So I started to write this a few weeks ago. E had been relatively unchanged for a while, and I figured I could give an 18 month update a few weeks early, and edit it as needed before I posted it.
Oh wow was I wrong.
I had to increase his number of teeth by 2 (they popped up 2 days before he turned 18 months), and his language has exploded. It changes almost daily now, which is so fun, but harder to keep a list of words!
Nick Names: Bubba, Sweetness
Height: 32.5 inches (51st percentile)
Weight: 23 pounds, 14 oz (45th percentile)
Head: 18.5 inches (38th percentile)
Teeth: 7
Words: About 12-13 (list below)
Favorite Things: Being outside, playing in sand/dirt, dragging toys behind him, running around, getting dizzy, ELEPHANTS
E is officially a year and a half old!
It’s been quite a journey, and in about a month we’ll be embarking on our next journey when E becomes a big brother. So before life gets super crazy, I wanted to post an update of what’s going on in E’s world. A lot has changed in the past few months, but even more has changed in the last few weeks. It seems like every day there is something new that he can do, or some new thing that is so adorable and makes me melt.
Knock on wood, but temper tantrums have leveled off a bit lately. I don’t think they’re part of our day to day life right now, and when they do pop up, they disappear pretty quickly with some distraction, and are often caused by a lack of sleep.
Things that are a struggle are diaper changes, but we’re working on that. It’s definitely the number one thing that will cause a meltdown and make this pregnant mama exhausted, but hopefully things are getting a bit better there. As is getting him into a car seat when he doesn’t want to go (thanks to some recent advice/tips there).
A few things E’s getting really good at: Going down slides (and racing cars down them), building things with blocks (or at least connecting them to each other), and coloring/painting.
He loves being outside still (although lately it’s been too rainy or cold to do so), dragging around his shovels and coloring with chalk while dancing in bubbles. It’s a daily thing here. He also has really started to show an interest in books, and will bring one over and sit in our lap while we read it. It’s the best. He also loves walking between me and Tom, holding one of our fingers in each hand. Up and down hallways, or in circles around the house.
He loves going up and down stairs and is getting pretty good (and fast) at it. Cleaning up is still fun, and he puts away his dirty clothes without fail. He also likes to spin in circles while sitting in my desk chair.
He also still loves SLEEP. And trying to push or skip a nap (he still usually takes 2 when he’s home with us) will still result in him just lying down on the ground and putting himself to sleep. At night he’ll lie down on top of his sleep sack and wait for us to put him to bed. It’s my favorite thing of mine that he inherited. And luckily he sleeps as deeply as Tom does.
He understands so much of what we’re saying now. Do you want to go outside? Can you take your jacket off? Where’s your cow? All will evoke responses and actions that show he knows exactly what we’re asking him.
Talking is definitely getting there too. I keep a list of words that he uses regularly, and it’s doubled in the past week. His old standbys are still around (Hi, uh oh, beep beep, mo (more), ee-oh-ee-oh) but we can also add the following: Ball, bye-bye, hi-low (hello), help, bubbles, hot, wow, pop, oh no, apple, and truck/duck (which both come out as “uckkk!”).
He also signs a lot or uses other motions to get his point across. For example, he wanted to see his best friend recently, so he went to a book of pictures of friends and family he has, opened to the page that had her picture, and pointed to her. Then he put his arms up in a confused “where is she?” pose, and ran around to all the doors, and then back to the book pointing at her. It worked, we scheduled a play date, and the next day he screamed in excitement when he saw her walking up the path to the door.
He also will still sign more, hungry, milk, and has added help. Occasionally he’ll make the sign for Mama or Dad, but he still refuses to say them. He will shake his head no, and has started nodding “yes” to questions. And he does it so enthusiastically, it’s like his head is about to fall off. All the way up, all the way down, over and over. Yes, yes, yes, he would like that!
He has his own signs he makes up too, like the confused shoulders/arms up to ask us a question, he makes a horn honking motion when he says beep beep, and he’s picked up the “Home Alone” hands on face expression when he’s shocked or saying “Oh no!” about something. We’ve yet to catch it on camera, but we’re trying!
Also his recent obsession of elephants has lead to him creating his own sign for them as well. He’ll raise his arm straight over his head (like an elephant trunk) and immediately expects me or Tom to make an elephant noise. Over and over again. In the mornings he’ll do it to Tom, and then put up his arms in confusion like “Where are the elephants? Why aren’t there any here right now?” and then make Tom make the noise again. Not sure why, but kid loves his elephants.
Some of my other favorite things he does: He will run at us with his arms outstretched wanting to be picked up and hugged. It’s amazing. He’ll bring us (or anyone in the house) their shoes or slippers and demand they be put on their feet. He’s starting to learn how to blow kisses too.
