17 Months

1.  Boy Boy Boy!  I know I said it at 16 months, but it deserves saying again at 17, you are all BOY!  I find bumps and bruises on you daily that I have no idea how you got.  You are tough, a dare devil, and rough as all get out.  I wouldn't have it any other way!

2.  We have had a string of family birthdays over the pass couple months, all your older cousins with the exception of Joshua who will be 8 next month and Elyjah who will be 2 in May.  O'mauri's was Feb 7th, then Tatum's was Feb 20th, Xavien's was March 2nd, and we celebrated Makenzie's last weekend.  You LOVE to sing Happy Birthday or "Haa Boo!" as you say!  After we sing Happy Birthday at the parties and the birthdayee blows out his/her candles, you sign "more" wanting to do it all over again.  If I put even a muffin in front of you or you see a lit candle, you start to sing, "Haa Boo!"  It's so cute :)

3.  You still love balls and trucks.  You're finally distinguishing between cars and trucks.  You love trucks so much that we have decided to do your big boy bedroom in trucks.  (And it just so happens Mommy found the perfect bedding ;)

4.  You are skinny.  It's not from a lack of eating, you eat.  It's just in your genes.  You're built just like your daddy.  I didn't really realize how long and lean you have gotten until I looked back at some of your pictures and thought you looked so chubby compared to now.  At your 18 month appointment next month we'll find out where you fall on the charts, but I'm betting you've dropped some percentages in the weight department. 

5.  Speaking of eating, some of your favorite eats right now include watermelon, talapia, cantaloupe, tuna-noodle casserole, corn on the cob, vanilla wafers (you would eat the entire box if we let you), peas, cheese, grapes, ice cream, and crushed ice (go figure!). 

6.  You can entertain yourself very well.  You will play with your trucks, shoot hoops, read your books, "cook" at your kitchen, or just go around getting into whatever you can.

7.  When you want more of something, you tell me "one more time", not by saying it, but by holding up your finger and giving me this really serious face.  It's from me telling you that you can do/have something "one more time."  It's really funny!  The problem is, you don't get that one more time means ONE more time!

8.    You are so cute when you 'read' your books.  You will jibber jabber away, pointing to the pictures like Mommy does.  And you remember what some of the pages say from us reading to you.  For example, in your book "All the Things I Love About You," there's the page where the boy is eating and he says he's all done.  You sign "all done" when you get to that page.  And when you get to the page where he's sleeping, you say, "Shhh!" with your finger over your lip.  In your book "Llama Llama Red Pajama," you get all excited on the page where the Mommy Llama runs frantically up to the Baby Llama's room.  I'm glad you really are paying attention when we read to you ;)

9.  You jabber and babble away ALL the time!  You are such a talker.  And you don't know a stranger.  When we're out somewhere, you will go right up to someone and just talk, talk, talk.  And based on your body language, you totally know what you're saying.  Sometimes Daddy and I wonder if we're not getting a little back talk every now and then....   

10.  Of course, you are saying lots of words now.  Mommy and Daddy are so proud of how well your vocabulary is developing!  You're such a smart boy!

11.  Speaking of your developing vocabulary, you have learned and mastered the word "No."  Really, I'm surprised it has taken you this long, but am glad that it has.  You say it loudly and even with attitude.  We are working on when you are aloud to use "No" and when you are not, especially with Mommy and Daddy. 

12.  Sharing is VERY hard for you.  We're working on it.  But it's hard.

13.  You play very well with other kids and LOVE to play with others.  You get so excited when one of your friends come to visit you.  You just don't like to share your toys.  You don't mind sharing the ones that aren't really favorites, but if a friend reaches for a favorite, we hear, "NO!  NO!" and you're quick to retrieve it.  You do better when you're at your friends' houses because you're not so defensive about the toys lol! 

14.  You're down to one nap a day now.  It has taken us a while to get there and we still get a little cranky if we get up too early in the morning, but one nap a day has been great.  And, it helps that you sleep for a really long time for that nap, usually about 3 hours, sometimes longer. 

15.  It is almost impossible to change your diaper.  It's like wrestling a WWE wrestler sometimes.  Not a favorite activity for either one of us.

16.  You prefer big boy cups and straws over sippies.

17.  Your hair is WILD.  Especially on top.  24/7 bed head.  Daddy's says it needs cut off.  Mommy loves the curls :)

p.s. You had yours first Happy Meal from McD's....  Chicken nuggets, fries, apple slices and milk.  I would like to say the apples were your favorite part, but of course it was the fries!

  

p.s.s. We did finally get your hair cut a couple days after you turned 17 months.  No more wild hair on top.  It was really hard for Mommy and I admit I shed a few tears.  You look REALLY grown up now without that wild mop on top :(

A couple pics post-hair cut: