Happy 1 1/2 Micah!

WOW! I can't believe that it has already been 18 months with our precious boy. I keep saying that every new phase is better than the last and I still agree with that, but every phase is now also coming with its new set of challenges. Welcome to parenthood, right? I guess it has been awfully easy thus far!

Let's see, where to begin...

Micah is still going to bed around 7:30 and waking up around 7 with 2 naps in between. Yes, he has still not dropped that morning nap. Today, I had the brilliant idea to just drop it. Today. Why not? It didn't work. Maybe we'll try again tomorrow. Unfortunately at 9:30, all he wants to do is have paci, blankie and his crib. Today at 9:30 we were grocery shopping at Target. I'm just glad that it was pretty empty since it was so early. He has also climbed out of his crib once. I walked in his room to check on him because he was taking a very long nap and as soon as I opened the door, he walked out. It scared me half to death and he hasn't done it since.

Anyway, I think the last time I did one of these updates he was 15 months old and boy has he changed since then! He is really communicating (or at least trying to). Here are some of the things he is saying (they don't all sound exactly like the word but you get the idea of what he is saying):

mama
dada
uh oh
eat
clock
up
out
bye bye
hi
truck
car
go
riley
mimi
bubba
suz (not quite suzu yet)
bath
please
horse
cup
no (I don't like this one)
shoe
ball
banana
cracker
baby
bear
book
duck
show
beep beep
boo!
whoop (ok this just sounds like a random squawk but he is getting there)

... and his very favorite "oh, this" which he says all day long and points. It sounds more like "oh, dis" and it is so cute. That is all the words I can think of right now but i know there are more. He is also repeating almost anything we say.

He is also doing some animal sounds (he pants for a dog, moo, quack, monkey sounds) and is still signing a lot. He can typically communicate what he is wanting using either signs, talking, or a combination of both. He will also point to all of his body parts including wiener (thanks Dave) and he can identify pretty much anything you are talking about. Since he understands almost everything, he has gotten good at following basic commands.

I think the hardest part of this phase so far has been the defiance and thus discipline. I know that most of the problems stem from the fact that he gets so frustrated when he can't communicate and he is testing his independence. He throws major tantrums to get what he wants so we are working to put a stop to that. So far, we are just working with time out and he is getting it. We aren't afraid of spanking though and will do that if need be when the time comes... which might be sooner rather than later. I know that everyone has their opinions about discipline but we are doing what we think is best for our family. We have prayed about it and read a lot about it so we aren't making any of these decisions lightheartedly.

Micah is also getting more and more fearless every day. He almost always has a bruise because every time I turn around, he is getting into trouble.

His favorite food is crackers... or pretty much anything that crunches. There are plenty of nights where he refuses to eat at all now. I stopped getting upset about this and am just realizing that this is his age and he'll get hungry eventually. He always does.

Micah is such a joy and even though he challenges us daily, we can't imagine life without him! Even though I am exhausted at the end of every day, I can't imagine any other way I'd rather spend each day than chasing my little toddler around!

18 month stats:
weight: 30 lbs (90%)
height: 34 1/2 inches (95%)

What a growing boy! He is finally stretching out! Dr. S was very happy with his size and development so he passed his 18 month check up with flying colors. 2 things from the appt I am none to happy about: 1) She says since he climbed out of his crib once, we need to start thinking about the big boy bed (YIKES I am not ready for that) and 2) She said that the AAP just came out with new studies saying that kids should stay in their rear facing car seat until age 2. Micah is going to hate this, especially since he is so tall. Any thoughts or advice on these 2 things?

Pics coming soon!