Kaden’s 18 month update

Happy 18^thmonths to our little guy. Well, he’s not that little. Actually, he towers over some of his younger cousins and people are shocked to pick him up and feel how solid he is. I continue my speech about Kaden. He is a busy, busy little boy.Always on. And the tantrums have begun, but he is still a sweetheart and we get many, many kisses from him. And he is very patient and kind with Maya and all the trips we’ve had to go on and leave him behind (Utah and Disney). Don’tworry, K, its just that age. We love you just the same! And your grandparents needed some Kaden time anyway!

18 month stats: Weight 27.5 lbs (69%) and Height 33.75 inches (85%)

Just some items to note at 18 months:

Talking. Kaden seems Tobe on the quiet side so far when it comes to actually talking. He likes screaming and whining, but the talking isn’t high on the priority list just yet. We have Bye-bye with waving, bye bye Gigi, Mum Mum (for hungry); Aya(Maya). But he has been babbling more and more lately in the past couple of weeks, telling stories and just looking at you pointing and telling you something great about what he’s going to be. The best part is that most of the time we understand enough about the blabbler to know what he wants and that is so important!

Sleeping habits. He knows when its time to hit the hay. There is no bargaining with this guy. If you say “nap” or “night night” or “milk” he heads straight to the stairs and says bye bye to you. One night we were clearly not getting the message and Kaden pointed Charlie to the cabinet for his sippy cup, then ran to the fridge for his milk, and then ran to the stairs. He was always a step ahead of him,guiding him that he desperately needed to sleep. And then when he gets to his crib, then is no doubt. Another bye bye and he rolls onto his stomach, favorite blanky near his face and often doesn’t move. Kaden will sleep from around8:30-9 to 7-8 am. And his naps will be from 2.5-3 hours. Pretty good sleeper in our book!

Foods to avoid: anything too acidic causes a bad, bad diaper rash. So no strawberries, real oranges, mangos, tomato sauce entrees, orange juice. He is also starting to get picky about some foods, especially at breakfast. We are about down to bananas and pancakes (frozen, he won’t each fresh). He has knocked out french toast,waffles, eggs, oatmeal, and cereal. We’ve tried fresh/frozen, etc. He alsodoesn’t seem to like grilled cheese or PBJ. He loves cheese, all types of veggies, french fries (like crazy), sticky white rice, any kind of bean, steak,turkey, chicken (not fish or shrimp!), quesadillas burritos, lasagna, and luckily a lot of things that mommy makes for lunch and dinner. So, we are down to eggs for Maya and pancakes for Kaden for breakfast. No variances allowed.

Favorite passtimes/toys:

-Kaden LOVES to be outside. If he isn’t going outside at least 4-5 times a day, we are in serious trouble. But we’ve found small ways to make it happen, including letting him play in the garage with his power truck or wagon (or any type of mop or broom).

-He doesn’t seem to like any one toy at this point-He likes throwing things in our trash can. So its like a surprise as to what you will find in there (or what may be gone missing). Good times.

-When he is in our bathroom, he will take everything out of my drawers (toothpaste, combs, makeup,etc) and put them in my sink. I get nice surprises here too.

-Every now and again,you may find him in our coat closet where I stashed Maya’s old kitchen. He likes to go in there and play with all the food – in the dark.

-Kaden loves to play on the bed and play horsey on his daddy’s back.

-He loves sitting in your lap to read a book, or watch TV, or eat a snack. Although he is a bit forceful getting into your lap (basically moves your hands away so he can sit!)it is a very sweet gesture.

-He climbs on everything. Finds ways to do it by pushing his chairs/toys/etc, stepping on them. He will move his Cars sofa against the big sofa and get on there. He will put his music table near the island and step on it so that he can reach all of the pens. He will move that same music table as a stool to get on the breakfast table.

-He can now climb into his high chair at home and the car seat.

-He is good at sliding down the stairs on his tummy, but has started to do it like a big boy on the first step and then realizes what a big mistake it could be and then slides down the rest of the way.

-He will not sit still for more than 20 minutes while eating out, so this favorite passtime of our family (and the Spring crew) is all but stressful for us now. In fact, I begged everyone to NOT go out to eat for Mother’s Day just because I knew how chaotic it would be – and it was!

-Still loves the toilet.Caught him in it not too long ago at a friend’s house. He likes to find you in the house when you are in there and just come in there with you. There’s that no privacy –ever – issue that other moms talk about.

- He is starting to take interest in baseball. We got out the tot baseball game and he knows exactly what to do. Very exciting for his daddy and Uncle Shawn!