18 Months and 25 Weeks

These little piggies are 18 months old.. Well, they're at least as close to 18 months old as they'll ever be since my poor, deprived toddler has no real 18 month birthday thanks to February's utter lack of a 30th.

At 18 months he runs, he jumps, he sits to read, he spins any ball he can find, he kicks, he throws, he climbs, he snuggles, he kisses and hugs, he 'helps', he splashes, he (sort of) listens, and so much more. He has a wonderful repertoire of words he uses that seems to be ever-growing. Things like 'nown' for 'down', ball, apple, mouse, hot, all done, water, juice, milk, banana, and on and on. I haven't kept count of his words or anything, but he babbles all day long and is quite the little mimic :) He also does a mean car sound, and his sandwiches often turn into cars during lunchtime.

18 Months has brought with it new challenges for Mama and Daddy, as we work to guide him to understand things like consequences.. Turns out it's hard to discipline someone who has a very limited vocabulary to communicate with, and it's equally frustrating for him as a lot of his acting out comes from that hindrance.

But mostly, I am loving this age. It is amazing to watch as he enthusiastically explores and discovers, to see the joy in his face when he is entertained or being silly. I love his toothy grin. The curls that still adorn his head make my heart sing, and I'll never get enough of his chubby legs. He is passionate for his books and loves being outside. He is fascinated by water and will never miss an opportunity to splash in a puddle, wherever it may be.

These are good days. Some days I have to remind myself of that frequently, but no one ever said kids were predictable.

Aed's little brother is growing away as well! Yesterday marked 25 weeks, and I had every intention of giving you a picture of my lovely huge belly. But.. you know. Things happen, and the picture never did. We'll get one eventually, but until then you can just imagine me with a ball under my shirt and that will be pretty accurate. :) I am still 'keeping well' and can really only claim to be tired most of the time. Baby #2 is a squirmy little worm and is starting to make it hard to put my shoes on.. Fortunately they just velcro, so I only have to hold my breath for a few seconds :)

I have some fun pictures of a beach visit coming up! We can't WAIT for the warmer weather around these parts! Turns out I'm not the only one that loves visiting the beach :)