Jace-18 months

Jace is officially 18 months old! This is big news because it means that he can go to nursery now! He went for the first time this past Sunday. Devin took him and said that he marched right in, never looking back. I was worried that he might have a hard time because has been particularly attached to me lately. Having Devin take him was a good idea, I think. His teachers said that he just played, had snacks, and was very good. So glad it went well! I hope it goes that well every week.

Here are Jace's stats at 18 months:
Weight: 31 lbs (off the charts)
Height: 35 inches (off the charts)

Just to compare, Hallie was 27.5 lbs at 18 months and 32 inches tall. We thought she was big, but clearly Jace has her beat. The doctor isn't concerned about him being off the charts- he declared him proportioned and just "stocky" not "overweight." Ha.

A little about Jace at 18 months:

Hmm, what's this?

 * Jace's favorite foods are: anything. Okay, Okay, he really does eat basically anything, but his favorites are bananas, oatmeal, rice, anything sugary, any kind of fruit, chicken, tortillas.

*It is pretty funny to read Hallie's 18 month post, because I could basically copy and paste some of the statements about her to apply to Jace. They really are so similar. A few things that I noticed they are similar in:
 -loving water but feeling like they don't need help while swimming. Jace is particularly bad. We went swimming last week with Aunt Alisa and Uncle Ren and their girls and Jace refused to let anyone hold on to him. We tied him into a life jacket for safety purposes and he hated that, but the alternative (drowning) was not on the table, so...life jacket it was.
 -Wanting to be the center of attention. Hallie was terrible at this, but Jace might even be worse. He likes to "chat" with everyone he sees. Last week at church, I saw a friend that I met at EFY 13 years ago, so while I was catching up with him, Jace escaped without my noticing. I found him in the hall, "chatting" with an elderly gentleman that we don't know well. The man said, "he has got to be the friendliest baby I've ever met!" Before he started nursery, he would make the rounds in sunday school and chat with everyone who would pay attention. He is really into hand gestures too, to prove his points, since his words are really just gibberish.
- Jace, like Hallie at this age, is learning to follow commands. It's great when he can go get his own diaper and wipes.

playing superman with daddy's shirt

 * Jace is still a blanket addict. He hauls his blanket everywhere. Although most blankets work just fine, he is starting to prefer one in particular. Heaven forbid we forget that blanket when we go somewhere in the car...

*Jace also loves to brush his teeth still, but HE has to be the one to do it, or oh boy... he is a screamer. He walks around with his toothbrush saying "teeth! teeth!"

A not-too- happy participant in hallie's dressing up antics

 *Jace gives the best kisses, but they have to be on his terms. He grabs your face and goes "buh"! however, if I request a kiss, it is usually a hand in the face and a loud "no!"

*Speaking of no, this is quickly becoming his favorite word. Usually it is "no...,NO" for emphasis. Yikes.

*Jace is much less verbal than Hallie was at this age-- but he is a boy, so that's to be expected. He does say no, hi, hello, hola, ball, baby, bye, uh oh, teeth, go, blankie, mom, hals....that's all I can think of for now.

 *Jace is into EVERTHING-- see below for proof of this. Yes, that is lotion in his hair. He has also been known to climb up onto the table and drain the salt and pepper shakers, break eggs all over the floor, and spread diaper ointment or toothpaste where such things should not go. I know you think I should watch my child better, but hey, he is sneaky sometimes! The other day he was being very, very quiet and well all know that is a bad thing, but I was quite frankly enjoying the quiet, so I just let him be for a while. Well, that was a bad idea because when I did go find him, he had hauled the plunger from the bathroom and was going to town playing with that thing all over the living room. GROSS.

*Jace has a bit of a demanding personality. He is not the calm nice baby I expected him to be. He whines and cries a lot when he does not get what he wants. He also has a serious case of Mama's boy-itis, and won't let me out of his sight sometimes. I think this is because of the three weeks I was away from him when we were in Ecuador. He still hasn't gotten over it, poor boy. Maybe by kindergarten.

 * Jace still loves his shoes. Oh boy, does he loves his shoes. Thanks to all who gave me the suggestions on the Stride Rites. We secured ourselves a pair of 2x wide shoes and Jace is a happy camper. We might need to invest in a second pair.

*Jace's best playmate is still his sister Flor, even though they tend to fight a bit more nowadays. They both like the same toys and things, so they play well and fight well together.

Having a fit on the kitchen floor.

When I asked Devin what I should say about Jace in this post, his addition was, "he is a good boy."  Well, sometimes. :) Just kidding. No matter how crazy he gets, we sure do LOVE this boy!