I last checked in with an update on you at 15 months right before your well baby (uh.... toddler) check. The three months since then FLEW by and it's time for your 18 month check tomorrow!
Highlights of the last three months:
-You had your first flight (to Arizona to see Aunt Mal!) and you did awesome! You're a great little traveler.
-You got to visit a huge farm (way bigger than the orchard) and you loved seeing all the animals. I think goats are still your fave.
-You've now had your second haircut.
-You experienced your first VEISHEA but we're hoping next year the weather is nicer and you can more fully experience it. You did enjoy your first gyro stand visit though!
What you are up to developmentally:
Social: You are a people watcher but love it even more if people are watching you. You say 'HI!' to everyone at the grocery store and get sad if they don't say hi back. You bring toys and books to anyone nearby and want them to play with you. You show empathy when people (or Dakota) are sad, hurt or sick and you pat them on the back. You also give back pats when you are trying to talk them into something you want. :) You encourage people to clap for you when you do something good. ;)
Emotional: See above on the empathy card. You can identify happy, sad & tired and make faces to go with them. Typically you are great at using your words but you've (just recently) been known to lay down in a crying fit. Your fits are typically short lived. When finished, I ask you what was wrong you say 'I dunno' and shrug your shoulders. I believe you are inching ever so close to the 'terrific twos.' ;) I feel like I say 'Use your words, please' about a hundred times a day.
Language: This has been the most exciting thing to see- your language is just exploding right now. Every day you add new words and phrases. Just last week, out of nowhere and without prompt, you said 'I ov ooh mam!' (I love you, mom!). You answer most questions we ask and can generally tell us what you want or need. You especially like to say names of foods- banana is 'nana,' milk is 'ilk,' turkey is 'turkle turkle' (I think we may have mistaken it for tickle tickle once or something but somehow it stuck) and kiwi is 'wee wee.' Thankfully you haven't requested any 'wee wee' in public (yet).
You've pretty much dropped using most of your sign language but you do still sign 'please' a lot for mommy and daddy and you'll do other signs for people that don't understand your words yet.
Physical: You're still climbing on top of everything but now you are also climbing out of and into things. You can easily climb into the bathtub (you love bath time!) and out of the pack n play. So far you haven't climbed out of your crib but I'm guessing you aren't too far from that either.
We recently found a potty chair at 70% off so we went ahead and got it. You've been interested in the potty and been asking for a diaper change when wet or dirty so I recently started letting you check the potty out. If I catch you in the act of a bm, I let you sit on the potty to finish (I don't take the diaper off yet though...) and you've also requested to sit on it before diaper changes so I let you. We're not quite ready to jump into potty training but you are getting used to the potty which is great.
You recently grew out of your 12-18 month clothes over night so it will be fun to see if that shows at your well child check this week. We've pretty much skipped the 24 month size and a lot of your things are 2T. Jammies are 3T. You're still wearing your size 4 diapers and size 5 shoes but I'm guessing you'll be outgrowing both of those soon.
Intellectual: Your attention span is growing by leaps and bounds. You can sit through several puzzles and even most of a 'show.' (I know I said I wouldn't let you have much screen time before two years old but while I was sick then recovering from surgery you spent a lot of time with the tv on in the background.) You count to three but not in relation to anything... you just walk around saying it.
Your memory amazes me. Most of the time if I cant find something I can ask you and you'll go find it for me (typically because you're the one who carried it off in the first place!). :)
Some of your favorites:
Food: Kiwi, Banana
Movie: Toy Story (all three of them and the toons versions)
Toy: Buzz Lightyear (from Maddox) and stuffed monkey (whom you sing to and pat his back to get him to go 'nigh nigh').
Place to be: OUTSIDE!!! You would stay outside all day if we would let you... unless there's snow on the ground. We bundled you up to play in the May snow and you still hated it. You're definitely my summer boy. You love bike rides, parks, sidewalk chalk, digging in the dirt, collecting rocks and sticks, playing with bubbles, balls, wheels and water. I'm trying to figure out a way to make a more substantial water table for you.
Other things to do: Read books with mommy & daddy, play 'etch' (fetch) with Dakota, play 'ba-buh ball' (basketball), build blocks, ride toys with wheels, play kitchen and shopping.
Chores: You wipe the table after meals and put your dishes in the sick. You help clean out the dishwasher by putting your dishes and the tupperware away. You put 'uck' things in the garbage and you take diapers and small garbage bags to the garage door. You 'sweep' the kitchen floor after meals and 'ust ust ust' (dust) with the swiffer duster. (These last two jobs you aren't real great at but you love doing them so I love that you want to help.) You're great at putting toys and other things away and generally know where everything belongs.
Hygiene: You love combing your hair and brushing your teeth and then checking yourself out in the mirror and saying, 'Hiiiiiiiiii' to yourself. :)
Games: 'Tickle Tickle' -You love chasing people with your 'tickle fingers' and saying, 'ickle ickle!'
I can't believe how big you look these days. You just seem so much older every single day. You are growing into quite the little man these days. You're still as sweet as can be but your personality is changing a little bit these days. You're a little more shy around new people but you are more and more comfortable around other friends and family and you recognize and know more people than ever before. Dakota is still your best friend. You love giving snuggles (but only on your own terms). You really like making movies on the iPad where you can see yourself.
Life with you is more and more fun every day. Each night before bed, daddy & I each tell our funny B story of the day and laugh at all the crazy things you are into these days. We love you so much, little guy!! Happy Half Birthday!!
Updated (5/14/13):
Recent stats from today's 18 month well check- Height: 35 1/4" (99%) & Weight: 28.2 lbs (92%) though you were pretty wriggly today so I'm not sure how accurate either of those numbers are. I swear your pants got two inches shorter this month so I think you may have grown just a little more in height than that shows. :)
Updated (again... 5/24/13):
We made a quick trip to urgent care tonight. We found a tick embedded (gross) into your head. It was so deep and pulling it out even took off part of your scalp (I'm sooooo sorry!! I'm sure it felt horrible to your sweet little head but I think it hurt mama worse!). You also had a rash and have been super sleepy and irritable. We suspected the tick may have been there for a week since we were just in Southern Iowa last weekend (thankfully the Dr and nurse both said they are pretty confident it was a new tick and didn't look like he had been there long! That totally helped with my mama guilt!). Anyhow... you had a crazy rash and first nurse thought you should be seen so we went in. All that to say you were a really good boy at this Dr visit (we all loved Dr. Kolby!) and you stood so still on the scale (completely opposite from your 18 month check) and the scale said...... wait for it..... 29.8 lbs!! Kid! You are almost 30 pounds! When we had told the Dr you were 18 months old he couldn't believe it. He even checked your chart and couldn't believe how big you were. We love you and your daddy really likes that you are tall (I think he may be itching to get you in the basketball gym...) but I'd really love for you to just slow down a bit. Okay. Thanks. Love ya, buddy! :)
