18 Months

Dear Nolan,

You are 18 months old!! One and a half years... this is so crazy to me. I rocked you to sleep the other night and you didn't even fit on my lap. Time is going way too fast for me little man.

First, your stats. You weigh 22 pounds and 11 ounces and are 32.5" tall. You're staying pretty steady in the 10-15th %ile range. You gained a little bit of weight because you spent a lot of time with grandma ("Wow") and she feeds you every time you go in the kitchen. ;) It's okay though, we like your little pot belly and chubby thighs. You are wearing size 6.5 shoes, 18 month pants and 18-24 month shirts.

You are into everything these days. You are climbing, jumping, standing on things and balancing. Basically giving me heart palpitations every moment of the day. Your vocabulary exploded when I got the idea to quit "letting" you grunt and just say "this" all the time. We have been trying to make you tell us what you want like instead of grunting when you're finished with dinner, we ask you to say "all done" or "down." We've found that you can say A LOT more than we thought! You've always had an extensive vocabulary so now we just have to remember to encourage you to talk more. You were getting in the habit of not talking as much because we knew what you wanted but we're making a better effort now and you are talking up a storm. The cutest thing is when you dance and sing "hot dog dog dog" with Mickey Mouse! :)



This month was by far the biggest month for you in terms of things changing. We brought your sisters home from the hospital! The first week was really rough for mommy. You were very standoffish towards me- probably because I was pretty busy caring for the babies. Things have improved drastically and you love your sisters so much! The first thing you do when you come home from grandma's is go and give them kisses. It's so sweet!! I hope that the three of you will always have a close relationship. I am very proud of you for rolling with the punches so well. I was very worried that you would continue to hate me like you did that first week but you're back to normal thank goodness. Daddy and I are trying to spend as much time with you as we can and it's helping. He's taken you out a couple of times just the two of you and you always have a great time. Once the weather gets nicer we'll be able to go out a lot more and I can't wait!



You love to watch Mickey Mouse Clubhouse and probably watch a little too much. You would go outside no matter the weather or time of day. You like to eat whatever we're eating, even if it's something I recently offered you on your own plate that you refused. You don't like cold things (popcicles, ice cream) and you do "the hulk" when something is cold. You're still rear-facing in the car and have now moved to the very back of the van to make room for your sisters. We call it your big boy seat and you are okay with it. I think you like the added windows. You yell "CAR!" about a billion times a ride. You love stairs and slides and whenever we take you to a playground you're perfectly happy just going up and down the stairs. You no longer want any "baby" food like puffs and your favorite things to eat are still applesauce, yogurt and mac&cheese. Luckily, you're starting to branch out a little bit more these days.

This age is so much fun. You are such a little person and we love it! Sometimes it can be frustrating (for both of us) because your vocabulary is limited and it's hard to portray what you want so tantrums can ensue... but we're learning. Some days I swear you've hit the terrible two's 6 months early and other days you are sweet as can be. Such is the life with a toddler! :) I think this will be my last monthly letter to you. I'm still going to post but I'm going to switch it up to just include a picture with a list of the things you're into. A couple of my blog friends do this and I like it for this age. You are so much fun but not much changes month to month like it did when you were a baby. I'm planning to still write letters every 6 months though so expect another on your 2nd birthday. It's hard to believe that it'll be here before I know it!



You're always going to be so special to me little buddy. You gave me the best gift of all... you made me a mommy. And not just any mommy- YOUR mommy. You light up my life and fill my heart to the brim. I love you so much sweetheart... never, ever forget that!

Love, Mom