eighteen months

OH little man you are a year-and-a-half.  When I say that out loud, it sounds so old.
But when I look at you, you still seem like such a baby to me.

These last three months have held some challenges for us, little one.
There have been some rough days and mommy is learning so much about loving you better.

You are so smart, so sensitive, and so tender-hearted Luker man.
You understand everything.  You obey instructions well.
You do not like it when someone is unhappy with you.
You are cautious, shy, introverted, and not so much of a risk taker.
You are independent, though, and strong-willed.

You love brooms, trucks, school buses, keys, phones, remotes, blocks, and your Cozy Coop.
You love your daddy, and would choose him over anyone else.

You grab our fingers and lead the way to wherever you want to go.
You love going to get the mail, going to the pool, and going to the park.

You weigh 25 pounds and you're just over 33 inches tall and wear a size 5 shoe.
You're a great eater.  You love fruit of any kind, cinnamon-raisin bagels, macaroni and cheese, anything with peanut butter.  You're not a big fan of vegetables or meat, but that's okay.

You are running.  Praise the Lord because you are running.  
When I see your adorable little toddler run, with a little limp because of the splint on your left leg, I am overwhelmed with thankfulness.  You can run.

You are smart, Luke.  You're always trying to figure out how things work.
Buttons, latches, hinges, moveable parts, lids, holes, zippers, snaps.  You're memorized.
You are funny.

You say bye-bye, more, and you say mama and dada when cued.  You make truck noises and a few animal noises.  Otherwise, you talk a whole lot in your own language.   We're working on this and I pray that God puts words in your mouth so that you can tell me what you need.

You have transitioned to one nap a day and you still sleep from 7 (ish) at night until 7 in the morning.
You take a paci and hold your blanket to go to sleep.  And you rub your hair - always.
You love to snuggle before bed and we always sing the froggy song. 

I love the way you are all boy, the way your hair gets sweaty when we're outside, and the way you laugh when we're being silly.

Though you can be a bit challenging, you are truly amazing and I love you so much.