Well, I'm not really sure how we got here, but somehow it's time for me to document that my BABY turned 18 months old. Say it aint so! Truthfully, I have a love/hate relationship with 18 months. On the one hand, the 12 month teething saga usually is turning down (Praise Jesus and Hallelujah!), but on the other, I feel like 18 months is the very quick goodbye to a lot of things baby. Suddenly the baby is enamored with the big boy things like cars and trucks and trains and super heroes, is walking (and running and climbing!) everywhere, and can communicate more fluidly with the big people in his life. I relish the fact that Brayden and Connor still call Tyler "our baby." I feel so validated in my feelings of still having a baby, even if he is less baby and more toddler with every new day that passes.
Tyler Paul--
People always comment about me having three boys. But here's the deal: I'm so glad that I have three boys, and more importantly, I'm glad that God chose you as my third. You are an absolutely joy, and the smiles and laughter that you bring to everyone you meet makes me so proud to be your momma. You are wild and crazy and quite possibly the biggest dare devil I've raised yet... and I love you for it. You have helped me learn to be even more laid back than I thought possible, and to enjoy the crazy that having boys brings to a household. We all love you so much and are so grateful for the gift of your life. I can't wait to see what these next few years will bring as you learn and grow and become the great young man that I know you will become... I love you little man!
Here are some things that are fun at this stage with Tyler:
- He is FEARLESS. This can be not so fun on those moments where I see his life flash before my eyes, but by my third boy I've learned to roll with the punches a little better and embrace this wild and crazy.
- He is social. He loves to say hi to people wherever we are. But if they say hi back, he'll typically play the shy card and hide behind my shoulder.
- He LOVES school. He knows when his school days are typically, and will stand at the garage door pointing at the knob and say "go, 'choo'? Till I open the door.
- He loves to watch football on tv and will run in circles in the living room shouting "go go go! Touchdown!"
- His vocabulary has really blossomed over the past month. He's begun saying a few sentences (have a good day, see you later and love you are his three favorites). He calls Brayden and Connor "bubba", though he does try to pronounce their names too.
- He loves to eat and is like clock work on WHEN he likes to eat. If he does not get his food at 11am and 5pm sharp, he's likely to sit at the table and cry about the poor service.
- He now says "cheese" whenever he sees a camera. I have trained him well.
- He wears size 24 month and some 2T stuff. Most of his pants are 18-24 month size. He wears size 5 shoes and size 6 diapers.
- He can call the Hogs on command.
- He has 12 teeth and several more breaking thru.
- He takes one 2 hour nap every day. He'd probably take a longer one, but I have to wake him up to go and pick up Brayden each day. Sundays he typically will take at least a 3-4 hour nap.
- We'll get his official weight and height measurements on Friday. Last time he was weighed he was about 26.5 pounds. I have no idea how tall he is.
People always comment about me having three boys. But here's the deal: I'm so glad that I have three boys, and more importantly, I'm glad that God chose you as my third. You are an absolutely joy, and the smiles and laughter that you bring to everyone you meet makes me so proud to be your momma. You are wild and crazy and quite possibly the biggest dare devil I've raised yet... and I love you for it. You have helped me learn to be even more laid back than I thought possible, and to enjoy the crazy that having boys brings to a household. We all love you so much and are so grateful for the gift of your life. I can't wait to see what these next few years will bring as you learn and grow and become the great young man that I know you will become... I love you little man!