Things I Love: Seventeen Months

WHAT? 

Yes you read right. 

These hooligans are seventeen months!
{As of Aug 28th}
{I}                             {B}

Only 4 more weeks until Nursery. 

But who's counting...


These children of ours are into everything.

When I'm in the bathroom, this happens.

And when I'm out of the bathroom, this happens.

I just can't win.

But despite the crazy, here are some of the things

I'm loving about seventeen months:

1. I have some mama's boys! Briggs is still the bigger mama lover although Ian gives me hugs and kisses all day long.
{I}

{B} 

2. Things are getting easier. They are easier to take places, eat out with, and just getting out the door for any reason seems to be a little quicker these days. Of course some things are a little harder right now, but for a lot of things it's getting easier.

3. They have started doing little happy dances. It's so darn cute.
4. We are able to communicate more. They finally are doing a little signing and are able to point out things they want. It helps so much. They sign please, thank you, water, help, all done, milk, and treat usually with a little prompting but sometimes spontaneously. Plus they understand every word I say. (They have some selective hearing though that can make us crazy, such as when we tell them not to touch the pictures or climb on the back of the chair or to use inside voices.)
5. They have started pushing these walkers and wagons around again. But this time they can actually maneuver them around or lift them up over things. It makes it less frustrating for them.

6. They entertain each other so well! They have each other giggling big belly laughs multiple times a day. They also love chatting to each other and they talk and talk all day. It warms my little mama heart. They just love each other so much.
{They are really into these cups in the tub. Filling them up, attempting to drink them, and choking seems to be their favorite pastime in the tub.}

(They have also started learning to push each other's buttons though which is not so great.)

7. I love having them help me cook, even though it always turns into a gigantic mess!
{I}                        {B}

{B}

{B}

8. I love watching these boys play with their daddy. They have the best time! Jesse loves squishing their faces. And can you blame him?

9. We have started sending them to a babysitter so I can start working a little more. It finally feels like I can leave them with someone. The plan is to have her watch them just once every other week so I can do 6 days instead of 4 each month (I know that sounds like hardly anything, and I agree, it's not much, but it is long days and I don't see my babies at all.) Our poor friend has already watched them more than her fair share due to Jesse's work schedule this month, but hopefully moving forward it will be more normal. It's really probably hardest on Jesse since he's the one who gets up with them, feeds them breakfast, packs up last minute items, and takes them over to their house as well as picks them up at night. In fact he was just telling me how hard it is to get out the door with them! Haha, you don't say?!

10. The boys are obsessed with the bumbo. They take turns sitting in it all day long. I should have bought two. I've been tempted even now to buy another!

11. They love helping with garbage bags. They shake them out and then throw them in the garbage can and then pull them out and do it again. It cracks me up.

Ian

1. He now runs everywhere too. He's not about to be left in the dust by Briggs.

2. He learned how to knock on a door. He makes a fist and everything. I love it.
3. He gives the best hugs and kisses. Most of his hugs are just out of the blue too which makes it even better. If I happen to place my arm in front of him, he'll give it a big snuggle. He also will pucker up his lips from across the room and walk over and give you a kiss. My other favorite is when he grabs my cheeks in his hands and pulls my face (or head) in for a smooch. He is so affectionate.

4. He learned actions to a lot of the verses of The Wheels on the Bus. He knows the wipers swishing, people going up and down, the horn going beep beep beep, the babies crying, and the mommies saying "shhh shhh shh." It is adorable. He also knows a lot of the actions to Popcorn Popping on the Apricot Tree, but he doesn't start doing them until the "I can take an armful and make a treat" part. 

5. He learns things so quickly. We will do a sign or a trick once and he will be able to repeat it on command. A few of our favorites right now include; SMILE! and he gives us a a perfect cheesey grin, he also does curls with my weights, and does a fishy face.

