{Ben: 18 Months Old}

Ben turned 18 months old on Wednesday, June 12th!  He is growing up so fast and I find myself wanting to hold on to this time just a little bit longer.  Here are a few updates on Benny: 

Waiting for the pediatrician at 18-month check-up!

1.  At Ben's 18 month check-up, he weighed in at 32 pounds and 10 ounces (98%) and was 36 inches tall (100%).  I think he is destined to be an offensive lineman.  Too bad his mommy will not be allowing him to play football! 

2.  Ben currently has 16 teeth and no more on the horizon, thank goodness!  The last few teeth Ben got in were doozies.  He seemed to be more irratable during those times, and luckily he has been much more pleasant these past couple weeks once they came through.  He is really chewing his food lately and we have had zero choking issues lately.  Woohoo!

3.  His current obsession is shoes.  And being naked.  The boy wants his shoes on all the time.  And it has to be particular shoes that he picks.  Luckily he only has about three options since his feet are so wide that shoes are hard to come by for him.  Even if he is in just a diaper, his shoes have to be on.  Or he will scream.  Loudly.  The naked thing is so hysterical.  We pretty much always have to put shorts and a shirt on him immediately since if he does find himself in just a diaper, he will tug on it till he gets it off.  Speaking of clothes, he is in 3T tops and 24 month bottoms.  I pretty much move clothes right from Luke's drawers straight to Ben's.  I believe he is wearing a size 7 shoe.

 
4.  My favorite thing he does is when he slips or gets on something (like his rocker in his room) that wiggles, he will go "whoa!" in this adorable, cute voice.  I so need this on video. 

5.  He has curls galore and they are turning golden with each passing day of summer.  Ben is also one tan little kiddo.  He turns a shade darker every time we play outside, which is very similar to my coloring as a child my mother reminds me.  He looks like a little cherub.

6.  Ben still has a strong opinion and is not afraid to tell you!  Although he has mellowed out a lot the past couple of weeks, he still knows what he wants.  There is no swaying this toddler!  So he is typically super happy, until he isn't.  Then watch out!  Typically I can handle it pretty well, but we have good days and we have bad days.  I definitely think he is hitting terrible 2's earlier than most toddlers his age.

A bad day.

7.  Sleep wise, Ben is doing pretty much what he usually does.  He goes to bed around 8:00 or 8:30 pm and wakes up around 7:00 am.  Although the past few mornings he is waking up earlier for some strange reason.  I hope that stops soon !  I am not a morning person.  He is napping once a day from about 1:00 to 3:30 pm (give or take).  He definitely is not dependent on sleep that much anymore though and it has been pretty clear the last few weeks.  He used to pass out for nap and I was lucky to get him to 12:30 or 1:00 pm.  Now, I pretty much have to make him slow down and I am lucky if I get him down by 1:00 pm.  He could just keep on playing!  But when I do finally get him down, he usually sleeps hard 2 or 3 hours.  I do enjoy not having to be so dependent on sleep schedules and having more flexibility. 

8.  Ben does everything Luke does.  It is monkey-see, monkey-do around here all day.  Because of this I think Ben is reaching milestones quicker and doing things faster than Luke did.  Luke is his best teacher and it is truly amazing to watch!  I love when Luke realizes that Ben is mimicking him and then it can get really fun. 

 

The boys love to "cheers" with their popsicles!

9.  He still loves balls and tries to swing any chance he gets (too bad for this mommy that it is 100 degrees outside and so sweating is part of that deal).  He looooooves Ring Around the Rosie -- his favorite part is falling down and holding hands.  Especially with his cousin Molly. 

The only thing that kept him from the swing...a snow cone. 

10.  Ben is currently on an oral medicine and an inhaler daily to keep his breathing issues at bay.  He thinks the oral pill is a treat and gladly takes it and chews it up.  The inhaler is like fighting a mountain lion.  I typically have to pin him down and fight him tooth and nail to get even one puff.  But if it helps keep him healthy, I will do anything.  We go back to his pulmonologist in July for a follow-up appointment. 

11.  As far as speaking, he has tons of words.  I think these two boys keep me busy because I haven't really caught how many he has.  I do know he is ahead of where Luke was at this point and it has helped tremendously with communicating with him.  The best thing that he does is he nods yes.  It sounds so simple, but they way he nods is absolutely adorable and he does it at appropriate times so it helps with communication as well.

Ben loves to eat. The cupcake didn't have a chance.

12.  Ben and Luke continue to love each other like crazy and fight like cats and dogs.  And Ben is the instigator at times.  Most of the issues arise when Ben tries to steal Luke's stuff.  It is a work in progress on both their ends.  Luckily a large glass of wine at the end of the day dull the ringing they leave in my ears on some days!

Don't be fooled by this picture...

13.  His laugh is quite possibly the best sound to me still. 

That's about it!  Ben is such a joy and I love that big guy so much!  He is a lot of work (try carrying him around for the day!), but he is so loving.  I can't believe two is just around the corner!