18 months old

It's so hard for me to believe he's already 18 months old! He's a signing, talking, very opinionated, happy little toddler! He loves Bailey so much; she's usually the first thing he asks for when he wakes up in the morning and he wants her to do everything with him. He sits on her lap and reads to her, he figured up how to climb on her couch last week and was very proud of himself. He giver her kisses and tells her goodbye every time we leave the house, he always wants to take her when we go on walks, he has picnics with her, and he even tries to make sure she's dressed with her hat and gloves and shoes like we are before going outside.

He's quite the helper around the house and likes to put away Tupperware, put things in the trash, help clean up, feed Bailey, and take out the trash and recycling. We've noticed in the last couple of weeks his "concern" for things being clean. He is constantly bringing us tiny pieces of "trash" he finds on the floor. Dirt, lint, leaves, dog hair, anything! He did this at home first but not it happens anywhere, at school (the toddler room doesn't have the cleanest floor, are you surprised? So it sometimes takes us 5 minutes just to leave his room as he picks up everything he sees and hands it to me.), at the museum, on the sidewalk, anywhere. He also has to make sure his high chair is clean before getting into it. When we take the tray off he inspects it and if is isn't clean enough he asks us to clean it with a rag, and then cleans it himself! The first time he did this I was a bit shocked, now it's just normal routine and I need to video it :-)

He loves transportation(cars, busses, trucks, airplanes, helicopters) and can usually hear them before we do. He also loves being outside and playing in the yard. He collects acorns, plays in his house, and follows Bailey around.

He continues to be very interested in Elmo, mostly books that have Elmo in them.   We just got a new bath math with Elmo on it and it's a big hit!!!  He even sits down in the tub now :-).  He has an aardvark stuffed animal named Ardie who he's been very interested in carrying around for the last week, we'll see if that amounts to any more of an attachment.  He also is beginning to learn his colors.  He likes talking about colors and is sometimes able to put his stacking rings in the correct order if we tell him which color goes next.  He's most consistently able to identify green, and he really likes talking about the color yellow.

Friday he had his 18 month check up with the pediatrician. He only had to get one shot, and otherwise had a great check up. We don't go back for another check up until he's 2! So crazy! He weighs 28lbs, 3oz(75th percentile), he is 33.5 inches tall (75th percentile), and his head circumference is 47cm(15th percentile). He's growing like a weed and right on his perfect little curve!
His vocabulary is exploding and his imagination is growing. He loves having picnics and pretending to cook in his kitchen. He loves music and singing and dancing, and he loves playing outside. His laugh is contagious and his smile brightens the day of so many people everyday! He's just a happy kid!

Lt. Jessica Naff, Naval Flight Surgeon . . . Reporting to Chagos Islands, Diego Garcia

This weekend we went to Pensacola to celebrate Jessie's flight surgery graduation. Before I share the weekends details let it be known that FL is a very long state and I-10 across the entire panhandle is a really boring road!

The weekend was well worth the drive though! We got to spend two wonderful days with Jessie, Diane and Ryan. We stayed on base in the Navy Lodge, celebrated Lt. Naff receiving her wings, celebrated Ryan's birthday and Jacob's 1/2 birthday(18 months), ate lunch at the officers club, climbed the Pensacola lighthouse, and had a great time at the National Naval Aviation Museum.

The winging ceremony was very special. It was obvious the tremendous amount of work it takes to become a flight surgeon and what an accomplishment it is to receive your wings. Congrats Jessie!!! She leaves this next week to make the long journey to Diego Garcia, a tiny island in the middle of the Indian Ocean. It's been so wonderful to live in the same state for the last 6 months, especially since we'll be in time zones with 11 hours difference for the next year. Thank goodness for modern technology so we can email, Skype and blog, we're going to miss you Aunt Jess! Have a blast!!

The ceremony was held in the National Naval Aviation Museum. What an awesome place!!! It was definitely an 18 month old boys dream! I think Mark and I could have spent a few days in there as well. There are hundreds of full size planes and helicopters. You can sit in some of the planes, there are movies, and an iMax; it was really amazing! I wish it was closer so we could go back more easily.

Now it's back to reality, we're all continuing to get over our colds. Hopefully Phil was right and Spring is just around the corner (although in FL that just means summer will be here even sooner). Have a wonderful week!