Joseph - 18 Months

Our sweet Joseph has reached another big milestone - he is officially a year and a half old (18 months)!

He had his 18 month check up last week with the doctor. He got a great check up and he seems to be right on track for all the developmental milestones.  He weighed 27lbs, 10oz (75%) and is now 32.5" tall (75%).  His head still stays in the 90-95% as it has his whole life.  :P   But like I told the doctor, at least the rest of his body is catching up - haha!   He only had to get a flu shot at his appointment, so we were both glad for that!  He is officially down to one nap a day.  I am still trying to figure out the best time for his nap, but I aim for 1pm and he normally sleeps for anywhere from 1 1/2 -  2 1/2 hours.  He is now in size 5 diapers, 18-24 month shirts, and 12-18 month shorts/pants.

Over the past few months, Joseph's personality has really started to develop and shine.  He is very particular about where things go and instantly notices when he gets up in the morning if something is out of place in the living room or kitchen and isn't happy until it gets moved back.  He also is very attentive and notices any new decorations we may put up after he has gone to bed.  I never would imagine someone so little would notice such little details.   He is also particular about where his toys go and is really good about returning things to exactly where he got them.   And now that he is getting taller, he has learned to stand on his tippy toes and pull a door closed by grabbing the door knob.  Every once in a while if I am doing something in a room, he'll be playing in the closet. I'll hear the door close (with the light off) and I hear "Mama! Mama!" so I go to the rescue!   He is all smiles when I open the door though.  :)

He has also really started trying to say new words.  Most of them start with a "b" but he is consistent at least to where I can typically understand most of his little words.  I am working on my communication with him because at times he can get really frustrated...like most toddlers this age.  So I found that if I can make a point to acknowledge that I know what he is wanting and tell him why we can't have that, then sometimes it helps him move on.   Every little bit helps!     But, he is a really good sweet baby and he still makes us laugh each and every day.  Here are a list of some of his words:

     giggle = water or any device that puts out water (water faucet, water hoses, fountains, etc)

     lolor = color (his new favorite activity)

     eese = cheese

     baba = sheep (since they say "baaa")

     bah = dog

     ba = ball
     buh-buh = bubbles

     mmmm = moo
     ooo = (owl sound)
     nana = banana
     nanra = his little friend Alexandra  :)

He has several others but I can't figure out how to spell them because they are basically all a version of "bah" or "baba" but they mean different things based off how he pronounces it.  :)  

He still loves to wrestle and play chase with Michael every night after dinner.  Half the time he tries to initiate it which is really cute.    He loves Mickey Mouse Clubhouse now and Doc McStuffins that come on the Disney Channel.   I try to not let him watch too much but it is helpful for when I'm making dinner or getting ready in the morning.  He's even started laughing out loud at some of the characters on the show!

Joseph absolutely loves to play outside!  I have been trying to find some new toys for him to play with out there since it's finally getting a little less hot (minus this week) to where we can go spend more time outside.   He also loves our playdates with his little friends that we do each week. It's so much fun now that they are more aware of each other and they play together more now.   They even give each other hugs when they say goodbye - too sweet!        

We are getting his 18 month pics taken next week (which should be an interesting experience given how busy he is) so I'll try to post those when we get them!  In the meantime, here are some pics of what our little guy has been up to the past few months since his last update!

Enjoying playtime with Daddy.  And yes, this is Michael in the air jumping over Joseph while Joseph runs through his legs!

Wrestling with Daddy

He thought it was so funny to sit on Michael's head!

Silly boys!

Fun time after breakfast - he kept sitting in the kitchen cabinets and was trying to close the doors on himself

This was one day when he decided all his toys should go on the couch next to him and he made multiple trips to put them all in the right place.

His new fun game is to throw all his balls into the tile hallway and watch them bounce and roll.  Makes for quite the mess but he loves it!

He loves to play with his building blocks.  Note, he does have a diaper on you just can't see it well. I had taken his jammies off because he had food all over them.

Joseph's eyes have really been turning darker lately and are pretty much brown now - just like Mommy!!

One day after I bought a jumbo pack of paper towels...he decided they needed to all go in Daddy's lap.

Having a turn to brush his own teeth

Love this sweet smiley picture! He thought it was so funny he could see me in the reflection of the mirror.

 

In this pic, I told him to give Joseph a kiss in the mirror.  Pucker up!  :)

 

This picture makes me laugh every time. Another funny thing Joseph does now is once we strip him down before his bath, he has to run around and play hard to get before his bath.  This time he was going to try to go do a little last minute cleaning! 

 

And now for our Kermie growth pics.  This was definitely the most challenging session yet!  I told Joseph yesterday to grab Kermie and let's go take pictures. He grabbed Bunny instead.  So then he went back to get Kermie but insisted that both animals be in the chair with him for the pictures.  Then once he got in the glider, he HAD to have a book to look at.   You see, the only time we sit in the glider is when we read books both before his nap and before his bed time at night.   So it was neat to me to see how much he associated that chair with reading books.  I didn't get the best shots, but it was fun to get some of him with his books.

Getting Kermie and Bunny all set in the chair.

With his buddies in the chair while looking at his favorite book "Counting Kisses"

I finally got Bunny out of the chair but then he got more books!

So we tried again today...

Finally got some of him somewhat smiling.  Only because I grabbed his book from him and was holding it over my head.  :)

His little smiles now definitely show his little mouth full of teeth!

Cozy with Kermie

Love my little guy!