Isaac hit 19 months the day after Thanksgiving.  I’ve been trying to get this post written for weeks, but haven’t had the time to sit down and write it all out.  Every day that passes brings new things for our little guy, so I’ve had to go back already and change a couple things that I’ve written.

so big!

He has definitely hit a growth spurt lately -the boy won’t stop eating.  His latest love after Thanksgiving was pumpkin pie, and he asks for it by name now.  He can put away a slice or two, easily, and since our recipe is honey-sweetened and full of nutritious eggs and cream from the farm, I didn’t mind him eating it all day long.  Other things he loves are peas, fermented beets, tuna salad, green beans, bacon, eggs, oranges, sausage, potatoes, sunflower seed “crackers”, nuts, raisins, yogurt, almond butter, berries and more.  We go out for Five Guy’s on occasion, and he loves their fries (they are pretty yummy – fried in peanut oil) and can now say “burger and fries”.  He’s a pretty adventurous eater and will try anything – Indian food, Thai, Mexican, Greek (he loves any ethnic foods).  He loves things with lots of spices and strong tastes, and prefers things slathered in sauce (just like his Mama).  He doesn’t care for the regular toddler fare – bananas, apples, carrots, crackers, bread, etc, although he does love “got-gog” (hotdog).  And sadly, he won’t eat cheese anymore (unless its melted on top of meat or mixed in to whatever he’s eating).  The first thing he says in the morning (and sometimes the last thing at night) is “eat, eat!”.  I spend all day trying to keep up with his appetite!

Sharing Daddy’s breakfast

eating with Daddy

He’s finally figured out how to climb up onto the dining room chairs by himself, and will even push the block wagon up to the couch in the den to climb up and play with the bookshelves.  In fact, as I type this, he is climbing up to sit at the dining room table, crossing his legs, and asking to eat, haha.  Nothing is safe from his reach anymore.

look where I am, Mommy!

His best friends are his stuffed animals Curious George and Pooh Bear.  He carries them around the house, sits them in the rocking chair, plays with them all day long and has to have them in the crib at naps and nighttime.  It’s adorable to see him cuddle with them, talk to them, and treat them so sweetly.  He laughed with glee to see Mama put a diaper on Pooh Bear, and insisted we do it to Curious George, too.  He will say “eat, eat” and do the sign for eat on Pooh’s mouth, and then pretend to feed him a banana.  I love it!  He also loves “Puppy”, who mainly stays in his crib, but has been making the trek downstairs with us the last few days.

feeding Pooh

He can really communicate these days.  He’s got so many new words, it’s hard to keep track of them all!  He also echoes everything we say.  The other day, watching Winnie the Pooh, when Owl says “The thing to do…”, we heard Isaac echo “thing to do!”  He absolutely adores Pooh, and can name all the characters, and especially loves to say Tigger and Owl.  He loves the sound of certain words, giggling as he tries to say them.  As he is understanding newer concepts, he continues to surprise us with new signs as well – things he hasn’t seen for months, like the signs for different colors.  He will go through his books pointing out the different animals and knows most of their names and sounds.  He also loves pointing out tractors, buses, cars, trucks, planes, and will fly his toy plane around in the air making airplane noises.

I’ve been singing him Christmas carols for a few weeks, and he really enjoys singing along.  His favorite is Deck the Halls – “fa la la la la, la la la la”.  He is an excellent listener, and can follow directions very well.  I’ll ask him to take something and go put it on the stairs, and he does it every single time! He also loves putting things in the trash for Mommy (I still need to open the can for him, thank goodness).  I’ll ask him to go pick up the box and bring it to Mommy, and he’ll scan the room for the box, go grab it and bring it over.  He’s definitely starting to assert his will more and more.  “No” is coming out of his mouth a lot more these days.  I’ll tell him, “Mommy’s gonna tickle you!” and if he’s not in the mood, he’ll start shaking his head and say “no, no, no!”.  It’s pretty darn cute.  One of his new phrases is “Down ‘ma” (down Mama) and he uses it when he wants you to put him down, or to get down from the stroller or highchair, and he sometimes uses it when he wants up as well…so we’re working on the difference now between down and up.

watching “Gangnam Style” with Daddy

He’s such a strong little guy!  He can pick up and carry his ride-one toy around the house.  At the hotel we stayed in after Thanksgiving he pushed the luggage cart, which was loaded up with all of our suitcases, down the hallway, surprising the bellhop.  He picks up his ride-on toy and carries it around the house, and will wrap his arms around a 12 pack of bottled water and heave it off the ground, grunting like an Olympic lifter.  He’s got an arm on him, too.  He can chuck things across the room easily, and has excellent aim.  He loves to throw balls, and recently learned how to catch them as well.  We’re working on him not throwing other stuff – food, books, and whatever else he can get his hands on.

He still doesn’t know a stranger.  At the doctor’s office the other day, he made friends with an older (larger) man, wrapping his arms around his big stomach and hugging him.  Then he lifted up the man’s shirt and blew a giant raspberry on his bare belly, haha.  He’s still a giant flirt with the ladies, blowing kisses and giving out giant smiles, but really he loves the men.  We were talking to a neighbor we hadn’t previously met, admiring his Christmas lights, and Isaac held out his hands to be held.  The guy picked him up, and Isaac hugged him and laid his head down on his shoulder, totally relaxed.  He gravitates toward men everywhere we go, and can coax a smile out of the grumpiest guys.

making friends

He loves saying our names – Mommy!  Daddy!  Mimi! – and each time we respond with Baby! or Isaac!  When Aunt Rachel is around, he adds her name to the litany – “Day-tuhl!”.  Isaac really loves watching videos of himself on Youtube, but I have to be careful which ones we watch, because if he sees Uncle Ben in one of the videos, he’ll get all excited “Ben! Ben!”, and then the little lip will start trembling and he’ll start bawling “Beeeeeeeen”.  He really misses his Uncle Ben :(.

He’s slimming down now, and looks so much like a little boy and barely like a baby at all anymore.  He’s still 26 lbs – but he’s grown a lot taller and his feet have grown 2 sizes (and yes, they’re still extra wide).

I barely fit in the wagon anymore!

I’ll just pick it up and carry it instead

The big news is that at 19 months, Isaac started sleeping through the night!  His molars came through finally, and he is also now completely night-weaned.  He loves his bedtime routine – bath, pj’s and nursing with Mama, reading books with Daddy, then a sip of water, hugs and kisses all around, and in bed.  He loooves his bed, and goes to sleep without a fuss every night, and wakes up happy.  Bedtime is 7’ish, and he’ll wake up anywhere from 6:30-7:30, so he gets a pretty good night’s sleep.

I can’t believe how fast our little man is growing.  He is just so darn smart, so sweet and loving, and is funny, too!  He has a good sense of humor and loves joking around.  It is just so much fun to watch him learn so quickly and see him explore the world around him.