Ethan's 18 Month Round-up

Ethan Michael will be 18 months old this week. He is certainly in the "throws" of toddlerhood for good and for bad. Here are some tidbits about out little stinker.

• Ethan is busy. He keeps a tight schedule every day, all day of climbing on everything, getting into the toilet, trash, etc that he isn't supposed to, initiating fights with Sam or Charlie, dumping his food off of his tray (and feeding the dog), and any other kind of trouble he can think of. Sam seemed to be a curious and mischevious kid to me, but it was NOTHING compared to this little rascal. He is pretty sure the word "No" is just a friendly suggestion and is determined to do whatever he set his mind to do. We are in for it with this one.
• He really enjoys his alone time, whether in his bed (which is still his absolute favorite place) or playing in the sandbox (which no longer has sand in it).
• He is picking up lots of words. So far he is saying: mama, daddy or dada, hi or hidy, nana, Arlie or Cha for Charlie, hot dog, bubbles, "ush" for brush (he loves to brush his teeth...aka suck the flouride free toothpaste off the brush), up, pup or pup-pup, hot, and his favorite...yeah or uhhh yeah. Most questions are answered with an "uh yeah" and a head nod.:)
• When you ask him to give you a kiss, he usually thrusts his head toward you so you can kiss it.
• Unless some place or some where is familiar, he will usually stick closely to me or Aaron. If he feels secure with the people and his surroundings, he will usually take off and want to do his own thing. Unlike his brother who has NEVER met a stranger, Ethan takes a little while to warm up to people.
• Just like Sam, he loves being outside. Digging in sad, throwing ball, blowing bubbles, climbing on the slide...you name it, he will probably enjoy it. We are truly grateful to have such a big backyard for the boys and their puppy to run free.
• He is a pretty good eater. Occasionally he will reject something I offer to him, but not too often. While breakfast is Sam's favorite, Ethan generally prefers salty over sweet and eats more at lunch and dinner. He has a great love for dip of any kind (hummus, guacamole, ketchup, ranch, etc). Because of this love, he could probably use a bath after every meal.
• Favorite book right now is Llama Llama Hoppity Hop by Anne Dewdney. We love watching him try to do the motions that go along with it. He also prefers books about animals and will often try to copy the sounds we make. Next time you see him, ask him to roar. It's pretty cute.
• His two knit blankets and his right thumb are his greatest comforts. Our "little linus" drags those blankies all over the place.
• His belly is hilariously big and doughy. He walks around sticking it out and often rubs it  (like people rub Buddha's belly for good luck). He has started to try to hide things in his belly button like rocks or snacks. So far, he hasn't been too successful.
• While he is quite the hand-full, Ethan keeps Aaron, Sam and I smiling throughout the day. Thankful we get to watch him grow and explore and can't wait to learn more about him as we go along.