one and a half

Today Jacob turned 18 months, one and a half. It's hard to believe that just six months ago we were celebrating his first birthday; that one year ago we were in awe at the fact that our sweet baby was already six months old; that eighteen months ago we were welcoming him into our lives and wondering just what we had in store for ourselves. Let me paint a picture of who Jacob is at 18 months....

At 18 months Jacob weighs 29.4lbs and is 31 3/4 inches tall. His head circumference is 50 cm. He has blonde hair that is curly in the back and dark blue eyes. He has 16 teeth.

Jacob doesn't really talk (that we can understand anyway) but he babbles constantly. He does say "dada", "daddy", and "yuck." He walks, runs, dances, claps his hands, and is good at following directions -- when he wants to! He is very smart and very curious. He knows his body parts (head, hair, eyes, nose, mouth, ears, arms, elbows, hands, belly, bellybutton, chest, legs, knees, feet, toes) and animal sounds (dog, cat, cow, sheep, lion, monkey). He is very strong and very strong-willed. When he doesn't want to do something he will "protest" by standing with his hands and head on the floor. He hits. He loves making messes and getting into things he knows he's not supposed to. He does not like being told no or going to time-out. He responds pretty well to 1-2-3 discipline.

He loves attention but has a very short attention span. He is easily distracted and easily amused. He is also easily frustrated if he can't do something right away. He loves pretty much all forms of transportation -- trucks, cars, trains, boats, airplanes. His favorite part of the day is watching the mail truck and the school bus go by.

He likes to brush his hair but he hates to brush his teeth. He loves taking baths or showers but he hates having water poured over his head or having his face washed. He loves to play outside and to play with water. He loves music and vacuuming, books, blocks and balls, coloring, phones, remotes, and tupperware. He likes going for walks and playing at the park, going down slides and swinging. He likes climbing, pushing things (buckets, wagons, etc), filling and emptying things, opening and closing drawers and cabinets, and throwing things. He can go backwards on his ride-on toys but not forwards.

He likes feeding himself and using a spoon. He likes bananas, grapes, and pretty much any fruit. He dislikes green beans and hamburgers. He likes Gerber cereal bars and deli meat (turkey and ham) but he does not like trying new foods, especially those with a new texture. He drinks mostly whole milk from his sippy cup. He loves drinking from straws. He drinks some water and a very small amount of juice occasionally. He is currently being weaned from his bedtime bottle (for the second time).

He loves animals, especially dogs and cats. He loves his pets (Charlie and Isabelle/Kitty) but he is not very nice to them. He also loves birds and fish. He likes playing with the dog's food and water dishes and the cat's toys. He likes putting the cat's toys in her bag of food. He likes helping to feed them but usually makes a mess in the process.

He sleeps in his crib with his pacifier, cross, mama bear, and musical elephant. He does not like bedtime. He usually sleeps 12 hours a night and he mostly sleeps on his stomach. He takes 1 nap a day, right after lunch. It varies from about 1 hour to once in awhile 4 hours, with an average of about 2 hours. He likes tickles and is most ticklish at night right before bed. He poops twice a day; once when he wakes up in the morning and once after his nap.

He can point to pictures in books and can match objects in books. He knows who people are. He waves bye-bye but hates when people leave. He does not like staying still or getting stuck. He likes trees, especially big ones. He likes pulling on the oven because it makes a squeaking noise. He sometimes crawls with his head on the floor. He screams -- in fun and not in fun. He is good at imitating others and does a little fantasy play (mostly using objects as phones). He helps to dress and undress himself. He gives hugs and kisses. He loves to laugh. He also whines a lot. He stands on his tip-toes to reach things. And sometimes just for fun. And he always kicks off his right shoe when he's in the car, grocery cart, or stroller.

And if you couldn't figure it out by everything else that was said, let me summarize by this: Jacob is a pretty amazing little boy. We love him and are so proud of who he has become and what he has learned. We're so proud to be his parents.