18 Months with Joel

Our sweet Joely Poly turned 18 months old on Saturday and had his 18 month check-up with his pediatrician this morning. I cannot believe his is a big one and half year old! When Levi was this age he seemed so much more grown up to me (probably because I was only 3 months away from having Joel so I was wanting him to be grown!). Needless to say, these last 18 months have flown by and we feel very blessed to have our cutie in our life!

Silly Sweetie

 The last time I posted about our littlest guy was when he turned 15 months old and my how things have changed since then. He still has his sweet happy personality, but a preview of the terrible twos rears its ugly head every now and again. Not only is he perfecting the art of fit throwing, but he is also starting to learn how to be defiant. This emotional maturity is not all bad, he also has made a few of his first jokes (insisted that a duck says Moo and laughed at himself), understands and picks up on others feelings, and thinks Levi is completely hilarious (Levi LOVES this).

PUMPS!!!

New Stats:
height- 33.25 inches (80%)
weight- 23 lbs 8 oz (40%) up from 15% at his last visit (wahoo!)
head circumference- 49.4 cm (94%) LOTS of brains

Dr. D said that Joel is right on target and doing very well with his fine motor skills for his age. Joel passed all parts of the exam with flying colors even though he was acting shy and didn't show off his verbal skills very much. Levi talked to Dr. D about 90 miles an hour, so that probably kept Joel a little quiet too. Side note; Levi got his flu shot and as he was telling the nurse that he liked shots she told him here comes a little ouchie and the look on his face was so very sad...pure shock/disappointment/betrayal. He told me several times "that shot hurt me!" and later was so sweet empathetic when he remembered that Moe is getting shots.

LOVES:
playing outside
balls & cars
eating (especially fruit and meat)
milk
Penny (especially giving her pats)
Levi & Momma
DADDY (he would chose Philip 90% of the time)
animals
bath time
climbing
nakie time
pointing out body parts as well as things that are hot
SHOES (he will bring you a pair of his to wear or put on any other pair he can find)
a select few books: Tickle Monster, Very Hungry Caterpillar and Moo Baa LaLaLa top that short list
Being tickled by Daddy (especially with his nose)

These "boos" are awesome!

Bring on the Sadness/Tears:
being told no for any reason
having something taken away
not getting to be with Daddy
waiting while Momma cooks a meal
being dressed
sitting still

New Skills:
eats well with a fork and spoon
eats off of a plate instead of high chair tray
goes up and down stairs with ease
runs
throws a ball well
puts together 2-3 word "sentences"
has too many words to count and will parrot lots of things
is very interested in the potty and will say he needs to "pee pee" as he pulls up his shirt, but has only had success twice (we are not potty training yet)

forkin' some "walls"

Thank you Lord for adding our sweet little to our family. We love him so very much and he makes a wonderful addition to our family. The first year and a half has been full of fun, so we just cannot wait to see what the coming years will bring!