Wells: An 18-Month Snapshot

Wells is officially closer to being 2 years old than being 1 year old. My baby is turning into a little boy right before my very eyes! Goodness gracious. Here's what's going on with Wells at this year-and-a-half update.

Measurements:
Wells currently weighs about 28.5 lbs and is 33 inches tall. So, since his 15-month checkup, he has gained 3 pounds and 2 inches! He wears 18-24 month clothing. He wears a size 6.5 shoe (1.5 size larger than at 15 months!), and he is still in a size 4 diaper. Although, once we run out of our current diaper stock, we'll probably go ahead and bump up to a size 5 :)

Eating Habits:
I don't think my boy will ever lose his love for food. The other night, we went out to eat with my parents, and he definitely ate for about 10 minutes after everyone else was finished with their meal! He is not always as hungry as that night, but we all got a good laugh! His favorite foods right now are broccoli (seriously), meat (just like his daddy), and cheese (or cheeeeeeeeese, as he says :)). He is a big snacker, too. He hardly ever turns down a snack, and if you are eating in his line of vision, expect him to come up to you for a taste.

Sleeping Habits: 
Wells does sleep through the night, but he still occasionally wakes up once or twice a night wanting his paci. Sometimes he will soothe himself back to sleep, and sometimes I'll go into his room quickly and get it for him, lay him back down, and cover him up with his blanket.

Vocabulary: 
I listed 25+ words that Wells knows on his 15-month update. I am sure I am forgetting some, but here are some of the words he's added to his ever-expanding vocabulary:
-"Star"
- "Haa" - Heart (with a very phlegm-y sounding "H" sound)
- "Cone" - Corn (hilariously country-sounding!)
- "Didjo" - Video (when he wants to watch a video of himself on one of our phones)
- "Dis" - Again (No idea where this came from, as it sounds nothing like the word he means)
- "Dog"
- "Sheep"
- "Chick" - Chicken
- "Bath"
- "Naan" - Fan
- "Tree" - Christmas tree
- "But" - Button
- "Santa" and "HoHo"
- "Teacher" - he picked this word up in the book "Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See?"
- "Nack" - Snack (and "Nack Nack" means fruit snack :))
- "Pat Pat" - During The Little Einsteins' blastoff sequence.
- "Uh-oh" - This was actually his first word ever, but he stopped saying it for a while, which is why I forgot to list it last time. He has just recently brought it back as a new favorite word :)
- "Hot dog" - Used to refer to Mickey Mouse (because of the hot dog song). This is another word he knew last time but didn't really say anymore so I forgot to mention. Well, it is back in the word rotation, and we hear it multiple times a day :)
- "Gigi" - Eric's mom
- "Gan" - My Granny
- His newest animal sounds and/or motions are for sheep, dog, bird, elephant, fish, and monkey.

Quirks & Miscellaneous:

Some new quirks for little man:
- Whenever he walks up the stairs (holding hands with someone), with each step, he grunts.
- He LOVES watching videos of himself on our phones. If he sees mine or Eric's phones lying around, he will bring them to us and say "didjo" (video).
- He and Eric run around the house tickling each other, and Wells copies Eric, running after him with his hands out and fingers wiggling.
- He still loves his blankies. I have to hide his dirty blankies underneath other clothes (because his hamper is see-through). If not, he will drag them out. If he sees one of his blankies anywhere, he has to pick it up and carry it around.
- He laughs hysterically when you stomp your feet when singing "If you're Happy and you Know It."
- No matter how many times I repeat "apple," Wells will still call every apple (and sometimes other fruit) he sees a "nana" (banana).
- Wells figured out about a month ago how to unlatch the gate at the top of our stairs. Since our house is a split-level and our main living areas are on the 2nd floor, this gate is IMPORTANT. We have since installed a lock on the back of the gate in addition to the front lock to stop Houdini from getting out.
- Wells LOVES fans. Yes, you read that correctly. If he sees a ceiling fan, box fan, or a vent/slats on the floor that in his mind resemble a fan, he joyfully exclaims "Naan" (fan, obviously),
- There are little short cartoon clips on the Disney Jr. app called Tsuum Tsuum. They are Disney characters but in like a hamster-looking form (I don't know how to describe it! Haha). They don't talk but just make noises, and the clips are only like 2 minutes long, but Wells LOVES watching them. He will watch a number of them back to back.
- During this Christmas season, we have our big Christmas tree in the living room and a small one near our front door where we display Christmas cards, Whenever we come up the stairs, he lets you know that he wants the lights turned on at the little tree, and then once we get into the living room, he goes over to the big tree and lets you know he wants those lights on too. Also, he likes to take off ornaments off of the tree and put them back on (by shoving them deep into the branches!). His Little People nativity set is a big hit this year, too. He likes making the animals "eat" the food in the trough, and he likes pressing the angel on top of the table to make "Away in a Manger" play.



