18 Months Old

Dear Titus,
At 18 months you...

• You weigh 26 pounds.
• You wear size 4 diapers and 12-18 month clothes (definitely still need shorter pants).
• You sleep from about 8:30 to 7:15am. You switched to one nap at 17 months which is usually around 1pm and lasts 1.5-2 hours.
• You got 6 teeth in 2 months (15-17months), which is exactly what you did in your first round of teething.
• You have starting high fiving and know how to find your nose, mouth, etc.
• When you are done eating you ignore my commands to say or sign" all done" and just start tossing food off your high chair.
• You are obsessed with the dogs. They are definitely one of your favorite things!
• You love to say "yummmmm" when you eat something you like.
• You love blowing kisses.
• Your favorite outside game is putting dog food in a cup and moving it between the two dog bowls.
• Your favorite show is Sesame Street (you stand completely still when the music parts come on).
• Like a typical boy, you could spend the whole day throwing and "catching" a ball.
• You like to crawl in our closet and play hide and seek. Not only do you think you're really good at it but you think it's really funny, too.
• You love picking things up and tediously putting them where they belong (like spilled dog food or water toys after bath time).
• You get very frustrated and impassioned when you are doing a task and it doesn't work out in the first 10 seconds (like if a big toy truck has fallen on its side and you can't figure out immediately how to right it, you just quit trying and throw a big fit). You probably get this from your daddy, ask him about his DIY projects when you grow up :)
• You talk all day long. Unfortunately for us, you're not saying anything we can understand. I so desperately long for you to talk! We've definitely entered the stage of mutual frustration because you can't tell me what you want and I can't interpret it.
• You do say dog, bosco, bye, baba, no (repeatedly during a fit), mama, dada, square ("squh") and you "count to three" (more a cadence than words). You also try to repeat letter names (you love pointing out letters on people's shirts).
• You have gotten really good at playing independently for medium amounts of time.
• You are happiest when you're outside and end up really cranky by the end of the day if we haven't gone out any.
• You love playing with your friend Brooks who is 4 days older than you. You actually interact and play together and it's pretty adorable.
• You are obsessed with looking for airplanes anytime we are outside.
• You have just started having some separation anxiety from mommy, and while it's so sweet to see you want me, it still hurts my heart that you think I'm leaving you forever. Never ever, baby boy!

We found out a couple of months ago you are going to be a big brother! I can't wait to see you in that role. I foresee some mommy jealousy and a problem when the new baby will be big enough to play with your toys. But I also know how sweet and gentle you are with littler babies now, and I look forward to seeing you as the protective big brother. As for you personality, it only gets bigger and bigger. You really are "full of it," walking around and chatting all day and of course laughing that token chuckle that you do so well! I am incredibly happy to see that part of your babydom hasn't faded away, I hope you keep it forever! Such a clear sign of the joy God has given you in your heart (you get that from your daddy too). I pray that laughing will always come easy to you, and that one day you would also learn to laugh at yourself instead of getting frustrated. We love you to the moon and back, BIG boy!