18 month stats

Height: 30.5" (3rd percentile)
Weight: 21lb 8oz (14th percentile)
Head: 47cm (37th percentile)

And for the first time possibly ever, no ear infections!

Basically everything he's doing is right on track, we just should keep challenging him with new things to help him develop skills. Pretty boring but yay!

18 Months Old!

The difference one year makes: 6mo. vs. 18mo.

His actual 18-month check-up appointment isn't until this coming Thursday, so I don't have his measurements yet. He's got all kinds of skills and fun things he's doing now, though!

Skills:

• Helping to feed the cats - he will pick up their bowl, walk over to the food bucket and grab the scoop, scoop the food (with some help), and pour it into the bowl (his aim needs work).
• Anything with wheels is a "car" - he'll point to trucks, busses, wheelbarrows, tractors - everything is "caaaarrrrrrr!" He's got the car "bbrrrrrrrrmmm" noise down pretty well, too.
• Eating with utensils - he loves using his spoon and fork at meals, and he's getting better at it. In the morning, he gets is own little bowl of cottage cheese + fruit to eat with Scott before work. At dinner, he'll use is fork to stab food (sometimes successful, sometimes needs assistance) and will readily eat it off the fork. 
• Stacking blocks - he can get a tower of 2-3 blocks tall before it gets unsteady and he knocks it over (laughing)
• Climbing off the couch by himself - he's pretty careful and good about easing himself off backwards until his feet touch the ground. He's also fearless and has tried this off of our bed (it's about 4' high). Clearly, supervision is still required.
• Waves to everybody/everything, and blows kisses (if he's in the mood). He'll also give big sloppy open-mouth kisses to me at bedtime. 

Words he can say/recognize the object:

- car

- doggie

- Daddy (or Dada)

- Mama

- ball

- tractor

- diaper

- cookie

Also says "thank you" (usually needs prompting, but sometimes says it after you hand him something), and still uses the signs for "more" and "all done".

Playing peek-a-boo with his tupperware bowl

He also loves reading books - lately he carries a book everywhere and begs for us to read to him. The other morning I was trying to get us out the door for a run, and he kept coming and sitting in my lap, wanting to read a book. How could I refuse??

We ended up having a lovely run, too!

His eating habits are still pretty great, and consistent. He seems willing and open to new foods, though he definitely has his favorites (loves fruits - bananas, pears, and blueberries are current faves). He's solid on breakfast, lunch, afternoon snack, and dinner. On weekdays he still gets a pre-breakfast snack of cheerios and Oat Squares (and some of Scott's breakfast) to help him last until daycare breakfast at 8.

He often begs for some of our food... this is the face of tasting salt & vinegar potato chips
(which he requested/ate more of after this photo!)

Sleeping is also still blessedly good and consistent. Weekdays are typically 7:30ish bedtime with 6am wake-up, and he's typically awake and happy around 6. Occasionally we have to wake him up, but the Poop Alarm usually goes off about then so it works out. On weekends we keep him up a little bit later (8/8:30pm) and he has learned how to "sleep in". He'll still wake up around 6/6:30am but he'll sing to himself and then fall back asleep. Lately he's been happy in his crib until close to 7:30/8am! 

Naps are pretty good too - typically 2 hours at daycare, and 3+ hours on weekends if we're good about getting him into the crib. Sometimes if we're out and about, he'll nap on and off in the car or in the bike trailer/stroller, so that can throw things off, but he's still usually good for a few hours' nap after lunch. He doesn't usually fall immediately asleep, but we'll put him in the crib and he'll roll around and sing/talk to himself for 20-30 mins before drifting off. I can't stress enough how wonderful this is! I know it's easy to say now, but this makes all the struggles in the early days well worth it. 

Speaking of early days... I was cleaning out some files and found these:

NICU bed nametag

NICU pumping log

Seems so long ago! And now we have a 1.5-year-old.

Finally Fall!

After a busy and warm couple of weeks, it's finally starting to feel like fall outside. Scott and I have both had business trips recently so it's been a bit of a whirlwind. Here's some highlights...

Halloween
Dargan was a cute little dinosaur, and neighbor Aria was an adorable purple octopus!
 

 
 

At one point during the evening when nobody was looking, Dargan climbed into the cooler full of ice and started dancing around and laughing!

Playing Outside
Dargan has loved playing outside, especially going down slides at the playground. Dargan and Scott take bike rides up to the local park and stop for a little playtime before heading home - it's a fun weekend routine! And now with the time change, there won't be anymore evening walks. :(

Furman Homecoming
This past weekend was Homecoming weekend at Furman. Scott, Dargan, and I went to the carnival on the mall Friday night and Dargan of course won the hearts of all the college girls. He even made friends with some frat guys! He had a fun time in the bouncy house, watched the marching band, and we got a photo with Sir Paladin.

 

Other Fun

Smart guy and his shape sorter - he got a triangle and a circle in the right place!

School pictures didn't turn out so great this year. 

He likes watching the neighbor's yard guy through the window.

"Reading" (everything is a "car").

Playing with Aria

Selfie camera!

Funny faces on Sunday morning

We got all fancy and went to church! He did such a great job in the nursery and behaved in "big church" when I brought him back for Communion. So happy :)