18 Months

I know I've been a little heavy on the Peter posts lately. I'm sure it has something to do with the 2 of us being together 24/7 while everyone else has other places to go. (My mom will be thrilled to see more pictures of him, though.) I just can't believe that 18 months have gone by so quickly. All of my kids seem to be changing and growing so quickly right now. I don't know if it's just the change in seasons so I'm finding that a lot of last year's clothes don't fit anymore, or if it's that I've now got a kid who wants to stay up late and sleep in or if maybe time really is just flying by. No matter the reason, none of my kids seem willing to just stay put as far as growing up is concerned.

Peter managed to gain an entire .6 pounds since his last check-up. I don't think he's going to be a football player. (No big surprise there.) That puts him at 21.6 pounds (5%) and 31.75 inches tall (34%) so you can see how he's just topping out the charts. I'm OK with him staying small a little bit longer.

This kid just makes me happy all the time. His huge smile and the way he shouts "Mom! Mom! Mom!" when I walk in the door makes me feel like I'm loved and needed - kind of like walking into the bar on Cheers. (This is not the feeling that I am getting from all of my children at this particular time, by the way.) Peter loves, loves books. And not just picture books - he loves it if it's all words, too. He is almost always carrying a book around with him and will just drop to the floor to open it up and turn all the pages for a while. He takes books to bed with him and often uses them as a pillow when he finally goes to sleep after "reading" them. Maybe he does this because he gets read to far less than any of the other kids. Yep, I have guilt about it. We do read Good Night Moon together pretty much every night - and several times each day.

He also loves food - all food. Fruits and vegetables and rice and beans and so on. Not just the sweet stuff. Such a nice change from the first few children who do not have such inclinations. He just giggles with anticipation when you get his breakfast in the morning. Cracks us up.

I do wish he could talk. It's pretty challenging to try to interpret all of his grunts. He speaks just a few words and signs a few others. It will be nice when those lines of communication open up a bit. He thinks it is hilarious to run and hide when it's time to change his diaper or put on pajamas. (A fun game only when we have time to play it.) He loves trains and cars and building towers with blocks and then knocking them down. He loves to play with and imitate his older siblings. He follows them around when they are home. And like I've said before, he's generally pretty happy as long as he can play outside, although the street is still an issue. When it gets cold, I may be in trouble.

You will notice here that he is, indeed, in the middle of the street. Sidewalks would be nice to have. (Not that that would guarantee he would stay out of the street but it would be a nice option.) I guess I'm glad we don't live on a busy street.