Mama's Boys: 16-17 months

(at the water fountain)

Lincoln turned 17 months this week. He has seemed soooo much older lately. In bullet form, here are his milestones for the past 2 months:

Last update, he had a sign bonanza. This time, he has had a word explosion! Really, in the past week he has begun imitating our words and saying a bunch of things we didn't know he knew. I'm sure I'm forgetting some, but here is a list: mmmboo (moon), ticks (sticks), mama, dada, gager (water), owa (owl), hoohoo (hoot hoot), roar (lion), ooooow-t (out), duh-k (duck), doooow (down), at (hat), ba-tie (bath time), di-tuh (diaper), gaguh (wagon), dah (dog), bebwa (wembley), he-p (help), choochoo (train), tikatikatikatika choochoo! (chugachugachugachuga choochoo!), woofwoof (what a dog says), kak (what a duck says) tat (cat), tat (that), ***some sort of gibberish (strawberry), buhbuh-l (bubbles), boo (blue), du (two), deee-deee-deeeee! (1, 2, 3!), doos (shoes), tru-k (truck), uh! uh! (pretty much everything else). He is very deliberate with his final consonants. duh-k for duck is really duh (pause) k). It is insanely cute.
We have started letting him watch a TV show on PBS called Peep and the Big Wide World some nights while we do dinner dishes (or sometimes during the day if he has refused to nap and is too fussy to do much else....). He is slightly obsessed with this show, I am ashamed to say. First thing out of his mouth when he wakes in the morning? "Duh-k? Duh-k?" (There is a character that is a duck in the show that is Lincoln's apparent favorite...).

(photo credit: Aunt Breanne)

He has had some FANTASTIC eating days! Just this week he ate an ENTIRE banana for breakfast. That is a huge step for him. He has also developed a taste for corn, onions, and of course any and all fruits. And noodles. And meat, if it is ground. And cheese. Oh, and of course ice cream.

He can throw a tantrum. Big time.
We recently discovered 11 black swallowtail butterfly caterpillars just outside our back door in a patch of wild dill (which up until now, I thought was an ugly weed that needed to be pulled). I'm glad I didn't pull it, because dill is the food of choice of this particular caterpillar, and as such, we have been spending hours outside watching the caterpillars eat their way through our "weeds." Lincoln was beside himself with excitement when we first discovered the caterpillars. He signed caterpillar over and over and over and over...and reaaaaalllly wants to touch them, but when he tried they stick up this ugly orange pitch fork shaped thing that emits a bad scent (well, it is supposed to, but I couldn't smell anything). So, we don't touch them now. There are 3 chrysalises out there now, and I'm sure many more to come!

(photo credit: Lincoln)

Every afternoon, Lincoln "helps" me water the garden. We wait until afternoon, because he also waters himself, me, and the dog. I try to keep our clothing changes each day to a maximum of 3 : )

(Photo Credit: Aunt Breanne)

He is eating really well using a fork. We sometimes have to help stab the really small foods, but he is really getting the hang of it! He is also doing much better drinking from an open cup.

We've had several sleep-all-night experiences in the past 2 months (2, maybe?). This means from about 8:00 to 5:30. Which is fantastic, if you ask me!

He has been going to play at our friend Kari's house while I've been working 1 morning a week and doesn't even cry anymore when I leave (probably because it is so fun over there!)
He has 5 new teeth just barely poking through. 4 molars and 1 lower incisor. They still aren't through enough to be functional, but I think they are through enough to not be painful anymore. Which is a great relief to all of use : )