Levi’s Monthly Photo (18 Months Old)

Dear Levi,

I must confess: This post is very, very late. So late, in fact, that you will be turning 19 months old next week! But let’s ignore mommy’s tardiness and instead focus on how much you’ve grown up since we last checked in.

Now 18 months old, you hit your biggest milestone to date when you were 16 months old — walking! You took your first unassisted step on Thanksgiving, but I was sick in bed and missed it. Boohoo! Happily, I was present a couple days later to watch you walk across your bedroom for the first time. You alternated between walking and crawling for the next couple of weeks, but I haven’t seen you on all fours in a while. Gradually, you’ve become steadier on your feet, and when I watch you from behind purposefully moving from the living room to the kitchen, you look like such a big kid.

Obviously, walking has opened up a whole new world of activity. Now you can do things that were impossible when you were crawling, including lugging around oversize objects. Sometimes I can’t believe you’re able to pick up such heavy things! You get a thrill from pulling suitcases, dragging garbage bags, carrying puzzles, and moving daddy’s iPad across the room.

You also like holding your LeapFrog laptop by its handle and pushing all of its buttons. You are definitely your father’s son: You love electronics! Somehow you’ve even figured out how to turn on the living room TV using our very complicated remote. One evening, shortly before you turned 18 months old, you surprised daddy and me by climbing up on the ottoman to watch “Wonder Pets” after hitting the button to start Netflix.

Since I try to limit your TV-watching time, we keep busy during the day by attending Baby Maestro music classes, visiting the Children’s Museum, seeing friends, or simply playing in the basement. Some of your favorite toys include your Fisher-Price Corn Popper Push Toy, your Melissa & Doug Stacking Train, LEGO Duplo blocks, and puzzles. You also love to color with crayons. Thankfully, you’ve only drawn on the sofa a couple of times, and I’ve been able completely remove your scribbles. (Now we have a strict “no crayons near the couch” policy.)

When we go to the Children’s Museum, you make a beeline for the pretend kitchen and grocery store. You love the play food! It actually blew my mind the first time I saw you carry a plastic loaf of bread across the pretend store to put it in a toddler-size shopping car. How did you know what to do?

In terms of real food, you went through a brief banana obsession, constantly asking for them by name: “Nana! Nana!” Now you seem to be in a clementine phase (good luck saying that word!). When it’s time to eat, you point to your chest and say “bi! bi!” and help put the strap of your bib around your neck. Mealtime is still frustrating for daddy and me, though, as your tastes seem to change on a daily basis. On a good day you’ll eat waffles, French toast, peanut butter on toast, chicken nuggets, hot dogs or macaroni and cheese, but you still won’t eat any vegetables.

When you’re finished eating (or finished doing anything, actually), you wave both hands in the air and say, “Ahgo! Ahgo!” which sounds like a combination of “all done” and “all gone.” At first it was cute, but it’s starting to get old, as you often use it to mean “next activity please, I’m bored!”

Some other words in your ever-expanding repertoire: puppy, night-night, mama, dada, hotdog, apple, more, up, go, bath, cookie, off, tissue, and iPad. You also say “poop” while simultaneously grabbing your crotch and squatting. Only sometimes do you actually have a dirty diaper. What really astonishes me is your comprehension of words you can’t even say, proven by your ability to follow almost every direction I give you. How did you learn so much so quickly?

When you were 15 months old, you no longer seemed interested in sitting in my lap for storytime. Luckily, that was a short-lived phase. You still love your books and will carry one over to me, plop your tush in my lap, and ask me to read to you. You are also (mostly) content to sit in your crib with a couple of books so I can quickly shower and get dressed in the morning. Unfortunately, you’re still in the habit of tearing the pages of non-board books and have also begun ripping off the cover and chewing on the corners of your board books. I have to keep a close eye on you when you’re handling library books!

Every night before bed (and whenever we walk past your bathroom) you ask for bubbles. You quickly went from being afraid of bubble baths to being enthralled by them and always want to help pour the bubbles into the tub. Bedtime is between 7-7:30pm, and still you tend to wake up around 6:30am (although sometimes it is much earlier). You nap for 2-3 hours a day, starting around 12:15pm after you’ve eaten lunch.

Your current stats: At your 18-month doctor’s appointment, you measured 32-1/4″ long, keeping you in the 50th percentile for height. You weigh 23lb 8oz, so you’ve jumped all the way to the 20th percentile for weight! How crazy is it that a year ago we were just starting Operation Chubbs? Your pudgy round tummy was proof to me that you’ve gained a healthy amount of weight. You’re still wearing size 4 diapers, size 4 shoes, and mostly 12-18 month clothing, although some of your shirts seem to be getting a little bit small. And despite having a couple of teeth on top, you still only have two bottom teeth — which I think make you look extra adorable.

You amaze me every day, baby guy–or should I say, toddler guy. I love you!

xoxo

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To document Levi’s growth during his second year, I’ll be photographing him during the months he visits the pediatrician for his well check-ups. Levi will continue to wear a numbered white onesie corresponding to his age in months and will sit in a chair next to his blabla doll for continuity. See all of Levi’s monthly photos here.