18 Months

Toddler Fashion - bubbles on the head, toothbrush in the mouth, belt with no pants, and one too-small ducky sandal...while mowing the floor. Oh, Alex, how you keep us laughing!

It's time for another long, boring Alex update. Once again, I scattered pictures throughout to keep it a little more interesting. How did our baby boy get to be 18 months old? Wow.

He's going to be a big brother in the next 7 - 9 weeks, too...I hope Alex is ready for the changes coming to his little world!

New Words:
Pool - learned this word in Myrtle Beach, and asks for it often
Gone - "gaw", when something is all gone
GieGie - like the second half of Maggie, he's now calling his "puppa" by name
Apple - "popple"
Moo - "boooooo" (Cows say Boo in Alex's world)
Balloon - not new, but he used to say "oon"...now he says "Bah-boon"
"Go, Puppa, Go!" - not new words, but a new phrase that we hear often when Maggie is running around in the yard
"Uh-oh" now comes out correctly
"Oh-nooooo" - I love how he drags out the "noooo" so it sounds like "new".
"Gahr-gahr" - garbage (which he loves to throw away for me)
"meow" - like a cat; he prounounces it just the way that his busy box toy makes the noise
Egg - he kind of says it backwards - "gee" (like the 'g' sound in "go")


New Signs:
Daddy
cracker
shoe

New Foods:
apples
fruit leather
popsicle (at my friend's house)
M&Ms (definitely in moderation!!)
Skittles (thanks, Bunco ;)

Alex at 18 Months...

• totally fascinated with cars and trucks...anything with wheels (luggage carts, wagons, whatever...) is a "Kuh" or "Kah". He likes when Keith watches Nascar races on TV. In this picture, Alex is driving his own race car. The kid has an imagination, that's for sure! ;)
  
  
  
• cute little curly hair on the back of his head, although Mama is often tempted to cut it off


• we're slowly switching him over to one afternoon nap. Somedays it works well, and he'll take a 2 - 2.5 hour afternoon nap; other days, he's taking one short afternoon nap and he's cranky by bedtime.


• loves to wave at people in stores, parking lots, stroller rides, etc. He is THRILLED when someone waves or smiles in return.


• points at food in the store and tells me, "mmmm" if he recognizes it and it looks good to him. He LOVES to grocery shop with me! I enjoy him because he keeps me entertained while I shop.


• knocks on the window and waves to birdies or kitties in our yard


• when he wants something opened, he says "pop!" He'll go to the front door, knock on it, and say "pop" when he wants to play in the front yard. He'll hand you a plastic box and ask you to "pop" (open) it for him. How he came up with that, I don't know...perhaps the noise of something opening sounds like a "pop" to him?


• gives Maggie a good night "kiss" every night before bed


• willingly goes to bed for naps & bedtime


• gets excited when we go to CVS (THAT'S my boy!) He even has a favorite CVS employee. I happen to agree with him on his choice.


• likes to take the empty watering can & pretend to water plants. He now has his own little watering can & "waters" while Mama does the same with her can


• not as interested in bananas as he used to be, but still LOVES all fruit...especially into strawberries and apples right now...he clapped and cheered when I showed him an apple a few days ago


• still loves any cooked vegetable we give him, and he's enjoying raw red pepper cut into chunks. He's getting a little bored with cucumber slices, which used to be a big treat.
  
• Alex loves to eat! Our scrawny little guy can down an awful lot of food for his size. He ate an entire pork chop the other night, along with about 1/4 cup of mixed veggies and 1/4 cup of scalloped potatoes. He must burn an awful lot of calories every day to stay so little!

Don't you usually eat breakfast while wearing a glow-in-the-dark necklace and holding a helium balloon?

• Has his own (extremely) little pool. I was so hesitant to buy him a pool, even though I know he'd enjoy it. I also know how fearless he is, and just couldn't bring myself to buy something, fill it with water, and keep it just outside our back door. Alex can open the screen door independently...and you all know it only takes seconds for a toddler to find mischief. I wasn't about to pay $22 for the cute little sprinkler pool that I really wanted to get him... so when I saw this for $3 at Meijer, I knew it was the right choice. It only holds about 4 inches of water, so I don't feel too wasteful dumping it after each use. Alex LOVES it!




• brings me books to read throughout the day (Currently, he loves I Wanted To Know All About God, Gallop, Click Clack Moo, Harry The Dirty Dog, Green Eggs and Ham, and a few more...but those are his most-requested books. If I ask him to choose some books before his nap, he will usually choose (and listen to) three books.



