17 months

17 months? Holy cow! I saw his 18 month appointment on my May calendar the other day and it shocked me to see that written out.

Isaac is growing like a weed. He is wearing all 18 month clothes for spring, he just moved into size 5 shoes, and we're switching to size 5 diapers as soon as we finish the box of 4s.

The biggest thing happening right now is communication. One month ago Isaac had approximately 16 words total, and this month he picked up approximately 16 new words. Yes, he doubled his vocabulary in one month! He understands almost everything that I say to him, and he can communicate his needs and wants me to much of the time now. It's kind of crazy. He has also learned the sign for "more", which we have been working on (not too consistently) for months.

He has finally started to say mama a little bit. He rarely says it on his own, but if I ask him who I am, he'll say it. The funny part is, his m's sound like b's right now. His moo sounds like boo and his mama sounds like baba.

This month he started saying fish, shoes, Haddon (his best friend), cheese, apple, bubble, circle, Papaw (R's dad), ball, light, mama, R's uncle's name, sock, and his own versions of car, banana, and outside. He also tries to say blueberry, but it just comes out sounding like a B sound. Buh-buh. He loves looking at picture books right now, pointing at different pictures while I say the word. He knows lots of animal sounds, and identifies the animals by their sound. The only animal words he can say are kitty and doggy, but he can point to a picture of a duck and say "Kack kack!"

Isaac cut one new tooth this month, his lower right later incisor, bringing his total to 12. All we are waiting for now are the canines and 2-year molars. I don't know if he is working on his canines now, but his hands are in his mouth constantly. I've heard they are super painful like the molars, but I really have no idea anymore.

Springtime and warmer than average temperatures have called us outside almost every day. He loves for me to blow bubbles, but only for a second, then he walks away. A few minutes later he comes back and insists that I blow bubbles. Rinse, repeat.

Isaac went through a whiny phase this month, and I still don't think we're done. He used to be able to entertain himself very well, but these days he just wants me to play with him, or especially read to him. That's great, and I love doing it, but it's hard to get anything else done. Also, I would love to read any other book besides Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See? or Mrs. Wishy-Washy, but those are pretty much the only two he wants to hear.

Isaac finally moved into the toddler room from the nursery at church this month. There were three in the baby room close to his age and they were all getting bored with the babies and baby toys, but there wasn't room for them in the toddler room. He's still adjusting to being left in the new room with new teachers, but I think it's a much better fit for him.

watching his beloved Mickey Mouse

Finally, he finished off his 17th month with a case of Hand, Foot, and Mouth Disease (probably picked up in the new toddler class at church). I've heard this can make them feel awful with a fever and several days of irritability, but I really didn't notice anything except the obvious bumps on his hands, feet, and diaper area.

Even with the whining, this is a fun age. Toddlers are funny little people who can get super excited or super upset at the drop of a hat, but it's fun just to be along for the ride. He is a little sponge that soaks in everything, it's exciting to see him learning.