18 Months

Oh Jacob, our punkin, lil' buddy, cutie patootie,

You are already 18 months old. Oh...it's just so hard to believe. Pardon the cliche' but it feels like just yesterday we were bringing you home from the NICU... You're SO big now. You are almost 36 inches tall and weigh almost 27 pounds. You are LONG and LEAN, just like your daddy. You wear size 18 months to 2T, and size 5 shoes. Although, we do try to squeeze your feet into some 4's that we still have. :)

Here's a small list of the things you can do...these are the ones that I remember off the top of my head...you can walk, crawl, climb up stairs, get into Jackson's crate, open and close doors, turn a doorknob, push the garage door button to open and close the garage door, crawl through your tunnel, clap your hands, wiggle your fingers and toes, kick your feet, THROW things everywhere, click your tongue, help get undressed, and also help get dressed, and so many more...

Your vocabulary consists of about 4-5 words but your first word (with meaning) was definately Pup-Pup (Jackson). You also can say Mama, Dada (you don't do it often, but you can), Ba (bath), Be (bed), and Bu-Bub (WubbaNub pacifier). Lately you have really taken to jabbering using one or two consonants and lots of inflection. It's like you're having a conversation, but we have no idea what you're saying. You also say "bung" all the time, but we really don't know what that means...let us know at some point, Okay?

You can sign the words "more," "milk," and "all done." You know alot of your body parts like hands, feet, fingers, toes, arms, ears, tummy, and even nose (thanks Dr. Mantle). You do the hand motions to "If you're happy and you know it" and "Itsy Bitsy Spider." It's just so cute!

You like to put your hand on your mouth and wiggle it back and forth as you make sounds. It's a funny site!

You like to sit at the edge of the pool and fall into my arms as we splash into the water.

When you walk, you have to get started by me or daddy, and then you walk to the next available object (wall, couch, table, etc). Then we start you off again. Sometimes you lose your balance and fall backwards, but we're always there to catch you.

You don't love to swing yet, but you will some day soon... :)

You can go to sleep now without your bu-bub (although you don't really like it for the first 10 minutes and you scream and cry like you are MAD at the world, but you get over it and fall asleep after we come back in and tuck you back into your blanket).

Your favorite show is Super Why...mostly because it's the only show we have time to watch because it comes on in the morning while we are getting our day started. :) Toy Story 3 was your first movie at a theater, and we've watched Cars and Finding Nemo once and you seemed to like those too.

You LOVE to stand at the windows with Jackson and look out at the yard. When Jackson starts barking at the leaves moving outside, you just laugh like it's the funniest thing you've ever seen. You two really are best friends!

You go to Wednesday night bible class at church and you are not too fond of leaving mommy and daddy yet, but we're working on it. I know one day you won't even care that we're leaving you at class...but for now, you act like it's the end of the world.

You locked mommy out of the house one day last week, and she had to run around to the front door praying that it was unlocked...it was. But when mommy came back into the house and called your name, you looked at her like, "Hey, how did you do that?" I guess we will be checking all the doors to make sure you can't lock us out anymore. :)

But most of all, you are the cutest thing we have ever seen. You make us laugh, you make us cry, you make us smile, and you are the best reminder of God that we could ever lay eyes on. You are our miracle, and we are living such a sacred life because you are with us! We love you, Jacob!