18 Months

I haven't been very good at keeping up with my blog lately, so I thought I would take the time to blog about Ephraim being 18 months old (since he is 19 months now).

Ephraim is about the cutest toddler ever.  At every age I just keep thinking there is no way he could possibly be any cuter, and then he somehow proves me wrong.  At his 18 month checkup he weighed 29 lbs 5 oz (>80 %ile), was 34.25 inches long (>90 %ile), and had a head circumference of 20.5 inches (>95 %ile).  He is (as usual) our very big boy.  His hair is getting pretty long as well, but I can't bring myself to cut it yet.

Ephraim is on the go.  He is always walking, running, dancing, and climbing.  He loves to go for walks in the stroller, because he gets to get out and play at the park at the end. He loves to explore, and is very curious.  He loves rocks, birds, deer, and dogs.

Ephraim is becoming quite the chatterbox.  He loves using the words he knows and repeats them incessantly until he gets the reaction he wants from you.  He has a lot of one syllable words, and is working on a few two-syllable words.   He has started using "please" in conjunction with other words (milk please, etc.). He repeats sounds that you make.  He learns new words everyday, and I love hearing his little voice.  Some of my favorites are the way he says "choo choo," "bahpa," "lolo" (Elmo and Nemo), and "bye bye."  I also love that he says "brrrr" every time we go out when it's cold.

"cacs" (socks) is another one of his favorite words

Ephraim is obsessed with cars, trucks, and trains now.  He also loves animals, and his favorite is the horse.  Whenever he sees a horse (in a toy or book) he whinnies very loudly.  He loves to watch Blues Clues, and loves to read books about Mickey Mouse and Elmo.  In fact, he loves almost any book.  I'm so glad our little man is such a book worm.

Ephraim's biggest obsession is drawing.  If he sees any type of writing utensil (especially crayons), he will scream "baw, baw" until he gets to draw, and if he doesn't get to draw you are likely to have a very sad Ephraim on your hands.  He is very focused on his coloring, and switches crayons frequently.  He also loves to go out on our patio and color on everything with sidewalk chalk.

Ephraim is a pretty good eater, although what he is in the mood to eat changes daily.  In fact, lately he won't eat bananas!  Crazy baby.  One thing is for sure though, this baby loooves milk and using utensils to eat.  He especially loves using his own fork.

Ephraim likes to tell himself "no" before he does something naughty, and if you tell him "no" he always has to find something to pick up and throw on the ground to express his frustration.  It's hard not to laugh at his cute little expressions of displeasure, because he's such a good natured boy.

What do you mean, "no cookies for breakfast?"

Ephraim is super independent, and can entertain himself very well.  Ephraim is very free with his kisses, high-fives, and fist bumps. He will stay with any babysitter, and loooooves nursery at church, but he still loves his mama and dada, and is always very excited to see them when they return.  In fact, whenever we meet someone new he always makes sure that they know who his mama is.  It melts my heart.

He is not fearless however.  He has developed some interesting fears.  He is afraid of any toy that vibrates or moves.  He has a train that is motorized that terrorizes him, and a butterfly that vibrates that makes him whimper whenever he sees it.  If he hears the ice machine or the upstairs neighbors he always looks around to make sure everything is okay.

This picture is of sicky baby cuddles :-( but I get similar cuddles when Ephraim is scared.

Ephraim is a mimic-er, and likes to try anything that he sees those around him do.  It's true that having children makes you think twice about the example you are setting!  We are so lucky to have this little man in our lives!