekend we celebrated Easter here in PA with Grandma Schmitt. We celebrated the day with an egg hunt in the backyard, a delicious brunch at the Cheesecake Factory, and even squeezed in a trip to the playground. It was a picture perfect day with lots of sunshine, so we spent quite a bit of time playing outside together. Sometimes the simplest days are the best days :)

This past month was also filled with lots of other fun events, including a day trip to the Cleveland Zoo, your 1st egg hunt at a community Easter festival, your 1st ride on the mall train (all by yourself, I might add!), swimming lessons, and lots of park play dates with friends. We've been keeping pretty busy lately and have been spending lots of time outside enjoying the spring weather. We are looking forward to a busy summer and your second birthday in just four short months! Let the party planning begin!

Until next time, here are some of my favorite photos from the last few months.

Helping Daddy with the lawn mowing ;)