Nugget Update: He's One and a Half

Well, my boy officially hit the year-and-a-half mark.  Let me tell you, 18 months is so much fun!  It's been awhile since I did a true update on that light of my life, so I thought I'd give you all a little peek into Gabe's world as of late.

Likes:

• Cars.  I'm not sure how little boys just innately know how to be little boys, but my son is obsessed with cars.  And trucks and motorcycles.  He pushes them around and makes a "vroom" noise.  He would also sit and watch cars and trucks go by on a busy road for minutes upon minutes (which is a long time for one so small).  If he hears a vehicle pass by outside, he runs to the window and says "ooh."  Lately, he's branching out to trains, boats, planes, and all other forms of transportation.  Yes, he is all boy.
• Sesame Street.  I am so happy to say goodbye to his former favorite, Yo Gabba Gabba, and say hello to an old friend from my childhood.  Sure, the show has changed a little since I was a youngin', but A LOT of it has stayed the same.  Elmo is Gabe's favorite- what is it with toddlers and Elmo?
• Books.  My heart is so happy that my child loves books.  There are few things in life that make him happier.  Unfortunately for us parents, he wants to read the same book over and over and over and over and over.  Then he'll switch to a different book, and want to hear it over and over and over and over and over.  Being the reading teacher that I am (if not in the school system, then in my heart always), I hate to dissuade the little guy from wanting to read, but sometimes Mommy needs a break! We've instituted a designated reading time during the day.  Other times, the books are upstairs and we are downstairs.
• Water.  Be it the pool, the bathtub, his water table, or the dog's water bowl.  He doesn't discriminate. He's an equal opportunity splasher.  If I leave my water glass out, he'll even stick his little hand in there and splash around.  Charming.

Dislikes:

• Talking.  The boy is pretty quiet.  We've been around a few others his age who will talk circles around him, but he's just not that into the words.  He has recently started to say bear, bar (as in Nutri-Grain), car, dog, Dad, no, yeah, go, and all gone.  And just yesterday he came out with Mama and I know he actually meant it.  He repeatedly pointed to me throughout the day and said "Mamama!"  So he adds an extra 'ma'.  I don't mind!
• Food.  Yes, believe it or not, my once chubby, eat-anything-you-put-in-front-of-him boy has become persnickety.  He eats only a few things, and even within his chosen few, he will sometimes refuse.  He loves hot dogs, FRUIT, fruit, and more fruit, cereal, and yogurt or applesauce pouches.  He'll sometimes go for PB&J, mac n' cheese, or "bars," but sometimes not.  An occasional pancake or waffle here and there, we'll sometimes treat him to a Pop Tart, and he'll inhale some McDonald's.  Healthy, no?  But try as I might, I cannot get him to eat anything else.  We often offer different foods, he rarely accepts.  What's a mom to do?  The doctor assures me this is to be expected, and he'll eventually grow out of it.

We had Gabe's 18 month checkup this week.  He weighs 27 lbs 2 oz and is 32 3/4 inches tall, hovering right around the 65th percentile for both.  He is very healthy, and very happy.

And good, for the most part, which is lucky, because he couldn't give a rat's patootie about being placed in time out.  Seriously, the boy is so good that on the rare occasion that we've put him on the stairs for time out, he just happily sits there without moving, because that's what we've told him to do.  Oy.

He's a good egg, that one.  We can only hope that we are so lucky with our impending arrival!

And since we spent all that money on the good camera, I logically only have a few crappy phone pictures to share with you at the moment.  I try with the camera, really I do.  But to maintain control of the camera and maintain control of the boy simultaneously is some trick.

His Bear.  Actually, my bear from my sorority days, but Gabe has adopted him.  He sleeps with him, and carries him around.  He points excitedly and says "Bear!"

"Feeding" the ducks.  Not much feeding was happening, as Gabe was having far too much fun chasing.

Clean finger painting.  The paint is contained inside a plastic bag, so his highness doesn't have to dirty his fingers.

First lollipop!  He ate it like a pro after a hair cut.

Playing with the iPad.  Of course he's playing with an iPad.

Surrounded by (and giving kisses to) stuffed farm animals at the children's museum.