Baby Milestone - Seventeen and Eighteen Months

Oliver is 18 months now, measures 33.5 inches tall (he grew little over an inch in the last 3 months.) He weighs 27 lbs (gained 2.5 lbs.) and his head grew 1cm. And he is running all over the place. We finally got him one of those backpacks with a leash because it was getting too dangerous. He is now tall enough to reach anything too close to the edge of the table. And when he can't reach it, he knows to push his little chair around and use it as a step stool. He is also very strong, and can lift up his chair or giraffe bike and move it around. He also can push his climber/slide when he wants to play with it in the living room. It seems like there's nothing he can't do. He helps to put all the balls in a bucket when we're done. He also uses sticks to help him reach for balls that rolled under the cabinets.He can get himself a matching pair of shoes. He knows how to wipe when he spills water. He can pour water or little snacks from one cup to another and back and forth. He can sometimes reach and turn the door knob, but if he can't, he knows to knock.

He has also become very attached to all of his stuffed animals and will make sure no one is left behind. He knows them all by name (There's his best friend Ba, Bo, Pooh, Baby Ba, Baby Bo, Bear, Lobster, Monkey, and Banana...and they ALL play and eat with Oliver)

Oliver has been doing a lot more talking. He knows 20+ words now in English and Chinese, and can count to 10 in both! I'm a very proud mama. "No" is his favorite word, with "mama" coming in second. He can understand everything I say in both languages, and each day he is getting faster at repeating the sounds he hears.

Oliver is now taking a baby fitness class every Tuesday. He loves to play basketball, and go down the slide. He is practicing "circle time" where everyone sit in a circle and do exercises. He is getting better at staying in the circle longer each time. He can also do half of the gestures the teachers demonstrate on his own.

Some days we like to take walks around the neighborhood to collect leaves and pods. He really enjoys being outdoors, and even when it rains he loves to jump in the puddles.

There was a time when taking naps was the most stressful time for me in the day. Amazingly now it's the best time for me. Oliver has learned to enjoy the process of putting his stuffed animals to bed. And he wants to get into the crib with them. And this week he started to sleep on a pillow and be covered with a blanket. It's the cutest thing ever, and he loves it! I love it too so I can have time to take a nap, or update the blog!!