18 months old

Six months have seemed to go by in a blink since we had Mason's 1 year birthday bash & I can officially say we have an 18 month old in the house! 
Wow has a lot changed in 6 months!!

Have you all seen this video that has gone viral this week? Watch it. It is the sweetest thing ever & pretty much sums up how I am feeling at the moment:
 

Weight: At your 15 month appointment you weighed 28 lbs & were 31 inches tall - both in the 98th percentile! You are taller than most of the kids in your classroom at daycare & ever since you started walking you have been slimming way down. Gone are your scrumptious chunky arms & leg rolls :( I swear each week you look taller & leaner. You are now wearing size 5 diapers & are getting close to growing out of your 18 mos clothes. This fall I am pretty sure you will be moving on up to 24 mos/2T sized clothing. You are also wearing a size 6.5 W shoe & will be moving on up to the 7's by fall. Ugh - I wish you would slow down & stop growing so fast!

Eating: Like your Mama, you have a love for food! There isn't much you don't like except for hamburger/red meat, eggs & green vegetables - they are not your favorites. You of course love all the foods that are considered "bad" for you like mac-n-cheese, chicken nuggets, corn dogs, pasta, & french fries. Some of the good foods you like are: cooked turkey or pork, sweet potatoes, carrots, strawberries, pears, cheese & yogurt. You LOVE the little fruit/applesauce grabbers & do a pretty good job not squirting them all over the front of your shirt...or all over the furniture :) You are still getting a 6-7oz bottle of milk before bed & again when you wake up in the morning. Probably need to start weaning you from at least one of those bottles soon? 

Sleeping: Speaking of bed-time I am happy ecstatic to report that you are fully sleeping through the night. AKA: sleeping 10 hours straight with NO waking up! After you cut all 4 of your molars - all within 6 weeks of each other & one last CIO session you just magically starting sleeping all night through. Pure heaven. You also fall asleep on your own now without the 30-45 minute rocking session with Mama. I am kind of sad that we no longer have that snuggle time but am thrilled that I can rock you with a bottle, put you in your crib & 5 minutes later you are asleep without making a peep. I feel sleep habits have been our biggest challenge with you & I finally feel like we have it finally conquered! 

Milestones:
- you have excelled in walking running everywhere & keep this Mama (& Daddy) on our toes!!
- you can say "mama", "dada", "uh-oh", "huh", "bubba" & what I think is "doggy" & spend all day jibber jabbering. You can sign for please, all done & more & like to mimic sounds that we say.
- love to stack your cups/blocks & then knock them down, scribble with crayons, play with play-doh, throw the ball & love to fill/empty containers. 

- you now have 12 teeth & cut 4 molars all within 6 weeks of each other. Talk about a rough few weeks!
- you like to help dress yourself by trying to put your own socks & shoes on, lifts both your arms to take your shirt off/on, etc.
- at around 14 months we got your 1st haircut & I feel like you aged a couple years when it was all said & done.

 

- you like to go on walks through the neighborhood but much prefer pushing your little lawn mower rather than sitting in your stroller

- you are great at feeding yourself & are starting to use a fork/spoon to eat your food
- can follow simple instructions & commands
- playing outside is your absolute favorite thing to do. Not sure what we will do this winter when you are stuck inside?!

- mood swings & temper tantrums are making an appearance & it makes me cringe to think what the "terrible 2's" will be like.

- you have mastered crawling up & sliding down the stairs & are beginning to "walk" up & down the stairs
- you have become quite the little dare-devil & are fearless - which makes this Mama a nervous wreck. You have no fear when it comes to climbing on the furniture, playing in the pool, or running for the street. I already have gray hair so I can't imagine how many more I will have in a few years!?

- can point to your ears, eyes, nose, belly button, teeth, head & feet when asked
- can pick out animals like dog, cow, horse, sheep, pig, rooster when asked & imitate the sound from a dog & cow which is so cute.
- you love to sit in our lap, read books, help turn the pages & point to things of interest to you

- you like to help with household activities like sweeping & still have a fascination with the vacuum

Fun at daycare

 Infatuated by the animals @ Deanna Rose Farmstead

I have said before that each phase of this little guy's life is the most fun but honestly these past 6 months have been the best. To see all the developmental changes that have occurred, watch your little personality develop & to hear you start to talk is so much fun.

I love this little man more than I ever imagined I could & thank God everyday for blessing us with him & for giving us the opportunity to be his Mama & Daddy!