18 Months

On the 9th, Henry turned 18 months.

I thought it was time for a little Henry update...





1. He's always been better at using a fork than a spoon (which is the opposite of how most kids learn), but the other day he just started scooping up his food with the spoon like a pro. It was totally out of the blue.

2. He loves to dance to the theme songs to Steven Colbert, Handy Manny, Sex and the City and Jon Stewart.

3. He hits. If he smacks Dustin, he almost instantly puts his head on Dustin's shoulder as if to apologize. If he smacks me, he couldn't care less.

4. When he wakes up at some ungodly hour (4:00-6:00am) I give him some milk, turn on cartoons and get back in bed. My bed is positioned so that I can see him playing in the living room, so I keep one eye on Henry and the other eye goes back to bed. Occasionally he comes in our room and gives us some of his toys. If he has messed up the TV in the other room, he brings me the remote and places it in my hand so I can get up and fix it for him. Other times, he climbs up on our bed and jumps on us while shrieking with joy. Sometimes it's cute, and sometimes it's just too early.

5. Did I mention he's still not a good sleeper? He always goes to bed wonderfully, but he hardly ever sleeps through the night. It's really annoying. And, in case you're wondering, we've tried everything. The poor guy just isn't a good sleeper. Thank goodness he still takes two naps during the day.

6. His favorite toys are pots, pans, pretend food, spatulas and tupperware.

7. He's such a good eater. He even eats brussel sprouts and sauerkraut. There's not much he won't eat, but he doesn't like tomatoes. I didn't push this on him, either. I've offered it several times and he hates them (who can blame him?).

8. He throws little temper tantrums. If I tell him 'no' or physically remove him from somewhere he shouldn't be (like pulling out dirty dishes from the dishwasher) he does this:



He throws his little head on the floor and tucks his feet up underneath him. This is a quick picture I caught with my phone... I'm trying to get a better shot from the side. He's so dramatic.

9. He picks up new signs much easier these days. I'm definitely going to keep teaching him sign language. I think it's a fun thing for him to know, and who knows if it will ever come in handy.

10. He can follow directions really well if he feels like it. If we ask him to "take this to Daddy" or "it's time to get your diaper changed" or "throw this in the trashcan" he knows what to do.

11. He absolutely hates going to the grocery store. Today will go down as one of the worst shopping trips in history. It was so bad that at one point I picked up a can of those Gerber Graduate "crunchies" (think healthier, vegetable-flavored infant Cheetos) and opened them to let him have a snack. He ate the entire can. Yes he did. I know. It's disgusting. There were six servings in the can. All I can say is that he was acting like a fool and it kept him quiet for the duration of the trip. It was traumatic for both of us. This was my first trip using coupons (like, really trying super hard to save a bunch of money) and so it took awhile. I won't be taking him shopping any time in the near future and he's never allowed to have "crunchies" again. It was a nightmare. I did save $37, though.

12. He still is the happiest, smiley-est, friendliest child I know. He smiles at everyone. Strangers love it and I love it. He's never met a person he doesn't like.

13. Today was MOPS at church and he was holding my hand while we walked into the building. Once we got inside, he let go of my hand and navigated his was through the childcare wing and down the right hallway to his room. Apparently, he knows where he's going. He walked inside the room, started playing and never looked back. I'm so thankful that I'm not one of the mothers that gets called back because he's been screaming. It's nice to know he enjoys his time away from Dustin and me.

14. He loves touching snow and stomping in snow. Dustin will occasionally make Henry a snowball to throw around the house or bring in an icicle for him to play with... he thinks it's super cool. He's been sledding twice and he absolutely loves it.

15. Dustin still treats Woody (his Toy Story doll) like Henry's real-life brother. Dustin will pick Woody up to change his diaper first, put Woody in Henry's booster seat to eat lunch first, or put Woody in pajamas first. Henry gets super mad at Woody, but he still loves him. It's funny.





16. He's obsessed with the Wii controllers. Many mornings the first thing he does when he gets out of his crib is to run over to the laundry room door and bang on it. We keep the Wii controllers in there and Henry has to have one. It's amazing that he remembers those things so early in the morning. Remember, sometimes it's like 5:00am.

17. His hair is still red and it's still a huge topic of conversation with anyone that notices. People are compelled to ask where he got the hair from.

18. He now has 11 teeth. We're waiting on his right bottom molar to come in, which I bet it will be any day now. He's a champ at teething. No fevers, no runny nose, no major fussiness... I can't tell you how thankful we are for that.