Half Birthday!!

Austin turned 18 months old this week.  We're halfway to 2 and I can't believe it!  So many new and fun things have come with 18 months, so here are 18 facts about 18 months:

-Austin LOVES to color.  He has to be supervised at all times while he has a crayon in hand though because in addition to coloring books and plain white paper, he also likes to color on carpet, furniture, bath tubs and his books (the non-coloring ones)!

-He's learning and saying new words daily and occasionally will put 2 together to try and get his point across.  "Go" is his favorite word (surprise, surprise) and mommy and daddy are totally thrilled that he's learned to say "please" and "thank you."

-A ball is still by far his favorite thing to play with.

-He's fascinated by letters and their sounds.  He can say and recognize most letters now and the sounds they make.  He constantly points out letters when he sees them on signs and in his books with A, B, D, L, M, O and R being his favorites.  He also knows most numbers from 1-10 but puts the biggest emphasis on the number 8 for some reason.

-When Austin is hungry he climbs in his high chair, sits and waits.  I love it!

-Meal time is still a constant daily challenge, however.  He likes to eat but has a hard time giving new things a try.  He also likes to throw food at us if he's not interested in eating it.  He hit me square in the face with a chicken nugget the other day and as annoyed and frustrated as I was with his display of bad manners, I could barely keep from busting out laughing!

-Anytime he hears the word spider or sees a picture of a spider, he starts doing the motions from the Itsy Bitsy Spider song. :-)

-Austin is quite the loud mouth!  It's kind of funny since Ryan and I both tend to be on the quiet side, but our little guy has got some lungs and loves to show them off!

-Anything round is either an "O," a girkle (circle), or a ball.

-Austin loves to ride outside in his wagon and it's about the only place where he will sit still for an extended period of time.

-He just recently learned to jump with both feet off the ground and likes to "spinny, spinny" until he gets dizzy and falls down.

-He sleeps from about 8:30 pm until 7:30 am and takes a 2-3 hour nap each afternoon.  Sometimes his naps are shorter or longer but he NEVER misses a naptime!

-Austin is wearing size 2T clothes this summer.  He still fits better in size 18 month bottoms but his torso is so long that he needs 2T tops.  I went ahead and bought his entire summer wardrobe in 2T though so he will hopefully be able to wear them all summer long.

-I love the fact that he will hold mine and Ryan's hands and walk with us when we're out.  If he gets more than a couple feet away and we tell him to stop and hold our hands, he will stop, hold his hand out and wait until we catch up.  This has been so helpful since I've had a lot trouble carrying him with my big pregnant belly in the way!

-Speaking of bellies, Austin loves to point out everyones belly and belly button.  He has to see skin though, so be prepared to lift your shirt so he can point to and pat your belly.  Also, don't be offended if he calls your belly a baby.  He doesn't quite realize that only mommy has a baby in her belly!

-Also, speaking of babies, Austin thinks any child from newborn to about age 7 is a baby.  He also refers to himself as "baby" even though he knows his name.

-He has learned to follow directions very well, like "Throw that away" "Bring that to mommy" "Hold my hand" "Throw the ball to Lucy" "Sit down/stand up" "Go get a book" etc.  I can't wait until "Go potty" joins that list as much as he HATES to have his diaper changed!

-Austin really is just the sweetest little boy I know and loves his mommy and daddy to no end.  They also love him more than he could ever know.  Austin is almost always happy, loves to laugh and smile, loves everyone he meets, isn't scared of anything and makes our days so bright and happy that I can't imagine my life without him in it.  Happy half birthday to my sweet, sweet boy!!!