Bowling Bliss: 18 Months Old...Already

Okay...there is something special about this milestone. 18 months...a year and a half...

Where does time go?

This has to be the MOST FUN EVER! Bentley is absolutely hilarious. He makes me laugh, but not just laugh. I laugh out loud, cackle, belly laugh, laugh so hard that I cry. If laughter makes you live longer, I should have a few extra years by now. So of the things he does are just a little silly and expected at this age. But some of the stuff he says and things he does are far beyond that.

For example, we taught him to say, "Hola." We go to the same Mexican restaurant almost every Monday night, and they always greet Bentley with, "Hola, mi amigo!" So, we decided to have him return the greeting. So, this past Monday, he learned to say "hola" on the way to eat. Of course, when asked to say it to the waiter, he wouldn't. But...as soon as the waiter walked away, in his loudest, sweetest voice, Bentley blurts out, "Holaaaaaaaa, ahhhhhjuuuuu?" Translation..."Hola, where are you?" Yes, he thinks the waiter's name is Hola. Daniel and I burst out laughing. Moments like that should be bottled for future use. A dreary day when things are not going just right could really use an Hola Moment.

Bentley is growing like a weed. Though I haven't checked his height in a while, he is now officially more than 20 pounds. Thank Heavens! We've been waiting six long months to say that, but about a week or two ago, I weighed him before his bath (stark naked, I might add), and he was 20.4 pounds. We did a happy dance :)

He is currently working on getting three molars in, so he's still slobbering like a crazy person. I'm ready to take a break from teething, but I hope he gets them all soon. I know it will make eating a bit easier for my little guy.

Bentley is so stinkin' smart, too. He understands everything we say and will repeat almost anything. He uses tons of words on a regular basis, and relates certain things to certain people. It's so sweet to see him make a connection. If you mention Granddaddy, Bentley automatically says, "mamowa." Both of his Granddaddy's ride him on the lawnmower. If he sees animal print, he says, "Mimi" because his Mimi wears a lot of animal print. If you mention Nana, Bentley calls a kitty (sticking his tongue in and out trying to say kitty kitty) because both of his Nana's have cats. He associates all babies with Reese, names all close family members and friends, names most foods he eats, and is starting to identify colors.

Well, I can no longer make a list of words Bentley says because I'd have to list a gazillion words So we'll settle for this...There are a few things he has done lately that absolutely take the cake for cutest, sweetest, most adorable things I've ever seen.

He has discovered candy corn, otherwise known as "canny." So, every time he catches a glimpse of the candy dish, he says "bite bite," incessantly. This particular time it was right before dinner, so I said, "No, baby, you can't eat candy before dinner." He stood there for a second, then looked at me with the sweetest face. In the sweetest voice he could muster, I hear, "Pleeeee," as he swipes his hand across his chest in an attempt to say please in sign language. So, needless to say, Bentley had candy before dinner. That was the first time he used the word "please" without being prompted...SO SWEET!
One morning I got Bentley ready for school, and it was extra chilly outside. I decided he needed his jacket, so when we got downstairs where I stood him in the chair by the pub table to put his jacket on. On the table there were multiple random things, such as the camera, a magazine, wipes, and my bible. Bentley looked at everything for a second, then said, "Book," as he pointed to the bible. I said, "Yes, that is a book. It's called the bible." He said, "bible." I said, "Yes, it tells you stories about Jesus." He said, "Sesus." I said, "Yes, Jesus loves you." He said, "Sesus...Lu Yoouuuu." SO PRECIOUS!
Finally, I am still "Mama" on most occasions, but more and more I am becoming, "Mommy." I am so excited. I want to be Mommy, and Bentley is making it happen. When we get home in the afternoons, and I unload the car before getting Bentley out, I always hear him in the car, "Mommy! Mommy!" It's the sweetest sound! Ahhh...

