18 Months!!!

I can't believe my "baby" is 18 months old! Or a year and a half. Or halfway through his second year of life. However you want to say it, he is growing up!!

The past month brought some exciting developments, the biggest of all being Colton finally walking on his own. At first he sort of seemed to stumble around like he was drunk, but eventually he gained more balance. He no longer crawls anymore and instead walks quite confidently (and quickly) to wherever he wants to go now. I am so excited that he has at long last reached this milestone.

I'm definitely seeing more of his personality showing through, as well as that temper! Colton wants to do a lot of things on his own, and is very proud when he's able to do so. Like turn off his own light, feed himself a container of yogurt, or reach up to the counters or table to get something he wants. With more independence comes a power struggle between him and I for everything from getting dressed to cleaning his hands and face after each meal. He will not lay still on the changing table anymore, so I've resorted to changing him on the floor. He's even given me a hard time about his nap lately. I used to rock him a little, pop a binky in his mouth, and he'd be out cold in two minutes. But lately, not so much.

When we tell Colton "no", he will repeat it back to us several times. Not in a talking back kind of way though. This is his way of showing us that he understands what is off limits. Sometimes he'll do something or go to an area of the house he's not supposed to (like the bathroom) and then stop himself and say "no no". I've discovered that while he can be pretty cantankerous with the two of us at times, he is passive with other children around his age. If, for instance, another toddler takes a toy from him, he just lets them take it. This doesn't seem to phase him. He might stare at the kid for a few seconds, but he always goes and finds something else to play with right afterwards.

Something new he's been doing also is finding a secluded part of the house when he has to poop. The past few days, I've found him hanging out by the side of the refrigerator making the poopy face. Gregg says this is a good sign that Colton is starting to recognize when he has to "go". Just one step closer to potty training. Yay.

Of course, he can't actually tell us he has to go bathroom yet. He's still only saying about six words. But he does understand a lot of simple commands, like "bring me the ball" or "come here". And the other day I said "who wants a snack?" and Colton immediately popped his binky out and handed it to me. He also raises his arms up when he wants to be held or get out of his hook-on chair. He will pass his plate to one of us at dinnertime when he wants food, too. I've been working on pointing out different parts of Coltie's body to him, and he knows where his nose is almost 100% of the time.

I am so pleased with the little boy he's becoming, always learning and revealing something new about himself every day. We go for his 18 month well visit tomorrow night, and I'm anxious to see how much he's grown! It's hard to believe he'll be celebrating his second birthday this August.