18 Months already....

In my mind I have built up 18 months old to be a big milestone although I'm not quite sure why, maybe it's because we've noticed so many changes in Justin or maybe it's because he's no longer a baby and it has become more evident or maybe because it's the last set of immunizations for a long while. 

Justin's little personality is definitely shining through; he's an affectionate little boy with a contagious laugh and smile but can also be very stubborn and prone to throwing tantrums when he doesn't get his way. The other day Justin woke up from his nap after only half an hour and he was still tired so I held him until he fell asleep again and then I put him on our bed and I decided to have a nap with him. After 45mins he woke up, put his arms around my neck and nuzzled into me and fell asleep again. That was an awesome feeling! The teachers at school love Justin and always look forward to Friday because that's the day he goes and he blows them kisses and gives them hugs. Before we leave in the afternoons, he has to give all his friends a hug and sometimes even a kiss too. A worrying thing is that he has started hitting if he doesn't get his way or gets frustrated so if anyone knows of how to nip this in the bud, please let me know.

I've started teaching Justin sign language in the hopes that it will decrease his frustration in trying to get us to understand and meet his needs but that's going a bit slow as he only knows "please", "thank you" and "water". We're currently learning "milk", "hungry" and have our own versions for "elephant, crocodile and fish". The one word he has definitely mastered is "NO!" and if he's quite adamant about it, he'll say "No no no no!"  Justin can also say more, wo-wo (for dog), dada, ma, mum-mum and bear. He's definitely copying us more in terms of the way we do things and saying words so we really have to be very careful with what we do and say and how we do and say it. I used to say "beep beep" to Justin when he was in the way and now he says that to anyone who is in his way, oops! Justin knows various body parts and can point out them out when we ask him to. He loves reading and can point out different animals or objects in the books. He still loves his music and dancing and is a frequent You Tube viewer.  

Physically, Justin is growing very tall very quickly so he's lost his baby fat and looks much thinner until he takes his t-shirt off and you see his little tummy. He has so much energy and loves exploring his surroundings. Justin is running around, kicking balls, riding his tricycle, climbing up climbing frames, going down big and small slides all by himself and just having loads of fun. He enjoys painting and drawing and I am very impressed at the way he is already able to grip a crayon, a pen or paintbrush. Justin's self feeding skills have vastly improved but he is still quite messy and I allow him to drink water out of a cup when I have the patience and energy to patrol him closely. He loves going to the beach but only playing with the sand; he's still not keen on the water.

Typical boy, Justin loves cars, trucks, motorbikes, cranes, aeroplanes, excavators, etc. He gets so excited when we pass a building site and he sees the excavators in action.He loves playing in the car, opening the windows, changing the volume of the radio, turning the window wipers and indicators on. The latest thing is to sit on dad's lap while dad parks the car in the garage.

Justin is also following more and more instructions and we've also started reasoning with him which he seems to understand and becomes more cooperative.It doesn't always work but the times it has, I'm amazed that he can comprehend what we are explaining to him.

All these little things that seem to happen overnight still boggles my mind and amazes me that they learn so much in such a short space of time.

Justin has practically outgrown his cot

Justin loves playing with the sand, whether it's at the beach or in the sandpit

He loves playing in puddles