Wednesday, September 7, 2011

17 months and Lovin' It!

Growing and changing.  Walking and running.  Whining and laughing.  Learning and testing.  That is just a few of things going on around my house with a busy, active, kind of crazy 17 month old.

When I think about it I just can't believe Bennett is 17 months old.  

He is constantly making us LAUGH, particularly when he mimics what we are doing.  If we stick out our tongue, he will stick out his.  A few days ago, I was sitting in the floor and decided to stand up, because my back was hurting.  I stood up stretching backwards while saying, "Ahhhhh."  Immediately, he stood up and made an ahhhhh sound while leaning backwards.  


When he doesn't want something he walks backwards away from us occasionally shaking his head back and forth while saying, "Nahh, Nahh."  He has begun climbing on and off of boxes and spinning around in circles.

He has been working particularly hard on his dance moves.  The kid has some rhythm, but cracks me up, as he often dances by stomping one foot to the beat or head banging.





He has finally began expressing more interest in throwing/rolling various balls.  For months, he could have cared less.  Now, he sees one and immediately says "Ball" and goes to throw it.

He continues to understand and develop more language.  For example, a few days ago I looked at him and said, "Are you my little boy?"  He replied, "BIGGGG!"  No one is denying that response.  He will stand at the cabinet and ask for a snack.  He will stand by the armoire and ask to play with Play-Doh or crayons.  The words snack, Play-Doh, and crayons would be difficult for someone to understand, but I know exactly what he is asking for as the word he uses for each object is the same every time.  He is beginning to pronounce more words in their entirety. Du...is now duck.  Booh is now book.  Tra...is now trash.  Tain is now train.  He is very verbal, surprising me almost daily with new words.  


Tantrums now exist in our household.  His biggest tantrums are a result of his frustration in completing a task.  For example, he expresses much frustration when he can't take a lid off or when one of his toys are "stuck."

We are also experiencing full blown separation anxiety.  Wow, it is much harder to handle than I thought it would be.  If he is in his own home he does well if left with Grandma and Grandpa, but he is rarely happy when we drop him off in the nursery.  It makes me sad that more people don't get to experience his sweet, fun personality when we are away from home.

He still eats a lot, but is more picky.  He favorite food is still cottage cheese, but he will eat yogurt, pears, peaches, mangos, banana, watermelon, peanut butter, apple sauce, mozzarella cheese, eggs, sausage, bread, cheerios, raisins, goldfish on a regular basis.  He will occasionally eat chicken nuggets, turkey, broccoli, hummus, zucchini, and/or chicken sausage.

He is the messiest eater EVER.  He still wears a bib and I am sure we look like rednecks, because we take his shirt off for each meal.  I let him feed himself and have for months.  I have always felt it was very important for their motor skills, so I have not been strict when it comes to him making a mess with his food as long as he is eating it.  When he begins playing with his food we take it away. 

He has really turned a corner this month when it comes to playing by himself.  For months, I wondered if he would ever play by himself.  Now, he will play for 5-15 minutes before wanting me to begin interacting with him. 

He really enjoys his toys.  I have not been disappointed with any of the toys I have bought as he plays with each one of them.  Currently, he really enjoys playing with Play-Doh.  He asks for it each day.  I usually break it up into various shapes and give him containers, utensils, an egg carton, etc. to play with.  He continues to play with the Little People Farm among other toys, but loves various sized boxes, flip top water bottles, and containers with screw top lids.

We watch a video in the morning while he drinks his milk and most days one after he wakes up from his nap.  His favorites include Veggie Tales, Dinosaur Train, and Elmo's World.  He will watch a few others, but loses interest after several minutes and walks away.

He continues to love the water.  He has began sitting down before trying to go down the water slide (most of the time).  Occasionally, he will kick when we say kick and will almost always blow water out of his mouth versus breathing in. 


He has so much fun at the beach.  He will run out to the ocean, lay down on his back and wait for a wave to come.  When it washes over him he turns onto his belly really fast trying to avoid getting water in his mouth.  He LOVES, LOVES, LOVES the sand.  While I am at it let me plug the Melissa and Doug cupcake set for the beach............soooooooo clever!  Bennett loves it and plays with it EVERY DAY, beach or not.  He just absolutely loves the toy.  He plays with it inside and out....literally every single day.


We also take these toys along with several others on our back porch each day where B enjoys playing in his kiddie pool.  He loves for us to leave the hose running, so he can fill his bucket up, fill his mouth with water, or fill another random container. 


Most days his bedtime routine begins around 7 with bedtime around 7:30.  He sleeps through the night unless he is sick awaking between 7:15-8:30 a.m.  He takes 1 nap a day that is typically 45 minutes to 1.5 hours.  Every now and then he will take a 2.5 hour nap.  WOOHOO!!!  Momma loves those days.

Bennett,

I never knew when you entered this world the amount of joy you bring to not only your dad and I, but so many people.  You make us LAUGH and smile every day.  I love when you come up behind me and give me a hug or pat me on the shoulder.  I love when you bend over and back up until your butt finds my lap all while holding a book for me to read.  I love and sometimes get annoyed with how you stand at the cabinet going, "Sn. Sn. Sn" (snack).  Each passing day you are growing into a man and I pray God will help us train you up to be a man after His own heart.  A man who respects authority, who is generous, who is faithful, and so much more.  

I love you, 
Mommy

3 comments:

Carolina said...

Love this post on Bennett! I haven't seen him in some time so this is a great way to stay updated. Jack has the exact same red shirt that says 'lifesaver' so we should dress them alike and take them out somewhere- ha! Big hugs and kisses to Bennett from us.

Unknown said...

So sweet! I can't believe he lays down in the waves like that! Hilarious! I wish our little boys could play together... I am sure they would have a blast! :)

Anonymous said...

Oh my goodness. So precious! Love how chunky he is. I miss chunkiness.