18 months!!

Ohh, my baby is getting to be a big boy more and more each day. I can't believe he is half way through his SECOND year of life!! Our Munchkin is such a joy to us always, although he is entering into the "Trying Two's" stage it seems. Here are a few things that Munckin is doing, saying, and enjoying these days....
-The Munchkin is talk, talk, talking. At last count, he has over 50 words, including "buebewwies" (blueberries), milk, truck, bath, dog, "Amy" (his mother's morning out teacher) and "Sydney" (our dog's name) and "Pop" or "Papa" for my dad.
-He loves his bath time, absolutely HATES having his diaper changed or clothes changed. It is a battle every.single.time to do either one of those despised activities.
-He loves all types of play from coloring, tinkering with his workshop, pulling his doggy or xylophone around the house, digging in his kitchen drawer or enjoying his "poor man's trampoline"- pillows on the floor.
-Jumping up and down and falling on his bottom is one of the Munchkin's favorite things, and he laughs hysterically at himself when he does it.
-The Munchkin has a great sense of humor and especially loves funny noises and faces. He loves making the noises and faces, and he loves it when other people make them.
-He is a ridiculous FLIRT! Old ladies in line at Target, little girls in the cry room at church- it doesn't matter. My boy will bat his insanely long eyelashes at the chosen lady and *snap* they are under his spell. I'm in trouble!
-Being still- not so much for this kiddo. He is what they call "all boy" and rough housing is his game. I have to be very careful if I try to lay on the floor bc before I can blink he will climb on top of me and bouncing as if my belly is a trampoline.
-He loves animals and constantly repeats their names and the sounds they make whenever he sees one. Any time we see a dog- "Dawwwwg" (yes, he says it with a southern drawl!)Although "birds" is said as if he's from Jersey- "boids". His favorite lately seems to be "mooooo!" because last month's craft at Mother's Morning Out included coloring a Cow for the "God Made the Animals" theme. His cow is hanging up on our bulletin board and every time he passes it--"Mooooo!!!!"
-Munchkin is also a dancin' fool! It's a very Elaine Bennis from Seinfeld move-mostly head shaking, foot stomping, but it's precious! One of his favorite songs is the theme song from Thomas the Train show.
-Speaking of trains, Munchkin is obsessed! We have train tracks a few miles from our house and we can hear the trains blowing their whistles. As soon as the first whistle sounds, Munchkin is frantically signing "train" and saying "Choo-chooooo! Choo-chooooo!"
-Munchkin also seems to have a bit of Mama's temper and Daddy's stubbornness. He is prone to frustration (which I've read is typical of this age) and whining and crying is his immediate reaction when he can't figure something out easily. He will also act out by hitting and or biting (especially Mommy) if he's angry. I've been trying to follow my pediatrician's advice by trying Time Out in cases of hitting, and ignoring other temper tantrums. We also are being very purposeful about being consistent, and doing what we say we're going to do.
-Overall, I'd have to say Munchkin's favorite play mate is DADDY. They have such fun together, throwing the ball around (Munchkin has an amazing arm in my biased opinion!)practicing with golf clubs, watching Poppey hit balls at the club, or just rough housing. Munchkin love, love, loves his daddy.
-Book are also a favorite still for Munchkin. The library is a weekly stop for us, and Munchkin really enjoys books about trucks, animals (dogs especially), rhyming books, books with sports or balls, and trains. I try to get a range of topics, and expand his interests to things that aren't totally boy-ish, but his interests seem to remain the same.
-Munchkin, sadly, also learned the word "mine." I'm convinced he learned it at Mother's Morning out because The Wiz and I have tried very hard to say things like, "This is Daddy's. That is Mommy's," instead of using the dreaded word "mine." (NOT that I'm blaming MMO or upset with them- it's a natural thing for kids this age to use the word "mine." I absolutely LOVE our MMO and Munchkin's teachers!) He even clutches the object (whatever it is he doesn't want to share) tightly to his chest and gives the stink eye when he's shouting "mine." Sigh.

We are truly having so much fun with our little man, and each day serves as a learning experience for all three of us. Now it is so much more than just simply caring and protecting this beautiful child. Now is when the parenting really kicks in, and you have to make sure you know what you believe, how you want your child to act, and how you're going to get him to act, and what you're going to do if he doesn't behave like you want him to. You have to be firm but not lose your schmidt after he smacks you in the eye because it's time to leave the playground and he doesn't want to. Now, too, the terror sets in because he is really truly mobile, so so fast, and has a stuborn will of his own. The idea that he could take off in a parking lot or store haunts me, thus he spends a lot of time in his stroller or store carts. I'm just not ready to let him roam nor do I feel like he'd hold my hand for more than 30 seconds in a store. We're living, learning, and loving in our own little Oz! Thanks for reading!