Happy 1/2 Birthday!!!!

(You can see by the date that I actually did start this on his half birthday, but it has taken me awhile to finish up and add pictures .... better late than never!)

Ryder is 18 months old today! WOW!! We had his 18 month check-up this morning and were pleasantly surprised that he didn't have to get any shots. Here are his stats:

22.5 pounds (10th percentile)

33-34" (she said 33, but wrote 34 ... 34 is 90th percentile)

50-75th percentile for head size

He is just a tall skinny boy - and keeps getting skinnier! I was kind of worried that the doctor would voice concern over his weight, but thankfully he said he was not concerned at all and that clearly he has established his body type - mentioning that he takes after his parents (obviously he doesn't get the height from me). He also noticed how active he is - he ran back and forth and in circles the whole time we were there. As of today, Ryder's 5th tooth (which has been visible for WEEKS) has finally broken the skin! I am pretty sure his molars are coming soon because he is always chewing on his fingers on the sides of his mouth. He still has dwarf feet - can still wear his size 4 shoes although I put him in 5s a lot.

I know I always say this, but Ryder is so smart and amazes me every day with how much he knows and how quickly he learns things. He knows SO many animals! Off the top of my head, he knows and can say/point out: dog (says & signs), horse (always signs), bird (always signs, sometimes he says it too), kitty (said in a super high pitched voice - SO cute!), cow, pig, duck, mouse, tiger, elephant, giraffe, bear, owl, SNOW LEOPARD, zebra, monkey, fish, hippo, panda, dolphin, koala, walrus, turtle, shark, fox, iguana, toucan, butterfly & bee .... and I'm sure there's more I can't think of right now.

He also knows and can tell you many body parts: head, hair, ears, eyes, nose, mouth, teeth, tongue, cheek, chin, neck, shoulder, arm, hand, fingers, belly, "button", feet, toes, butt and "knee" (which in his world is his boy parts). He sure keeps me on my toes, I am always having to think of new things to teach him.

Ryder absolutely LOVES reading books!! With me or by himself. Numerous times throughout the day he will just go in his room and look at books all by himself. When we get to the end of the book and close the back cover, he says, "end." He also spends lots of time playing with his cars and trucks. He drives them all over the house and all over the dogs.

Ryder is a little chatterbox and is always talking. One of my favorite things is to listen to him over the baby monitor while he is in his crib talking to himself. He will recite all the colors or just practice new words and it is so cute! He also talks in his sleep!

He is kind of a picky eater and I never know what each day is going to bring as far as that goes. His favorite foods are still bananas, bread, yogurt and milk. He LOVES most fruits and somedays that's all he wants to eat. His faves (besides bananas) are strawberries, blueberries, grapes and oranges. The closest thing to a vegetable that he will eat is tomatoes, which he loves. I have to try and hide other veggies in his food. He really doesn't like meat either. He will occasionally eat chicken nuggets (mainly because he likes to dip them in ketchup) and ground beef if it's mixed into a casserole or something. He loves eggs though and usually has them scrambled every morning (if you don't put cheese on top, he'll say, "cheese?").

His tantrums are out of control, but don't happen too often and if we are at home, time out works pretty well for him. The public ones are the worst. He loves going to his class, but hates when we have to put the toys away and the past 2 weeks that has resulted in a major tantrum and us ending class a little early. We have a couple weeks off before summer session starts and I think it will be a nice break for both of us. He will be moving up to the 18-24 month class so I am excited to see what that entails.

For the most part, he is just a very busy, adventurous boy. Always looking for something to explore. I've never been a fan of the "child leashes," but am now seriously considering one. :) We'll see.

I know there is so much more I could say about him, but I'll just say that 18 months is a super fun age!! Challenging at times, but mostly fun! I hate thinking that he'll be 2 years old before we know it but we're just trying to enjoy every day with him, watching him grow up!