18 Months Old

Weight: 26.9 lbs - 60%
Height: 33.5 inches - 83%

Head Circumference: 49 cm - 82%

It's amazing how much difference just a few short months can make in the development of a child. While it can be sad to see them grow up, it is exciting to see him learning and to see him so curious about everything.

Here is what Will has been up to lately:

He is getting better at feeding himself with a spoon. He insists on feeding himself cereal in the morning. I try to be patient and let him do it, even though a good portion ends up on the floor or anywhere but his mouth.

Some of his new favorite words: wa-dee (water), mmm...or mere (more), dodjee (doggie), owie,  ba (ball), sheese (shoes), and AHT! (hot) And he can't simply say "hot", he screams it as loud as possible. But at least it gets him to stay away from whatever it is.

When we go to the park, his favorite thing is the swing. He would swing for hours if I had the patience to push him that long. I let him swing for a while, then let him go down the slides.

If something is aht (hot), he will scream aht, then blow on whatever it is. Sometimes he will randomly scream it then start blowing, even though there is nothing around.

His favorite thing to eat is cereal. I think he would happily eat it every single meal if I let him. A close second is pancakes. He will eat more pancakes than I will.

We ended up rearranging our house a little bit and switched two of the bedrooms. Our old office is now the kids room, and his room is now the office. The other room was a bit bigger and we needed to extra space to add a toddler bed. Lance thought Will would be sleeping in the toddler bed from then on, so he put the crib at the highest setting. So we tried letting Will sleep in the toddler bed. We put him to bed and went to watch a show. All was quiet and we assumed he had fallen asleep. About 45 min after we put him down, he came walking into the living room carrying all of his blankets. So he ended up in the crib.

 
The next day when I put him down for his nap, I was on the computer when suddenly he came walking in. Because the crib was still on high setting, he had climbed over the rail, onto the rocking chair, and was able to get out.

Will loves anything chocolate. He especially loves chocolate chips, kit kats, and ice cream. Wonder who he got that from...

Will has a recent obsession with airplanes. Whenever he hears an airplane/helicopter, whether we are inside or outside, he will immediately stop what he is doing and start screaming and pointing. If we are inside, he will run to the window to look out. If we are outside, he will stare at the plane until he can't see it anymore. He also yells at it as loud as he possibly can the entire time. It sounds like he is yelling..."TOUP""..?? Maybe he is trying to say "up", I haven't been able to figure it out.

This is his screaming at an airplane.

Will really likes helping around the house. If I am cleaning, he always likes to help. If there is a spill, he will wipe it up if given a rag. He also likes to sweep, mop, and his speciality is throwing things away. He's even getting really good about only throwing garbage away.

He also really likes help mowing the lawn. He will help push for the entire yard.

He loves singing songs and is learning the hand motions to go along.

Will loves to play with the blinds and open and close them. He does it as fast as he can and it always cracks me up (except when I'm afraid the blinds are going to break).

He loves to do little mundane/repetitive tasks. I bought a bunch of small balls and let him play with a muffin pan. He will put the balls into the muffin holes, then take them out. Repeat.

Will also really likes to stack blocks.Actually, it would probably be more accurate to say he likes to watch us stack them, then he knocks down our tower when we're midway through it.

When we go on walks, Will prefers to walk with us instead of ride in the stroller.

While on said walks, Will has some really funny quirks. Often times, we will just be walking along, and suddenly he'll start doing little circles. He'll do a few, then continue on the walk. It's pretty random though.

Will loves to see dogs and he gets excited around them, but he doesn't particularly like when they get in his face or push him around.

Will has a bad habit of hitting me in the head. When he does this, I usually get a sad face and say "owie". His way of saying sorry is to softly rub his hand under my chin, while muttering something in a sweet voice. I really need to get it on video because it's so cute, but hard to describe.

He prefers to drink out of a normal cup or use a water bottle. But I still make him make him use sippy cups as much as possible since he ends up spilling most of the time.

Will was a hobbit for Halloween.

He goes through phases where he likes to take off his clothes.

Will likes bath time, but HATES lying down in the water. To get shampoo out of his hair, I either pour water over his head or lay him down and wash it. He HATES both of these, but especially lying down. It seriously traumatizes him, and I can't figure out why he hates it so bad.

He knows where his eyes, nose, and ears are and can point to them and say them. But you have to be careful because he usually ends up poking your eyes out.

Will has this extremely high pitched squeal that he often lets loose for no reason but to drive me nuts. I call it his pterodactyl screech.

He loves going for short rides in the car and sometimes screams when I take him out. He would also play in the car if I would let him. He especially likes to sit in the driver seat and pretend to drive.

He loves baby swings. If he ever sees one, the first thing he will go is run and sit in it.

Will really likes to say prayers. If I tell him its time to pray, he will close his eyes and fold his arms. But if we are at the dinner table, he will often sneak bites during the prayer. He keeps his eyes mostly closed, but grabs bites of food. There have been many times before a meal that I have forgotten to pray and half way through the meal he suddenly fold his arms. He's really good at reminding me when I forget.

Lately, Will has been more attached to his blankets. He has two in particular that he carries everywhere. If he ever gets upset and starts crying, he'll run and grab his blanket.

Will has also recently become a fan of Ring-Around-the-Rosies. And he doesn't even need someone to play with him. The second I start singing, he will twirl in circles...though he usually falls over a few times before the end.

Although there are moments when he can be extremely difficult, Will is a great kid. The biggest thing for me was learning to let him be a toddler. The house will be a disaster. Toys will be scattered everywhere. He will scream places he probably shouldn't. But he is learning and he is happy. And we sure love him.