moving on to 18 months...

I found this milestone list online and found it quite interesting...

By 12 months your baby should:

• Speak 3-5 words
• Look at things you point at
• Show you toys and books
• Use gestures, like waving 'bye-bye'
• Follow simple directions
• Make lots of sounds

By 18 months your baby should:

• Speak at least 20 words
• Point to body parts
• Answer simple questions
• Point with a finger
• Play pretend

Seems Ben is developing normally -- he's on track for all of the 12 month milestones... and is well on his way to all of the 18 month milestones (does he speak 20 words? I'm sure he understands 20 words).

Ben can point to body parts,... answer simple questions (do you want this? or this? Is it bath time? etc), point with a finger (especially if he wants something), and play pretend.

I really thought the concept of pretending was complicated for babies. They have to put themselves into a make-believe world ... oddly enough,...Ben has mastered this already and he's not yet 14 months.. (can we say genius child? ha!).

Seriously though, we've shown Ben how important 'sharing' or 'taking turns' is. We share our food. He shares his food. This works especially well if he stops eating... the second you start sharing his food -- he starts eating again. (Silly kid... always needing to be in on the action). Recently though, Ben has starting sharing his food (sippy of milk + treats in his container) with his stuffed animals (we totally didn't show him this -- he picked up on it on his own!). What's especially funny? He knows to aim the sippy cup spout for Tigger + Bluey's mouth! Not their noses... ears... other orafaces -- but their mouths! He tilts up his sippy cup and lets them drink from it. Now how's that for pretending? (and sharing!)

As an aside -- sorry I've been MIA. Report cards are now officially done (woohoo!); however, I've come down with a pretty nasty cold. It started off as a fever|chills|headache|all the awesome signs of a flu... but is now a cough+runny nose. Ew. I'm not surprised,... in my one science class, 12 students were away last week. Gross. I have every single finger (and toe) crossed that Ben doesn't get it. I've already taken off 2 days of work (which is a lot for me)... so I can only imagine how sick he'll be if he comes down with it. So far -- Ben + Adam are fine.

... and since I'm in the mood... here's some recent Ben pictures ;)

Ben and I at Noah's 3rd Birthday party!

Ben... smiling "nicely"

Playing in the sand at Noah's party...

There was sand in places...that normally wouldn't have seen sand. Fun. Times.