18 months old

i am so happy that we have such a healthy little boy! yes...he is often mistaken for a 2 year old....but here's why:: he weighs 27 lbs. and 4 oz. (86th percentile), his head is 19 3/4 (98th percentile), and he is 35 inches long (99th percentile). jake grew TWO whole inches in 3 months. i knew he was getting taller....he can definitely reach a lot more things in the house. and he towers over the two girls in the nursery who are both older than he is! jake is wearing size 4 diapers and still in 18-24 month clothes. he is a little ahead of the game when it comes to developmental milestones. an 18 month old is supposed to be able to stack 3 blocks, know and recognize 1-2 body parts, understand simple commands, use 5 of more words and say 2 word phrases.......jake can stack 9 blocks, knows 10 body parts (eyes, hair, ears, nose, tongue, mouth, teeth, fingers, belly button, toes), he understands lots of simple commands, knows and says at least 20 words. in addition to these, he loves to "color" with crayons, uses a fork and spoon (he actually gets most of the food in his mouth), loves to run outside, and can walk up the stairs with the assistance of one hand being held.

jake has some new words:

"shuh" - shoe

"heeey" - hey

"buh-bye" - bye-bye

"eh-mo" - elmo

"guh-ma" - grandma

"pee-pee" - pee pee

"oh gosh" - oh gosh

"joosh" - juice

"peez" - please

"boooom" - boom

some of jake's favorite things are::

*watching dvds. he loves elmo - kid's favorite songs, country elmo, veggie tales, and sesame street. he also likes watching PBS kids. his favorite shows are "the cat in the hat knows a lot about that", "super why", "arthur", and "curious george".

*playing outside. he loves to push his wagon all over the yard. he also loves to throw his ball and knock over the flower pot on the front porch. (one day, he hit it 17 times in a row....perhaps we have a pitcher on our hands too)

*playing in his pool. he loves to splish and splash and drink the water too!

*eating. this little boy loves to eat. some of his favorite things are:: hot dogs, french fries, french toast, pancakes, veggie sticks, chicken nuggets, milkshakes, cheese puffs, enchiladas, chips and salsa, corn pops, fried squash, corn on the cob, mixed fruit cups, and cheese. (those are just a few)

*reading. i love walking into the room and seeing jake with all his books around him. he is just "jibber-jabbering" as he "reads" the books.

*helping. jake is a great helper and a great listener. he loves to help clean the house. he even has his own little broom that ms. barbara bought him. he loves to use the dust pan and brush. he even likes to help me cook. he picks up his toys and puts them back where he found them. he even puts trash in the trash can.

*dancing. his new favorite song is "the ants go marching" and he loves the part when we sing "boom, boom, boom". he sways back and forth and then stomps his feet!

i love watching him grow and learn every day. i just wish time would slow down just a little bit. i can't believe that in 6 months my little boy will be TWO!!!!