{A Boy And His Dog}

This dog has put up with an awful lot from this guy...

and she still seems to love him :).

{Drivin' -- Me Crazy!}

Here's another snapshot of one of Luke's new favorite things! The boy loves the car (loves is a huge understatement). We spend at least 45 minutes a day with him climbing all over the car, pushing the buttons, turning on the lights, playing with the stereo and "driving" the wheel. I am a little sad we started this because every time we have to leave to go somewhere, he wants to play in the car, not get into his carseat. So I have to set time everyday for him to get the 'driving' out of his system, so we can avoid any tantrums. I do love to see him get such a thrill out of it all though - and it is very low maintenance for me, I just have to sit there and make sure he doesn't drive away :). At least we just have to head to the driveway now to have a fun outting!

{My 18 Month Old}

I can't believe Luke is already 18 months old! This has been a FUN, but EXHAUSTING age. I enjoy watching him learn and soak everything in...it is really incredible to watch. When he learns something new, my heart just melts with pride. He is such a little guy now. We went to his 18 month check-up this week and his pediatrician gave him a great report :). His 18 month stats are:

Height - 34 1/4 inches (92nd percentile)

Weight - 29 pounds (84th percentile)

We clearly have one tall boy! One of my concerns over the past few months is Luke's lack of words. He has been extremely vocal over the past few months. He speaks tons...just in a language I could never understand (although it was kinda cute). I planned to have a big discussion with the doctor at this appointment, but low-and-behold Luke started talking about a week before his appointment. Seriously, four days ago he was saying only 2 words that I could understand. Today, he is speaking 12 that I can identify...

Dada

Mama

Dog

Bubbles

No

Uh-oh

Ball

Hot

Hi

Bye

Banana

Elmo

The pediatrician said that one day he would just start speaking and then rapidly increase...and boy did it! He seems to be learning to speak several words a day now. It has been very fun to see him do this...and has given me great peace of mind.

Other than that, Luke is just busy, busy, busy. I can barely take him anywhere now because he is so active and literally won't sit still (or be held) for more than about 2 minutes. The grocery store is now even a problem. Restaurants...forget it. The boy wants to run around like a chicken with his head cut off! It is actually very entertaining...when it is not frustrating :). He climbs on everything and moves furniture to be able to get to counters and tables that we put things out of his reach. The tantrums have started, but are few. We are learning to have time out when he gets upset and it seems to help, but somedays he can just have off days. Those particular days, all we have to do is spend a bit extra time outside and he is a happy camper. He is sleeping like a champ and napping so well. I guess he is making up for his first year where he did not sleep at all. The boy is dirty -- All The Time. He wants to be outside and be hot, sweaty and dirty. We cannot miss bath at night since he smells like a little goat by about noon everyday. I am glad he plays so hard though and enjoys it so much.

Here is a picture of the little guy after playing hard in the backyard today....notice something funny about one of his bottom teeth?

Yes, he fell out of a chair the other day and chipped his tooth. At times I get a bit comfortable with him climbing since he is doing it 24/7 and seems to have pretty good balance. Well, this time I was a bit too comfortable and could not get there in time to catch him when he fell. Luckily he will eventually lose this tooth, it will just take another 5 years. Until then, I am raising a little hillbilly :).