The Barrons: Brayden at 17 months

The next big golfer? :)

I know we say this every month but we are really loving this age! Brayden has been SO MUCH fun at 17 months and everyday he just gets funnier and funnier! I also know that I never even posted for Brayden's 16 months (we had just a little bit going on) so I will just get caught up at 17 :)
STATS:
*Brayden is weighing in at a solid 25 pounds, no longer and itty bitty baby!
*He now has 14 teeth, he recently got two at the same time and had a pretty rough time for a couple of days. We have been regularly brushing his teeth now for about the past two months and he has gotten really good about sitting there patiently and letting us brush-I think he just likes the taste of his toddler toothpaste.
*Brayden still takes about a 3 hour nap each day after lunchtime and at night sleeps from about 7:30 usually till around 8:00
*He is still a great eater, usually eating pretty much anything we give him. However, right now we are dealing with quite the food and drink thrower. I am hoping it is just a phase but lately he has been throwing more food than he has been eating! We are trying to discipline a little and teach him no but I guess we have said no so much that he has learned to shake his head back and forth like we do and thinks it's funny (which it is and we try so hard not to laugh at him!)
Here is what our buddy is up to these days:

This guy is a talker! And by talker, I mean babbler because we don't understand most of the things coming out of his mouth but he goes on and on all day long! It really sounds like he is just having a conversation with himself just jibbber jabbering away. When he gets really excited about something or is running around he seems to "talk" more. Actual words come and go for Brayden, he will learn a new word and say it for a while and then he won't say it at all anymore. He will still say mama, dada, book, and ball, and a couple of his regular words these days are deer and bye-bye. He has also started roaring when you ask him what a lion says, it is hilarious! Hearing him talk is seriously the absolute sweetest sound.
Brayden LOVES playing outside. He could stay entertained outside forever walking around, picking up things, swinging, and his favorite is playing in the dirt and mulch. When he comes inside he is filthy from his shoes to underneath his fingernails. It is awesome how much he loves the outdoors because if he ever gets fussy (which is pretty rare) we just take him outside and this distracts him from his mood instantly.
Since living with Grandma and PaPa Brayden has also been able to take advantage of both the pool and the golf course. He loves playing in any water and likes the big pool, the baby pool, a bucket with some water, and his favorite the water hose! He has really enjoyed taking golf cart rides in the evening and will get out and hit balls with his proud daddy. Sometimes when we go outside he walks straight over to the garage where they keep the golf carts and just points to try and get us to open. If we do, he will walk straight over to the carts and crawl on in.

Also, since living with Grandma and PaPa he has been able to take full advantage of them!!! This guy is definitely not hurting for attention! He adores both of his grandparents and it is so cute to see him running down the hall every morning to the kitchen to see where they are! We think that Brayden is going to have a really hard time when we move and it is back to just the three of us!
I am so proud of my sweet boy and the fact that he loves books! He hands me a book first thing in the morning before breakfast and we will read one or two, a book before nap, usually a book right after he wakes up from his nap, and of course a story before bedtime. He will also bring me books, crawl into my lap and listen to stories throughout the day. He points a lot at the pictures and looks at me saying "dat" as if to ask what is that. I hope he continues with his love of reading!

Brayden hasn't been playing with his toys as much lately, I guess because there is just so much more to see and do here at Brian's parents house. He still loves to play with and throw balls though and also enjoys hitting them with his golf clubs and his bat.
Still a climber...will use anything as a step and gets up as high as he can go! We literally can't take our eyes off of him !