kids update

Jonah is 18 months old today! I have been waiting for this day for a long time because this little boy is a real stinker at church. I actually snuck him into the nursery last week and he LOVED it. Harper is actually in the nursery until the end of the year, so I think it will be good for them to be in there together to help Jonah get used to everything. That means (as far as I know) I now have the oldest and the youngest kid in our nursery.

 We took Jonah in for his 18 month check up yesterday and he weighed 24 lbs. 7 oz. and is now 32.9" tall (that's a little more than 2 pounds and a little more than 2 inches bigger than his appointment 3 months ago). If I remember correctly, that means he is in the 30th percentile for weight, the 68th percentile for height, and his head is down to the 90th percentile (it has been off the charts for the last few visits). Yay for being a little more proportional!

A few things about Jonah . . .

• He gives lots of hugs and kisses.  The other day he was sitting in my lap and he stood up, walked over to Tom, gave Tom a hug, and then walked back over and sat in my lap.  He does things like that all of the time.
• He is still a huge fan of all things Sesame Street and that will be reflected in his Christmas this year.  
• He loves to be read to and he will bring me a book and sit in my lap.
• He can say Mama, Dada, thank you, love you, please, car, book, dog, no, okay, bagel, banana, a few other things, and make various animal sounds.  He will also try to repeat pretty much anything you ask him to say.
• When he is going down a slide he loves it if we say "one" and then he says "two, three, wee!"
• He is a big fan of stuffed animals and has a bear and a zebra that he likes to carry around with him.
• He is very sweet to Harper and if she is in time out he will sit next to her.

• He has become a picky eater!  Boo.  He will still eat things like enchiladas and Indian food, but I have a hard time getting him to try new things.  Both kids love whole wheat bagels and fruit, and that comprises a big portion of their diets.
• He loves the freedom that walking has given him.  We went to Santa Monica this morning and I just let him walk around for about a half an hour this morning just walking up and down the street and checking everything out (that's where these first two photos were taken).
• He has a  now found love of cars.  He has gotten a couple in his advent calendar that he carries around and when we are walking through a parking lot he will point at every car that we pass and say, "Car, car, car, car." 

Harper is getting so grown up and is constantly saying new, weird things. 

• She is fascinated with mermaids, fish, sharks, and all things ocean.  
• If she doesn't want to try a new food or something she will say, I don't like orange foods or I don't like square foods or whatever she thinks will get her out of trying something new.  
• She loves to be doing the right then when Jonah is doing the wrong thing.  If he isn't eating his dinner, she will say, "Look Mommy, I'm eating my dinner," about a zillion times.
• She is fully potty trained and has been for a few months (staying dry at night took a while).  Yay!
• She loves princesses, particularly Rapunzel.  She also likes to wear dresses and refers to the dress by the corresponding princess color.  If she wants to wear a blue dress she says that she wants to wear her Cinderella dress, etc.

• She is going to primary in January.  I am a little sad because she has loved nursery and her nursery leaders.  Everyone has been so good about her allergies and I really appreciate how much they have done for Harper.
• She has broadened her horizons a little regarding food and will eat turkey and sweet potatoes now.  She also eats a little of what we eat for dinner every night and I think that has helped.  It has been so tricky because she has weird allergic reactions or eczema outbreaks to new things all of the time and that doesn't leave much that she can eat.
• She is strong-willed, but she can be so sweet and fun.  I really appreciate that Harper and Jonah both have really happy demeanors most of the time and I try to make our home a happy, fun place to be.
• She finished her toddler dance class a couple weeks ago and will be starting pee wee ballet in January.  

This is a classic Harper expression.