mr. 18 months old

Last week marked a pretty big milestone at our house, Ethan turned 18 months old. 18 months is kind of a big deal to me. It means that he is no longer a baby but a full-fledged toddler. Our house is virtually empty of baby items save for the highchair (I'm still using that one to save my new kitchen table from destruction) and the nursery furniture. Today I threw out all of the teething toys (he's pretty much got all of his teeth now) and the old baby rattles. I have to say that I am a little sad that time is passing so quickly and that there will be no more babies at our house but at the same time I am happy to be moving on.

Ethan is really developing quite a personality. He is kind of a ham and loves to draw attention to himself by way of doing something silly. He also has a lot to say, we just don't understand any of it yet. Almost every night when Jeff gets home, Ethan follows him around babbling for a good five minutes. He is no doubt filling Jeff in on the happenings of his day. Our house may be empty of baby toys, but he is full steam ahead into the world of big boy toys. Ethan particularly loves blocks, cars and playing with Hannah. One of his new favorite past times is rolling over his sisters when they are playing on the floor. At 18 months, he is equally cuddly and wiggly. His favorite place is still on my hip and I'm happy to have him there.

The story behind the picture is that last night he was playing with Hannah and fell face first into the corner of the coffee table. We have a square coffee table and the corners are pretty sharp. I have always known that sooner or later one of the kids would fall into a corner and get hurt. To tell the truth, I always thought it would be worse than it was (think stitches). I heard the thud from the kitchen and managed not to panic when Jeff brought him into the kitchen with blood pouring out of his nose. This was at least his 5th bloody nose, I think that the girls have maybe had 1 each. Maybe. I guess that's one of the differences between boys and girls.