18

A very full & busy & learning experience this year and a half has been! For all 3 of us.
Graham's latest excitement.........................

• LOVES shoes! His new fav is pulling out daddy's shoes and trying to walk in them. We had our first argument over him wanting to wear different shoes that I put him in. WHAT?!! But there are seriously shoes strewn everywhere in our house. Agh!

• Most days he is loving life and is our cheery little boy who sometimes just looks at me and says hi!

• He loves rocks and it's hard to get him to walk from point A to point B without him finding one!
• He has discovered dipping! Ranch & ketchup are 2 new best friends. Since he is loving dipping veggies in ranch, no complaints here!
• He likes to repeat things in threes....so all day long I hear ball, ball, ball or milk, milk, milk.
• He learned how to say L and he thinks it's the funniest thing!
• I have picked up a chucked sippy cup 550 times. Seriously, I did the math.
• He's learning about reflection time (aka time-outs!). He sits in the chair until the timer goes off after one minute. He knows that after discipline time, we pray and then he has to kiss us and say sorry. As soon as he is headed for discipline, he immediately starts making kissing sounds and folding his hands, hoping that we can cut straight to that part. haha, what a nut!
• He LOVES animals. He greatly enjoys reading his animal books & learning how to make each sound. We love to hear him say cock-a-doodle-doo.......ok, it actually sounds like luldfkjlkdf-doooooo. He's trying!

• He has also recently fallen in love with Hop on Pop & Curious George. Classics!

• He doesn't have a huge vocabulary, but it is fun to hear him learning new words all the time. He has started mumbling longer unintelligible phrases, but I think he thinks he's really talking! He says puppy, kitty, bird, elephant, cow, duck, bee, head, hat, milk, ball, Hop (when he wants to read that book!), something that is supposed to resemble "Curious George", snack, truck, bus, bath, diaper, hot.........ok, I won't bore you with every word he knows. Bottom line - he's starting to talk - yay!
• He likes to talk on his cell phone. He basically just says hi over & over. I guess he can't think of anything else to say!
• For a while he would say baaaaa when you asked him what any animal said! He is starting to make some distinctions!
• loves to dance and the second he hears any music, the bopping starts. Where do they learn this? It's not like Andrew & I are be-bopping around the house.
• I have decided to stop carrying him. This probably seems weird, but even after they walk, it's just so much easier to pick them up to get where you going. But for me, it was starting to be the lazy way out, so now we're working on walking, holding hands and making him walk to the car or into the store, etc.... He's doing very well so far. And my entire body is thanking me daily.

• I've also stopped using his changing table. He is seriously just a load to pick up & down. My main reason for doing this was because as we begin traveling this next month, we won't have the luxery of the changing table and he is much more likely to roll, scoot, scamper away when not on the table. So I knew I was doing a favor to myself, by getting him use to the floor change. He is doing much better as well! (We've been doing several training things in prep for our time away. Hopefully they help!)
• Speaking of diaper changes, trying to get a prefold, snappi, & diaper cover on a boy that decides he doesn't want a diaper change has resulted in a few long battles. Good grief! This is when I wish I had only all-in-one diapers!
• So, gearing up for our flights next week. I've been told stickers, new toys, books, M&M's...... (if desperate!) Well, I'll probably do craisins, since he thinks of those like m&m's anyways! Doing some serious praying that the Gman decides to be compliant. Any other tips?
• He's says thank you whenever he hands me something. Apparently this is because he hears me say it whenever he does hand me something! However, if I ask him to say thank you, all I can get is the sign! 
• ahhhh.......... dinnertime, aka the battle of the belly. There has been much improvement in this area, but we still have our aghhhhhhhhhh. moments. This biggest thing we have done to save our sanity is not fight. I have been told that they will eat if they are hungry and since he eats good breakfasts & lunches, I am not sweatin' it. A few times he has only seemed to take a few bites, but he goes to bed without a fuss and doesn't seem to wake up ravenous, so I've learned that it's really ok! Since he discovered ranch, he will usually eat a good serving of veggies - yay! The rest? Hit or miss. The few times he absolutely refuses to even take one bite, we (yes, it takes 2 of us!) have held his hands, opened his mouth and shoved a bite in and made him chew it. At which point, he immediately began saying "mmmmmmm" and proceeded to eat the rest of it without a problem. Yes, mommy is not feeding you poison and you actually might like what she made if you would try it. Does it have to be that shocking to you? :)

Mastering the cheesy smile............?!

Speaking of these Alpha Books, they are one of the favorite gifts we have received. Each "book" is one letter and has 3 little pages. I am amazed at how much he remembers in each book! When he picks up the K book, he right away starts making kissing sounds, because one of the pages is kiss!

Other fun..............

What a nut this kid is! He cracks us up every day! We're also stumped all the time on how to do this whole parenting thing. :) Whew. What a challenge it can be. And I know we're barely started! But it sure is rewarding as well. Wouldn't trade it for anything.
We love you sweet boy, happy year & a half.