18 Months

18 Months

• 11.21.2011

 A real smile.

I love having a one year old!  Or more accurately, a one and a half year old!  Jed is 18 months and so much fun!  I just can't help gushing about him and all of his precious adorableness.  Jed has officially graduated from babyhood into toddlerhood.  He cracks me up and keeps me on my toes with his copious amount of energy.  I am loving every age and stage of Jed's little life.  The months fly by way too fast. The little things Jed does don't seem to last for long.  He is learning and growing every day.  

Jed is growing so tall and his hands and feet are noticeably bigger.  He is getting heavy!  I can't heft him around on my hip for very long anymore.  Instead, Jed holds my hand and trots along beside me in short little steps.  The good news is that I can still wrap him up in a towel after his bath and carry him to the sink to brush his teeth.  I love how his toes just barely stick out from underneath the towel.  It reminds me that he is still so little! 

I often underestimate just how intelligent my little boy is.  Jed gibber gabbers all day long, but he understands a lot of what we say.  He can even understand simple commands like, "Where are your shoes?" or "Throw it away in the trash can."  He can point to various body parts like his nose, toes, ears, and bellybutton.  He can also point to any object I ask about in his books.  "Where is the cow?"  I ask.  Jed's little finger proudly points to the object.  It floors me sometimes to watch him, but also makes me very happy.  I am such a proud momma! 

Jed is also surprisingly obedient.  He is very sensitive (sometimes with tears!) to our words of warning, like "hot" and "no".  And if I enforce a "no" with a trip to Jed's bedroom for a brief timeout, he almost never does that thing again.  Wow. 

Jed is a typical little boy who loves tractors, trucks, trains, and animals.  He points with excitement at any large machinery we see!  He also kicks and squeals whenever he sees the park; those stairs and slides are a ton of fun.  Jed is a dancer too.  Whenever I turn on the radio in the car, he starts bobbing his head to the beat. He is so funny!

This boy of ours is a ham.  He loves to show off for anyone new with lots of grins and laughter and hand movements.  He loves to play games and be chased.  He is a happy kid.  Jed makes me smile every day.  He is my sunshine.  My life would feel so empty without this little man in my life.  Jed makes our family whole.  We love him more than words can say.

 Jed is mastering the art of feeding himself.

Jed loves food with flavor!  He likes his chips dipped in salsa and his crackers smeared in hot mustard.  Then he licks them clean.  Crazy!  He also loves fruit: bananas, applesauce and grapes.  But his favorites are strawberries and raspberries.  I have to ration those.  Jed has also begun telling us when he is all done with his meal by throwing his hands up in the air and yelling, "Doone!" 

 When Daddy comes home... it's time to wrestle!

 Jed's favorite place to play is in the pantry.  The shelf is just his height.  I find trucks and toys mingling with my flour and sugar.

 Jed is my "big helper".  

(This picture makes me laugh.)

Jed likes to have his nose in everything.  He insists on standing on a chair to help me cook.  Jed enjoys seeing what's going on and has to be involved.  As cute and endearing as it is, it's sometimes frustrating.  But I do appreciate his efforts.  If I am wiping something up, he sometimes grabs a sponge to help me.  He also likes to mop and sweep.  I can barely get in a turn.  But his favorite job is sorting the silverware!

One of my favorite things to hear is Jed's little voice saying, "Mum, Mum, Mum, Mum," over and over.  I say, "Jed, Jed, Jed," and he just grins.

"Oh, no.  Where did Jed go?  There he is!"

A favorite game:  Jed covers his face with his hands and peeks through his fingers.  He thinks we can't see him.  Ha!

Jed is a riot!  There is so much personality in that short little body.  We love being parents, especially Jed's parents.  I am so grateful to know that he belongs to us forever.  We love you, Jed!