See what happens when I skip a month! I feel like the site has been neglected lately, and for that I must apologize. Sitting here now getting ready to post, I have to really think about all that has happened with Hayden since I last did an age update at 15 months (back in Nov).

Wow...things sure are different now. I did notice a post from Dec 3rd that still holds true today...it's title?..."Ornery Little Guy"...that's the general trend for this 18-month update...

Why they call it the terrible twos, I have no idea. It should be called, the ornery one-and-a-halves. Hayden's calm personality has turned crazy and chaotic. He is quick to get frustrated and fast to freak out. He swats, he bullies and he get's pissed...amazingly easily. It is sad really...I miss my sweet and innocent, do-no-wrong little guy. Now, I am fighting fires left and right and constantly thinking of how to avoid a meltdown by implementing distraction and redirection techiniques. He is independent, stubborn, and hot tempered. But...there is a flip side...

He laughs more and finds humor in things. He plays games and knows when he is being funny. He tries to make us laugh with sly looks and coy glances. He makes funny noises and loves hide-and-go-seek. He entertains himself and roll plays with his animals (feeding them or putting them to sleep).

So, it isn't ALL negative...it is more like it is amplified ...the bad AND the good. Which, considering what I have heard and read, is all normal and expected at this age. The "terrible twos", according to most "experts", can and does start around 15-16 months (which is right on target for Hayden). I am hoping this means that he will grow out of it sooner! But, I am not holding my breath. I am just trying to get us through it, while keeping my sanity in tact and remaining calm. Freaking out over a book wedged in his basket, or a ball under the table that he just HAS to have right that second gets old, believe me. But, for the most part, we do just fine and I can usually make it through every day without acquiring too many new grey hairs. I know that he is just testing the boundaries and learning how to deal with his new-found independence, which if you think about it, is probably pretty scary. It is a weird dichotomy of still having separation/stranger anxiety on one hand, but wanting to explore and do things all by himself on the other. It must be very frustrating for him most of the time. Plus, he can "think" about doing a lot more things than he can actually do, and say, for that matter.. He cannot comprehend the idea of sharing, and he wants what he wants when he wants it....period. That's right on track developmentally for his age, but it doesn't make it any less embarassing at the playground when he flails his little hands at any other child that even thinks about setting foot near his slide or when he screams at the top of his lungs in the grocery store when he finally devours the very last cheerio.

Some things that Hayden likes at the ripe old age of 18-months:

  • Checking out the jellyfish and sea urchins at the Seattle Aquarium

  • Coloring with his crayons that he got from Santa

  • Riding the horse

  • Feeding the ducks at the park

  • Taking walks

  • Helping Dad work on "man things"

  • Visiting his Great-Grandpa Kurth

  • Helping man the lantern during a blackout

  • Being a boy and playing in the dirt and jumping in mud puddles !

  • Whipping (or wisking) up one of his specialties

  • Feeding his animals (they get hungry too)

  • Playing at the park and being outside

  • Wearing his "Puppy PJ's"

  • His Baby Einstein DVD's (he has two and calls them his DDD's)

  • Playing with doors (and door stops)

  • Practicing his jumps (his feet don't leave the ground yet), dance moves, and running in place (he is very fast when he stays in one place, sort of like a "Flashdance" type of look about it).

Some things that Hayden could live without at this stage are:

  • Brushing his teeth (much to his dismay, we do it twice a day)

  • Sitting still for...well, anything; diaper changes, dressing, car rides, etc

  • Getting his hair washed (although he is getting much better)

  • Getting locked in a room when he shuts the door all the way and can't open it again

Hayden has perfected walking and has moved on to running and learning how to jump. He is tentative on uneven ground and still sits and scoots to the edge if the dropoff is too big to manage getting over while standing up (which sometimes only means an inch or two). I have to remember that a lot of kids his age have been walking for nearly 7-8 months by this point...he has only been walking for barely 3. So, considering, he is doing quite well. He is still afraid to try some things (like tall slides or other motor-skill based things, but once he is pushed to try them and sees that they are do-able, he is quick to give it another go and he gets over the fear very quickly. Cameron said that he remembers being that way as a child too...uneasy about trying new things that is.

Hayden is talking pretty well now, for an 18 month old that is. He says a ton of words (see the post before this one for a word list) and asks for things that he wants now instead of making us guess. When he falls, he tells us he has a "boo boo" or an "owie" and shows us where it is and wants us to kiss it "all better". He high-fives and does dad's favorite, the "dude knuckle knock". He is a little parrot really with his words. He gets the syllables down perfectly if you say a word (even though it may not come out clearly at all, the syllables are spot on). We turn this into a game by getting him to repeat foreign words like Guadalajara and Quesadilla. It is amusing for all. He points things our during car rides now, like buses and birds and pictures on billboards. He eats well and still hasn't tasted his first french fry...we are shooting for at least 2 years or older for that one (hopefully longer). He is not using a utensil yet, but that's ok. He does ask to use the spoon sometimes, but rarely gets much into his mouth. He throws away his own wet diapers (although lately, the novelty of that game is wearing off, much to our dismay) and he helps clean up his toys and books before nap/bedtime. He likes to say "goodnight" to his toys and even to the stairs and the light and the paintings sometimes. He does "nose" (a game where you touch noses, which Poppy Mason taught him long ago when he was a mere 10 months old - and he still remembered it when he re-introduced it this past week after not doing it since last August). Amazing. Now he does "nose" with all his animals and even some silly objects like his pants or his play guitar.

Even with all the independence "issues" that I have mentioned in this post, the stage that Hayden is in now is fun for all of us. He is so funny and it is great to see that he is reaching developmental milestones left and right. He is changing, communicating more, and growing everyday. He is still a little small for his age (body-type wise)...he still wears some 9-12 month pants and can fit into his t-shirts from last summer quite easily. He is however, becoming increasingly too big for his britches! -- mam