The Barrons: Brayden is 18 months old!

Our sweet baby is a year and a half! And oh my goodness what fun he is! He makes us laugh everyday and seriously gets more and more fun all the time! I am going to apologize ahead of time for the lengthy post, I figured 18 months is a milestone so I want to remember what Brayden was like at this age! Here is what little man is up to these days:

*This boy is active! He literally never sits still unless he is sleeping, in his car seat, or strapped down on his changing pad. He likes to jump, march, "dance", RUN, (and he is getting fast!) climb, explore, swing baseball bats and golf clubs. (or any household object that slightly resembles one) He likes throwing things especially balls, rocks, his cup, or food off of his high chair!
*He is really into climbing around in/on, or getting rides in anything with wheels. He loves his cozy coupe, the golf carts, the tractor, his wagon, stroller, the riding lawn mower, or any car that he can find with the door open to explore and play in!

Climbing in his "best buddy" Papa Barron's truck

*He has just learned how to climb up on mine and Brian's bed, once he gets up there he likes to roll and jump around, lie on the pillows, and play with Mia (who for some reason has been more interested in Brayden lately, maybe because he feeds her scraps from his high chair!). He is also really good about turning around and sliding off the bed backwards on his own. He has not fallen of...yet!

*Brayden is still happiest when he is playing outside or playing with/in water! We swam a couple more times this month but I think our swimming days are just about over until next summer. Not to worry because he could entertain himself playing with a hose for hours!!

Somebody been eating dirt??

*He still loves going out on the golf cart in the evenings, he will get out of the cart and run and run on the course. We brought Mia the other night and the two of them had so much fun running and chasing each other, Brayden laughing the whole time!!!

Mommy's sweet boyfriends

*Buddy LOVES his Mia dog more and more everyday. He "walks" it everywhere, sometimes holding the leash pulling the dog, other times holding the dog and pulling the leash, and then sometimes he picks them both up and carries them. Most days when we get in the car, Brayden gets his dog and brings it along for the car ride. When I put them in the car I'll give Brayden a kiss, then the puppy a kiss and he thinks that is so funny and then kisses the dog as well.

*Brayden still loves reading books and will bring book after book to me, sit in my lap, put his thumb in his mouth and listen attentively.

Reading with Grandpa Rehkopf

*I took Brayden for his 18 month appointment on 11/6 and baby boy has gone through a major growth spurt! Since his 15 month appointment in July Brayden has gained 2 pounds and grown 2 inches! He is now in the 80th% for height and weight! It is amazing at how much he has caught up since he was born in the 8th% for height!

*He now has 15 teeth and a 16th about to push through the gums, can I please say that teething is NO FUN?!
*Brayden has recently decided he despises getting dressed and getting his diaper changed. This makes it very difficult because he is usually crying or trying to flip over on his stomach! We have had to start strapping him down again to get anything done!
*He is ALL BOY! By the end of every day Brayden has definitely earned his bath! He is always disheveled, has dirty clothes, and somehow manages to get dirt underneath ALL of his fingernails!!! He is also a pretty tough little guy. He will fall and fall, bump his head, and get right up with usually just a whimper. Needless to say he is covered in scratches, bruises, and poor thing ant bites!!!

It has been so cool for me watching things "click" with Brayden this month! This is obviously our first child and so we are learning as we go and have never experienced teaching a baby and watching him learn! It is the most amazing thing to see that all the things we have done and repeated over and over he has actually heard and can now apply in some cases. These may seem like the silliest small things to you but are pretty awesome for us!
*Brayden is really good at turning pages in books
*He has gotten much better and more efficient using a spoon and fork
*He can make many animal sounds: dog, bird, rooster, duck, lion, bear, snake, owl, and monkey are some of his best ones and he also likes to bounce up and down like a bunny rabbit
*It seems like overnight Brayden started being able to point to so many body parts on himself and on others. He can point to: eyes, ears, nose, mouth, hair, head, chin, tummy, belly button, hands, and feet. He is so funny and likes to show off what he knows!
*He is using more words
*He can follow two step directions

We are having the time of our lives raising this sweet, FUNNY, and absolutely adorable baby boy! Thanks for sharing in our joy of becoming first time parents!!!