17 month update

I cannot believe that Nathan is 17 months old.  I know I say that all the time, but as he grows more and more independent, it amazes me how fast he's growing up!  He's an adorable kiddo with a sweet and loving spirit.  He loves to laugh, to hug, to make people smile and laugh, he enjoys following direction and is quick to obey most of the time.  He is learning what patience and obedience are and while those are tough lessons he's learning quite well.  Nathan is passionate about life and jumps in feet first.  It's rare that he's afraid of something (with the exception of large animals that are very close to him), and he is quick to acclimate to new surroundings.  He is a "monkey see, monkey do" kind of kiddo and that means that Chad and I have to be very careful about what he sees us do, and to be diligent as to what others are doing around him!  Nathan is constantly moving and doing which is probably why he is always eating too!  I can't imagine how many calories this little guy burns in a day!  He's also a good sleeper probably because he's so active.  He loves to be with mom and dad together and really enjoys family time.  Nathan is a fast learner and catches on to things very quickly.  He is very eager to learn and is very interested in the name of everything from letters to colors to actions to people.
This little boy LOVES to be outside, no matter the weather.  He is always begging to go "outide" and he would play out there all day if you let him.  He's learned the difference in the "backyard" and the "front door" and will happily go wait by which ever one you tell him to.  Once outside, he's learned to step over the door threshold and down the front step without any help.  He's learning the difference in a street and a sidewalk and understands that he must hold my hand or be carried when we're out of our yard for a walk.  He loves to find things in the sky or on the ground and is quick to learn their names.  He's also very fond of this orange hat...



He really enjoys touching all of the plants (we need to teach him which ones not to touch soon - he almost grabbed poison ivy on our beach trip - thankfully daddy was watching closer than mommy!) and thinks he can smell anything that grows outside.  It's cute to see him smell all the plants.
He knows no boundaries in our cul-de-sac and would readily run into anyone's yard chasing something.  Since all the kids play together, he's liable to walk into anyone's driveway and say, "ball dunk goal yes"  :)
There's no slowing down this little one!  He's running all over the place.  He runs, walks, turns direction on a dime, can handle uneven surfaces and climbs up and down one step while remaining standing.  He's learning to go down the steps on his bottom facing forward instead of on his belly, as well as walking up the stairs holding on to the rails.  
Nathan's language continues to amaze us.  He picks up new words daily and will say (and remember) almost anything you tell him.  He knows and readily uses over 200 spoken words and around 30 signs.  He's starting to chain them together into 2 and 3 word sentences as well.  Often we have to prompt him to use sentences but he is quickly getting the concept.  He can ask for just about anything using signs or language and is much less frustrated as well.  He has also learned to say yes and no and so now we're not guessing if he really wants something or not.  It's funny because a few of his signs, like "where" (shown below) are words he could easily say, but he continues to use the sign; however most of his signs are accompanied by the spoken word as well.  Often times, when in new situations or with new people, Nathan is quiet as a mouse and doesn't utter a word until he warms up.  It's interesting how his comfort level determines whether or not he speaks even at this age.  

Nathan loves to sit in big seats and often requests "seat please" to sit in a grown up chair. Just the other day, he wanted to sit in his rocker and read books.  He read 5 or 6 books to himself while there.  Precious moment I tell you!  He loves books and will go get them out of his bookshelf and say "seat" to sit in your lap.  He loves to be read to, although he prefers to point to the pictures and name them instead of listening to the story.  He certainly has his favorite books as well.  Picture books, or books with real life pictures, Good Night Moon, all the Priddy books and Boynton books, lift the flap books, touch and feel books, My Daddy and I, Does a Cow say Boo, and several others I'm drawing a blank on.

He's started to do more to make us laugh.  Recently, he learned to hold his nose and say "stinky".  He did it in the middle of dinner (not sure why) and by the end of the meal, we were laughing hysterically, and he was covered in his dinner!

Speaking of dinner, Nathan uses his fingers the most often, but at every meal he'll ask for utensils if you are using them.  He is quite proficient with a small fork, but often has trouble with a restaurant sized fork.  He still likes to use it though.  He's learning to be more proficient with a spoon.  He probably would be, but I've held him back, I know.  It's just so messy!  The other night, I let him eat his whole meal with a spoon, and low and behold he did.  Pasta and meatballs, greek yogurt, peanut butter, banana, and crackers.  He was covered in yogurt and pasta sauce, but he ate independently!

Nathan loves to look out the windows and tell you what he sees.  He's really fond of the trucks doing construction in our neighborhood, the airplanes, Bailey, trees, flowers, and anything else he can name.  Often you'll find him still for about 5 seconds, just staring out the windows.  Then, he's back off and running.

