Wyatt's 18 Month Update!

In just a few hours Wyatt will have is half birthday, which means that we will officially have an 18 month old toddler in our midst!  I can hardly believe how quickly he is growing up on us.

He gets more adorable every day.  His cheeks are perfectly kissable and his little pot belly is hilarious.  He loves to skinny dip in our backyard pool and bounce in the buff on the trampoline.

He folds his arms when we pray and loves, loves, loves family hugs.  He freely gives hugs and kisses.  If he wants a kiss you'll know because he'll start making smooching noises and lean in for a big juicy one.



He's not sweet all the time, though, he has started to show a propensity for hitting.  He thinks it's especially funny to hit you when you're holding him, so I frequently hold him facing outward nowadays. When Ruby "reads" the scriptures during family scripture study she frequently tells us stories about Jesus teaching the little brother not to hit.

Just the other day I discovered that he can crawl up and down the stairs.  Most of the time he prefers for someone to carry him downstairs, but if he has an agenda and he's not in the mood to wait he'll do it on his own.



He has a thing for "s" words- like shirt, socks, and shoes.  When he wants to talk about these things he makes the "sh" sound and does the accompanying sign and then starts smiling and laughing because he's so proud of himself.  Other than that he still prefers screaming, squawking, and pointing when he wants to communicate.  Today he walked over to the cabinet, took out a his plastic snack cup,  and the box of fruit loops, stood in front of me and grunted.  I guess he wanted a snack?  Yesterday when I put him to bed I went to lift him into the crib and he pointed at his rocking chair and screeched.  After a quick snuggle in the rocking chair he happily went to bed.  So, I guess he is content with how he communicates; after all, he gets what he wants. We're still hoping that he picks up signing and talking sooner than later. lol

We started sending him to nursery a month ago.  We just couldn't wait any longer.  He was getting so hard to manage during the second and third hours of church, because he was tired and bored.  We discovered that if we send him to nursery he's distracted enough not to be bothered by his tiredness.  The first week or two Brandon would sit with him for a few minutes and then leave.  Wyatt would be done crying by the time Brandon left the room.  Now he just struts in and starts to eat his snack and play.  Needless to say, Sundays are easier and more fun for all of us now!



Ruby is his idol.  He loves to follow her around and play with her.  He's always watching and imitating what she does.  The other day they put blankets on their heads and ran around the house playing "ghost baby."  They also like to play dinosaurs and color together (which only lasts for a few minutes at a time because Wyatt usually starts throwing the crayons on the floor for the dog to eat).  Every night before bed he runs to give her hugs and kisses- makes my heart melt every time.

We love our fiery little toddler boy.  He is precious and funny beyond words.  It's hard to imagine what our family would be like with out him-- so grateful he's a part of our lives.