Asher (who I affectionately call Buggy) has been a very dynamic part of our family for a year and a half now! Its strange to think it has only been that long- it seems like he has just always been part of our family and I have always known him. In honor of his 18 months, I want to share all about him.
Asher is FULL of energy. At least once a day (often many more than that) he runs from the living room to the kitchen over and over or runs in place just to burn off some energy. He is constantly on the move and keeps me on the move too. Asher loves going up and down the stairs and for the past couple of months has insisted on walking up and down them rather than crawling. He has gotten pretty good at it (with the help of an adult or the handrail) but he has fallen a few times too.
To keep his energy up, Asher loves to eat. He is always getting into the cupboard to get himself a snack; luckily he is often distracted by all the kids' cups he comes across to play with. Although he would eat snack food all day long if you let him, one of his favorite foods is steamed broccoli which we eat almost every day for lunch. He eats blueberries like they are candy and will eat other fruits and veggies too, but he really loves milk, cheese, yogurt, and any dinner I make that includes a red sauce. He is expert at feeding himself- he just gets it all over himself, his high chair, and the counter near him. He has a fork and spoon that look like construction trucks and those always guarantee that he will eat more, although the eating is typically accompanied by sound effects (made either by him or by his parents ;)
Asher is growing like a weed. I've had several comments about him being a little tank. I think that describes him well. He is tall, pretty thickly built, and plows through everything. Last time we checked, he weighed in at about 28 pounds- almost too much for me to pick up all the time, but how can you say no to a snuggle from such a loving boy? (I also am forced to pick him up quite a bit because he runs off somewhere and I have to get him back :)
And that brings me to the next important feature of Asher. He is extremely opinionated lately and is getting more and more so as he gets more independent. His opinions have led to an increase in tantrums as he wants to do something that he is not allowed to (e.g. run in the street without holding my hand while we are out on a walk, eat a snack that he's not allowed to, or play with something that he's not allowed to) or he wants to do several things at the same time, but can't do them all (e.g. play in the back yard with a shovel AND be in the house watching grandma vacuum). His tantrums are happening more and more often, but they are pretty short lived and usually don't bother me too much.
Asher is very loving and fun to snuggle with if you can get him to sit still long enough. This typically only happens right before bed or when I get him up in the morning or from a nap. Although sometimes he will run up to me in the middle of playing and lay his head on me for a few minutes. He loves to snuggle his stuffed bunny too. Asher's favorite person is probably his dad. He usually cries when Austin has to leave for work and loves playing with him as soon as he gets home. He is mildly obsessed with the vacuum cleaner which he spies on through the crack between the door and the wall of the laundry room where it is stored. He loves to follow me around while I vacuum and if I leave it out when I'm done, he will stand by the vacuum for a long time petting it, examining it, and pushing buttons. And of course he still loves the "popcorn popper" he got from his aunt and uncle for Christmas because it resembles a vacuum.
Asher is extremely loud and loves to hear himself "talk". He still doesn't say much that is understandable, but he is constantly babbling about something, or yelling just to make noise. The words that are understandable are "dad", "all done" or "all gone", "no, no" and "choo-choo". He says grandma, grandpa, ball, out, hi, truck, and a few other things, but they are pretty hard to understand to someone who doesn't know him. He has his own words for mom, Leif, and milk. I'm trying not to worry about his language too much, because although he doesn't talk much, he does understand a lot and will do most the things that I ask him to. He also uses the signs for "all done" and "more" which are really the only ones that I have taught him.
Asher nods his head "yes" or shakes his head "no" when I ask him questions. One of my favorite things he does right now is to to nod his head "yes" when he likes something or when he is pleased with himself for something he has done. He gets the cutest look on his face at these times. He also goes around shaking his head "no" and saying "no, no" when he does something that he is not supposed to or he thinks we don't want him to do.
He is a very social little boy. He loves to walk up to anyone around and "talk" to them. To this day, Asher has yet to cry when someone new picks him up, but of course mom or dad are always there so he feels comfortable with new people. Church is one of Asher's favorite places since there are lots of people there to visit with. I always feel bad if there are kids sitting in the row behind us because I know it's hard for them to pay attention with Asher trying to engage them. Asher had his first day of nursery this week. I brought him in and set him down with the other kids and he immediately ran off and started playing. I stood in the doorway and watched him for a few minutes but he never even looked at me because he was too busy playing. I know its silly, but I cried a little bit. Its so hard to see him getting big even though its fun to see him learn and do new things. I'm sure he loved being around all those little kids and having lots of new toys to play with.
Asher is all boy and loves to rough house. He wants to have pillow fights a lot and wants Austin to throw him in the air and swing him around all the time. He loves to play a primitive version of hide-and-seek where we basically just run around the house hiding behind doors, walls, or furniture then jump out and say "boo" and take turns chasing each other around. He likes to play this game with Austin and I, but he loves to play it with his cousins.
Asher absolutely loves music and loves to dance. As he has gotten
older his dancing has gotten a little more sophisticated: going from
shaking his head back and forth to bouncing his knees, swaying his hips
and shoulders, and moving his head around. (although in my last post he
just ran around in circles :) He gets excited when he hears almost any
music, but is most likely to dance to something with a simple and catchy
beat.
And after all this running, dancing, and
playing, Asher has become a very good sleeper (thank heavens!) He sleeps
through the night almost every night and takes a descent nap most days.
I had a really hard time getting Asher to sit still for pictures, but here are a few:
