17.5 months

Whew. We have been busy these past couple months chasing after our very mobile, very funny little toddler. He is so busy, and is just constantly moving, always on the go. He's still obsessed with music and dancing and has better rhythm than his mama.

Avid reader

He's learning new things every day and it's just so much fun to see him make connections about how things work in the world. If he's listening to music, he'll occasionally put his fingers in his ears over and over again to hear the difference in sound. I put gloves on him the other day and he took one off and then clapped and was just delighted at the strange sound it made.

Over Christmas, Isabel got in trouble for something and Amber made her go to the back to calm down. She walked down the hall screaming. Lucas put down his toy, did his little old-man shuffle down the hall, found her, and gave her a hug. It was so cute! I love to see how he's growing in empathy.

His will is also growing, and we've had to start disciplining him for biting and pulling hair. A few quick pops on his hands, and he seems to have gotten that out of his system. But he's very much testing his boundaries, seeing what he can get away with, and throwing fits when things don't go his way. We're going to have our hands full shaping his character.

Eating
He has mastered the art of using a fork and a spoon. It's kind of adorable to watch and super convenient for me to have my free hands again.

He's still a picky eater and won't touch vegetables at all. If I try to disguise them in food, he'll just eat around them. If I put them on his plate, he totally ignores them or throws them on the floor. Oh well. One day he'll like his broccoli.

Sleeping
He still fights sleep and cries when he goes down, but he'll generally sleep from about 7:45 to 6ish. Many mornings we throw books, a sippy cup and an ipod in his crib so we can keep snoozing.

His napping is sporadic at best. Most days he sleeps for about an hour. He's staging a revolt at Dusty's and will only give her about 30 mins. That boy is stubborn.

Talking
He is talking up a storm. He's learning animal sounds, and we practice them in the car all the time. So far he's mastered cow, horse, dog, cat, mouse, pig, snake, bee, and a few more I can't remember.

Favorite words:
TOUCHDOWN! (accompanied by both his hands in the air like a ref does). He does this whenever he sees a football or a cornhole board.
Ball
What's that?
This is it
Papa!


Tricks
Kisses. He's giving these adorable, open-mouthed, super sloppy kisses all the time now. They're gross, but cute too.

Disobeying, but cute while doing it

Cheese. When you ask him to cheese, he squints his little eyes and makes a fake smile.

Puzzles. He got a whole lotta puzzles for Christmas and has been working on them every day, getting better about matching and getting the pieces in the correct spots. It's awesome to watch.

How he's like his mama
Super affectionate, people-person

How he's like his daddy
Spitting-image

He is a neat freak. If there is a spill, he will get out a washcloth and wipe it up. Half his time in the bath is spent wiping down the tub. He is great at picking up after himself which is good. Two against one. Maybe I'll finally capitulate and clean up my act.