Hank is twenty months

Mister Hank is twenty months old today! He is a bundle of energy and emotion (most of it joyful) and I am so glad to have him around. 

Hank has such a zest for life. He is absolutely fearless and he is willing to try pretty much anything. Sometimes this makes me a little crazy, like the time that he discovered the toilet scrubber is perfect for flinging water all over the downstairs bathroom, but I am getting so much better about taking a deep breath and trying to laugh about it. I really do want to be an unflappable mom, one who just chuckles, shakes her head and moves on, and Hank is definitely the boy for that kind of mama.

 One day last week we had such a nice day that I just couldn't put Hank in pants after changing his diaper. (Also, he is getting to chubby for all of his pants, mostly because of his cloth diaper) So I put him in shorts, and then we went to explore the yard for a little while before picking Jed up from the bus. He had a blast poking around in the snow with a stick, gathering pinecones, and stomping in the water with his boots.

 Hank loves to mug for the camera. Any time, any place, he loves to have his picture taken. Bonus points if he's naked or wearing a funny outfit or hat.

He was very determined that the brim of his hat stay exactly that way--I tried to fix it and he turned to me and said "no no no!"

I love this dear boy and treasure my time with him (apparently almost as much as I love that brown pullover). He is learning new words and ideas every day--last Sunday he pulled the wipes container out of my church bag and loudly announced "Poop!"; he has become a big fan of Frozen and excitedly exclaims "Elsa! Elsa!" every time we hear the "Let it Go" song on the radio--and has mastered pointing to his basic body parts and can identify many of our extended family members' pictures. Oh, there is so much more to say about this delightful son of mine. We all love him dearly and are grateful he is a part of our family and we get to watch him grow and learn from him.

Hank has had several ear infections over the winter (5 since November), so we met with an Ear/Nose/Throat specialist last Thursday. He recommended that Hank have tubes put in his ears to alleviate any more infections. So, next Monday, we'll take him in for that. While his surgery won't be quite as invasive as Jed's--Hank doesn't need his adenoids removed, and they won't put him on an IV--I am still not looking forward to it. I am especially less than excited about another summer worrying about ear plugs at the beach and in the pool. However, I am really excited at the prospect of no more ear infections for Hank!