IT'S A WONDERFUL LIFE!...

18 months and I'm not complaining! Mom started my big day with a berry bowl, a giant whole wheat pancake and eggs. It was good to the last bite. Yum! We always try to do something extra special on my "birthday" and today was no exception. We were busy and having a blast the whole day through! Mom and I spent the day moving from activity to activity and finally ended up at the park. We played with some of the neighborhood kids and a boy from Russia too. I slid down the slide by myself for the first time and then tried my best to climb back up again. Mom was still at the top waiting her turn to come down. We were HOT and sweaty but we didn't mind at all. A day in the sun was a great celebration for me!

Here is what I am up to these days; this is where my mom gets to brag a bit...she is so proud!

Reagan has a definate opinion on things these days. I guess the apple did not fall too far from the tree. You can ask him what he wants for breakfast or what he wants to wear and he will attempt to show you. He will shake his head no in opposition and mumble the word "no" too or he will giggle if you have made the right selection. These days we hear no quite often when chicken is on the table. Reagan is enjoying meatloaf instead...who would have thought? He waves hello and tells you bye-bye and is now including strangers too. He blows sweet kisses, gives open mouth slobber kisses and now includes smooches (with smacks) too. Reagan will now show his love independent of being asked to do so. It is so sweet to have him walk up and plant one on your leg or hold on tight until you pick him up. And don't think you can hide either (not that you would want to.) Reagan can open doors and more. We had to get knob covers to keep him out of danger zones. He actually let himself into the garage one day. Luckily I was watching! He can run, turn in circles and climb onto the couch with ease. He can "Flinstone" his feet to push himself in his car or on his new trike too. His gross motor skills have really developed and his fine motor is soaring! RGT is still using both his left and right hand to complete tasks like feeding himself with his fork and coloring his pictures. Reagan can use his crayons to draw staight lines and some curves aswell. He loves markers and pens and colored pencils too. Some days it looks like the right hand is winning and then it is back to the left again. Side note-he uses his right hand to flush the toilets. :) He can blow his nose and signals to you when his diaper is wet. maybe potty training isn't as far off as I think. I Reagan still loves to read and has even started reading to me. It is amazing to me to hear the tones in his voice or hear the way he mimics my speech patterns and pauses. He knows to point out things in the pictures, where the front and back of the book are, how to turn the pages in order and what is up and down. We can literally sit for an hour just reading and singing songs. These are some of my most treasured moments. Reagan can act out the songs too. He sings along and uses his hands and feet to help me sing about the "Little Piggies," "Twinkle, twinkle," "5 Little Ducks," "5 Little Monkeys," "Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes" and more. The piggies are his favorite right now, but twinkle, twinkle helps put him to sleep. Reagan can tell you what sound all the barnyard animals make. He will also include and owl, tiger, cat, dog, bear, lion, elephant and I'm sure a few more too. He can tell you where all of his body parts are (elbows, chin and cheeks included.) AND...HE KNOWS HIS COLORS TOO! He is working hard on his shapes now. Most of the time he can put the correct shape into his shape sorter. Reagan is also experimenting with numbers. You can say "show me one" and he will hold up one finger. He tries very hard to hold up 2,3,4,5, but we are still working on muscle control in his fingers for that. Listen closely though...you can hear him try to say the numbers. If you take Reagan outside bring your shades. The sun is "so bright" and he will cover his eyes and squint. You can even show him a picture or draw a picture of the s un and he will do the same thing. He is making associations between real life and pictures--he is my little genius! When the day is done this little man knows that it is time to clean up. He likes for everything to be in its place and will tell you when something is missing or just mixed up. Sometimes Reagan notices before me. It is so hard to believe that Reagan has developed so many skills and talents so fast. He is our miracle baby and we are amazed daily by his good nature and love! I think my next list should be all the positive things that Reagan has taught me about love and life, family and time spent on the important things.