18 (uhhh...19) months!!

I can't believe Bubs is already 18 (uhhh...almost 19) months! He was just a few days over one year when we moved in our new house, and we've been so busy getting settled that it feels like I've missed the last 6 months watching him change and grow! He's starting to act more like a little boy now instead of a baby. He is walking up and down the stairs almost all by himself now (he can walk up all by himself, but he's a little more cautious about going down the stairs...he likes to hold Mama's hand when he goes downstairs...probably has something to do w/ bad memories of falling down the basement stairs when the Bean tried to "help" him walk down the stairs). Gone are the days of the highchair or booster seat. He'll have none of it. Only a big boy chair for Bubs. He is still the better eater of the two, usually out-eating the Bean. Although sometimes he stuffs his mouth so full that he can't finish chewing it all. Eventually he'll get tired of chewing and just spit it out and start over on another bite. He'll do this whether you cut something up or not. :) He is saying several words pretty clearly now...Mama, Dada, Na-na (what he calls the Bean), ball, up, no-no, tar (car), woof-woof, and bye-bye. He will attempt a few other words and names, but they are not very recognizable. He is super busy and from the time he wakes up until the time he goes to bed, he is running around everywhere and into everything. You literally have to watch him all the time, or calamity will occur. (Maybe that's a boy thing? The Bean has always played so quietly by herself.) He has swished his hands and various items in toilet water many times, knocked over many drinks/food, climbed up on tables, counters, and anywhere else he can reach, played with Vaseline, DVD's, Mama's jewelry, and miscellaneous and sundry other no-no things, and broken one of our kitchen drawers and one of my closet shelves. He is very stubborn and does not mind getting spankings. He'd much rather sneak around and try to get away with something and just risk getting a spanking. And he's tough as nails. He rarely cries when he falls down. He'll wrestle with Daddy and tackle Daddy and loves it. But he's also so loving and affectionate. He freely gives kisses and hugs (even to random people...the nursery workers at church have told me he's quite affectionate toward the other kids in his nursery room sometimes).

He dropped his morning nap around 14 or 15 months, so we're down to one nap, which is a nice schedule to have. He loves being outside and does not like being corralled, whether it's a stroller, shopping cart, or highchair. He wants to be wild and free (just like his hair, incidentally). He has really gotten into books in the last couple of months, and he is always bringing books to me and plopping down on my lap, which is really fun, and about the only time he's still unless he's sleeping. :) His favorite toys are still anything with wheels. He's starting to be a little helper sometimes, cleaning up some of his messes and taking things to the trash for Mommy. He has 8 teeth in the front now (4 top and 4 bottom) and his 4 one-year molars. And he weathers the whole teething thing like a champ. I never know he's getting a new tooth until I can see it or feel it. He loves his Da-da. He gets so excited when Daddy comes home. As soon as he hears the garage door open, his face will light up and he'll say "Da-da!" and run as fast as he can toward the basement. And he loves his sister too. If he's up, then he thinks "Na-na" should be up too. The first thing he does in the morning is run to her room. (This is unfortunate since he always wakes up first.)

It will be exciting to see what kind of man Bubs becomes. We pray that the Lord will grab hold of his heart at an early age, and that the Lord will use Bubs' tenacity and passion for His glory. We love you, Baby Bubs!