One more month

That's right, in one month Noah will turn two. I know this is a common sentiment among parents when they consider how quickly their children are growing, but I just can't believe it. It truly seems impossible that two years ago we were anxiously awaiting his arrival, and now I'm buying presents for his second birthday. Here's the good, the bad, and the ugly about this wild child who has turned our lives upside-down but has brought us such joy.

-He hits. A lot. It's not fun. Whenever he's frustrated, his first response is to hit whomever--or whatever--is closest. Usually it's me, but Luke has had his share, too. I think it's a combination of Noah's small vocabulary and the fact that there is someone around who frustrates him quite a bit. Luke avoided this stage mostly because he was the first child I think. I have no real strategy to deal with this behavior other than time-outs. Any suggestions would be appreciated.

-Speaking of his vocabulary, I made the effort to count how many words he has, and it's over 50. I was a little concerned that he didn't have many words, but after making a list, I think he's where he needs to be. He's not really putting words together, but when you have an older brother who's willing to talk on your behalf, why make the effort?

-He's still resisting naps. He was in his crib for two hours today just making noise. He doesn't cry or get upset, he just throws all his toys out of his crib, and recently he's started to take off his socks and pants. Last week he took off his diaper, too. Luckily I discovered his partial nakedness before there was anything to clean up.

-And speaking of taking off his pants, he pulls them down all the time. Any time we see a bathroom, he says, "pee-pee" and tries to pull his pants down. I offer to take him in and let him sit on the potty, but he doesn't want to. I can't quite figure this one out. This afternoon he walked around the house with his pants around his ankles. He's a nut.

The next time there's a Noah update, he'll be two!