Andrew 18 months

My little boy is 18 months old AND a big brother!! So much has happened in his little world since our last update 6 months ago. For starters, Andrew went paci-free right at 1 year. The first day was rough, but he quickly learned how to console himself without the help of his paci. At 13 months, Andrew was also bottle-free and took his first steps!! He was a little wobbly at first; however, we now have a little runner on our hands! :) Andrew said his first words at 14 months- "fa" for fan and "ball". He presently has many more words added to his vocabulary, with favorites being "two", "four", "five", "six", "down", "please" and "bye".  His communication skills have increased greatly over the past few months. He now understands questions and commands we tell him as well as the use of sign language. He can sign "down", "more", "all done", "milk" and "no thank you".

As for his sleep schedule, Andrew is awesome at naps and sleeping through the night. We have made nap time a happy activity by offering his beloved "blankie" only during nap time. He pretty much giggles when he's told to find his blankie and lay down for a nap. He went down to one nap at 15 months sleeping a solid 2 hours! As for night time, bedtime is normally around 8:00-9:00 (depending on when daddy gets home from work) and sleeps until 7:30(ish) in the morning.

Andrew continues to be one happy little boy! He is obsessed with any kind/size ball right now!! He will shoot just about anything into his basketball goal. He also loves to be outside! He and his daddy spend a lot of quality time raking leaves, mowing the grass and playing on the swing set. His favorite tv shows continue to be Super Why and Mickey Mouse Clubhouse; however, recently we have found he enjoys musicals including "The Sound of Music", "Chitty, Chitty Bang Bang", and "Mary Poppins". Speaking of music, this little boy loves to dance! Music is another hobby he and his daddy enjoy together! Andrew has shown lots of improvement with sitting still to read books. He is constantly bringing books to us to read to him. You can only imagine how much I love this!!

Last but not least, Andrew became a big brother at 17 months old. This is by far the biggest change to his little world. I am pleased to say he has coped very well with this change. Right now, Andrew doesn't quite notice Thomas or seem to mind his presence. He has been very patient with the time I have to give Thomas with feedings, diapers and baths. When asked "where is Thomas?", Andrew knows exactly where to point. He has also doing better at giving Thomas kisses at nap and bedtime. I know with time, he is going to be the best big brother Thomas could ask for.

We are so thankful for our sweet Andrew!! I cannot wait to see what God has in store for him over the next few months!

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