I am in complete denial that you are almost no longer my baby. Let me rephrase that...you will always be my baby, but I have to face the fact that you are not going to stay a baby to the outside world forever, as much as I wish you would! :) What incredible joy you have brought to our family in your short little one and a half years of life! I have watched you go from this little-old-man looking wrinkly red-faced newborn to a playful, independent, and very busy little guy. Every minute has been a gift.
From the minute you began walking, you have literally not stopped. I sometimes can't believe how fast you can go on those little legs, but I know you are just trying to keep up with your brothers, whom you adore. :) You love to climb any and every thing, push trucks and cars all over the place, hit, kick, and throw any and all balls, and literally get into mischief all day long. Sometimes it can get pretty exhausting for mama, but I know you are learning every minute and just doing what curious toddlers do. (Remember, you're my third, so I've gotten pretty good at this toddler stuff!) Did I mention you like to climb? Yeah, you really do. And your favorite place to climb right now is on top of the dining room table. I find you up there at least ten times a day, thinking you are really big stuff! You are so naughty, too, with that little giggle and twinkle in your eyes. You know perfectly well that you're not supposed to be up there, but you don't care a bit. It's all part of your little game.
 |
| your big brother b takes such good care of you |
You LOVE to eat! No big surprise there, as your brothers do, too, but you are definitely different in that your favorite thing to eat is meat! Uh huh, you are a serious carnivore! Your favorite right now is breakfast sausage--you can really pack that stuff away. Maybe all that protein is what's giving you so much energy!! Your two top molars have recently come in (another sign that you are my third as I didn't even know you were teething until I literally saw them in your mouth one day) and you are getting one more little bottom tooth right now. Still not that many teeth in your mouth, but I feel better knowing you have some molars now to help with the chewing.
Your vocabulary is really growing, and sometimes I really believe that if you wanted to start talking in full sentences, you could. You are an amazing "parrot," and you can mimic a sentence perfectly, but if we ask you to say it again, you won't. For example, the other day you heard one of your brothers say, "I want my dinner" and you repeated it exactly. But that was it! A one-time thing, as Brody says. Your favorite word is "no," and you will say it when asked any yes or no question. We also trained you to say "meeeee!" when we ask you questions that start with "Who." So, if I ask you, "Callan, are you cute?" you will say, "No." But if I ask you, "Who's cute?" you will say, "Meeee!" It's really funny, and I like to play this game with you all the time.
 |
| cupcakes on your half birthday! |
 |
| you love your treats! |
You are such a spunky little monkey. Seriously, sometimes it's hard to keep up with you. You love to be outside, and if I'm not careful and don't close the front door, you'll figure out a way to open the screen door and zip right outside, whether you are clothed or not! Again, since you are the third, I often times find you in a situation I'd rather not see, e.g., dunking your pacifiers in the toilet, eating Brody's volcano project from school, dipping a piece of steel wool in the dog's bowl and sucking on it, but I just keep chalking it up to a really healthy immune system we're building, right? I mean, you've gotten sick the least out of all three of you, so we must be doing ok!
Eighteen months can be a tricky time for toddlers, as you strive to be independent and make your desires known. Sometimes you get downright mad, and that can lead to a tantrum here and there. I was lucky enough to get pictures of your most recent and most epic one:
 |
| when you saw me trying to take your picture, you ran and hid under the dining room chair |
 |
| when you saw that i was still trying to get a good shot, you got up and moved to the little space between the chair and the ottoman |
 |
| why won't you stop taking pictures of me, mom? such a sad baby |
 |
| red eyes and a sad face, but tantrum over! |
Love,
Mommy
.JPG)
