18 months

Our little guy is growing up so fast. We were just looking at his baby pictures last week week and it seems like so long ago, yet just the other day that we were holding our little one. Now, he's not so little. Most of his shirts have become "belly shirts" and we are about to move into the next size.

The joy he brings both of us is nothing short of amazing. When he smiles or giggles it just lights up our world. He's sweet and loves giving kisses. Our little boy is also very polite, saying "peas" and "dant-doo" (please and thank-you) mostly without reminders. He is also definitely exerting his independence too.

Michael has recently been telling us when he goes potty in his diaper. We began to realize that we should act on this, but before we made the decision he came to mommy and said "Pee Pee, Mommy" and went to the bathroom door waiting for me to open it up. I took off his diaper and sat him down....sure enough the kid peed on the potty. He has now done both deeds on the potty, but only a handful of times. We're not hard pressed to work on this right now, but we're kind of taking his cues.

A few of Michael's favorite things include:

Bubbles. "Good Kitty". Going outside - he constantly grabs his shoes and says "buh bye". Brushing his teeth. Playing in water - sink, pool, ocean, etc. Swimming in the "poo" (don't worry, that means pool). The moment daddy walks in from work. Praying - if we have him eat before us, he'll put his hand out to hold ours when we sit down in order to pray. Holding hands. When we pretend to drop him. His cousins. His friends. Slides - big and small. Being chased. Having the palms of his hands tickled. "Bapples" (Apples). CHEESE. Hide 'n seek. Soccer. Dirt. Technology - he's definitely daddy's son. Pretending to talk on the phone (or any object he uses as a phone) - he even pauses to "listen" to the other person and will let out a little giggle as if the pretend person said something funny. Climbing. Pretending to sleep (making the snoring sounds too). Marshmallows.

And he is our favorite......

Beautiful Bags

If you are looking for a purse/bag that is not only beautiful, but homemade you should check out this website. The creator of the bags is giving away one of her bags as a start to her new business. Check it out!!

Also, I WILL update the blog this week with adorable pictures of Michael. PROMISE.

Now and Then

Our first family vacation was last August. Michael absolutely loved the beach as a 6 month old. We wondered how he would be this year since he is definitely more mobile. He is amazing at the beach. We have already been several times this year and we are heading back this weekend. He sits and plays in the sand for a long time and loves when Daddy brings him buckets of water. He also enjoys getting in the water on his terms. Sometimes he rather be in the sand and other times he rather be in the water. Overall, he can be at the beach for several hours without complaints. It is amazing how happy and content he is on these trips. The top picture is Michael at 6 months old and the picture below is Michael as a 16 month old. We cannot believe he is going to be 1 1/2 years old on August 27th. WOW!

Hi Daddy!

Michael was calling Daddy, so we decided to make a video to say hi to you. Love you! Hope you're having a great day at work.

Carousel

Michael enjoying the Carousel at the Outlets

Our little boy!

Talking on Mommy's Phone

Making Ice Cream

Michael sat for almost 2 hours playing in the sand




Loving mommy

Daddy helping Michael on the slide

Way behind....

Since Michael is taking his second nap of the day (which he doesn't normally do) and we are at the beach, I decided to post some pictures to catch up on the blog. Michael will be 16 months on the 27th of June. He just had his 15 month check-up last week and he is doing really well. They put him on reflux medicine again in order to neutralize some of the acid problems he is having again. Our pediatrician said we can take him off of it ourselves when we start to see a change. Just one week of being on the medicine has seemed to make a difference for him. I don't have his measurements with me right now, but I remember his percentiles....45 percentile for weight, above 95th for both length and head. Michael is saying new words every day. His favorites (off the top of my head) are: mommy, daddy, kitty, doggy, step, please, no no, cookie, and many other random words. We have also learned that he has some "substitute words" such as baby/bobby for mommy and dee-dah for daddy. He will flip between calling us by mommy/daddy and bobby/dee-dah. We are definitely entertained by him constantly. He can get up and down stairs, open our screen doors (letting our cat out), run in the sand without falling much (I found out yesterday), and he is doing really well using a fork and spoon while eating. As you can see we are already enjoying the summer.
Michael LOVES the beach, the pool, the playground, sand,` and walking around the neighborhood without a stroller.