18 month update

18 months old already!?!

Eliel turned 18 months on the 21st but I swear he ages a week every day.  All of a sudden he is soaking up things he learns like a sponge.  This can be a good thing or a bad thing.  Mommy and Daddy have to watch our words and actions very carefully now!
We went to the pediatrician and although he feels much heavier to carry, Eliel is only 21 pounds, 5 ounces.  That puts him in the 13th percentile.  His height is 31 1/2 which is only the 17th percentile.  His head circumference, however, is at the 75th percentile!  He must be doing a lo



t of thinking! :)  Based on everything she saw, the doctor was very pleased.  She said that although he isn't saying multiple word phrases, he is 'talking' just fine.  His self-proclaimed vegetarian diet is okay as long as we make sure he gets enough iron. He loves green peas and beans so I'm not worried about that.  I even asked the pediatrician about potty training because often times, Eliel will take his three hour nap and wake up dry.  She said that although that's a great sign he's almost ready, she wouldn't start until he's closer to two.  So, it will be a great winter project! ;)
There's so much to tell you about Eliel this month that I tried to break it up into sections.  Feel free to read it one night when you can't fall asleep.  It will help...

Nug-Nug!

Talking: So apparently Adam and I had high expectations for Eliel's first word(s).   Now that I look back, he's been talking for a while, just not as other kids do.  Eliel has always been very good with communicating, especially with sign language.  I think I got so used to him being so good at it that I expected his verbal language to start off just as good.  Eliel says lots of words, probably about around twelve or fifteen.  In addition to that, he can also make animal noises of about ten different animals, including a snake which isn't an easy phoneme!  In the last few weeks, Eliel has also starting trying to repeat sounds he hears as well as word we ask him to say.  Just yesterday, he tried a two syllable word, blackberries.  It came out as blah-buhs but it was one of the first times I've hear him try something with two syllables.  Here's a quick video I took earlier of some of the words and sounds he says.  He still doesn't like to say 'mama' very often and when he does, it sounds a lot like 'papa'.

Talking Eliel

Eating: Eliel does very well with a spoon now and is working on using a fork as well.  He really wants to get his hands on the knife that came with his plastic set but I think we're going to wait on that for awhile.  We can generally now put food in front of him, walk away, and be confident that it won't be on the floor when we come back.  (That's also because if there is something on the floor, Nugget will take care of it before I see it!)  His current favorite foods are blackberries, avocados, macaroni and cheese, plums and carrots.  Although he'll eat just about anything that comes in one of those squeeze pouches (yogurt, applesauce, etc.)  Eliel is also doing very well with drinking out of regular cups. He loves to drink out of Mommy's glass although I end up with things floating in my glass after he's done.  When possible, we've moved Eliel onto a low flow sippy cup instead of a no-spill.  This one makes a bigger mess when he drops it or knocks it over but it's hopefully teaching him how to drink out of a normal glass.  It would be so nice to go somewhere and not have to bring a sippy cup along!

Sleeping: Eliel continues to be a very good sleeper.  He goes to bed around 8 every night and wakes up between 6:30 and 7:30.  Plus he takes a two and a half to four hour nap each afternoon. We used to be able to put him down in his crib, walk away and never hear a peep out of him until the next morning.  Recently, he's been trying to get our attention but letting out a 30 second 'cry' after we walk away from his room. He won't cry when we put him down but waits until he hears the wood floor creak at the top of the stairs as we head down.  If he doesn't stop crying, all we have to do is say, 'Eliel it's time for bed' and he stops.  We tried saying that phrase before we leave the room but it doesn't seem to help.  Hopefully soon he'll stop this habit!

Playing: Eliel is doing very well at playing independently for short periods of time.  If he needs something or wants to make sure an adult is around, he does come looking for one and smiles when he finds us.  He loves to play with trucks, trains and cars.  A neighbor gave us some trucks from her grandsons and Eliel has a ball playing with them outside.  We're currently working on getting him some trucks for inside play! 

Still such a cutie!

And the final question for you all is: Who does Eliel look like?  In the picture on the right, I think he looks just like Adam! :)


Have I covered everything? I'm sure there are things I have forgotten but I'm sure at this point you're done reading.  We're looking forward to a fun filled family weekend!  Hope you are too!