Miles is 16 Months Old

Does that surprise anyone besides me? I hear it from so many parents and find myself asking - where does the time go? If I hadn't lived through the last 16 months, I wouldn't believe that the squishy baby we brought home in July 2009 has morphed into a little person with his very own (BIG) personality.

I wish I could tell you that Mike and I are always surprised by the things Miles does but that would be a lie. Nothing he does surprises us because we think he can do it all! (I've obviously morphed into a gushy mama in the last 16 months!) The two and a half foot tall "monster" we have is crazy but in a very good way - like the monsters on Sesame Street minus the fur. Miles is loving, silly, adventurous and loves trash...at least putting things in the trash.

If I ask Miles for a hug, he runs (yes, runs) over and gives me a kiss but I think it's because he likes making the "mwah" sound. He'll thrown in a hug sometimes too. I'm not complaining though because if Mike asks for a hug, that's what he gets. For now, I'm going to think I'm special ;)

Miles thinks he's hysterical and Mike and I tend to agree with him. There's nothing better than him squealing for some reason. Right now if we start singing "ring around the rosy" he drops down when we say "ashes, ashes" instead of waiting for "we all fall down." By that point he's laughing too hard. He'll eventually pop up and say his version of again and we'll start singing the song again. One night Mike, Miles and I did "ring around the rosy" at least 11 times. I think Miles would have kept going had he not needed/wanted a drink of water.

He's still our little monkey. In September, Miles started a tumble class. We go every Monday night to the local gymnastics center where he has the opportunity to run around on a bouncy mat, climb a rock wall, cross a balance beam, crawl through a tunnel and do other fun things. He loves it and Mike and I also enjoy it; however, he's brought his new skills home. Miles will pull himself up onto our coffee table, turn toward you and start clapping. He's so proud of himself for scaling the mountain. We are constantly reminding him that he's not at the gym and that he needs to get down. He's also realized he can "surf" the ottoman in his bedroom. Again, he pulls himself up but then rocks back and forth. He thinks it's funny - Mike and I cringe and pull him down.

Miles is still a very picky eater. He loves diary products and fruit but shakes his head no anytime you try to feed him vegetables. He'll occasionally eat chicken and beef but not often enough. We have learned that if we put ketchup on his food, he'll shovel it into his mouth. The meatloaf I made earlier this week was a big hit.

The little guy's vocabulary is expanding. A few of the words he now says are: papa, nana (when referring to both of his grandmas and a banana), Homer, Elmo, bird, up, me, teeth, hello, night, shh, kick, hiya, milk, wawa and no.

I wish I could remember everything Miles says and does but my mind is blanking. One thing I do know is that Mike and I adore our little "monster."