• loves to wave bye-bye to Daddy's car if he's awake when Daddy leaves for work


• is totally taken with his Dada...definitely one of his favorite people right now! He "shaves" like Dada, wants to do what Keith is doing, loves to roughhouse or chase Dada through the house, and they have their own unique chase/hide and seek game that gets played quite often. Keith can get giggles out of Alex that I've never heard before, and I think that's pretty special!



• wakes up calling "Buuuuup???" from his crib
  
• doing much better with church nursery lately. If I give him just long enough to find a toy he likes, I can say bye-bye and walk away without too much fuss. He will be moving to the toddler nursery very soon, so we'll see how he does in a new room with new toys, new workers, new kids. I think it will be fine, but we'll find out.
  
• calls everything that Keith uses a "Dada"...the same thing he calls his daddy. The shed is a "dada". The tractor is a "dada". Keith's shoes are "dadas". Apparently, it's a very multi-purpose word. I was a little offended (but not really...) when Alex called the washer and dryer a "dada" the other day. Just who does the laundry around this place, kiddo? Ha ha!

Alex's first time riding the tractor with Keith.
Until now, Alex has been fascinated with the tractor, but too scared to come close to it when it's running. He also LOVES to sit on the tractors at hardware stores & pretend to drive.

• still requesting "Baby Baby" DVD, but starting to really like his Little People "Discovering Things That Go" DVD. This is pretty much all the TV he gets, other than the occasional after-dinner episode of Wheel of Fortune with Dada.


• has a short list of YouTube videos that he loves: Elephant Song, ABC (Super Simple Songs), 5 Little Monkeys (Super Simple Songs) are his 3 favorites.


• calls all 4-legged animals "Puppa", even if he can point to the animal by its correct name when asked "Where's the ___?"


• climbing & standing on all different toys/tables/etc. You saw the video of him climbing his slide and standing on the top. He can get up on couches, chairs, and toilets independently. He climbed the stereo speaker to get up on top of the TV console the other day, too. (We're in trouble now!)



• Follows basic directions. (We're loving this!) He will throw things in the trash for us, close the refrigerator door, bring his clothes to the hamper after his bath each night (without being told, too!!), puts clean/folded laundry on my bed when asked, bring us things ("Go get Mama's shoes"), sets his cup back on the table when he's not drinking it (only when asked), and is starting to understand when I ask him to help pick up his toys. At this point, he enjoys being obedient and helpful; let's see how long that lasts! :)
  
• loves bubbles...dish soap bubbles in the sink, a bit of dish soap and an inch of water in a plastic shoebox, playing with bubbles outside..."BUBBAHS!!!" Uncle Kevin & Aunt Leanne found this bubble toy at Walmart, and Alex is very excited to make his own bubbles.




• we've never met a kid so interested in all things technological. He is totally fascinated by cords, wires, remotes, cell phones, electronics, etc. Keith took apart a broken amplifier from church the other day, and Alex insisted on being part of the process. He went at the amp with a screwdriver (after Keith determined it was not easily fixable & would need to be replaced...) and was so proud of himself.
  




• Alex found an old computer mouse, and he drags it all around the house like a pet on a leash. (Since it has a cord, he can only use this when we're around...)


• We don't have a perfect child, in case I've in any way given that impression. Alex has definitely developed a mind of his own. He now tells me "no-no" if he doesn't want to do something. He will pitch a fit if he doesn't want his diaper changed. He sometimes throws himself face-down on the floor or buries his face in the couch when he is scolded, and he cries "no-no-no-no". When one of us punishes him, he runs crying to the other parent for comfort...which doesn't work, in case you're wondering ;)


• His biggest 'naughty' things (and he knows these are "no touch", yet does it anyway) are: dumping the dog's water dish, getting Mama's hairdryer out, playing in the recycle bin, and going through our nightstand drawers or bathroom drawers. It's not like he does anything terrible, but he is deliberately disobedient. He's also discovered how to open the oven door, yikes! Punishment is usually a warning, (if he keeps at it) a spanking on the hand, and (if he won't quit) 5 minutes in his crib. I also have him help me mop up the dog's water, return things to the drawer, etc.
  
• Alex also tells US when he's done something wrong. If he deliberately does something naughty and I don't see it, he'll stand there and say "Noooo Noooo, Noooo Noooo" until I pay attention and correct his behavior. (How long does THIS last? Ha ha!)


• He loves to give kisses (open-mouthed lately...what happened to those cute, puckered lips, buddy?) and hugs. He comes running across the room to jump in my arms and lay on my shoulder for a brief moment. He takes joy in being with the special people in his life. Even if he's been naughty, we love Alex to pieces & we'll keep him...just the way he is! He is a BLESSING! :)

This is how you know it's been a good, fun summer day...poor kid couldn't even keep awake in his high chair! (You'll see he managed to finish his snack before dozing off, though...why miss out on good food?)