18 months

Ambrose turned 18 months this month, a whole year and a half. Which makes him a full blown toddler, who runs and talks and tries to make me laugh and who is oh.so.much.fun!!!

This house is never quiet, from the moment he wakes he is chattering to himself and anyone that will listen. His vocabulary grows daily and it's been a blast watching him gain interest in more specific activities. He still loves being outside, going on wagon rides, playing at the park, throwing rocks or drawing with chalk. While he loves all the noisy outside rough and tumble activities, he has a quiet side the he shows more and more frequently (however, it's still in the rare category). He LOVES to read, specifically books about animals or counting, but really, anything will do.

You'll notice his hair is doing some strange things in this pic. I often forget to even attempt to tame it before we walk out the door. The first year of his life I couldn't have created bed head if I tried, there just wasn't any hair to speak of. So, now that he has it, the poor kid walks around with the best bed head known to man... poor kid.

He has a pretty serious girlfriend, and they are adorable. she most definitely wears the pants in the relationship, mainly because if he tries to take charge it's met with a bite or hit that reminds him she's in charge and what was he thinking.

Ambrose is a climber, he always has been, but he's been perfecting his skills the past few months and he is now a climbing master. Just today I found him standing on my (brand new, silly expensive, glass topped) coffee table. Not only is he good and climbing, he's stealthy. Not a good combo if we're trying to avoid ER visits.

I think we may be enjoying the calm before the "terrible two's" storm around here because most of Ambrose's strong willed spirited side has faded away and we are left with an incredibly sweet little boy. Once again, I look forward to what is to come because every day with this boy is better than the last!

I was also going to include a nice paragraph about how hopefully I'll be blogging more in the future, but as luck would have it, our desktop computer totally quit today and the laptop isn't available to me right now. Ugh.

wordless Wednesday

Noise pollution

This is what it sounds like at our house from 6am-3pm. It truly is making me loose my mind. When we purchased this house there was an empty lot next door, we had NO IDEA what a huge mistake it was to buy a house next to an empty lot. We are well aware now, and have been suffering through this racket for the past 2 months, and I'm sure there are a few more months left.

Ambrose is essentially sleeping in a wind tunnel because I've got fans blowing full blast in an attempt to drown out the construction noise. Word to the wise, do not buy a house next to a vacant lot, especially if you cherish sleep.

Zoo

As a gift, one of my friends gave me a family pass to the zoo, and while it's small, and sometimes sad, we go at least 3 times a week. We love to see the animals, but our main reason for going is because they have the only shaded playground in town. I'm not sure how the novel idea of shade escaped the builders of other playgrounds throughout town, I mean as they're setting up the playground in the blisteringly hot desert heat, did it not occur to them that the slides might heat up to the temperature of the sun? It has certainly occurred to me and my poor little boys legs. Ah well, that was a lesson learned in the school of hard knocks, and he now tests the temperature with his hand prior to taking the leap.

I'd love to show you a few pics of him pointing to the animals or smiling as the monkeys play or yelling "puppy" as a coyote runs by, but since he's turned into a full blow toddler, my pictures more often than not, look like this....

And in true toddler (boy I think) fashion, here is his favorite exhibit at the zoo...

While it excites Ambrose, I can only feel bad for the animals that are ridiculously close to this speeding train and it's whistle.

Wordless Wednesday

Ambrose is in a Choo Choo phase right now, he loves anything and everything trains.

update

Life is traveling at break neck speed around here...allow me to share it with you....in bullets

* John is in the thick of things at work. I tried to prepare myself for the work schedule that was waiting for him (us) back here, but it's still a shock to the system. Poor Ambrose, every time he walks by the front door says "Dada bye bye."

* Ambrose has an ever increasing vocabulary, he has around 50 consistent words and will attempt many words when asked.

*he increases every one's self esteem by clapping at almost anything. If you sing a song, he claps, if you happen to be on a TV game show he comes running around the corner to cheer you on with the rest of the audience.

*my son is like a foghorn, he is SO loud. At first I thought it was just me, but the more I am around other kids (and moms) it is confirmed.

* we're back at the gym, where he hardly cries and actually shouts (literally) "pway" (play) as we drive into the parking lot. Great times.

*what isn't a great time, my 16month old getting hand foot and mouth from said gym. Ugh.

* Ambrose is now running, it's the most adorable thing ever. And to make sure we all know he's running (because let's be honest, the speed doesn't increase by that much) he sticks his arms out behind him like "look at me, I'm going SO fast my arms can't help but be pushed back by my speed."

* He has hit a growth plateau, he' still holding tight to the top of the growth chart, but his peers are slowly catching up to him

* Ambrose now has hair! Finally. The color makes it that much harder to see, but it's totally there.

* He has 14 teeth and those last 2 canines will be making an appearance soon.

* We turned him forward facing this month and it was a total non-event for him.

* Ambrose is starting to be a little more particular about what he'll eat and what he won't. I have to admit though, he started at human garbage disposal level, and now says no to 2-3 items, so still not too shabby.

* My kid is still not a milk drinker. I have even tried putting a scoop of ovaltine in his cup, and he'd still choose water over any drink containing milk. SO frustrating! However, this may be why his growth has finally plateaued.

*They are building a new house on the lot next to ours and I fully expect to have nails in my tires tomorrow because I called the city to complain that 6:20 is a little early to be going at things with a buzz saw!

Wordless Wednesday