Matthew - 18 months

We saw Dr. Dawson the other day and got a clean bill of health, but I have some concerns about what appears to be a slight limp. Dr. Dawson reassured me that since Matthew is a relatively new walker (about 2 months) that he was not concerned yet but that we should keep an eye on it. No one seems to really notice it but me, but Matthew slightly drags his right leg a little when he toddles around.

His stats:
Height: 32 inches (50%)
Weight: 25.6 pounds (50%)
Head: 48 cm (50%)

We seem to be traveling right along the 50th percentile just like John did.

Matthew is started to develop his own little personality. He has thrown a few tantrums which are pretty funny to see. He will sit down and throw himself backwards being careful not to bump his head too hard on the ground. He also throws things when he is annoyed. He just started to bite me (slightly) on the left shoulder when he is upset. I hope that does not progress further. He has done it a few times and looks up at me knowing that he has done something wrong.

He loves to eat Remy's dogfood and if we are not careful will eat several pieces a day. He tries to get away with it in the most stealth-like manner and not chew it until he has passed out of the kitchen since he knows I will make him spit it out. Why in the world he likes that is beyond me. I promise we feed him.

Speaking of diet, Matthew is a funny eater in that he will try and usually enjoy anything, but goes through periods of time when he just does not eat very much. I am still giving him two 9 ounce bottles every day because I worry that he does not get enough calories, but I am sure that is contributing to him not eating much at times. He loves meat of all kinds and would probably eat only that if we let him. I need to get him off the bottle, but that is always hard for me. I love the cuddle time!

He hardly says any discernible words but is very social and likes to walk up to anyone and start babbling an entire sentence to try and engage them. It is so endearing. He gets a lot of sweet smiles and attention because he is so interactive with people. His little face is so expressive when he does it as though he just knows that we are understanding what he is saying.

He loves to be outside all the time and would be content if I let him do that all day long. He loves the swing and sandbox and loves anything with wheels. He gets so sweaty and dirty but does not seem to mind it a bit. He really tries to keep up with John a lot. John, on the other hand, could really care less about him at this age. Alivia and Will play with Matthew really well and will watch out for him quite a bit. Although I asked Alivia and Will to "watch" Matthew while I ran inside to finish some last minute things for dinner tonight and the next thing I knew Will was running in telling me that Matthew was in the middle of the street. Oh goodness. . . I will not be doing that again anytime soon.

Matthew will easily take two 2-hour naps or one 3-4 hour nap. He still sleeps in our closet during the day. We try to get him down to bed by 7:30 pm and he will usually sleep until 7:30 or so. He has been getting up in the middle of the night for the last few weeks which is getting really old. Usually it is because he has had a poo-poo but maybe it is because he is hungry. We usually give him a bottle at night when he wakes up as well and he goes back to sleep very easily.

He will start preschool this Fall which seems too early. But I need the time to homeschool Alivia and Will which is always a hard trade-off. I know by the Spring I will be glad he is there, but starting my babies off in the Fall always is hard for me. I know he will be SO tired at 1 pm when preschool ends.

Overall, Matthew is a joyful, playful, rambunctious, content, spirited, funny little boy that adds so much joy and laughter to our family. I love watching his personality grow.