17 Months

I love his big, toothy smiles. I love the sound of his voice when he's trying to tell me something. I love the hugs. I love the hide-and-seek games. I love to hold his little hand as we walk together. I love his giggles. I love the giggy dance he does. I love the proud look he has when he accomplishes something. I love this little guy with all my heart.

Owen's 17 Month Milestones:

• Words, Words, Words! This has been the month of words. He has so many now, I may have lost count. Some new ones are: milk (mu), more, mine, shoe, water (wa-wa), no, whoa, bubble, plane (bane). The daycare ladies have told me that he said phone and Bobby (a friend) one day, but I am yet to hear him say phone and that isn't from a lack of trying. He is even stringing words together...like 'more milk' which is just awesome.
• Brushing teeth - mostly on his own with little help. Brush, brush, brush, I say to him. I wish there was a little more brushing and a little less sucking on the toothbrush. But he really is doing well.
• Wants to walk up and down stairs.
• Playtime attention span has grown so much. He'll play with the same toy for much longer. He spends more time figuring out how things work and can be entertained by the same thing for a while.
• Moving towards one nap a day. He still takes two on the occasions when he needs to catch up on sleep.
• Fussy about food. I wish he was a better eater, but he's not horrible. Some of his favorites are oatmeal, pancakes, yogurt, blueberries, pears, mac & cheese, peanut butter sandwich, and grilled cheese. Missing from this list is any type of meat. I've been trying to get him to each chicken nuggets for the longest time, and finally tonight he ate two at dinner. I guess he was super hungry!
• Runs - all the time - everywhere.
• Kicks a ball in forward direction like a little soccer player. Grandpa Wade got him doing this, then Owen took it to new levels at the airport when our flight was delayed. I think everyone waiting at the gate probably passed the soccer ball with him at some point.
• Responds to simple directions like "drink your milk" or "find your shoes" really well.
• Feeding himself all the time. Owen continues to make lots of progress in eating with a fork. Using a spoon is an old hat now.
• Blows kisses goodbye...it melts my heart!