18 Months

why do you always take pictures?   (and yes, he really needs a haircut)

no pictures please!

River recently hit the 18 month mark, so I thought I'd share an update on him since I haven't done one since he turned a year old. He's such a fun little boy and we're so glad he's part of our family!

He likes Legos (the Duplo size), but he can't put them back together- he can only pull them apart. So he brings them to me to put together, then he pulls them apart, then we repeat the process.

River reading the children's dictionary that he's decided he likes. The only problem is that it's almost as big as him and he can barely carry it around. He's whacked himself in the face with it, and he's dropped it on his toes, both of which were very upsetting experiences.

He loves books and has a few definite favorites. He still doesn't really like us to read them to him, though. He prefers to read them on his own terms. So we paraphrase quickly the pages he'll let us read and skip the rest.

River is a happy little boy, and mischievous, though not in a malicious way. Other than throwing food off his tray when he's done eating. We're working on that one still. He likes to hide from us, and has started running away when we call his name- he thinks it's a big game.

playing the "piano" on daddy's iPad- his favorite app ever

A few weeks ago, River noticed the chorister at church waving his arm around, and he's started waving his arm around when he hears music. So cute!

He still takes two naps most days. Sunshine gave up her morning nap by 6 months, but took a 3 hour nap every afternoon. River generally takes a 2 hour nap in the late morning and another 45 minute-1 hour nap in the late afternoon.  He sleeps for at least 12 hours at night, but he's still a very, very light sleeper. When I check on him before I go to bed, I have to be absolutely quiet- sometimes just the rustle of my pants is enough to wake him up. And that's with the white noise machine in the background. I'm really hoping the new baby isn't a light sleeper also because we never intended for our kids to have their own rooms. We'll try the baby in Sunshine's room, just like we did with River, and I really hope he's a deeper/heavier sleeper.

running around outside

He loves being outside. He has a pair of nubby rubber-soled shoes that he wears outside when the ground is damp since the leather-soled shoes get wet, and he always hands those to me in the mornings to put on him. He'll stand at the door and try to reach the handle and make noises indicating he wants to go out.

one of his favorite spots to sit and read books- in front of the door to the deck

He doesn't talk (intelligibly) yet, but is quite good at making himself understood most of the time. We've been teaching him some sign language and he uses those to communicate along with grunts, noises, and finger points. He can actually be very talkative, it just isn't in English :)  Despite not talking, he's very curious about everything and asks questions about them.

He's finally getting a little snuggly. He'll give hugs, but he still is not a snuggler like Sunshine. Different personalities, different preferences.

his version of a snuggle- Sunshine is under the blanket

He loves baths and playing in the water. Sunshine took a few years to warm up to water, but River has always loved it. Right now I'm waiting for consistently warm weather so I can fill our sand and water table. I know he'll get soaking wet, so I don't want it to be too chilly outside.

"helping" Sunshine with her schoolwork :)

He loves Sunshine and likes to hang out with her and follow her around. He's definitely in the monkey-see-monkey-do mode and tries to do what she does.

Mr M has done some traveling lately, so we've done a good amount of Skyping. Anytime my phone rings he asks if "Da" is calling, and if he hears the Skype tones on my laptop he comes running. He also likes to control my laptop. He pulls it close to him (the first picture below) and then starts banging around on the keyboard, like he's typing. It's cute and funny, though just a little annoying when he doesn't want to relinquish control of my computer to me.

It's neat to see how much he's learned and progressed in the last year and a half, and we're excited to see how much he learns in the next year and a half, and beyond.