18 Months

Ethan turned 18 months today! He is growing up so fast - I definitely don't think of him as a baby anymore but as a little boy. Thankfully he still asks me to 'bao bao' him and likes to hold my hand as we walk down the street. Don't grow up too fast!

Some new things he is up to:
-He is starting to talk in short phrases. He will say things like 'catch blue football', 'give duck/monkey/etc (whatever stuffed animal he is holding) kiss kiss', and of course my favorite 'I wuv you'. More often than not though he will say 'Mommy bye bye peas' when he wants me to stop invading his personal space. I can't help it, I love to cuddle with him all the time.
-He knows most of the alphabet. For some reason he started learning the second half of the alphabet first. Go figure. One game he likes to play is when we ask him to find a specific letter on the alphabet foam mat that covers his playroom floor. He will run around and bend over to tag all the multiple instances of that letter.

-He can count to four. He actually knows the sequence of numbers up to eight but whenever he is counting objects he usually just stops at four.
-He walks up and down the stairs by himself. Well, sideways while holding onto the wall for support. I still hover over him like the helicopter mom I know I am (even when not on the stairs). What? We have hardwood floors!
-He is more imaginative in his play and will pretend eat/drink or ask his stuffed animals to do things (of course I have to act out he stuffed animal for him).

Some cute things that he currently does that melt my heart:
-He will ask us to wear the 'hat' when he sees us in a hoodie and then will go 'Woah' a la Ted from Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure. Similarly he will exclaim 'Nice!' or 'Yea!' or 'Wow!' as a self cheer when he does something we ask him to like catch a ball or when we do something he likes such as when we give him an extra big push in the swing or his favorite food.
-When he was sick a few weeks ago he didn't want to leave his crib but instead said 'Mommy lie down' and patted the area next to him. We spent hours in the crib together as he just laid there and he pointed out my eyes/ears/nose. Ever since then he will periodically ask me to lie down next him for extra cuddle time after he wakes up from a nap.

Eating his favorite snack of blueberries.

Close up!

Testing out his new (to him anyways it is second hand) scooter.

He likes it!