June Update...

17 Months = Perpetual Motion.

I feel like I need to have a June update, but I haven't been good about keeping notes on my phone of "things Banner has done lately" or "baby firsts".  So this will just be a hodgepodge of whatever, which - I know - business as usual, right?

When did I become so disorganized?

(Oh, right:  January 4th, 2012.)

I won't find out Banner's "official" stats until his 18 month check up on July 8th, but he is still growing like a weed.  Case in point, below is a picture of him in a 3T outfit: 

Seriously?

I don't know what to do with him. 

Granted, most of his outfits are still 2T, but it blows my mind that those are starting to get snug.  Although, it has been wonderful that he has fit into 2T as long as he has (6 months and counting!).  I'm absolutely loving the whole not-having-to-clean-out-his-closet-every-six-weeks thing, although I'm a little worried that most if not all of his fall/winter attire will be too small by the time they are seasonably appropriate again.  I'm the kind of person that gets attached to clothes and still wears things that I've had since high school (I know:  terrifying).  Partly it is because I'm lazy and hate shopping, and partly because I associate memories with outfits.  It makes me sad that he may never fit into, say, his Superman sweat shirt again. 

Don't worry.  Trevor thinks I am crazy enough for all of you.  Moving on.

Banner is a babbler.  He talks all the time.  Most of it is nonsense, but he definitely has an ever growing vocabulary.  The most recent additions are baby (bay-bee), shoe (goooz), sock, bubble, boat, Amy (ah-meh), Adam (a-da), Mimi, outside (oat-eye), go and move.  He also points to pictures of my father and says, "pop-pop".  No idea where that came from, so we are waiting to see if it sticks.  In a way it works because that is what I called my maternal grandfather.  But I'm pretty sure Buddy is pulling for...well, Buddy.

My kid has also never met a doorknob that he could not open - even the ones at school.  The teachers want to baby proof them, but the school is worried that it might be a fire hazard.  While they figure out a solution, Banner keeps trying to liberate both himself and his classmates from room 7 or go visit their buddies on the other side of the partition in Room 5.  They can't get out of the building, but the hallway is a whole other story.  What am I going to do with him?  As Amy would say, "Bad baby."

Trevor and I have been making one or two meals a week in the slow cooker.  Since we both work full time, this is the easiest way to have something home cooked and ready to go when we get home at the end of the day.  Plus, it generally gives us leftovers for one or two days afterwards, which takes the thought process out of the whole "what's for dinner" conundrum.

Banner has been a bit of a picky eater since he discovered that he had an opinion about six months ago.  Consequently, it has become a bit of a challenge to get him to eat his veggies.  Or meat.  Or even cheese.  I swear, sometimes I wonder if he is my child.  But the glory of the slow cooker meals means I can mix and squish up veggies and chicken and he will eat away until he discovers something hidden and undesirable (mostly broccoli, which I can't blame him for.  Because, ew). 

But some days he changes the rules, and decides things he LOVED last week are completely disgusting.  Like blueberries, for example.  He used to eat so many blueberries that I was worried he was going to pull a Violet Beauregarde and actually turn into one.  However, lately?  He won't touch them.  At all.  It is hard for us parents to keep up.

Banner has, thank goodness, decided that guacamole is acceptable and will lick it off of spoons, chips and crackers all day long.  He used to hate the stuff, so watching him eat it now gives me hope that the pickiness is just a phase.  Because while I love that he will eat tofu, edamame and even some sushi (avocado rolls mostly), it completely baffles me that he turns up his nose at all things Tex-Mex and cheesy.  It seems like it should be the opposite, no?  Little weirdo.

 

And ginger?  That kid loves him some ginger.  Last time we had sushi, we had to ask for more ginger THREE times. 

 

Banner still can't jump, but not for lack of trying.  He still LOVES to dance, and even has his own song entitled "Do the Banner Dance" song at school.  I've never seen it in person, but Trevor has and apparently the teachers all sing and clap while Banner shakes his money maker in the middle of a circle of beat bopping toddlers.  Must.  Get.  This.  On. Video.

Also?  His favorite song?  Mah Na Mah Na.  He now randomly shouts it at us, to which we immediately answer with a joyful "do doo be-do-do!"  It is fabulous.

He still could care less about the TV.  I mean, he will glance at it occasionally if we have cartoons or something not-sports related on, but more out of curiosity than real interest.  Now, the computer is something altogether different.  He has learned that he can watch some of his favorite songs via You Tube on there, and is a big fan of singing along.  Thanks to THIS song, Banner now knows most of his animal sounds, and the rest (like monkey saying "who-who-who-he-he-he" we are filling in along the way).  At first I was wary of screen time altogether, but I figure 7-10 minutes (a.k.a. Banner's attention span) every now and again can't hurt.  Plus, I LOVE his little "RWAR!" and "Hisssssss!" 

Other favorites include Life's a Happy Song, This Old Man and, of course, Mah na Mah Na.

Seriously.  I have a whole new level of appreciation for the Internet.  Having these videos easily accessible is a wonderful, wonderful thing.

Banner has learned to kiss.  Most of the time he just presses his lips into your cheek, but Trevor is working with Banner to add the necessary sound effect.  Sweetest thing ever.     

He also all of a sudden has enough hair to brush.  It is actually getting a little long in back, but I don't think we will cut it until the front fills in a little more. In the meantime, he is totally sporting the baby mullet, which I adore even if Amy tells me it looks stupid.  It just seems silly to spend $15 on the milestone first haircut to only have 15 individual long(ish) hairs trimmed.  So we wait.

In other grooming news, I used an emery board on his toenails for the first time yesterday and he insisted on carrying it around with him and "filing his nails" for about half an hour afterwards.  I cannot express how adorable it is to watch your child try to mimic your behavior.  He gets the biggest grin on his face.  He also enjoys trying to comb his hair and brush his teeth. 

We've also had to implement the TIME OUT.  But only once.  Banner understands so much more than we realize, and we figured 18 months was about the right time to start learning about consequences.  It is just for the usual toddler-aged disciplinary things: like pinching, hitting and biting.  I really don't think he does any of these things to be mean.  He just doesn't realize that they hurt other people.  He knows that the word "gentle" means that he needs to tone it down a little bit, but Trevor and I believe that it is high time that he start learning that certain behaviors are unacceptable, too.  Especially since he is so big for his age.  The problem is that Banner is good at home.  He doesn't bite or hit (except sometimes a dog, but it could be just as easily be interpreted as an overzealous pat than a real, intentional smack, though.  Hard to tell).  He DOES pinch, but usually only because he is super excited about seeing the person he is pinching.  It is weird.  Anyway, we had to start somewhere, so here's to hoping it works.  Ever since Trevor had "a talk" with Banner about his behavior, he has been a complete angel at school (at least according to his teachers).  Who knows if it really had an effect or not, but maybe.  I'm not discounting anything out at this point.

Other than that, though, life is good and I'm simply in disbelief that my little guy is already (almost) a year and a half old.  If I've said it once, I've said it a million times:  Where has the time gone?!