18 months!

We can't believe M is 18 months old! He is such a smart boy! He is ahead of schedule developmentally and we just can't get enough of him! Here are some fun things he has been doing lately:
1- He is eating with a spoon and fork now. He doesn't stay totally clean, but he is doing great. Just don't ask him to say fork.
2- He is stringing 3-4 words together. Today we were playing with his barn and he would pick up an animal and say, "doggie in there. Giraffe in there." and put them in the barn. Then he said, "close it" and closed the lid. He is very verbal in describing what he is doing.
3- He loves to point things out in his favorite books. Right now his favorites are "Heigh Ho" (Snow White), "Beast" (Beauty and the Beast) and "Bear" (Little Bear).
4- If he is going to get a snack or dessert or something, he will say "Bum" and sit down. We like to eat our snacks on the kitchen floor.
5- He has become very theatrical and loves to perform. He knows he is the center of attention.
6- He has learned to stomp/march. He thinks it is hilarious that his little legs can move so quickly.
7- For some reason, he doesn't like to get out of his crib in the morning or after naps. He likes to have a blanket or a toy put into the crib and then he will play for a minute, then lay down and suck his thumb for a while and then play again.
8- He always wants to wash his hands. During dinner, when he gets food on his hands, he will ask us to wash them. Also, when he falls down in the store and his hands touch the ground, he will stand up and ask us to wash his hands. He is definitely aware of cleanliness.
9- He likes to be up on the counter while we are cooking. He helps by stirring things, shaking in spices/herbs and helping push buttons on the microwave.
10- Lately he has had to have two of everything so he can hold one in each hand. When he is done, he will hold his hands out saying, "two, two" and that means he wants more.
11- He is between the 10th and 25th percentile for body weight and height. His head is in the 90th.
12- When he gets angry, he will hit his head with his hands or throw things.
13- We go to the pool every day and he loves to dip his face in the water.
14- When we go to the grocery store (or anywhere for that matter) he lists off everything he sees.
15- He will grab the Wii remote and say, "Game, game....Wiiiiiii!!!!"
16- He gets very, very excited to talk to all four of his grandparents on the webcam. There might be squealing involved.
17- He likes to tell us when things are fun or funny.
18- When he wakes up and is in a cuddly mood, I will ask him if he knows that I (the momma) love him. He will say in a soft, sweet voice, "uh huh." I will ask him if he knows that dada loves him, and the grandparents, and the aunts, uncles and cousins. He will always answer that he does know that they love him. Then I will ask him if he loves all of us and he always says yes. It is so sweet.