Eighteen!

Luke is now officially closer to his second birthday than his first. (I don't like this. At all.) In the past three months, we've done all kinds of traveling--Luke saw the beach for the first time, he went on his first camping trip--and at home, we can see more and more of the kid he's going to become.

He loves all things with wheels, especially trains and buses. This morning, we drove past the railroad tracks and he piped up from the backseat, saying "Choo-choo!" I'm not entirely sure how or when he started associating the railroad crossing with trains because he sits rear-facing in the car, so he's never actually seen a train go past in front of us. He loves to talk to us about trucks and cars and on our evening walk, he points out the "big truck, rum-bum-bum," and the "small car, vroom-vroom," and the "fast bike."

He's also a big fan of sticks and rocks and a sure way to get him down the two flights of stairs from our apartment to the parking lot is to entice him with the promise that he can play with a stick when we get to the ground floor. Works (almost) every time.

He has recently discovered the joys of dress-up, so I've been working on making and collecting some costume pieces for him--his favorites are hats and shoes, although he does also really enjoy the horse costume we got him. (Post-Halloween sales, by the way, are AWESOME!)

He gives hugs and kisses and yes, head-butts people, too. His vocabulary has increased beyond my ability to count it and he frequently surprises me by saying a word or phrase that I had no idea he knew. He "helps" us with the laundry and the clean-up and sometimes, even the cooking. (In fact, he's helping clear off the couch right now...by tossing the clean clothes I had piled up on top of it on The Dog.) He's slowly mastering the art of feeding himself with utensils and using open-top cups and now, when he's feeling picky about dinner, I can offer him a fork and he magically begins eating whatever is on his plate, just for a chance to practice his new skill. Unfortunately, he's also practicing some skills we don't want him to have, such as unplugging and re-plugging the electrical appliances and shutting himself into closets.

All in all, we're thoroughly enjoying life with a one-and-a-half-year-old!

(Pictures to follow. Soon.)