I CAN DO IT MYSELF: Chapter 12

I CAN DO IT MYSELF: Chapter 11

18 Months...

Favorite...
Veggies: green beans, peas, corn, carrots (P is NOT a fan of broccoli, but he enjoyed asparagus once this month)

Fruits: pears, oranges, peaches, cherries, (likes the taste of apples, but never swallows them)

Toys: scooter, cars, lawn mower, daddy's IPad

Songs: 5 Little Ducks, Popcorn Popping, theme song to The Office

Likes: P LOVES being outside (even when it is freezing), giving hugs and kisses, playing in the dirt, water, or his food, and taking baths (which he gets almost every day now because of how gross he gets). P is obsessed with helping and doing things on his own (if you hadn't noticed...). He loves taking all the utensils out of the drawer and then putting them right back when I ask. He loves making messes so that he can help clean them up.

Fun things about P at 18 months: P has proven that he can eat proficiently with a fork and spoon, and drink with a cup, but he usually chooses not to do these things most of the time so he can make a mess. P LOVES to play "Who's in my spot?". Whenever he can, he tries to sit in mom or dad's spot on the bed, on the couches, on the bench at church...anywhere that he has seen us sit regularly, until we notice and make a huge deal about him sitting in our spot. We then torture him with tickles...this is his all time favorite game. P has always been independent, so during this past month it is only natural that he would begin to tell us to "GO AWAY" at least 100 times a day (which is so funny because I have NEVER told him to go away, so where did he learn how to string these words together?). Speaking of words, P is learning new words every day, such as blanket, shoe, more, amen, cheese, hat...the list goes on and on. However, every time I say "Please" to try and get him to say Please, he responds with "NO"....he echoes everything else we say, but not "please" or "thank you".

18 month stats:

Weight: 26 lb 5 oz (57%)

Height: 33 in (72%)

Head: 19 in (64%)

First Easter Egg Hunt

Last year P was too tiny to really participate in any of the Easter festivities. But this year, he really enjoyed running all over the lawn looking for eggs. Once he realized what he was supposed to do with them, he quickly became a pro. And he was so quick, running from here to there, that I couldn't catch a glimpse of the excitement in his face.

P also received an Easter basket from Grandma and Grandpa, and he became obsessed with a hopping egg.

He is also a BIG fan of matchbox cars.

I CAN DO IT MYSELF: Chapter 10

I CAN DRESS MYSELF: Chapter 1

This morning, I allowed P to pick his own clothes for the day. He quickly picked a pair of shorts, and I picked out several shirts for him to choose from that would match the shorts. He said a firm "NO" to each of the shirt options, and went into his closet by himself to create this ensemble:

After he picked his own shoes and socks, he ran straight to the door to go play in the backyard. And this is the look he gave me when I told him we were NOT going outside.

I CAN DO IT MYSELF: Chapter 9

New cut...new do...new expression

I CAN DO IT MYSELF: Chapter 8c

I CAN DO IT MYSELF: Chapter 8b

I CAN DO IT MYSELF: Chapter 8a

I CAN DO IT MYSELF: Chapter 7

Note to self...

When you think you no longer have to bring a change of clothes for your 17 month old with you whenever you leave the house because you haven't needed the extra clothing for several months and you are trying to downsize your 30 lb diaper bag...please remember your trip to Costco on 01 April 2011, when said toddler's feces exploded out of his diaper and all over the food items in your cart as well as the previously mentioned diaper bag. Then, recall that you spent the next 45 minutes in the bathroom of the Costco with your entire cart and a crying 17 month old standing in the sink (because that is the only way to stop him from dripping all over the ground and your shoes), trying to clean up feces as best you can with the 5 baby wipes left in your diaper bag (because that has always been enough for one diaper change on the go). And don't forget that, once the poor child no longer had feces from his shoulder blades to his toes, and the cart and food products were generally clean, you still needed to finish shopping with a diapered but naked child, which would have been fine if he was just running around the house, but was NOT fine in a public grocery store (in your social worker's mind). And please, please remember that you then chose an outfit off one of the pallets and put it on your sweet (but stinky) child, and then you had to relive the entire experience over again as you explained to the checkout lady why there were no clothes attached to the tag and hanger you were trying to pay for.

I CAN DO IT MYSELF: Chapter 6