Bentley is going to day care, now. He started about two weeks ago, and he seems to love it. The good thing about him...I think he makes the best of his situation. So far, he has loved all of his child care situations. He loved staying with Cyndel and Coen, he loved MeeMaw's Place, he loved staying home with me in the summer, he loved Ashley, Ella, and Molly, and now he loves Great Day. As a matter of fact, he only really cried the first day. He whined a couple of days after that, and then he has gone to his teacher willingly everyday with a smile on his face. As a matter of fact, this morning when I put the car in park, he said, "Patti, bite bite." I said, "Yes, baby, you are going to see Ms. Patti, and she will feed you breakfast." He totally gets it. He is having a little trouble transitioning into their schedule. He was taking two naps a day with his first one being around 10:00. Now, they have all their toddlers on the same schedule napping around 12:30. His teachers said it's been hard for him to wait that long to sleep. They've even found him laying in the floor asleep or nearly asleep a few times. Bless is little heart! Maybe he will get used to it soon.

Bentley's Favorite Things:

Bunny - Still, yes, he LOVES Bunny
Story time at bedtime - He likes to pick out his story, and each book as a keyword...Goodnight Moon-Fire ("Bya"); On the Night You Were Born-Dancing Bears ("Danin Bea"); I'll Love You Forever-Baby ("Baby"); Time For Bed-Ella ("LaLa")
The lawnmower...or anything that could be portrayed as a lawnmower (play or real)
Playing outside - I never even get to come inside when we get home. We play outside until it's time for dinner.
Driving Daddy's car - When Daniel gets home, Bentley gets to get in the driver's seat and drive for a while.
Vacuum Cleaner and Brooms - Bentley loves to clean. I hope he keeps that love for the long haul.
Food - Bentley is getting better and better about trying new foods. He still loves all of his previous favorites, and he's learning to like more and more things. Some of his most favorite things are fruit of almost any kind, spaghetti, hot dogs, pizza, and he's learning to like bread. He loves almost any kind of cereal, but he usually eats fruit loops ("dooloops") or apple jacks ("a jacks" even though he can say apple perfectly) on the way to school every morning.

Some of My Favorite Moments:

Getting Bentley up in the mornings-He usually stays in his bed for a couple of minutes talking to his Bunny, naming the stars on his sheet, saying "Hi" to the nightlight, telling me it's "dark" (which it is still dark when he gets up), and I tell him what his day entails.
Driving to Arab-Though it is mighty early (6:35 to be exact), Bentley and I have some good conversations on the way to school. He usually calls roll and wants to know what all of his family members are doing. He names someone, and I tell him what they are doing at that moment. When he calls our Nana, I never know who he's talking about, so I try to clarify. "Nana Papaw or Nana Granddaddy?" Sometimes he tells me which one...so funny! He also plays a mean game of hide and seek in the car. He covers his head with his blanket or Bunny and says, "Ahhhhhjuuuuu?" He also gives me a play by play of his Bunny. "Bunny hat," "Bunny hug," "Bunny bite bite," as Bunny eats his fruit loops.
Picking him up from school-Bentley is always eager to talk about school. I can't wait until he's able to really communicate what he does. Usually, it goes a little like this:

"Did you have fun at school?
"Cool"
"Did you play?"
"Pay"
"Did you play with your friends?"
"Pends"
"Are you ready to go home?"
"Daddy"
"Yes, you'll see Daddy."
"Mamowa
~End of Conversation~

Bedtime-I love those last few moments before Bentley goes to sleep. You know the ones...story time, his night night prayers, and his night night song. Then, I kiss him one last time, lay him down, and tell him that I love him, so I know that he hears it one more time before he goes to sleep. Lately, he looks back up and says, "Mommy." That's that...that is my favorite moment.

Now for the moment you've all been waiting for...pictures! There's not many, but we will go to the pumpkin patch soon, have Halloween pictures, and have his 18 month pictures made. So, there is more to come.

Enjoy!