22 months

Sam with spiky hair and yellow rubber dinosaur

Sam's 22nd month came this last week. This month he had another stomach virus/cold combo that took him out of day care for close to a week, but otherwise it was a delightful month. He has about a half dozen Chinese phrases now ("thank you," "what," ball, car, jump, open) and his English list grows, now incorporating some opposites (hot/cold, up/down). He danced during the music after church last week and is still the golden boy of his daycare. He gets a lot of attention, which is probably a good thing for a toddler.

But he is a toddler. He had several nights this month where he wanted to nurse all night long, and he occasionally throws fits now. So far they're all passing, but I know that things will get more challenging. I'm sure like many parents, we're starting to think about some of the next big stages: weaning, moving him out of our bed, getting rid of the binky, diaper training. On the other hand, there's no hurry on these things, especially since he seems like a basically happy kid.

It's hard to believe that a quarter of his life has been spent in Taiwan, and yet he is developing some Taiwanese tastes. He gladly eats little fish and squid. This last week we made tilapia, and he enthusiastically ate the left overs for several nights. It's not always easy to predict what he will like, but fish ("ish," as he calls it) is usually a favorite.

He's in a pro-bath phase. He has five dinosaurs, a duck, a bath book (about "Thumper" the rabbit), a scooper, a ball, and a floating plastic globe with a whale inside. His routine is to throw these into the tub and then get inside himself. He likes to line the rubber dinosaurs and duck up on the book, and sometimes gets upset if they fall off. There is a sense of order that is developing in there, and a desire for things to be done correctly.

He draws some also. It wasn't so long ago that the hand could barely put the crayon to paper.

I'm very grateful for him. I'm not always the best at adapting, and I know that I haven't always been good at working on relationships with seminary staff. So it helps to have this enthusiastic kid who smiles, waves, blows air kisses, and thanks enthusiastically. He builds a lot of goodwill. And I think this place is good for him also. He will have a lot of aunties and uncles.