17 Months

17 Months old! Well in the past few weeks Ben has picked up so many new things! It amazes me everyday how much he is absorbing from our normal daily routines. When I ask him if he wants to go bye-bye he runs to where the keyhook is and stands under it saying keys-keys-keys. And then insists on carrying the keys to the car. When we get to the grocery store or Target he must have his own sani-wipe to wipe down the front part of the cart (he is so my child!). His new words as of late are keys, bye, ZZ (as in Zoie my parents dog), school, cheese, bubbles, daddy and a version of thank you. He said Rock Chalk a few times but won't do it on demand. He still is signing a ton for more, please, all done and help. I am really glad we took the time to teach him sign language-it has really come in handy! His new food love is applesauce. He eats cereal sometimes in the morning now in a bowl with a little bit of milk. He seems to really like the fruity cheerios! Thus far he hasn't dumped it out or thrown it across the room(knocking on wood). Fruit is still a big staple. Chicken, turkey, bananas and milk are on the will not eat list. He's been loving fruit snacks (shocker since they are made from fruit)! He thinks they are candy! Something we have not been so thrilled about happens some nights around 2 am...we hear "Hiiiiiii Dogggggy" "Hi Doggy" "Doggy Doggy Doggy". By this point you can hear Miles getting up and Ben just chatters and/or sings to him for a bit. Not sure what caused this new habit but I'm hoping it breaks soon! He loves to clean! GG bought him a vacuum, broom and swiffer and he does all three almost all day! His push around buggy car and cozy coupe he hardly ever get out of. He likes to sit in his car buggy while he watches Sesame Street in the morning. And he loves to fill his cozy coupe with his loveys and blankets. He has yet to figure out he can "drive" the cozy coupe on his own but I think his legs are still just a bit to short. He is starting to be a climber-he loves climbing up on his chairs at his table and the kitchen chairs too. I realized the other day that we have a million nicknames for this kid (Bean, Love Bug, Baby, Little Dude, Bean Sprout, Beanie, Benny Boo just to name a few) and he answers to all of them except for Ben. So we need to work on that since I doubt he wants his friends at school calling him Love Bug! I can't even imagine what the next month will bring!