17 Months

Marshall turned 17 months last week, so I thought I'd write down a few fun developments we've noticed lately. I love how much he seems to understand now! So often throughout the last almost-year-and-a-half I've heard people tell me, "Oh, this is such a fun age!" at various times. Well, this one really is! I'm so much less stressed now that he's sleeping (pretty) well, and I feel like our family has gotten better about enjoying each other's company more than trying to get as much done as possible around the house.

So, 17 months! Crazy! 

Favorite activities: going for walks (especially if he gets to walk by himself for part of it), reading books, playing with trucks, hearing us sing songs (Bingo, Itsy-Bitsy Spider, and ABCs are favorites), playing at the park, choosing which socks to wear, and playing hide-and-seek.

Favorite toys: TRUCKS. All day, every day. Never gets old. Books, stuffed animals, and balls.

Size: Mostly 24 month/2T clothes; 25 pounds, 10 ounces; not sure on height. Lots of people comment on how big he is. He does seem to be a bit bulky, so we'll see how that goes.

And more fun:

- The tantrums are really on a roll all of a sudden. If we take something he wants, tell him no if he's in the wrong mood, etc., he can end up in tears and screaming within seconds. We're working on our patience and his emotions, but it's TOUGH!

- Eating is good. Marshall eats most of what we give him, and if he doesn't care for something one day we try again later. He does this thing now where he'll chew food and keep adding more and then eventually spit it all out, so that's really fun. But overall, he's eating a varied, healthy diet, so no complaints here. Favorites: fruit, bread, and eggs!

- He's getting better at following directions ("Bring this to daddy!" "Where do your trucks go?" "Let's set the table!")

- We taught Marshall "boo!" where we cover our eyes and then uncover them and say, "Boo!" He tries to do it, too, but he only covers his mouth, which for some reason is hilarious.

- He learned that a ghost says, "Ooooh," but now he thinks we're saying "ghost" when we say "goat." So we ask him, "What does a goat say?" And he says, "Ooooh." Oh, well. 

- New words: pumpkin ("mah"), orange ("jah"), book, bucket, boat, bag, moon, boo

- New sign language words: help, please, thank you, spider

- He's starting to run! He's not too quick yet, but I'm already noticing I have to really work to keep up with him. 

- He goes on little sprees of loving (obsessing over) certain books, maybe five at a time for about a week or so. He just wants to read the same few books over and over and over and over, but we're seeing that he does eventually move on to a new set. It drives me a little nuts, but I can see him discovering something new each time we read, so that makes it more fun.

Overall, we have a happy, fun, curious, thoughtful little boy. He's becoming more independent every day, which makes us so proud and a little terrified. He wants to share his discoveries with us and makes sure we see what he is learning. He loves routines and following patterns. He loves helping with small chores, like throwing trash away or doing laundry. He has a silly side, but it takes a while for him to open up to new people. 

A fun age, indeed. We're lucky to get to see this little toddler become a little boy.