18 Months

Our little boy is becoming not-so-little. He is 18 months old already! I am constantly amazed and impressed by the new things he does and how quickly he learns. If you ask him his name he will will proudly point to his chest and say, "OWEN!" He can give fives, give a hardy handshake, point to various body parts, clean up his toys, throw away his diaper, go get his socks and shoes when it's time to go, and say many words. He is a talker! EVERY time I pick him up from childcare at the seminary or from church nursery, somebody makes a point of telling us that Owen "tells stories" almost nonstop. You may not have a clue what he is saying, but it is very obvious to everyone that HE knows what he's saying and he's very serious about it! In fact, after hearing Ben or I tell a story, he will quickly try to repeat the whole story. He uses hand motions and lots of expression to act it out and will repeat key words. (No need to leave any comments regarding who he acquired his verbal skills from). Every morning he wakes up and sweetly calls out, "Mama! Mama!" He is generous with his hugs and kisses and very good at sharing his toys and snacks with others. He is also starting to wink - at least that's what he thinks he's doing. If asked how old he is, he will hold up his index finger and stare at it and say, "this."
He loves to play with other children. When Will, the little boy I babysit, wakes up from a nap, Owen will run into his room and put his hands in between the slats of the crib and try to tickle him. When I get Will out of bed, Owen is quick to hug him and start playing with him. I am so thankful that these boys are becoming such good friends. I am thankful for a child with such a wonderful personality. He is so likable AND lovable!
Here are a few recent pictures. Unfortunately, I apparently only take pictures after nap time when all of his curls have been flattened out. He actually has a head full of curls! Sometimes it looks a bit like a fro.
"The lights in here are really bright, Mama. I had to double up on my shades."

Best Buds! (His favorite Aunt Judy gave him this sweatshirt)

Aunt "Sza-Sza" (aka Sarah) came to visit!

I couldn't resist taking this picture with his head resting on George's lap.

The entire bathroom gets a bath whenever Owen does. He LOVES to splash and play with his toys. To encourage him to get out of the tub last night, I emptied out all of the water. He acted like he didn't even notice. He just kept playing for several more minutes without the water.

How big is Owen? SOOOO BIG!

This snack cup goes just about everywhere with Owen. He's quite protective of it.