Eighteen Months!

Yes, we have reached the eighteen month mark.  It happened much earlier in the month when we were on vacation in Sunriver.  It feels so official to say that we have toddlers now that the boys are a year and a half old.  I had a sick little Abraham when we got back and I am still trying to get back into the normal groove of things.  Abraham had a moderately high fever and a clear runny nose but nothing else. Winston was fine. It was seriously perplexing because if one gets something then the other always gets it.  Maybe it was his last tooth trying to pop through?

Haul trucks!

The boys are active little guys. After returning from a vacation, the boys are obsessed with being outside.  I kept them indoors a lot during the summer because of the heat but after getting to do so many activities while in Sunriver they are always asking to go outside.  Now when they wake up, they clearly say "outside" and tend to throw a fit if I tell them they have to wait.  I mean, it would be nice if they at least let me put normal clothes on and feed them breakfast, right?  They both can be stubborn and strong-willed.  It is like they each pick their moments.  It is definitely never dull around here.

Winston (left) and Abraham

They both suck their left thumbs.  Winston is trying to be good here so he switched fingers.

Abraham has a goofy streak.  He dances/marches in place when he is happy and excited about something.  Blow some bubbles and that kids gets so excited he cannot help but dance.  He is a determined little guy and will not accept help very often.  He tries to eat with a spoon but it ends up on his chest.  He does not want any help and is very determined.  We call him our Dennis the Menace because he is a total mess when he eats and musses his hair right after it is combed.  Abraham has a serious sweet tooth and is always asking for cookies.  He is our fearless little guy and we have to be careful that he does not try to climb up or down things and get himself hurt.  Abraham likes to tackle his brother and wrestle with him.

Babe-braham Lincoln

Watching TV--how I get them to hold still for photos.

Winston is all about the details.  He loves building blocks and spinning wheels on his trucks.  He is our little engineer.  He is still our little singer and sings when he is content and happy.  Winston is pretty handy with a spoon and accepts help on how to use it.  He is a great thinker and I know he is quite cerebral. This kid absorbs stuff and then just clearly demonstrates new words or abilities and it is because he figures it out for quite a while before trying to do it.  He figured out how to climb up and down stairs more slowly than Abraham but he mastered it sooner.  He is a sensitive little guy and does not like when his brother takes his stuff.  We have been encouraging him to be more aggressive and take his items back rather than crying.  He is getting the hang of it and we are proud of him.

Little Stinker

Yep, he knows he got caught.

The boys love any outdoor activity, going for walks or runs in their stroller, playing with their haul trucks, dirt and playing in the bath tub.  They are great little eaters and are learning to use utensils.  Some new words they have learned include fan, bath, circle, shadow, haul truck (sounds like all guck), help (sounds like hope), drink, fork (rhymes with look...ha ha), snack (just nack) and spoon (just poon).  My heart melts now that they can tell me 'hold you' for when they want to be held.  They are also trying to say 'love you.'  They are great about telling us when they are thirsty and that they need a cup or drink.  They also tell us 'eat' when they are hungry. I am so impressed with how well they are beginning to  communicate.  They do not have any sentences yet but they are getting how to put words together.  The hard part now is that they say please and they think it is magic and they can get what they requested instantaneously.  So we are working on what it means to be patient and to wait.  We are also working on what is means to share with their brother and to not be unkind and steal toys from one another.

Gorgeous boys.

The boys fit perfectly in 18 month clothing and are wearing quite a few 2T items.  They wear size 5 shoes and size 4 diapers.  We had a great visit for their eighteen month well child exam.  Here are their most recent stats:

Abraham

Birth-5 lbs. 15 ozs.; 18.75 inches

One Month- 7 lbs. 1 oz.; 21 inches

Two Months-10 lbs. 8 ozs.; 21.75 inches
Four Months- 13 lbs. 13.5 ozs.; 25 inches
Six Months- 15 lbs. 14 ozs.; 26.75 inches

Nine Months- 18 lbs. 12 ozs; 28 inches

Twelve Months- 20 lbs. 9 ozs; 29.75 inches
Fifteen Months- 23 lbs. 3 ozs.; 31.75 inches

Eighteen Months- 25 lbs. 2 ozs.; 32.75 inches

Winston

Birth- 7 lbs. 9 ozs.; 20 inches

One Month- 7 lbs. 10 ozs.; 21 inches
Two Months-11 lbs. 13 ozs.; 23 inches
Four Months- 13 lbs. 13 ozs.; 25.5 inches
Six Months- 15 lbs. 13 ozs.; 26.25 inches

Nine Months- 18 lbs. 12 ozs.; 28 inches

Twelve Months- 21 lbs.; 30.25 inches

Fifteen Months- 23 lbs. 12 ozs.; 31.25 inches 

Eighteen Months- 25 lbs. 12 ozs.; 32.5 inches

The boys are ranging in the 50-70th percentile for weight and height.  As is normal, their heads are in the 98-99th percentile. The boys are keeping on trend with Abraham being slightly taller and Winston weighing more.

Family swing time

 

They love dirt!

We feel so blessed that they are such healthy little boys and are hitting all their milestones.  We are so blessed to be these boys' parents and feel privileged to raise them.