18 Months and Counting

So this month Gavin turned 18 months old. It is crazy how time flies by. I mean he is a full fledged active toddler and I feel like it was just yesterday I was nursing my little infant. I feel like I have a love/hate relationship with this age. There are SO many great things but he is SUCH a handful. Here is how far we've come....


1) Gavin measured in at 26 pounds and 35 cm tall (I think).


2) He is generally happy...especially when wrestling. He still loves to wrestle, jump on you, hit his head on you...anything that is a "contact sport."


3) He is basically down to one afternoon nap a day which is generally about 2 hours but is going on 3 as I type. This dropping of the morning nap has been tricky and if I am anywhere in the car btwn 12:30 and 1:00, you will often find me racing like a maniac to get home before he conks out in the car.


4) Obviously, we have no words. I pretend like I hear mama and I go with it but really....its probably a stretch.


5) He has picked up some signing and a few animal noises. He can now do an elephant and lion religiously and I have gotten him to do a monkey, alligator, bee, duck and cow but that's it. He has taken to this roaring business though and often times he'll just walk around roaring. Or for example, roar at EVERYONE we pass in Target, the grocery store, you name it. This leads me to continually say to him, "wow, are you a lion" or "good lion gavin" loud enough so the people around me don't think he's strange.


6) He climbs...on everything. The couch, chairs, tables, stairs, stair rails, Maddie's cage, me, his toys, stools. He is a little monkey in this area. I noticed how adept he had gotten when a few weeks ago I turned for a second in the kitchen and saw him sitting nicely on the kitchen chair. About a week later, it was the kitchen table. I kid you not.


7) He loves to give kisses and hugs. It is his favorite part of his bedtime routine especially if we have company over and he can give kisses and hugs to at least 5 people. We've also added eskimo kisses where we rub noses and this always makes him break out into a huge grin.


8) His favorite toys right now are this big slide toy from his Grandma and Grandpa Harris as well as trucks, cars, anything he can climb on, Maddie's food and his Little People barn.


9) He still loves Maddie. He will find any toy and try to play with her. He is constantly trying to feed her and most of the time he just runs around trying to chase her or get her to chase him. He just laughs the whole time.


10) He sleeps with a blankie and paci and gets crazy until he finds the tag on the blankie to rub between his fingers. We've already had to sew a tag back on one of his blankies.

11) He is going through a Mommy attachment phase and it is so annoying. He cries and hangs onto me like a monkey (you know, in front with his legs wrapped around each side and arms around your neck) whenever I try to put him in nursery, take him to the chiropractor or any other time there is a stranger or he's just in the mood.

12) He loves to walk on his own. Hates being strapped in the stroller but loves to walk hand in hand...ok my finger in his little paw and I love it. He just loves holding hands and walking along.

12) Outside. This has lead to many a tantrum b/c good old Midwest weather is ever deceiving. One day it is sunny and he is chasing Maddie in the grass and loving the freedom and a day later it is snowing. So he will stand by the back door and cry and fall over b/c I say we can't go outside. However, when we are outside, he just loves to be in the grass..can't walk on the sidewalk or the driveway...has to be the grass...the muddy dirty grass.

13) He is just a fun crazy little boy and whoever he is with, can't help but enjoy his fun little personality.