18 months!

My little guy is 18 months old! He is still my chunky monkey but you can tell he is getting a little more lean and losing those kankles. I love this stage where they are expert climbers, explorers, mimickers, mess makers, and noise makers. It also marks the beginning of toddlerhood where 'no' is the worst word ever and if you take an unsafe object out of their hand (which they have grabbed in the blink of an eye) a tantrum is sure to follow.

Asher has learned to mimick big sis going potty! Several times he has sat on the potty chair (fully clothed), grabbed a piece of toilet paper and put it in the potty, turns and looks at it then takes the potty and dumps it in the big one then flushes! He is also very good about throwing trash in the trash can when he is done with fruit snacks or just sees a piece of trash on the floor. But then there is always the chance that a very yummy apple core or leftover ____ may be in the trash can just in his reach for seconds. (yuck!)

He is such a sweetie and will occasionally cuddle with me or give kisses. We do 'facetime' with my family once or twice a week and Asher will ham it up by 'making eyes' or kissing the screen. He also likes to entertain people and make them laugh:)

His not-as-sweet side I like to call his 'charging rhino'! He has gotten into this habit of running into mine or BJ's leg and trying to push full force with his solid, little body to get us to back up or move across the room. He is usually successful at moving Sadie when he does this. She has now started shoving him when she gets frustrated at him. Whew! Sibling rivalry can be tough sometimes....I'm still trying to figure out when to intervene and when to let them work things out themselves.

Another fun thing about 18months is language development. He is repeating and saying more words and I have to say, his animal noises are pretty funny. I will have to put up a video of his elephant, horse, and dog sometime. Even though the words don't sound the way they are supposed to, I can tell when he wants a banana, apple, blankie.....he clearly says fish, dog, papa, and we are STILL working on dada (for some reason he will NOT say it) also nana, grandma, and grandpa.

I am so glad that a year and a half ago God blessed us with Asher Michael. I couldn't imagine our family without him:)