Miles is 18 Months!

Which means...NURSERY!!! To quote Dave, "This kid was made for nursery!" I walked ever so carefully to the nursery room where I anticipated there to be crying, protesting, clawing, and fighting, and there was, but not from Miles. There must have been at least three kids screaming their lungs out when we walked in, but it didn't even phase the kid. He immediately spotted a toy he wanted and went for it. I said goodbye, and he barely acknowledged I was leaving.

I checked in every time they made a rotation (from toys, to lesson/coloring, to music, and then to snack), and each time I peered through the window in the door I saw my little baby happily participating. At toys he was ever so focused on the toy he was handling, at the lesson he was coloring happily at the table and not eating the crayons, at music he was up and dancing and clapping along with the music, and at snack he was *gasp* eating the cereal and crackers and drinking from his sippy cup! When I went to pick him up, he looked at me like, "What do you want?" He actually wanted to hang out with his new buddy, one of the male nursery workers. One of his teachers said he did so great and the he was "such a laid back kid!"

He also got his first dental check up this week. Nothing really invasive, just a check up because he takes a bottle in his crib (because it's the ONLY thing that will get him to sleep...sometimes I wonder if dentists remember what it's like to have babies). His teeth looked great and then they quickly put some fluoride on his teeth. Afterwards he got a bouncy ball for being so good.

Miles has grown a lot this past month. He is starting to say more words. He will say shoes, socks, swing, and ball. His receptive language is uncanny and he follows directions pretty well. He is good at pointing at things he wants or recognizes. He has started grabbing my hand and leading me places to communicate that he wants something or to go somewhere (usually outside).

He still loves to be outside! He will spend the morning whining and crying and all I have to say is, "Want to put on your shoes?" And immediately he stops, sits down, and sticks his feet out. He LOVES shoes! Shoes mean OUTSIDE! FUN!

Miles love to imitate and do everything his brothers or Mom and Dad do. He always wants to vacuum when I vacuum. Last week it took me about a half hour to vacuum just the play room because he had to push and pull the vacuum the entire time. So I decided to just get the kid his own vacuum. Who knew I'd find one that looked EXACTLY like mine?! It's actually pretty awesome. The hose actually sucks so you can pick up small pieces of paper or popcorn. The little balls in the canister swirl around as well when you have it on the vacuum setting. It even has the attachments for the hose just like Mommy's!

Miles still is my picky eater but if I can get him to try something, he usually likes it. He'll drink water out of a sippy and he finally learned how to drink out of a straw, which comes in handy from time to time. Lately Miles LOVES balls! Even if they aren't balls (like oranges, avocados, balloons, pretty much anything with a roundish shape). He will get upset if he sees me cooking and finds that I've cut a lemon or something that he could carry around that would pass for a ball. When we are outside he likes to steal the neighbor's basketball even though I bought him his very own.

I'm sure I've told you about Miles' pouty face...it's my favorite:

But he's generally a happy kid. He loves to snuggle and play. He loves to be included when his brothers are doing things, and lights up when Jett comes into the room. In fact, Jett is his best friend these days. When we were bed shopping, Jett would keep an eye on him, hold his hand and walk around, and even pick him up and carry him. We're all big fans of Miles.

It's kind of tragic that time goes so fast. Childhood is the shortest period of time in a human life. With every bigger shoe size, every new pair of pants, and every birthday cake, a little part of my heart breaks. I love to see them grow and learn new things, but I just wish it would go slower.