6. He has been loving the ball pit lately. Sometimes I won't hear from him for a few minutes and when I walk into his room, he'll be just sitting in the ball pit. He loves to dive into it as well as throw balls out of it. If I give him a basket, he will fill it full of balls.

He also loves emptying it out.

7. He loves sitting or standing on the window sill.

8. He also still loves playing on the stairs. He is getting pretty good at walking down them instead of turning around and sliding backwards. 

9. He has 10 teeth with his top two molars all but breaking through.

10. He responds with "dap" to about anything you ask him. It's hilarious. We like to think he's saying "yep" but I really don't know if he gets it.

11. He has been crawling into his crib by using the rocking chair as a step stool. He definitely knows when he's tired and ready for bed.
And no, it's not a safe activity.
(In fact Briggs fell on his head trying to do this exact same thing and it freaked me out.)



12. He really likes my hair and he notices when I do things with it or if it is wet. When I hold him he sometimes just strokes my hair, usually on the left side, or sometimes he absently pats my hair if it's up in a bun on top of my head. It makes me laugh!
13. He's obsessed with the pictures and clock on our wall. He is always climbing up on the couch to touch them. I worry that one of these days they're going to come crashing down on his head.

14. He has learned to stand on his tippy toes. He plants his feet and very deliberately goes up on his toes. He usually laughs when he does it too.
15. He has a tender soul and sometimes if I get after him at a particularly vulnerable time he will cry and cry because I hurt his feelings. It makes me feel awful.
16. Whenever he colors, he likes to have at least two or three crayons in his hand at a time.

17. When we tell him to get down off of anything he just squats where he is. It's kind of hilarious but also frustrating.

Brigham

1. He does everything fast. He's rather reckless and gets hurt often because he just moves so quickly. (Such as falling down the rocks at the park, or falling trying to get into a crib and landing on his head, or falling down the stairs, or whacking his head on the table, etc...) But he is also remarkably resilient, which comes in handy because he is so reckless. Usually when he gets hurts he only cries for 15 seconds or less.

2. Some of his favorite toys lately have been bungee cords, a shoe horn, and he found my stethoscope and certainly loved it as well.

3. He is obsessed with opening and closing doors. When he was just learning, he would get frustrated easily by just pushing instead of turning the handle. He would then try knocking, and of course it was so adorable that I would open the door for him. He knocks so cutely too. He folds his wrist down and knocks with the back of his wrist.

4. He takes bites out of any fruit he can find. Apples, bananas, peaches, etc.

5. He still points out any animal that he sees whether it is out the window or on the TV. He loves all animals.

6. He knows the actions for The Itsy Bitsy Spider, Wheels on the Bus, Sunbeam, and Three Little Monkeys

7. He is still my tantrum thrower. He gets possessive of his things, is very passionate and is rather emotional, it's not the best combination.

8. He loves Altoids. Apparently a tin spilled all over the floor and he stuffed a couple in his mouth and has never looked back. Any time he sees the Altoids, he reaches for them.

9. He has 10 teeth, he has his molars on the right side and we are just waiting for the ones on the left to pop through.
10. He uses his thumb instead of his index finger for a lot of things, such as signing treat or pointing to some things. He also does more of an M instead of a W when he signs water. It's adorable.

11. He finds me every time I'm in the bathroom. And of course he has to come in and see what it's all about.
12. He has turned into a hitter. When he gets mad he will hit a wall or come after Ian. Once again, this follows the same problems that lead to the tantrums.
13. He has learned how to crawl into his high chair.

14. He has started puckering up to give kisses too.
15. He says "mmmmmm" with every bite he takes when he likes something.
16. He absolutely loves bubbles. We like them even more in the tub because then they sometimes stick to your head!

17. He loves doing puzzles, although it's mostly just taking the pieces out and packing them around the house.

We can't get enough of our sweet boys! They are such a joy. They are busy as can be and keep me on my toes but I have never found happiness like these boys have brought me.