Happy Half Birthday

Sweet Baby Rane is 1 1/2 today! I took him in for his 18-month checkup this morning and he is a normal, healthy boy! He weighs 24 pounds and is 33 inches long. He's in the 25th percentile for weight and 75th for height....he has stayed on that course since the day he was born and is obviously taking after his Daddy!

So a day in the life of Rane is pretty typical and includes lots of curious exploration of things that are always off limits, being told "no" one hundred times a day, rolling around the floor with his precious blanket, walking around the house with his blanket completely covering his entire body as he bumps into walls trying to find Spencer or I's legs to latch onto so he can be picked up while all wrapped up, waking up at 7, taking 3-hour naps, going to bed at 7 but laying in bed winding down for about an hour, opening up several DVD cases and bringing me the DVDs, trying to make his way into the bathroom or Ella Ann's room to cause massive amounts of destruction and being all cute and cuddly to make up for all his craziness! He is the sweetest, most loving baby and we adore all his hugs and kisses that we receive all day long. He loves his Daddy so much and takes off on a dead, wobbly run towards the door every time he sees him walk in, all the while yelling "Dada! Dada! Dada!" Spencer will pick him up and he immediately lays his head down on his shoulder and tucks his hands in between himself and Spencer's chest. He is constantly on the move and never really sits unless he is playing on the couch or sitting to eat. Speaking of eating, he goes through periods of not eating at all, which today the pediatrician told me was completely normal at his age. Ella Ann never, ever missed a meal or a snack so having a child refuse food is very strange and frustrating. One day he'll like a particular food and then never want to eat it again. However, he does love whatever I make for dinner, like ravioli, pot roast, Mexican dishes and spaghetti. He is so different from Ella Ann in the food department because she still sticks with her beans, cheese, rice, pasta, fiber cereal, fruits and vegetables....all very plain and boring to Rane. Rane does absolutely love any kind of fruit and will eat it until he can no longer stuff anymore in. He's pretty good with vegetables too.

I am greeted every morning when I walk in his room to get him out of bed with a huge smile across his face and often times he's standing and will say "Hi!!!" while waving at me. It is fantastic. He nearly has ALL of his teeth....at 18 months! Today I gave him his very first sucker after the pediatrician's visit...you know, since it's his half birthday and all. He didn't know what it was but he knew it would be something awesome because his face lit up like a light bulb and he immediately shoved it in his mouth! He still had it in the car and Ella Ann yelled to me, "Mommy! He's crunching it!" I couldn't believe that he was actually eating the sucker....mainly because Ella Ann didn't finish a sucker until she was at least 3 1/2! I guess that's what a mouth full of teeth at 18 months will do for you!

He loves causing trouble and we are always having to keep a third eye on him. He loves getting into wet showers, bathroom cabinets, cleaning supplies and his two favorite loves are toilets and toilet paper. A few weeks ago I found several of my kitchen utensils floating in the toilet! I have found a couple of times an entire roll of toilet paper thrown in the toilet or completely unraveled on the floor or in a heap in the potty. Those are the moments when I have to take deeeeeeep breathes and not scream!

We love our sweet little boy and are thankful for him every day. He lights up our days and keeps us laughing with his good humor and nature. He follows Ella Ann around like a lost puppy and she usually obliges and plays with him. I couldn't imagine our life without him!