We have been so busy traveling, having company, and getting ready for Christmas that I haven't taken the time to blog! Cleaning my house unfortunately takes precendence over fun internet time. Booooooooo. Seems like I am always cleaning!
Our trip to Disneyworld was a big success. The flights were just ok. He had a little ear pain on the descents. And on one of the flights, he was dying to run around. He made a girlfriend on the last flight and they passed toys back and forth and he got a big hug before we left. He was grinning ear to ear! It prepared us for the next trip coming up, Hawaii! He will have his own seat this time instead of sitting on our laps, so that should make a big difference. And we are bringing Dramamine this time! As far as Disneyworld goes, he had SUCH a good time. He got to meet, kiss, and hug ALL of the characters, including Handy Manny. We went to shows, rode rides, and saw the amazing fireworks displays that they are known for. He is still talking about the fireworks! The Dumbo Ride was definitely the favorite. As soon as we would come down, he would say "RIDE AGAIN!!!" We stayed at the Animal Kingdom resort so we were able to see giraffes and zebras from our balcony! Giraffes are officially his favorite animal. I think we will try to go again maybe when he is 4.
Its now time for me to brag to the world about the sweetest, smartest little boy on earth. He is 19 months old today. He LOVES helping his mama. He helps me put away dishes, clean the table, vacuum, put away toys, throw away his diapers...you name it! He always says HELP MAMA, HELP MAMA! I hope he keeps this up, because I need the help! He is still cuddly as ever, always hugging, kissing, and patting us. 18 months is the height or the start of the terrible twos (depending on who you ask). We have definitely had some challenges lately. More with eating than anything else. He is hating some of the foods he used to love. He still refuses milk of any kind, juice, and fruit. I make it work though. As long as he still eats cheese and yogurt he is getting the calcium and vitamin D he needs. And he eats these things called fruit strips, that we tell him is candy. We are so sneaky. Whatever works! Every now and then he will have a tantrum over the smallest things. I was feeding him something the other day and a drop of it fell on his tray and that turned into the worst tantrum ever. And then the other night, he caught a glance at pudding in the fridge (another last resort of getting the calcium in) and threw a fit because he couldn't have pudding for dinner. But luckily the tantrums aren't often and don't last long. The timeouts still don't work. I think the books that say to wait until they are 2 are right! It usually cuts the tantrum short but in no way teaches him a lesson!
He continues to wow us with his ability to learn. Right now he is learning his shapes, numbers, and letters. I wouldn't have really pushed it this early, but he takes an interest in his puzzles and books that teach this, so we are definitely encouraging it! He knows and can name all the characters from the Mickey Mouse Playhouse (Pluto, Minnie, Goofy, Mickey, Donald, and Daisy) and also all the charactars from Handy Manny! (Manny, Stretch, Squeeze, Rusty, Dusty, Felipe, Turner, Pat, Mrs. Portillo (Portillo), Mr. Lopart (Part), and Kelly. That's pretty amazing because it took me forever to learn all the tools names! He loves his Handy Manny toolbox and is always "fixing" his toys. He will turn over a toy and take either Felipe or Turner (the screwdrivers) and then find the screws and "unscrew" them. He loves to hammer on anything and everything. Sometimes not a good thing.
He speaks in sentences and tells stories. Our favorite is "Daddy Bird (he actually says Burg which is so darn cute), Mommmy Bird, Baby Birds....Gone Home bye bye!" He asked where a bird went one day and I told him it went to be with the mommy and baby birds at home and now he tells us that story all the time. I can't keep track of his vocabulary at this point because he can learn and repeat and remember almost any word that I say. We are probably at 500 at this point. His favorite song is "Santa Claus is coming to town". I sing it so many times a day. As soon as I finish singing he says "Santa Again". It just never gets old to him! I can't wait for him to see what Santa is really all about on Christmas morning!
He still loves his class and we go every Monday, sometimes Wednesdays too. He is getting really good on the balance beam, which he used to avoid all together. He is getting better at climbing. He is a little clingy at the beginning of class now and that goes along with being an 18 month old, but he gets over it pretty fast.
He had a great 18 month checkup and still has a solid immune system. He managed to survive Disneyworld without getting sick and there were sick kids everywhere! I came down with a mean cold. Harrison did the usual and got a high temp one day, a little bit of a sniffly nose and then that was it! When he gets the high temp, its almost always him fighting something off. I am so grateful that this little boy has been so healthy because I can't bear it when he hurts!
He has spent more time with my parents and brother Matt over the holidays. He calls my dad "Papa Hat" because he is the grandpa that always wears the hat. And he calls my mom "Nana". She was going for "Granna", but as most grandparents know, they don't really call the shots. What was going to be Meemers and Poppers ended up being MeeMee and Pop-Pop. And I promise they are ok with that! We are looking forward to spending time with the Pugh Family in Hawaii and will get back to blogging after that!
Merry Christmas!!!!
