George's 18-Month Update

 Technically George is now 19 months old, but I've had this post in the works all month. 😆 This has been my favorite age with all 3 kids. They still are so much like a baby, but also learning and doing so many new things all the time, but also don't have big toddler attitudes yet (for the most part. Ha!). George is sooooo wonderful and funny and cute. I literally cannot over-exaggerate how much I adore him. 😂 

 George is DEFINITELY a water baby. Bath tub, pool, ocean...he loves it all! He has been known to get in the pool fully clothed and I have learned that I have to get him undressed and sunscreened first to prevent it. :)

 

 He puts his head under the faucet, dumps water on his face, and slides down into the bottom of the tub at bath time. We have to watch him carefully because his love of water probably puts him at high risk of drowning 😅 BUT he has the best time in the water! He has made it VERY difficult to water plants when he's around because he will not stop getting directly into the spray of the hose. There are been several times when he has gotten soaked because I haven't moved the hose away fast enough. It makes me crazy!

This little boy also loves doing whatever Henry and Claire are doing, which includes putting books into the drop slot at the library. Haha! He doesn't want to miss out on any fun. He has a learned that T.V. is a favorite pastime of his siblings, and when they are getting to watch a show, he'll run to the couch saying "Show! Show!". Then he sits there for about 30 seconds before getting up and doing something else. Caleb and I joke that he is a couch potato in training. 😂

I took the kids to Green Mountain to meet some friends one afternoon for a picnic and George gave Henry and me a scare. He took off running from us and as we were chasing him and screaming his name, he ran onto a dock that has no rails or sides. This fact, coupled with his love of water, made it seem all too likely that he might fall in. Thank God he did stop before he got to the end, but Henry especially was very shaken by it. That night after the kids had gone to bed, Henry came out of his room crying and said he couldn't stop thinking about George falling off the dock. He is absolutely crazy about his baby brother! 

George still LOVES to eat. The first word he says (quite emphatically) most mornings is "NANA! NANA!" for banana. He eats a banana in his high chair first thing and then usually has breakfast about 30 minutes later. He has discovered ketchup and loves to dip chicken or fries in it. He says "Cat!" when he wants more of it. :) Usually the first thing he says when I get him up from naps is "Sack! Sack!" for snack.  And then we go to the kitchen and I open the cabinet and he usually says "Cacka" for cracker. :) The kids know that if they want something to eat, they need to mention it quietly because if George hears, it's like a beast has been awakened. He gets so excited and adamant about getting food and he does not like to hear "NO" when it comes to eating. 😉

Is he even real?! He's so beautiful! George is talking a TON and seems to have had a huge language burst this month. He can effectively communicate most anything he wants/needs with us and speaks certain words so clearly. He says "Bubbles!" every time we say it's bath time. Every day when Caleb comes home from work George comes running saying "Daddy! Daddy! Daddy!" and he also says "Henry" (sounds more like honey) and he calls Claire "Sissy". He says "shoes", "socks", "shorts", "brush", "gook" (book), "gog" (dog), "bye-bye", "side" (outside), "wa-wa", "moke" (milk) and dozens more things that I can't even think of. He can point to eyes, ears, nose, mouth, and hair and say them all. Every single time he says "nose" he scrunches his nose up and his voice sounds nasally. It is honestly my favorite thing he says! Surprisingly, "No" is a word he has yet to say. We'll see how long that lasts. :)

George is growing up in so many ways, including sitting forward facing in the van! He's a little younger than either of the other kids were when we turned them, but he more than exceeds the height and weight limit and he loves his new view. This picture was taken on a road trip which is why he has his paci, but otherwise he only uses it at night. The pediatrician told us he's okay with the paci until 18 months, so it is time to think about taking it away! 

LOOK AT THOSE FAT LEGS. I literally cannot handle it. 

George has such a sweet temperament. I usually leave him in his crib for 30 minutes to an hour everyday after he wakes from his nap just because he's happy to lay there and play with his stuffed animals. If I'm in the middle of something, like cooking dinner, and he wants me, he'll cry and fuss for a few minutes and then just wander off and usually will go to his room and start playing with toys or looking at books. He loves to pull stuff out of drawers and bring it to us like he's turning himself in and then says "Day doo" (thank you) when we take it from him. He loves to be a helper by throwing trash away, closing doors, and putting clothes away in his drawers. After he does any of these things, he claps his hands and says "Yayyyy". 

George is learning how to play hide and seek and LOVES it. He'll go stand behind a door or a piece of furniture and say "Are you?!" (as in, where are you?!) and it means he wants us to find him. He also plays this little game with me where he stares at me with his head lowered and this hilarious creeper smile and when I notice him doing it, we both start laughing. He does it almost every time I go to get him out of the van, and then at other random times when I'm not looking at him. He has quite a sense of humor! 

Tired baby after the pool...

...but couldn't hide a smile when he saw me watching him. :) George is still occasionally taking 2 naps a day, but as of a couple weeks ago, he's doing 1 afternoon nap more often than not. I cannot believe how long we held on to 2 naps! 

It is unimaginable to think that a mere 18 months ago, our lives were missing George's sunshine, and that in such a short amount of time, a little person can be so fully cemented into the heart of their family. He is such an inimitable part of ours!