Hellobee

Panda is now 18-months-old! I can’t believe how quickly the last 6 months (and, to be honest, 18 months) have gone. I’ve always said that Panda entered our family seamlessly, as if he was meant to be with us and there was virtually no adjustment period for any of us, unlike when we welcomed Lion and he completely changed our world. As time goes on and his bond with his brother grows stronger, I am even more convinced that he was meant to be with the Dolphin family (as cheesy as that sounds).

He is the sweetest little guy, happy most of the time, generous with hugs and a little cuddle bug. He knows how to assert himself, but overall is really laid back and happy. He laughs loudly and often and really seems to love life. He doesn’t seem too worry much. He is great at playing independently and doesn’t get too easily frustrated. He is mischievous and really likes to test his boundaries.

Apparently, this is Panda’s way of expressing the word “sleeping”

Here are some of the highlights and updates from the last six months:

Milestones:

The biggest milestone has been his leap in language. At 12-months-old, he had just three words. Today? Probably well over a 100. With both boys, I lost count at around 50, which Panda hit at around 16-months. His language has exploded since then, sometimes picking up several new words in a day. Another exciting development is that he has started stringing words together like, “Please have milk!” or “Choo choo! All aboard!” I forgot how much fun the language explosion is. In particular, Panda loves making animal sounds. Although he can only name a few animals, he can definitely tell you what sound every animal makes. He also has started trying to sing the song “Monkeys Jumping on the Bed,” and will wag his finger while shouting “No mo mo!”

Hide-and-seek is one of his favorite games.

This little guy is still working on getting in his canines and second set of molars. Right now he has 13 teeth, with a second canine slowly making its way down.

Obsessed with trains!

We stopped giving him a bottle during the day around 13 months and transitioned to a sippy cup. We finally dropped his bedtime bottle, too, about a month ago. We’re not quite pacifier-free yet, since he still uses it in the middle of the night, but he doesn’t use it for naps anymore (or when he’s awake).

No more bottle!

Panda has also reached the tantrum phase and will go limp on the floor crying his head off when he gets mad about something. However, these tantrums are short-lived, especially when we ignore them.

Events/other highlights:

Panda has done and experienced a lot in the last six months. He went on his first cruise and international trip, we went to fossil hunting at the beach, he saw his first live show, went to numerous museums, went to his first splash park and started a new daycare. He got his first haircut about a month ago. He used the potty for the first time a couple weeks ago.

When we went to the splash park, Panda tried drinking out of every splash zone while refusing to drink from the water bottle I brought.

He has new favorite activities, the newest one being cooking. All I have to do is mention the word “cook” or “waffle” and he will run to the kitchen and start trying to open up his learning tower. He also enjoys walking and running, climbing up and down steps, trying to climb the big kid structures at the park, stacking blocks and playing with duplos.

Sibling love:

This is a common sight in our house: Lion and Panda rolling around together.

I’ve always raved about how well Lion and Panda get along, but they’ve really kicked it up a notch recently. Lion has always been interested and kind to Panda, playing with him, giving him hugs, holding hands, etc. and Panda, of course, adores his big brother. But now, Panda is obsessed with his brother and literally the first words out of his mouth any time he wakes up for the day or from his nap is his brother’s name. If I tell Panda that Lion is still sleeping, Panda will cry and start repeatedly calling for Lion. They hold hands together in the car, drive cars around our living room, and play at recess together at daycare. They are always eager to give hugs and kisses and whenever they see each other at daycare pickup they are both super excited and immediately start hugging and holding hands.

Sharing early morning snacks.

Panda also looks up to Lion and wants to do everything his big brother does, which means he is a lot more independent than Lion at the same age. We were still carrying Lion around quite a bit at 18 months, but Panda won’t have it. He sees Lion walking and will push himself off me and insist, “Walk! Walk! Walk!” Or, if I offer to help Panda with a toy or activity, he pushes my hand away and says, “No! Me! Self!” He even tries to tackle tasks that Lion doesn’t have perfected yet, like putting his shoes on.

Panda always has a look of mischief!