Favorites:
Show - Mickey Mouse Clubhouse still takes the  cake. But he does enjoy other Disney Jr. shows as well.
Snack - Pretzels and raisins
Food - Broccoli and meat. And ANY kind of dipping sauce.
Book - He really loves almost all of his books. He does like this one little series of "box" books. Each one is about a different "box" - lunchbox, toolbox, boombox.
Security Item - He doesn't have to have one with him at all times, but if he sees one of his muslin blankets, he grabs it and carries it around with him.
Toy/Activity - He still LOVES to play outside. He likes to wrestle with Daddy. He likes to throw balls. Typical boy through and through.

A Day in the Life of Wells: 
Honestly, each day varies for us, depending on mine and Eric's work schedules. So this will just be a very general one. Since I work part-time, if it is a day that I have work, Wells stays with Grandma from 9am-2pm.

Wells wakes up typically around 8:30am (give or take, depending on the previous night's bedtime). He usually gets his morning milk right away, but we are now beginning the process of giving it to him with his breakfast. After drinking his milk, he roams the house for a few minutes, playing while I get ready for the day. Breakfast can be anything from grits to oatmeal to yogurt, with maybe some dry cereal or nutragrain bar, and a banana. After breakfast, we play. He may watch an episode of something on Disney Jr. while I clean the kitchen or do some other housework. He has officially cut out his morning nap, so playtime is longer than it used to be. Depending on what day it is, Dad may be home to play with outside. We may run a couple of errands during this time, too. Lunch can be something like cubed ham or shredded chicken, with a cheese stick, fruit/vegetables, and a sippy cup of water or juice. After lunch, it's about nap time. He sleeps about 2 hours (sometimes more) now that this is his only nap of the day. After waking, we play and possibly eat a snack if it isn't too close to dinner. Dinner prep takes place while Wells plays by himself or with Daddy if he's home. We then eat dinner (he usually eats what we're eating), play some more, go for a walk, take a bath, etc. Around 8:30 or so, Wells gets some milk and may wind down for the night by watching an episode of Mickey Mouse Clubhouse or Jake and the Neverland Pirates or Little Einsteins.Then it's time to change into PJs, brush teeth, and read a book or two in the rocking chair. Then it's prayers and bed (hopefully with no wake-ups!).

Wells keeps us BUSY all day long. He does not stop from the time he wakes up in the morning to the time he goes to sleep.There is never a dull moment with him, and he constantly has us laughing. We love watching his personality continue to develop. He is so energetic, playful, and curious. He is super smart and catches onto things very quickly. He is quite the attention-seeker and loves when people laugh at him. And he is, for sure, a strong-willed little guy. I am looking forward to seeing him become a big brother in the next month or so. I know he won't understand what's going on at first, and I know it will be a big adjustment for all of us, but I am soooooo excited to soon have 2 little boys running around the house playing together and loving on each other :)