This little one LOVES his daddy, and really likes to snuggle with his daddy.  Chad puts him to bed most nights and when he's not here, Nathan will ask for him and ask for the "my daddy and I" book.  He loves to play with Chad and it's so fun to watch them interact.  When Chad can, he loves to give Nathan his milk in the mornings because he's so snuggly!  This little guy is still very attached to his paci when sleeping, in the car, sleepy, or sick.  He's also attached to certain types of blankies and if it's not the right one, he'll ask for "another one".  He also likes to have a couple of them in his bed at once.
Nathan also loves Bailey.  She's so patient with him, although when wound up, she's likely to bump into him and knock him over.  He climbs all over her and she just kisses him.  Such an amazing pet!  Bailey, girl, we love you!
Nathan was 24 pounds 12 ounces at the doctor last week.  He's growing taller, although I'm not sure how tall he is now.  We'll find out at his 18 month check up.  He's wearing some 12-18 pants, and some 18-24, depending on the diaper underneath.  In one piece outfits, he's in 24 months.  In shorts, he can wear 12-18 months, and in shirts, he's 24 months-2T.  He's certainly broad in the chest and shoulders and he has very long arms.

He eats very well and will eat most things he's given.  He'll try at least one bit of anything you ask, but beyond that, we don't push it.  He still will not eat mac and cheese, or most pasta, nor is he a huge cheese fan.  He's getting better about that though and is eating more cheese than he used to.  He's also eating more veges these days and I'm very happy about that!  Of course, like any toddler, he goes through phases where he won't touch something he once loved.  For the most part, he eats anything and eats well.  People are amazed with how much he eats, but considering the choices we give him, I don't see any problem with him eating until he's full.  He's good at telling us when he's done, and we're good at figuring out if he's really done, or just ready to play.  Regardless, we try to make a healthy balance between asking him to finish a few more bites of a certain food and letting him stop the eating when he feels full.

We've made the transition to cloth diapers and wipes and I couldn't be happier.  We do use disposables on occasion and i have no problem with doing that at all when we need to.  Here's a picture of the majority of our stash (there are a few missing because they were dirty).
I am all about convenience so I thought I would hate these, but contrary to my thoughts, they really are easy.  Nathan no longer gets diaper rash, which was a big problem in the past, and he doesn't seem to notice the difference.  If you are even curious about it, please don't hesitate to ask me!  We're new to it so it's so much fun to share with people!  I can't imagine the impact on our planet if even 100 people per city used cloth!  We're the biggest fans of BumGenius and Happy Heiny's, although we have several other brands too and like those as well.  It's so easy and I'm very thankful we've switched!

Nathan is loving the new baby down the street!  This is Baby H, and she's 5 weeks old.  Isn't she precious!  Nathan shows no jealousy when I hold her or feed her and he's learned to be gentle with her!  One day, he'll be such a good big brother!
This little guy is doing so much these days and I don't want to forget, so I thought I'd make a list of things he enjoys and milestones he's met that I haven't already mentioned in this post or previous posts...
cleaning up small areas of his toys

he turns a book right side up to read it

follows 2-3 step direction

can id these body parts (head, hair, ear, mouth, teeth, eyes, chin, nose, arm, hand, thumb, belly, penis, bottom, leg, foot, toes)

can hold a book and turn it's pages one at a time

knows the difference in his toys and Bailey's toys and is starting to say "bailey ball" or "naynay puzzle to show ownership

starting to pretend play more (like turning french fries into caterpillars and choo choos)

sings the "clean up "song (just the clean up part though)

knows many letters, colors, and numbers

aware of his height and when he needs to duck under something (most of the time)

will play in his crib for 30-60 minutes after waking up

enjoys his friends and is starting to play with them instead of just beside them

can string beads and stack a tower of blocks 5 high

loves balls, chase, care, drawing, being outside, Tumblebees, reading, puzzles, and tot school.

had his first web cam experience with daddy last time he went out of town

blows bubbles on a wand and in the bath tub with his face in

will put his head under the faucet when asked

lays back in the tub to kick his feet and float

no fear of jumping in the water off of surfaces

understands first... then... (for example, first wipe your hands, then outside)

can draw a circle, oval, and a verticle line

loves to hold your cheeks and nuzzle nose to nose

can throw overhanded and underhanded and knows what "catch" means, although he can't do it yet

knows what "trash" means and where it goes

will ask for his friends by name

still shows no signs of even thinking of climbing out of his crib!  (thankfully!!!!)

makes healthy attachments with people he sees often

loves finger play songs

Nathan does not at all like:

hot or warm food

being hungry

having his hands/face wiped (but will tolerate)

diaper changed (but will tolerate)

riding in the car without his paci and blankie.

recognizes his name

One last thing before I end this fun update.  We've entered the world of scratched up knees, feet, and toes.  Take a look at these sweet legs.  They were once unscathed... and then we started wearing shorts and playing outside barefoot.  Now, not only do these little boy legs have stamps on both feet, they are also scratched and bumped and bruised all the way down!  I know it's part of being a boy, but it's so hard as a parent to put him in shorts knowing he's going to fall down and skin his knee.  This is only the beginning right?  Wait until he starts riding a bike or climbing trees... it'll be here before I know it.  I'm going to go savor the moments with my little one right now!