19 Months

Now that Bennett is nearly 19 months old, I realize we haven't said much about what he's been up to lately. He's a really amazing kid. Still pretty easy going (except when he wants to throw a tempter tantrum or is hungry), seems to have a good sense of humor, and is usually super happy. He says quite a bit now, is good with baby sign-language, really curious to learn the names of items around us, and tries to repeat what we say. He has quite a few cute phrases in his vocabulary, which I'm pretty sure he learned from daycare: "Oh no!" and "Uh oh!". He says the words: more, nana (for banana), puppy, Isla (who he is obsessed with and must know where she is at all times), baby (which can mean an actual baby, or his blanket, or his toy dog Scout... usually his blanket though), bao bao, airplane, bye bye, 'ello for hello, ice cream (which he calls anything he likes to eat but doesn't know the name of), apple, up please (which sounds like 'uh peas'), poop, owie, alright, mama, dada, night night, bus, bike, and probably more that I'm forgetting. This weekend, we were reading and he pointed to a picture of the moon and said, "Moon. Up high." That was incredible, I had no idea he knew that.  He makes various animal and vehicle noises, so between all of these, his sign-language, and his nonstop babbling and gesturing, it's pretty easy to figure out what he's thinking about.

What amazes me is how much he comprehends when we talk to him. Before he came around, I would've never thought a 1.5 year old kid would understand much. I like to tell him what the schedule is for the day or week, and he nods when I ask him if he wants to what we have planned (as if he has much of a choice). He's pretty good about following directions and doing simple tasks, like bringing things to us and putting his socks in the washing machine. He likes to Swifer the floor also, so he really is quite useful.

Bennett still loves music and loves to dance. At daycare, his teachers tell us he always anticipates what motions come next in the songs they sing. When we sing songs with him, he's always asking for more. He's also more tolerant of diaper changes and nail clippings if we're singing songs. Bennett will dance whenever he hears a good tune, no matter where we are. I love seeing this, because I know a day will come where he'll get embarrassed in public, and that will be such a sad day for me. At home, his favorite songs are "Twinkle Twinkle," "Wheels on the Bus," and "Itsy Bitsy Spider." He knows the motions to all of them, so if he wants to sing one, he'll start making stars with his fingers, wheel motions with his arms, or spider motions with his hands.  He likes to do "Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes" also, but instantly points to his toes and sometimes his nose. Tonight I was singing "Do Your Ears Hang Low?" and doing the gestures to the song. After 3 times he started doing some of them too. It's amazing what a quick learner he is and it's actually really fun that he's so interactive and great at communicating what he'd like (he made me sing the song about a dozen times).

He still likes to read, especially any book that has a picture of a vehicle in it. If he knows the book has a picture of a car, he'll flip to that page and want to read it... and only it. This kid really loves vehicles. He still loves the 'Little Blue Truck' books, and refers to them as "Beep Beep". He has a puzzle with construction vehicles on it, and he'll take out the pieces and drive them around. Every day he'll hop on his ride-on bulldozer, wave and say "bye bye!" When he eats bread, he even pushes it around, making car noises, until he eventually eats it. I don't think anything makes Bennett happier than when he can stand at a window and watch traffic go by. The best way to occupy him is to show him videos of trains on our phones. We try not to do that too often... but sometimes it is necessary.

He is a really good eater and always willing to try foods. Even if he doesn't like it, he'll usually take one more bite before refusing. His favorite foods are probably bananas, grapes, dumplings, bread with jam, and anything with tomato sauce. If we want Bennett to eat a nice big dinner, making him spaghetti or lasagna is the way to go. He can easily eat 7-8 ounces of pasta and still want more. He is getting more curious about the drinks we have with our dinners, since he is always offered milk. Bennett really loves the taste of juices, especially passion fruit juice. Like his parents he is also a fan of icecream, and just like his daddy, he can suck down an entire malt without taking a breath. We actually haven't let him have an entire malt to himself, but if he sees Joel drinking one, he'll whine and cry until he can have some... and then he drinks half of it. Bennett also is doing pretty well with using utensils! He can easily use utensils to eat things like fruit, yogurt, oatmeal, pasta, and carrots. He has difficulty with runny foods or things like peas, but he really does great! There are times he gets anxious because using a fork takes too long, and he starts grabbing with his hands, but overall, he's making great progress. He is also have success with drinking from a cup on his own. Maybe once a week, after taking a drink, he'll set the cup down on something and then it'll tip over, but what fun is learning if you can't make a mess?

Bennett has been doing really well about going to bed. When he gets tired as we're reading, he'll point to his crib, so that he can lay down. Sometimes he'll lay in there and play with Scout a bit, or at least cuddle with Scout and one of this many blankets as he's falling asleep. He calls Scout his baby and will rock him and hold him like a baby. Hopefully he'll be just as loving when his new sibling comes along. He still wakes up around 5 and we bring him into bed with us. Sometimes it's because he's cold, and other times because he has a super wet diaper. On weekends, when he's in bed with us, he likes to wake me up. For some reason, he always wants me to play with him in bed, never Joel. Even if Joel takes him, he'll come right back over. If I pretend to sleep, I'll eventually open my eyes and find myself staring at his smiling face a few inches away from mine. He knows how to win me over, because it's hard to be mad at that happy little face.

We're starting to get into temper tantrums more and more often. If food isn't ready when he's hungry, he'll melt down (but I am the same, so I can't blame him). Getting him dressed is becoming more and more of a hassle, because he doesn't want to put clothes on. He'll usually start by saying, "No.  Nooo," which escalates into, "Nooooooo NOOOOOOOO NOOOOOOOOOOO," along with plenty of fussing and trying to take off the piece of offending clothing. I don't know why he thinks he can be naked all the time, but he'd be a lot happier if he could be. Other things that make him throw tantrums are if he wants something he can't have or having to stop doing something he wants to do. I'm sure this is just a little taste of what the terrible 2's will be like, but I already find it exhausting.

Overall, he's just an amazing kid. It's always exciting when he and Joel get home, and I can hear him coming into the house saying, "Mama. Mama" and then he appears and gives me a hug. And when he hugs, he likes to put one under my armpit, instead of over the shoulder, and pats his little hand. It's cute when he brings me my phone or waterbottle from another room without me asking, just because he saw it and knew it was mine. He likes to point out airplanes, then waves and says "bye bye" to them as they fly away. When he's sad, sometimes he'll wail "Maaaaa maaaaaaa" or "Bayyyyyy beeeeeee" for his blanket. One of the best things he does is play with my hair when I'm holding him. He likes to take chunks between his fingers and run them down the strands. I think I like it more than he does.