Not a baby anymore

In case anyone still thought I had a baby boy, you were wrong.  And this picture proves it.

 Am I right, or what?  There is nothing about this boy that says "baby" to me. Except, of course, when there is another baby around that might need my attention.  In that case, he has no problem crying and wanting to be the baby.  Otherwise, Logan wants nothing to do with being little.  As far as he is concerned, he is just one of the grown ups.  He proved this by weaning himself off of his pacifier at 16 months by biting through all 6 of them in a matter of 2 days.  And just this past week he boycotted sleeping in his crib and has been sleeping in a big boy bed without any problems.

Here are some of his 18 month highlights:

-He loves superheroes already.  If he ever gets to choose a movie to watch its BuzzLightyear, Incredibles, Superman, or any other show that he can put on his cape and pretend to fly.
-He is talking a little, but not a whole lot.  He will say Mama, Daddy, all done, ears, juice, night night (nigh-nigh), hi, bye, hot and probably a few others that I can't recall off the top of my head.  He will sign more, all done, down, help, bye bye and will nod his head yes and no.
-His favorite foods are bananas, juice, Costco energy bars, french fries, and anything that the main ingredient is sugar.  He doesn't care much for eggs or meat most of the time.
-Even though he can say "Daddy" he finds it funnier anytime we ask him to say it to smile and in his best Gremlin voice says "Mama".
-He loves playing with Mom, wrestling with Stockton and Dad, and climbing on anything possible.  All of these activities seem to eventually lead to him whacking his top heavy noggin on something.  I swear someone will eventually call Social Services on us because of the constant bruises he has on his head and face.
-His love of reading is finally blossoming, but only if the book involves trucks, trains, or animals that growl or roar.

I sure do love the fun, non-stop attitude this little turd has.  I especially love it when he takes a break from his busy play schedule to give me the sweetest hug and kiss a Mom could ask for.  And lately, I sure love how when I tell him to smile, I get this face.....

Moving into the Terrible 3's

Stockton had a birthday a few weeks ago.  I still can't believe he is 3.  He just gets smarter and smarter everyday.  In fact, just today he interrupted a conversation between me and Logan about their new shark flip flops to correct me with, "Mom, stop. Sharks don't roar, they just bite."  Thanks, Stockton.  I guess I never thought of that before.  

At age 3, he is still my mellow, obedient, and somewhat OCD child.  However, his age has brought on a new spurt of temper tantrums and emotional meltdowns.  He is definitely learning to push his boundaries to see what he can and can't get away with.  Just last week I experienced my first public fit that warranted multiple Target employees and shoppers to offer their assistance to me.  I am sure it will be the first of many.  

I have been trying to keep a daily log of all the things he says throughout the day that are worth remembering, but rather than sharing a million of them I will just give a run down of the most noteworthy Stockton-isms that have come about in the last month or two...

-He no longer calls Logan, "Baby".  Now he is just Logan.  In fact when I was helping him say the prayer last week I prompted him to say, "Thank you for baby brother" and rather than repeating it, he said, "Thank you for Logan".  This makes me a little sad, I always thought it was so sweet to hear him call his brother "Baby".

-He has told me that I was pretty on a few different occasions now and also that I was his best friend.  And best of all, he has learned when I tell him I love him to say, "I love you, too, Mommy".  There really are no words to describe the joy it brings when I hear him say those things.

-He refers to everything in past tense as "last morning".

-He is so cautious and careful about everything.  If he even sees me get out the mop, he turns into the stay-out-of-the-kitchen police.  He also gets very concerned about "slipping on the ice" if we have to walk or drive in wet or snowy conditions.  And when I say concerned, I actually mean extremely paranoid.  Logan threw up in the floor one night and I swear he refused to walk in that spot of the floor for a week after watching me shampoo the carpet and telling him not to walk on it.

-When he wants a string cheese he says, "I want a cheese like this" and holds up his pointer finger.

-He is obsessed with the Jungle Book. If you pop into our house on any given day, chances are Stockton will be in his underwear  because he wants to "be Mowgli".  When he isn't.being Mowgli, he is crawling around the house on all fours being "Shere Kahn, the tiger".  

-He refers to Troy, as "My Dad".  Every morning when he wakes up he asks, "Mom, where's my Dad?"

-He tells me everyday that he will always be my baby.  Even when he is big like Daddy.

Here is his 3 year interview.  I couldn't find his sheet that I wrote it on and since it is already after midnight I will just fill it in with the answers I remember and finish it later.

1. What is your favorite color? blue
2. What is your favorite toy? My trains
3. What is your favorite fruit? Apple
4. What is your favorite tv show? Diego
5. What is your favorite thing to eat for lunch? 
6. What is your favorite outfit? clothes
7. What is your favorite game? Woody & Buzz game (Memory)
8. What is your favorite snack? 
9. What is your favorite animal? tiger
10. What is your favorite song? Daddy's song (b/c Troy always turns the radio up loud and dances)
11. What is your favorite book? Going on a Bear Hunt
12. Who is your best friend? Rhett
13. What is your favorite cereal? 
14. What is your favorite thing to do outside? play
15. What is your favorite drink? Grape juice
16. What is your favorite holiday? Halloween
17. What do you like to take to bed with you at night? my Paci and Blankie
18. What is your favorite thing to eat for breakfast? "Eggs.  But I don't like peppers."
19. What do you want for dinner on your birthday? popcorn
20. What do you want to be when you grow up? A train conductor.  (When I asked him this he said a "Ductor" and I thought he said Doctor so I was all proud writing it down and he said, "No, Mom.  A ductor on a train."  I think I was even more proud after that. :)

21.  When you hear the following words, what do you think of?

       Home- play

       Love- hug

       Brother- Logan

       Sad- Logan not being nice

       Scared- snakes and alligators

I sure am more in love with this boy every single day.  I don't want him to grow any more, but I sure am anxious to see who he grows up to be.  If it isn't something great, I will sure feel like a failure.