eighteen months.

when my kindergarten and first grade students insist that they are five and a half or six and three quarters, i always giggle at their silliness. but, today, i am realizing the serious validation of those halves and quarters...because today, my baby is one and a half! today my sweet choi boy is halfway between one and two. eek! how the heck did that happen so quickly?!

to commemorate this very special month-iversary for this very special boy, i want to share a very special list.

i present to you eighteen things i love about my eighteen month-old:

1. i love those teeny tiny little dimples. choi boy has two on each side and i love when they show up while he's chewing or talking.

SO cute!

2. i love that choi boy is learning new words every day. he's picked up more animal sounds (my favorite is his tiny lion roar) and "pah!" for piper, but my current favorite is cb's version of "thank you," which sounds like "achoo!"

3. i love that choi boy goes through his day making random sound effects. there is no danger of him sneaking up on anyone because he's always making sounds. his latest thing is trying to whistle. it's hilarious!

this is cb's "ooh whee! oooooooh wheeeee!"

4. i love that choi boy is such a little ham. as you saw with his cowboy boots and hat, choi boy loves being the center of attention and if you cheer him on, it just futher encourages him. we may have a future class clown on our hands. ;)

5. i love choi boy's expressive eyes. i love that he makes them big and wide when he's excited about something or curious about something or if he knows he's doing something naughty...though, that last one makes it super hard to keep a straight face when we're trying to tell him to stop whatever naughty thing he's doing!


6. actually, i love choi boy's expressions in general. this one just says, "say what, umma?!"


7. i love choi boy's curiosity. he loves getting up close and into things and discovering how they work. unfortunately for us, this resulted in cb figuring out how to pop out our socket covers...so much for child-proof.

8. choi boy is also super observerant. i love that he can point out things he recognizes everywhere we go. he has a knack for spotting animals and babies and sesame street characters, which are, apparently, everywhere! the other day we were at the supermarket (wegman's, natch) and of course we got in the *one* checkout line that had elmo balloons. i didn't even realize they were there until cb was shouting "ehmo! EHMO! EH-MO!!!!" the ENTIRE time we were checking out. it was slightly embarassing, but mostly super cute. ;)

9. i love that cb sits with his ankles crossed. like, all the time.

so very proper.
incidently, that's how i sleep. either that way or with my legs crossed like a "4". anyone else?

10. as hard has it is to keep up with him, i love how fast choi boy can move. he is *constantly* on the go and does the cutest/strangest little run where he throws his arms back behind him. i think it's because it's more aerodynamically beneficial. he's so smart.

11. i love that choi boy loves to give high-fives and fist bumps. if you ask him to "pound it," he will most happily give you a fist bump followed by an explosion where you "blow up" your fists. cb is *so* hip.

12. choi boy's been doing this fake laugh where he covers his mouth with his hands. lately, he's been following his fake laugh with this scrunchy face.

i. LOVE. it.

you want to see it again?

okay!


oh, once more?

i'm only happy to oblige.


13. i love choi boy's love of books. we keep a few favorites in his crib and he falls asleep after some reading and as soon as he wakes up, he likes to read a bit, too. when he wants you to read him a book, he'll turn his back towards you and back into your lap. so sweet!

14. i love that when choi boy wakes up in the morning, he'll call out for us and then take his time rolling around, cuddling with his stuffed pups, and reading before he actually stands up and reaches out for us. it's like he just needs a few moments to wake himself up before facing the day. who doesn't?

15. choi boy loves to give hugs and i love them.

especially when they come with sloppy, open-mouthed kisses. ;)

16. i love how choi boy fits right into our food-gorging food-loving family. the boy just loves to eat! and he totally knows how to savor the flavor.


17. for his first birthday, we sent choi boy a care package which included a stuffed dog that looked remarkably like piper. we named her mini, as in mini piper. mini came back home with choi boy (we were SO thankful that cb's foster mom included it in his things) and just recently, choi boy has become attached to mini. i love watching him cuddle with mini and rub one of her paws on his cheek as he falls asleep. it is just the sweetest!

and finally, 18.

i love

this

SMILE.

i just warms my heart and fills it til it feels like it's going to BURST.



love, love, love, love, love, love, love, love, love, love, love, love, love, love, love, love, love, LOVE my eighteen month old.

happy, happy one and a half, choi boy!