Jonathan at 18 Months

OK, so not quite 18 months. But this sort of update is long overdue. I’ll save the height and weight recitations for the next doctor’s appointment. But Jonathan is developing in other ways. He’s ALWAYS on the go. I’ve been calling him “Pinball.” When he decides he wants to go somewhere, he just goes. If an object gets in his way, he just runs right into it, bounces off, pops back up, and takes off again. He loves to play his own version of hide-and-seek, giggling, squealing, and dashing off again when he’s discovered.

He’s also become quite the climber. As I noted a few posts ago, he has climbed out of his crib (though with the crib tent in place, he can’t do it any more). He goes up and down the stairs pretty much at will (and with surprising speed). If he’s in his stroller and decides he’s bored, he’ll stand up and climb out. Over the last few days, he’s even started trying to climb over the back of the sofa.

Jonathan’s verbal skills are also improving rapidly. He says “Daddy”, “Mom”, “Kayla”, and “Spike.” He has a sense of humor - for the last few days, he seems to be intentionally calling Miriam, “Daddy”; and me, “Mom”; and grinning about it. Among the other words he uses regularly are: binky, nack (snack), seepo (pretzel), picky (pickle and also cucumber, which he figured out on his own - even though the cucumber to which he was referring was not shaped like a pickle), mik (milk), eyes, nose, teef (teeth, and also brushing teeth), and bath.

He watches “Dora the Explorer.” Map is his favorite character. He sings along with Map’s theme song (”I’m the map, I’m the map, I’m the map, I’m the map, I’m the MAAAAP!) and likes to do the “We Did It” dance at the end of each episode. He also likes “Blue’s Clues” and knows that paw prints are “boo’s coos.” His favorite “Blue’s Clues” character is Mailbox, and he loves to sing along with the mailtime song. At the end of the show, when the characters go to sit in their Thinking Chair, Jonathan usually goes and sits on the hearth. He’ll even sit still for a good 45 minutes, reading through a bound compilation of “Blue’s Clues” stories, pointing out the clues as he goes.