Eighteen Months

Precious Andrew,

How is it that you have already grown into a big one-and-a-half year old boy? Where did the time go? The past month (and a half... oops) has been wonderful, and I love the person you are becoming! I know I say this every month, but you are INTO EVERYTHING! You are creative and resourceful in your toddler ways, and we sometimes feel like we are losing the battle of keeping stuff away from you. I had a lamp on a table next to the sofa. You often would try to climb over the arm of the couch to get to the lamp because you couldn't reach it from the ground - I had the lamp in the far corner of the table and the table against the wall and window. So you, being the smart child that you are, decided to use the window sill as a step stool to get onto the table. You would put your hands on the table and climb your feet onto the sill and then climb up on the table! We would look over from the kitchen to see you standing on the table, trying to figure out how to turn the lamp on and off. Of course the one time I tried to catch a picture you fell down, hit your head, and shattered the bulb in the lamp. Oops! Bad Mommy moment! You were fine, but the lamp moved to another room!



You still love to read! You probably read 20-30 books a day. Well... actually you probably hear 20-30 readings per day, but it's more realistically 10 repetitions of your 2-3 favorite books! You still love David Goes to School, and have also become attached to Thanks for Thanksgiving. I love reading with you and I'm so proud that you love reading too! You still love toys that have wheels and things you can take apart and put back together. You have recently become re-interested in your walker and will walk up and down the entry way. Although it is happened in just the past week or so, you are becoming really excited about your tricycle. You love to sit on it and walk it all over the house, and you are getting pretty good at steering. You also like to turn it sideways and sit on it so that on of the back wheels is up - you turn it back and forth like a steering wheel! You LOVE to drive!

You have started waving goodbye (finally!) and give very sweet kisses - you open your mouth and sort of bump faces with us! I love the kisses and waves! You also will sometimes say words - we'll be talking to you and you'll all of a sudden bust out with a word. We all go crazy with excitement and prasie you and then try to get you to repeat it - "Andrew, say _____________!" And you don't. I have discovered that you don't like to perform. You are stubborn (like your daddy!) and will do things when you want to do them. I think you probably have a huge vocabulary of words that you are keeping a secret from all of us! (I sure hope Mama is one of those words!) While we still can't understand the majority of what you say, you understand so much! You can point to some of your body parts and follow simple directions (again... when you feel like it). You know what we mean when we say many things and we definitely are going to have to watch what we say around you! I can't wait until you talk, but I have to say that I will miss your cute noises and babbling! You are so talkative and expressive - I can't wait to know what you are telling us!

This has been a fun and exciting month for you! We spent a weekend at Grandma and Grandpa Smith's house at the lake and went to visit Sweetberry Farms, which has a large pumpkin patch and tons of fall activities. We celebrated Bronc's birthday and ended the month with Halloween. You dressed like a cowboy, but seemed thoroughly unimpressed with trick-or-treating! We went down to Kara's house and you were much more interested in her garage doors and scarecrow than candy. You also didn't love your costume, and refused to wear the hat. You were still a cute cowboy, and I'm sure trick-or-treating next year will be more successful! Andrew, you are such a joy to everyone who knows you! You are a sweet, smart, funny, and happy boy and we are so incredibly blessed that you are our son! Although I want time to slow down a little bit (how did you get so big and grown up?!?), I'm excited to see what the next half-year brings! I love you so much!

Since I wasn't able to make time to blog about our great weekend at the lake, here are some (of the 450+) pictures from that weekend:

What a cutie!!