Rylan - 18 Months

Rylan turned 18 months old right before Christmas, and this is really one of my favorite stages. He is becoming less of a baby and more of a little person...with a true personality, ever-growing communication skills, and desire to be included in everything. 

Ry's vocabulary is not as large as Ava's was by this point, but I attribute that to the fact that he is a boy and that he has been in full-time Spanish immersion daycare since he was three months old (Ava was 18 months old when she started). However, he is learning new words nearly every day, and it's so fun to hear the Spanish words in the mix.

Despite a rough first seven months and a slight regression between months 14 and 16, Rylan is now an amazing sleeper. We are definitely lucky in that department with both kids (knock on wood). 

Rylan is very observant and detail-oriented. And he has great hearing. There will be some sort of sound (usually a bird or some sort of vehicle) far, far away, and Ry will point to his ear and say "what's that?" He also loves music and has some killer dance moves.

And he is all boy…obsessed with balls, full of energy, and so rough and tumble. I never had to brace myself for body tackles with Ava. 

Rylan tends to be really shy around strangers, but is so silly and sweet with family and friends. He is super ticklish and his giggles are the best. While he is a total Mama's boy, Dada definitely gets the biggest smiles when he walks through the door after work.

He follows Ava around like a puppy dog and wants to do everything she does. He loves her so much. And the feeling is mutual...as long as Ry isn't pulling Ava's hair or hitting her with a toy (as he often does while sporting a mischievous grin). Watching them play together is wonderful.

Although Rylan is not as snuggly as Ava, he will randomly run up to give you a leg hug, offer his cheek when you ask for a kiss, and occasionally let me rock him (nearly) to sleep. And those are some of my most favorite moments.

I mean…how could you not relish every snuggly moment with this little cutie?!

Stats

• Weight - 25.1 pounds (70%)
• Height - 32.75 inches (90%)

Milestones/Firsts

• First haircut. I wasn't ready to cut the curls off completely, so we started with a tiny trim. 
• He dropped to one nap around Thanksgiving and typically sleeps for 2-3 hours.
• His current vocabulary includes (in roughly the order of appearance):
• Mama
• Ball
• Dog/Woof Woof
• More
• NuhNuh
• Dada
• Uh oh
• Bye (said with a southern drawl)
• Ava (Ah-va)
• Baba
• No
• Nose
• Water (wawa/agua)
• All done
• Baby
• Come on (with hand motion)
• Mouth
• Book
• Dobie (our Elf on the Shelf)
• Santa
• Yay
• Yeah
• Thank you
• Bubble
• Poo poo
• I love you/Te amo
• Gracias
• Apple
• Balloon/Globo
• Adios
• His classmates' and teachers' names (Piper, Dalton, Gus, Caro, Emma)
• His first sentences have included: "All done, Mama." "Thank you, Mama." and "I love you, Mama!" 

• He also makes lots of animal noises. Meow may be my favorite...

Likes

• Music and dancing. The boy's got great rhythm!

• NuhNuhs.

• Eating lots of food. Favorites include macaroni and cheese, blueberries, carrots, strawberries, spaghetti and meatballs, peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, yogurt, and hummus.
• Lounging on the couch with a sippy cup of milk and some cartoons first thing in the morning. It is the only time he is truly still, and it only lasts for about 10 minutes. Then he may start one of his other favorite activities...jumping on the couch.
• Playing outside and swinging.

• Dogs ("woof woof").
• Balls.

• Throwing things. 
• Books. Although he really just wants to flip through a few pages before moving on to a different book. 
• Bathtime. 

• Songs before bedtime. Favorites include "Row Row" (requests by name), "Itsy Bitsy Spider" (requests by tapping on his leg like the spider), and "I See The Moon" (requests by pointing up).
• Balloons.
• Bubbles.
• Playing with Ava.
• Rough-housing with Dad.
• Being held by Mom.

Dislikes

• Strangers.
• Waiting for food when he is hungry or his milk before bed. 

Nicknames

• Ry
• Ry Ry
• Bubba
• Bubs
• Buddy
• Brudder (Ava)
• Smilin' Rylan
• Stylin' Rylan
• Nolan Rylan

And finally, some of my favorite pics of our sweet boy from the last couple months. 

Oh, those curls! 

He often leans to the side like this when I try to take his picture because he is trying to see my face. 

As you can see in the picture above, Ry's hair finally got too "mulletty," so we had to cut off the curls. I'm surprised I didn't cry.

After his first "big boy" haircut last week...

"Cheeeeeese!"

We love you so much, sweet boy.