My baby boy is 18 months old now! Time is passing so quickly. I waited to write this post intentionally because I wanted to wait until his 18 month appointment for his exact stats.
Gentry Slade,
My beautiful, blue-eyed boy. You are such a blessing. You are such a hand full, too. Ha! We call you "Busy", because that's just what you are. Busy. "Uncle" Adam gave you that name and it's just stuck.
You are into everything. It doesn't matter how many times we tell you no, or how many times we pop your little hands or bottom. You have a mind all your own, and you are a stubborn little boy. I mean that in the most loving way, though. :)
You have grown in leaps & bounds, little one. So many new things going on with you. Let me try to remember them all. I tell myself all the time that I should do better at keeping a list, but I just don't. Shame on me!
When we took you to your appointment yesterday, you weighed in at 26.12 lbs., you are 32 1/2 inches tall, and you still have that big ol' head, measuring 19 1/2 inches. Overall, you're in the 61st percentile. Dr. Rao says you are perfect.
You have 12 teeth. You like to use them, too. Not just for eating, either. We're trying to break you from the biting. I guess you feel like it's your only defense mechanism right now. You also like to pinch.
You wear 18-24 months clothes, and size 4 diapers. You wear a size 5 shoe. Although you love Jubal's hand-me-down Georgia Boots, you still have a little growing left to do before they fit you just right.
You still like to go to sleep with a bottle at night, but that is about to be over, sweet boy. Sorry! You drink everything from a cup or with a straw during the day, but when it comes to nap time and bed time, you want that bottle.
You have always been a great sleeper. You have started staying up a little later lately, though. You used to go to bed between 8-8:30. Now, it's more like 9. I don't mind, though. It gives us more time together. :)
You want ME when you're sleepy. I still rock you to sleep every single night. I wouldn't have it any other way.
You are not a snuggler. You like your space when you sleep. You do like to crawl up in my lap and sit with me. On your own terms, though. It's so sweet. You love to give kisses. Sometimes you just walk up and kiss us on the leg or arm, which ever is closer for you. You give it the "smack" sound, too.
You walk & run like a champ.
You are not a big eater at all. When you're hungry, you eat pretty well, though. Your favorite foods are macaroni & cheese, mashed potatoes with lots of gravy, chicken, pears, sliced cheese, honey bbq chips, butter flavored puffed corn, and fruit snacks.
You are talking more & more. You say anything we prompt you to say, but the only words you use regularly are mama, dada, bubba, baba, ball, bird, hey, bye bye, eat, more, and mine.
You are a climber and you have no fear. You scare your mama to death, though. ;)
Your favorite thing to do is take things out of a container and then put them back. You will sit and take one thing out at a time, then put it all back one at a time, too. Sometimes you will just dump the container out, but not usually. You love puzzles and you amaze me how you can already put them back together.
You are so smart. I'm so thankful for two very smart boys.
Oh! I can't leave out the best part. You have already gotten moved up into the K-2 class at daycare. No more baby room. You will really excel now. This new adventure will give you more room to grow & explore on your own. I'm so excited & happy for you!!
Gentry, I just want you to know how important you are to our family. You make our whole world complete. Even though you and Jubal fight (like brothers) he loves you so much and you just adore him. We all love you so much and I can't imagine life without you in it. I don't want to. I pray over you every night, thanking God for you, praying for your safety, praying for you to grow into a healthy, happy young man. I can't express enough in words my love for you. I just hope that you always feel my love for you and I show you enough, and that me and your daddy are great role models for you. I try very hard to teach by example.
I'm so proud to be your mama, sweet boy.
My love always,
Mama
