18 Month Check-Up & Loving the Sunshine!

Ethan had his 18-month appointment last week and he got another gold star and pat on the back from Dr. Newby! He officially weighs 20 lbs. 10 oz. which was a sigh of relief because that meant he had put some steady weight back on after being sick a couple weeks ago. They measured him at 32" which is actually shorter than his 15-month appointment, but he wasn't exactly being cooperative =) He was all smiles in the waiting room where the choo-choo train goes around the top of the room. But boy, as soon as we went back into the room and he saw his "favorite" nurse (aka the one who always gives him shots) he absolutely lost it!! All we could do was laugh - I'm sure she gets it all the time! He has definitely started to associate the doctor with shots and was not a happy camper. Dr. Newby said, "don't worry, he'll like us again when he's 2 1/2!" Ethan had a pouty face the entire time we were at the doctor and I couldn't help but snap pics of him. I sent one to Kristen and she did a side-by-side of Ethan and Kaleb, who just had his 9-mo. appointment and wasn't too happy either. Look at these faces!!!

Pouty face must be genetic.



We really didn't have too much to chat about because we are happy with how he's progressing and so is she. We have obviously learned that Ethan is following his own growth/development pattern so even though it doesn't necessarily meet the "average" for other kids his age, he's been progressing steadily and at a positive rate so that's all that matters! 

With the couple of nice days we've had in the last week, I've made it a point to get Ethan outside as much as possible. He absolutely loves being outside. He smiles every time I tell him, "let's put on our shoes and jacket!" We've taken a few walks in the neighborhood and he is quite the explorer. He just takes off down the sidewalk and observes every little thing. He likes when the leaves blow and he'll pick up a leaf and then put it back where he found it =) He waves to every car that drives by and it's an added bonus if it's the mailman. And dogs? Loves for them to just lick him right in his face! Today was in the 70's so we were outside pretty much the entire afternoon in between his naps. After lunch, I took him downtown so he could walk along Kirkwood. He would take two steps and then stop because something grabbed his attention. Take two more steps and stop and point. Thank goodness we weren't in a hurry =) Everyone thought he was so cute and could tell he was a "new walker." The highlight of his day was finding a stick which he carried with him the rest of the way.

At one point, he just sat down right in the middle of the sidewalk and I could tell he was getting worn out. We came home for his afternoon nap and then headed to Bryan Park for some more fun. Wow, I think every child under the age of 5 was there. Ethan was pretty hesitant to just jump in and join the fun. He walked around the perimeter of the playground taking it all in and checking out the other kids. He wanted nothing to do with the playground equipment - haha! Instead, he sat in the dirt and played with sticks and bark. I'm okay with that!

We soaked in all the sunshine we could since the high tomorrow is in the high 30's! Today was just a preview of all the fun times we have to look forward to this spring/summer. I love that he enjoys being outside and can't wait for warmer days ahead!