ben says...

"some days i am just not ready for children."

another day another trick... or two

milo is a few days past his 18 month mile marker, and among his already impressive arsenal of infant-to-adulthood-accomplishments, we have now added using a straw and successfully opening the back door (as in: turning the handle while pulling the door open, and cackling with glee).

we have since added a mini eye-and-hook lock to the basement door, just in the nick of time.

oh, and there was also the day we took milo to the park, and he wanted to go on the big-kid swings, so with two of us hovering in case he took a dive, we let him swing a little bit by himself, sitting in the swing, holding onto the chains, and gleaming with pride.

we've also gotten him accustomed to wearing a helmet, and anytime we're in the garage, he now grabs his helmet in an effort to convince us to take him for a ride in his chariot (a two-seater bike trailer for toddlers). it's been too windy and cold lately, but we're hoping tomorrow we can give him another ride.

regarding milo's year and a half milestone, i'll repeat what i posted on my facebook status the other day, "can't believe milo is a year and a half old... walking and talking, and hammering and swinging, and hugging and snuggling, and watching and pointing, and learning and growing. i'm constantly amazed by this little boy that will some day be a giant. can i put these moments in tupperware?"

"please sir, can i have some more?"

the first time milo said "more" i was pretty impressed. he had finished off something during one of our mealtimes, and i asked him if he wanted some more. he looked up at me, nodded and clear as a bell replied "more" - although i suppose it does sound more like "mowrh" with the "r" being almost silent.

he has now gotten into the habit of handing me his empty sippy cup mere seconds after sipping it dry, and says "mowrh" with those inquisitive eyes.

we're still working on "please." (i thought we'd made progress when he had gotten to the point of saying "puh puh puh," but now it's "buh buh buh" and only sometimes.)

should i be worried?

i think i've mentioned the "purse" that milo sometimes carries around in the crook of his elbow (it's actually a black manicure case).

he's also been known to take his chain of plastic rings and connectable toys, and wear it around his neck like a scarf or boa, just hanging down at his sides.

just now, he picked up a necklace - a very glittery, shiny, beady necklace - that i took off earlier and set down on the couch, and has been delighted with himself as he figures out how to put it on over his head, making soft squeals and high pitched hmmms and "aaahhhyyyyyyeeee"s...

this is just exploring, right? ;P

ummm... close, but not quite.

milo has been such a ham lately; he had ben and i in hysterics the other night, and today he's had me giggling again at his antics.

he's started trying to make the piggy-grunty-oinky noises that ben and i make, only he doesn't fully get it. he curls up his lips and scrunches up his face and gets a little bit of that uvula-grunt going, but mostly just breathes heavy through his nose like a bull... his face reminds me of mickey rooney playing Mr. Yunioshi in "Breakfast at Tiffany's" and he had us laughing so hard, because he just kept doing it.

i keep trying to get a picture of it, but every time i pull out my iPod or camera, he gets excited and tries to grab it, since i'm holding the device mere inches from his face... hopefully when ben's home we can figure out a way to distract him.

then earlier today, he was holding his hand up to his mouth and waving it away, almost like he was blowing me a kiss. i started mimicking him, and asking him "milo, can you blow kisses?" and showing him how to do it, accompanied with the tell-tale lip-smacking "mwah" of course.

he then proceeded to push his hand into his face, while groan/grunting, and just kept pushing, not flair-filled wave of a send-off.

he's such a little goof.

we're full of it! (and other clichés)

he pulled the rug out from under me

(in the kitchen we have one of those rubber-foamy-mats that help cushion your feet from the hard floor. milo likes to move it around. this morning, while i was standing on it and getting his breakfast ready, he tried to pull it out from under me. luckily for him, i was just stepping off of it. i bet he thinks he's so strong.)

egg on your face!

(while it's hard to realize just how much milo is growing from day to day, it's becoming extremely evident by what he's able to reach that use to be out of his grasp. any item on the kitchen counter, dining room table, or living room hutch must be several inches from the edge. or else milo will see it and grab it. in my early morning stupor of making the usual scrambled eggs for milo, i left the mug of freshly cracked yolks and whites on the counter while i rummaged for ketchup in the fridge. milo grabbed it, and literally had egg on his face. as well as all down the front of his pajamas. and all over the floor. breakfast was delayed while we cleaned up.)

and then he pooped!

(okay, so that's not a cliché, but it's in reference to the title of this post. so there ya have it.)

i love you, child...

even when you're crabby.

and getting into every. single. thing. you know you're not supposed to.

and only nap for half an hour.

sometimes, though, i really do wish we could speed up to the fully able to communicate and understand each other stage. (does that ever even happen - complete mutual understanding - between parent & child?)

sometimes you get on my every last nerve.

but i still love you.