Joey: 18 Months

I can’t believe our little man is a year and a half old today! Joey’s pediatrician appointment went well, weighing in at 20 pounds, 9 ounces (8^th percentile) and is 31 inches long (10^th percentile).

Joey’s vocabulary is expanding and includes: doggy, nose, bird, hello, Abby, Nonny (Toni), cookie, Bert, light and so much more.

Joey is becoming more comfortable on his feet. He will transition from one piece of furniture to another and will now walk when holding onto us. He seems less scared to fall and is becoming more confident. He does more of a “booty scoot” now than the super crawl and will scoot with several things in his hand.

He is becoming more adventurous with food and will try new things every once in a while when it’s offered. Chicken nuggets, fish sticks, goldfish, bananas, fruit snacks and muffins continue to be among his favorites.

I’ve noticed a big difference with Joey over the last month when reading books. He’s starting to recite words along with me. One of his favorite books is Dr. Seuss’ “Mr. Brown Can Moo, Can You” and when I turn to pages, he will recite the sounds:

·         Moo, Moo – like a cow

·         Hoo, Hoo – like an owl

·         Boom, Boom, Boom – like thunder

·         Buzz – like a bee

It absolutely makes my heart melt and I love reading that book to him for that reason. There’s also a Sesame Street book that points out specific things on the pages and he will point at the dog and say doggy. I love to watch him think and learn while we’re reading and truly cherish that part of our routine.

Good news – Joey has been broken of the pacifier! A few days before he hit that 18 month mark, the pacifier disappeared. He held on strong though, it took two weeks for him to fully get over it. At this point, he’s doing great and sleeping through the night as well. The pacifier is a thing of the past and we’re not looking back.

Sleeping habits have changed a little. Joey is trying hard to give up one of his naps. On the weekends, he usually takes just one long nap and during the week it depends on his activity. Sometimes he takes just one, other times he takes two. He still sleeps a solid 11-12 hours every night and we have to wake him up almost every morning during the week to get ready to go to Miss Toni’s house.

For this month’s photos, I was able to distract Joey with his books.