18 months and counting

Last Friday Anderson turned 18 months. For the first year of his life I was pretty good at recording his development, but isn't it funny how after they turn 1, you stop taking them to the photographer once a month (actually I've never done this but I know people who do), that baby calendar you got at your baby shower runs out of pages, and the recording seems to slow down dramatically. I know I occasionally share stories about his monstrosities, but in all actuality, I have a very sweet, loving and silly little boy who reminds me an awful lot of Pablo the penguin in Backyardigans because of his flat nose, pouty lip and waddle-like run. Anderson loves being in the middle of all the action. When we play Duck Duck Goose, Anderson gets up and runs every time even if he's not the goose at which point his little laugh is enough to get a not-in-the-mood-to-play-this-game Mom to smile. His wide mouthed smile, laugh, and even cry are some of the things I love the most about my mischievous munchkin. He loves to read books and sing and climb and wrestle with Dad and Brother. He's Mommy's little helper as you can see in the video (no, I am not a slave driver and I'm sorry it's so dark) and sometimes we catch a glimpse of his tenderness towards his brother like when Carter was sick a few weeks ago and sleeping on the couch, Anderson piled all of Carter's favorite toys up next to his head. He still sucks his thumb, but we have found lately that his favorite thumb is cracked and dry and sometimes a little bloody in one spot, so we've been trying to get him to suck the other one, but we can't for the life of us get him to keep a bandage on the owie. He loves meal time and bath time. His speech was concerning me for a while until our pediatrician helped me realize that every baby develops at a different speed and Anderson seems to be focusing his energies on comprehension before clear expression. He understands simple commands like "throw this in the trash" or "go get your shoes." However, yesterday he clearly said "baby" unprompted when he saw one so I was pretty thrilled. (I'm not quite sure why I want this child to start talking, I can barely get peace and quiet since Carter talks ALL THE TIME!) He has 14 teeth with 2 more on the way soon. While having a child who is 18 months does have it's challenges, I do clearly remember loving this stage with Carter and it's no different this time around. I adore having an 18 month old.