noah: 18 months

Let's start with some stats. Unfortunately, we had some scheduling mishaps and we haven't made it to Noah's 18 month appt. but we did get a quick weight when I took him in for his non-ear infection though:

Weight: 22.4 lbs. (Nana outweighs him by 4 lbs!) - 10th percentile (he was actually up to 22.8 lbs. at this appt, almost 19 months old)
Height: 32.25 in. - 50th percentile
Haircuts: at least 6!

He is such a happy little guy.

Randoms:

• When we went to the doctor about a possible ear infection, the doctor noted Noah might be suffering from allergies (I was dying this spring). After a dose of Children's Zyrtec, he was a new kid. Poor guy though, a lifetime of itchy eyes awaits...

• Noah's fine motor skills have taken off! He is getting so much better at using his utensils and I walked in to see a giant tower he had stacked out of not-so-giant blocks. Proud mama for sure!

• Oh my little boy has become such a love. He gives unsolicited hugs and snuggles and loves to give kisses (especially to his little girlfriend, Stella). While I know not everyone appreciates his open mouth slobbering signs of affection, it melts me every time! Also, he is such an incredible sharer. He is always concerned about his friends having the toys they want and will gladly give up what he is playing with to take turns. Hopefully this is not a phase and this is just his nature.

Nana even gets in on the love.

Eating. Boy oh boy, what can change in three months. At 15 months I was patting myself on the back for a boy who sits at the table and eats. These days, meals are more like drive thrus for Noah. If he is really hungry and we all sit down, he will maybe hang out for a handful of bites. The high chair is long gone as I feared for his safety based on the writhing he did. Most of the time he just stands in his seat and tests our limits with knees/belly/feet on the table.

One thing I have found is that making meals different and interesting helps. Not so much the food, but the location and utensils. Sometimes he gets to stand in his chair at the kitchen counter, sometimes we use kid forks/spoons, sometimes toothpicks, and on a really fun day, adult silverware. 

Actually, last night was a big night as he made his first ever meal request. I said, "Are you ready for dinner?" and he said, "gaga(dada), hot dog." I am not sure why Scott is associated with this particular meal, but he gobbled up the entire thing! 

Eating out is particularly adventurous with his new dining demands as well. So far, we are managing by opting for booths and letting him have a little truck watching time in a pinch. 

I haven't even touched on foods he likes/dislikes! I'll spare you! Clearly, food is a big topic around here right now. 

I love having lunch dates with this little guy.

Teeth. Eight in front, 4 molars in back. I think some more might be working on making an appearance but, luckily, they aren't coming with any mean side effects.

Sleep. One glorious nap a day. Noah is up for the day at 6:30am (I would love to make this 7am...those 30 minutes really make a difference) and takes a 2-3 hour nap around 12 or 1pm. Bedtime routine kicks off with bath at 7:30pm, then two books and bed at 8.

My snuggler after nap.

Talking.I got a bit freaked out at some point over the past couple months that he wasn't talking enough. So I started a list of all his words. Then I crumbled it up and threw it away. Noah has A LOT more words than I realized and while I might be the only one who has a clue what he is saying, he is really learning to communicate and is a sponge for new information. A few personal favorites: gross, poo poo (he notifies me every time Nana goes), papa (grandpa, he came up with it on his own), uh oh, one more. He also holds his nose whenever we get to the page with skunk on it. Not really talking, but a definite understand that skunks elicit the reaction PU! (ps-we read this book twice daily...he won't be satisfied otherwise).

Noah notifying me of "a poo poooo". He will not rest until it is cleaned up.

Activities. We are still nutty for gymnastics. Watching Noah's comfort level and ability level change has been really incredible. He is much more daring and loves activities (i.e.-the parachute) that he used to be a bit nervous about. We also began swimming. Like mother, like son?! He is a fish. We are in an amazing swimming program that uses a lot of theory and logic to teach, versus nursery rhymes and dunking. I literally leave each week on cloud 9 with his progression, love for the water, and quality of the class. 

First ride all by himself!!

We are so in love with our curious little boy. I swear each day gets more and more fun! Clearly from the amount of updating I just did, we are really proud of him and can't wait to see what the next three months, and beyond, bring (I was shocked looking back at his 15 month post how much had changed!).