I typed this post a while ago, but just got around to adding the pictures. Warning... you might have to take a break reading because this post is so insanely long! I have been a slacker on the blog the past two months because this sleep-deprived pregnant mommy has been working 60-80 hours a week. So I have a lot to catch up on!
Patrick went to the doctor a couple weeks ago and he weighs 22 pounds, 14 ounces (15%), his height was 33 and 1/4 inches (75%) and his head was 50%.
His favorite toys are cars, trains and trucks. This sweet little boy always has a car, train or truck in at least one hand and normally both. We go to Margaret's with cars, he eats with cars, and a few nights he has even slept with his cars because I couldn't get him to let go! He loves to line them up and push them around like a train. He also makes a funny "zoom zoom" sound while he "drives" his cars against anything like the table, a chair, or any kind of surface. He also loves puzzles. We have a transportation puzzle at home, but Margaret has two Thomas puzzles and I think he could play with those all day if she would let him! Right when we get to her house he runs to his booster chair climbs up, points to the puzzle and he starts on it right away (with his trains or cars sitting right next to the puzzle of course!). He used to throw a fit when I leave, but now he just waves bye bye and doesn't even notice I have left!
I was getting a little worried because he was approaching 18 months and really wasn't talking much. He preferred to grab your hand and show you things rather than tell you what he wants. However, right when I started to get really worried he exploded with his vocabulary! He is saying so many new words now and I love it! His favorite words to say are truck, choo-choo and daddy, but he can also say tree, door, baby, bailey, dog, trash, ball, basketball, and Elmo and most of the children's names at school. Margaret has also told me he can say please, pretzel and trick or treat, but I have yet to hear him say those words. He still calls both Michael and I daddy. I try to tell him I am mommy (which he knows how to say) but he still prefers to call us both daddy. I am sure I am missing some words, but those are the words he says the most.
He still loves to cuddle at night and it takes us a long time to get the little guy to bed because he wants to cuddle with us so much. We normally can't get him down until 8:45 or 9:00 and he sleeps until 7:00. He is still sleeping through the night, except for a couple nights a week where he decides that he would like to cuddle with mom or dad ALL night. Lately, daddy has taken over more of the cuddling in the middle of the night, which mommy is very thankful for! He takes a two hour nap at Margaret's but he does not take naps on the weekend! I am not enjoying this nap strike! The past couple weekends one of us just drove around the neighborhood for 15 minutes so he would get a little nap in (he immediately falls asleep in the car, but only when the car is moving!). I have read numerous articles on sleeping and most of them say that stubborn children and a lot of "gifted" children have trouble sleeping. Since I have basically been sleep deprived for the past 18 months, I have convinced myself that this will all be worth it because Patrick is going to be brilliant. Hey, a sleep deprived overworked mommy needs some excuse for the no sleeping, right? And I refuse to believe he is not sleeping because he is just stubborn. But my goodness is this child stubborn! I can only pray #2 will be less stubborn and be a much better sleeper!
He has a good little friend at Margaret's named Joe, who Patrick calls Joe Joe. Patrick loves to share his cars with him and play with him! Joe is a few months younger than Patrick and just started walking. I have heard they chase each other around and giggle a lot. I walked in one day when they were taking turns jumping over a toy and just giggling at each other, it was pretty funny.
Patrick is still a picky eater and we have a tough time getting him to try anything new. He has added cereal to the list of things he will eat this month. We have tried a handful of cereals and he has liked every single one, which is wonderful! He mostly still only eats fruits, yogurt and milk. Hopefully he will start to try some new things soon!
He is such a sweet little boy and whenever he falls he runs straight to mom to give me a hug. Daddy always says I am "babying" him since he wants Patrick to be a tough little boy. I know I only have a limited amount of time where he will do this so I am trying to soak up every minute of it.
I could go on and on about this little boy, but my second wind is dying and sleep is calling my name!
Love you Patrick!
