18 Months Old

Luke turned 18 months old last Sunday, March 16. I have not been good about keeping a baby book for him, so this blog is pretty much the only way I've been keeping track of milestones and different things he is doing. I really wanted to be one of those moms that kept great records and anecdotes but that's just not me. I come by it honestly--my Mom is the same way.

So, this post is as much for me as it is for everyone else. This is what is going on with Luke at 18 months old:

1. He says at least 50 words. The doctor asked how many words he says and when I said, "Probably about 50," he seemed a little surprised. So I came home and have been jotting down words he says and I have written down 50 and I know there are even more I am forgetting.
2. One of my favorite things he says is "comfy." When he crawls up on the couch or sits in the little chair in his room, he'll say "omfy?" in a questioning voice. I think he says it like that because whenever he would sit in his little chair, Mark and I would say, "Comfy?" So now he says it like that too.
3. Another favorite thing he says is "cool." When I put sunglasses on him or he puts them on someone else, he'll say "cool." It's pretty cute.
4. And my last favorite thing he says is "vroom vroom." That's what he calls the vaccuum and the dustbuster. He'll point to the dustbuster and say, "vroomvroom."
   
5. He is really good at finishing books for us. We read the words on the page and usually pause and let him say the last word on the page. It amazes me sometimes when he remembers words like "Eleanor." (like in Leonardo the Terrible Monster).
6. One of my favorite things he does is that he will yell out words when he is crying. Like when he falls down, he'll start crying and just say "Auna" (Shauna) or "Round Round" (that's what he calls the ceiling fan.) He'll just say several random words until he calms down.
   
7. He still only has 8 teeth. He has had these 8 teeth for a while now. He is getting at least one molar but it is taking forever to come in.
8. He still LOVES to be outside. He likes to explore the backyard and find rocks to put down the slide.
9. He loves to play in any car he can get into. He crawls all over the car and he is starting to fight us when we try to put him in his carseat. He arches his back. He just wants to explore the car. He pushes every button he can find and honks the horn.
10. He is being a REALLY picky eater. He has stopped liking bananas, which used to be a favorite food. I can almost always get him to eat chicken nuggets--but a child can't live on chicken nuggets. He still loves milk. It just changes from day to day. One day he likes yogurt, the next day he doesn't. He seems to like pizza. He'll still eat a few fruits and green beans on occasion. Of course he'll always eat goldfish and fruit snacks. But I really want to feed him a healthy diet and start good habits. I'm not going to give up and give in and start feeding him junk all the time--but it sure is frustrating.
    
11. He is in the 50th percentile for height and weight now. He was in the 75th for a long time but his growth is slowing down. I was worried this was bad since he doesn't eat that much, but the doctor assured me that it is normal.

Those are the main things I can think of right now. He is so much fun and I love him more than words could ever express. I can't believe he is growing up so fast but I love each new stage in his life.