At 18 months...
Growth stats-Gray weighs approximately 25 pounds-57th%tile. Y'all-he wouldn't sit still on the scale so they made me weigh myself and then weigh while holding him. Thankfully I'm not super pregnant yet because it was already a little embarrassing.
Anywho, he was about 33.5 inches long, but the nurse said she thought he was maybe even a little taller (he wouldn't stay perfectly stretched out and kept rolling over to get back up), which puts him in the 85th %tile.
His head measurement is 19 inches-88th %tile.
He has busted out of his 18 month pajamas and even some regular 18 month clothes. He is so tall that a lot of his shirts look like he's rocking the three-quarter length style and some of his jeans look like capri pants. He is wearing size 5 shoes, size 4 regular diapers and size 5 overnights.
Milestones/Firsts/Accomplishments-He is working on some two year molars and they are giving him such a hard time. After these though, he'll be all done in the teeth department. Praise the Lord!! And then in about a year we'll get to start all the way over with teething ;) Dr. Bill said he could see them right under his gums today and expected they would be breaking through the skin anytime now.
It's so hard to think about "firsts" with Gray because he does or says something new every day. But one first/accomplishment that I can't forget to mention is that Gray now poops on command. Several weeks ago we'd been out and about all day and realized as we were about to put Gray in the bath that he hadn't pooped all day. He typically does this at home when he has a little privacy. We knew it could mean he'd be up either during the night or very early in the morning with a dirty diaper so Paul started saying, "Can you go poo poo buddy?" Sure enough, he went behind the washer and dryer doors and did his thing. It's hilarious how proud Daddy was and still is of this. Almost always if it's about to be nap time or bed time and we know he's due for a number two, we'll ask him to go and he will. We certainly aren't ready to start talking potty training yet, but if things stay as they are, he is showing signs of being ready to train earlier than most boys (I'll try not to get my hopes up for this one).
Language/Learning Development-A lot of Gray's expressive language still sounds like he's speaking his own language a majority of the time. He is saying new words a lot though and will almost always repeat things we say or ask him to say. His favorite things to say are "uh-oh" and "hey", which he says to us about 100 times a day (but it's sooooo cute!). He understands so much and I continue to be blown away at the receptive language skills that he has (I realize that I've said this for probably the last 5 posts, but it really does amaze me). He knows all of his body parts and loves to identify them on himself or someone else. His favorite these days is his belly button but also loves to find other people's too (not awkward at all). He is starting to clean up his toys and also has two chores around the house-he feeds Sophie and put dirty clothes in the hamper. He just randomly picked up some dirty clothes that were on the floor (I won't mention whose they belong too ;) and took them to the dirty clothes basket one day and was so proud of himself so now I let him take his dirty clothes to his basket. He's recently noticed the moon and loves to point this out because he sees it in so many of his books. He also notices airplanes and helicopters now and loves to imitate their noises.
We've been talking about the new baby to Gray and he certainly doesn't have a clue as to what's really going on or how his life will change in June, but when we ask him where the baby is he now runs to my belly and pulls my shirt up. The baby can only be found bare belly, apparently. This is not fun when we're out and he hears anything about the baby. A couple of weeks ago he decided to give the baby a kiss. You can imagine our response, in which he completely ate up and now he kisses the baby all the time. It is so sweet!
Eating habits-I am so happy to report that things are getting much better here. He decided he likes raw carrots and cucumbers, sometimes tomatoes, sometimes broccoli and if he's really hungry he will eat an assortment of cooked veggies. He is a great eater in that he is interested in eating often and eats a good amount when he does eat. We'll keep working on getting healthier things and a wider variety in his diet because for several reasons we don't want a picky eater. I read in a Christian book on parenting recently that picky eaters simply fall on the parents. The author also said he felt it was hypocritical for us to teach our children to bless the food and thank God for it, and then allow them to throw it on the floor or refuse it. I'm all about picking battles wisely, but it sure made me think about wanting to try to change how we parent Gray when it comes to eating.
Sleeping habits-Gray goes to bed between 7:00 and 8:00. No matter how tired he is or even if we're certain he isn't overly tired, he parties in his crib for anywhere from 30 minutes to an hour and a half! He has been sleeping later some mornings but rarely gets a whole 12 hours anymore. We still crack up watching and listening to him on the monitor at night. He still sleeps with nothing in his crib-not one single lovey, blanket, book or stuffed animal because when we've tried putting them in there, the party goes on for hours. We are thrilled that he is so happy in his crib and most nights we just let him play. Every now and then if it's getting really late one of us usually goes in and settles him down.
He's been going down around 1:00 for his nap and rarely plays much at all at that time. He sleeps anywhere from an hour to three hours, but an hour and a half seems to be the norm.
Personality-I've mentioned before about what a strong willed child we have. But at the same time, he is one of the sweetest, most affectionate children that I have ever been around. He initiates hugs and kisses all the time and even kisses animals and characters in his books too. He is almost always very friendly when we're out and about-waving to everyone and saying "hey" and "bye". When he does something he knows he's not supposed to, he has started telling himself "no!", which is hilarious. He hates it when we're mad at him and if he goes to time-out (still rare for the time being) he can't wait to hug and kiss us when it's over. He is actually a very good listener and is obedient most of the time. He no doubt tests us, like any toddler does but so far we've been thrilled with how well he listens...thank you LORD for this and may it please continue!
Gray is tough as nails. He'll hit his head and have a goose egg immediately and doesn't bother to stop and cry for a second about it. It seems like he has a new bump or bruise every day. Rarely are the injuries when we didn't have a close eye on him but we don't feel it's in his best interest to stand over him or be extra cautious. He's a boy and we want him to act like one, and he certainly does! He is completely fearless and will climb and try new things by himself all the time. Timid and careful he is not. At some point a healthy level of fear needs to be established, but for now we'll let him be.
Favorite toys/Interests/Activities-Tractors, trucks, school buses, anything of the sort! He still loves cleaning supplies and if the vacuum is out, you'd think it was Christmas. This morning I was sweeping the kitchen and he stopped what he was doing to "help" me. He also enjoys helping with the laundry. And by helping I mean this...
Sophie has actually been playing with Gray more these days and he LOVES it! He teases her with her ball, chases her, tries to kiss her and she licks his face and ears and he laughs hysterically. It is so precious and I'm so happy she is finally giving him the time of day. I think if he only had his dump truck, some books and Sophie he'd be set for life.
Our favorite things about Gray at 18 months-Paul and I would both say that we are so in love with how sweet and affectionate and loving Gray is. And even though calm and laid back are the last ways we'd ever describe him, we love his energetic, curious, adventurous and fearless personality. We can never get enough of him coming up to us to give us a hug or kiss.
Gray won't go back for another well visit until he is two. Want to know something crazy about that? His appointment is scheduled for almost a week after his birthday and they made it an appointment for two because they said there was a good chance the new baby would be needing to come in for a weight check (he/she would definitely be born by that point even if I went a week over my due date). Holy moly, that is so weird for me to think about, but very exciting too!
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