18 months old

1 1/2 years old. I really can't believe it. When did our baby become this little person, this little man, this TODDLER? Ben turned 18 months old on the 19th of August and we continue to be amazed by how quickly he is changing, learning, talking, growing, becoming his own little personality. Since this has become Ben's virtual "baby book", I want to document everything that is BEN at this point of time.

At his 18-month appointment, Ben weighed 20 pounds, 10 ounces (that would be 1.7 percentile). Yes, he's a bit petite, but following along his own growth curve quite nicely. I was just happy we finally hit the 20-pound mark! He was also 31", which is in the 17th percentile (again, right in line with his own growth curve). The doctor said everything looks great and we have a perfect little boy (like we had to be told that!).

Ben's typical schedule (for the past several months as well) has been:
6.30am (or 7am latest) - wake up and milk in sippy (about 10 oz)
8am - breakfast (yogurt, pancakes and fruit is a favorite)
9am-11am - morning nap
12.30pm - lunch (mac n cheese, chicken nuggets and pasta are favorites)
2.30-4.30pm - afternoon nap
5.30pm - dinner (pasta, turkey/mashed potatoes, chicken/rice are favorites)
6.15pm - bath
6.30pm - milk in sippy (about 10 oz)
7.00pm - bed
In between naps and eating, Ben's favorite activites are to go to the park, take walks in his trike, go swimming, play with the water table, read books, practice golf and baseball, and blow bubbles.

Ben's vocabulary seems to be growing every day - right now he can say Da-da, Ma-ma, ball, water, plane, bee, ut oh, oh no, NO, nigh-night, that's yucky, hot, hi, hello, bye bye, bird, and paci.

There are several things that Ben does right now that I get such a kick out of - he is super outgoing and says "hello" to everyone we see, pass or meet. He drags it out and it comes out sounding a bit like "yellow" but everyone always smiles when they hear it and says "hello" right back. He also is obsessed with planes and always points it out when he sees or hears one. He also points out every bee and says, "Oh no, it's a YEE!" It is hilarious. We might just have to dress him up as a bee this year for Halloween. :)

Ben is definitely a water baby - he LOVES the water and has no fear - he loves going in the pool, running through any kind of sprinklers, playing in the waves at the ocean, and we went to a Lagoon in Irvine last weekend and he was running all around there too. He doesn't mind getting his head wet, going under or getting completely drenched.

We joke that Ben has OCD (Obsessive Compulsive Disorder), but I'm sure he just picked up the organization gene from both Mom and Dad. He likes to make sure all doors and cabinets are closed properly, he points out to us whenever anything is off kilter or out of place, he likes to throw everything off of him and his carseat before getting out, and the best part is he helps us put away his toys when we're done playing. :)

Another funny thing Ben has been doing lately is opening up one of his dresser drawers and wanting to put on shoes that are in there that are too big for him to wear yet. He especially loves putting on the 2 pairs of Crocs - they almost fit, but not quite yet. I help him put them on, then he runs out to show Dad.

We love you bug!