Joseph- 18 months

Nicknames: Joe, Jo-Jo, Jo-Bear, Mama's boy
So my little blue-eyed boy turned 18 months in April. He's started Nursery and loving it. Last week I spied on him and he was trying to catch bubbles in his mouth- it was so cute that I put my - umm, that's my child that's ingesting soapy suds- thoughts aside. He came home from his first week of Nursery singing the clean up song ("een up een up" is about all he can manage, but he's got the tune down.)

When he's not playing angel boy at church for other people, he loves playing with cars ("car-car"- never said once) and trains. He also loves to reorganize the shelves in the fridge while I'm making dinner. He loves to play outside. He'll bring me his shoes and bang on the front door begging to be let out.

He's got a wave that puts Miss America to shame and waves to everyone who passes by. He's now adding to the routine with a little "hi."

Joseph has a mellow, observant side but he's also very playful. He loves games and catches on fast. His version of peek-a-boo sounds like "uh-uh-ooh." If you lay on the floor, he's bound to come jump on you. Emma and he wrestle all the time. Of course, he loves to be chased. He'll walk away and I can tell from the tilt of his head that he can hear me calling him back. Sure enough he'll turn around with a silly grin and take off. I'm sure this will get less fun as his legs get longer.

Sometimes he's super clumsy. He's always knocking his head on things and tripping over his own feet, but he hardly ever cries. He just gets up and keeps going. We just shake our heads.

He understands and follows directions really well. He seems so little but it's amazing that he understands so much. I say bath time- he starts trying to undress and runs up to the tub. I ask what cereal he wants and he points to his favorite. And for some reason as soon as I get dressed, he'll bring me his shoes. Perhaps he's already figured out we only get dressed when we have to go somewhere. I didn't realize it had become such a habit.

Words: mama (Finally! at 15 mo. and on video!), dada, sister, Emma, Papa (Grandpa), Gamma, nigh-nigh, bye-bye, wow, up, ba-ba, dip, dip (for dipping of course!), etc. He's great with animals sounds- ooh ooh ahh ahh, moo, bok bok

One of my favorite Jo-isms is how he mimics the sound of surprise. It's hard to describe, but when he sees an airplane or a dog or something exciting like a popsicle, he'll point to it and sharply intake his breath. His little mouth forms into a tiny "o" and it's the cutest thing. It's exactly what I do when I see something I think he'll like.

Around 15 months he finally started holding still enough for pictures. Before that I always got the back or side of his head or just a blur of peachy baby skin. Now he'll hold still and even give me a cheesy smile (although he looks like he's in pain).

And speaking of...look what we can do with his crazy hair. I can't figure out what to do with it. I know it's long, but I can't imagine it short. He got his first haircut in February when Shaun came home from a business trip and couldn't stand it anymore. The results reminded me of "Dumb and Dumber."

EATING- He hardly ever sits down to eat. He does much better with the nibble and run method, but I can't handle the mess and time it takes to let him do it that way everytime. Mealtimes are not Funtimes at our house. I don't want to label him a picky eater, but right now, he likes pizza, chicken nuggets and cheerios. He always loves fruit.

Joseph loves Emma. He follows her everywhere and loves to be right next to her. He copies her every move. They get along perfectly. It's so cute to see them together.

I love this sweet boy! I love how he pats the spot in the chair next to him when it's time to read stories at bedtime. I love his laugh and contagious smile. He may be addicted to binkies and STILL NOT sleeping through the night consistently (thank you ear infections, moves, coughs, trips, etc.), but he's my darling boy!