17 Months

Well we've nearly made it to the year and half mark and we're still all alive! That's good. Orien's 17th month has brought new delights and challenges. I will describe the past month through photo captions.

Orien has begun trying to feed himself more.

It still ends up in a messy floor!

We had our last summer lake trip with Brett's cousins. Orien is definitely used to the boat now and totally groovin' on it in this photo.

He's a natural on the water.

Still best buds. O is Leah's best buddy for obvious reasons.

For some reason he likes to sit on the ground when eating. If he's out of the grocery cart, he will grab a bag of chips or can of greens and sit on the ground in the isle as if to say "I'm ready, feed me".

Mastering the art of self-feeding...

My shirtless dudes.

Who said you had to wear pants in public?

This month I've noticed Orien's energy level has been knocked up a notch. Yikes! School starts tomorrow...

His personality is becoming even more developed recently. He's social, goofy, wild yet cautious, sweet, curious and busy busy!

Sibling photo. Haven't caught one of these in a while.

Check out O's pose lol. He is really in his element and in the "zone" as we call it when he's outside and free to roam and do all that boy stuff.

After naptime (above pic) is when Orien is happiest at home.

He is very restless, whiny and fussy otherwise, but that's why I keep us ON THE GO! Mom can only take so much per day, ya know?

Climbing is his new thing. This plastic bin was perfect height for that.

Leah always has to cautiously scope out new items (orange bin).

Look at my baby's cheeks! Yum yum.

Every day we hear more words, sounds and syllables coming from his mouth. He's a talking machine!

New words this month (that I can remember right now):

uh-oh

up

I want some / I want that (much clearer now)

yes

yeah

signs "eat" and "me"

It seems Orien can understand nearly everything I am saying lately. No exaggeration! He listens fairly well too, although he's pretty good at testing his boundaries :)

I can't believe next month will be the 1.5 year mark! Truthfully, it's been a challenging month for Mom...lots of lost sleep, frustrated moments and long, hot days with a whiny toddler. Lets just say I'm ready for preschool to begin and some of my mom and church activities to start.

Every single day though I have special, sweet, snugly moments and silly, loud, funny moments with Orien. My blog is my place to vent and let out things that are on my mind. I don't want that to overshadow all of the amazing moments I experience with my boy. Those are the ones I'll remember and the ones that count. I love him with everything I am.

- Patricia