18 Months

Braden is 18 months old and officially going to nursery (although we've been sneaking him in for the past two weeks). I didn't realize how happy we were about leaving him in nursery until Kevin and I got a few comments at church about the smiles on our faces. This boy is seriously BUSY. He's definitely the busiest out of all three of our kids. Keeping him entertained for three hours at church was a chore, and I'm happy to be getting rid of two of those hours.

Here are a few things to know about Braden:

• We tried the sock for a while, but it didn't work out, and I'm sorry to say that he is still a thumb sucker. My friend Emily suggested using bandaids and cod liver oil, so I think that's what we will try next.
  
  
• He is way more vocal than his brother and sister were at this age. He can say juice, baby, no, uh-oh, my (mine), isa ball (which sounds like it's a ball, but I'm not quite sure), and we catch him trying to mimic words we say every once in a while. He also says mom. Not mama or mommy, just mom. It's funny to hear.
  
  
• He says uh-uh to everything I ask him. "Braden, do you want some juice?" - "Uh-uh".
  
  
• He's got this cute pigeon-toed walk.
  
  
• He just got four new teeth, so he now has all of his teeth until he starts getting new molars. I don't keep up on when babies should be doing what or when they should be getting certain teeth, but after talking to Jenna, I think I've realized that my kids are very early teethers. It must be the steak we give them as infants that makes their teeth come in. (Just joking. Don't call CPS on me.)
  
  
• He likes to dance when music is on.
  
  
• He is a lover like his brother. He's content to sit still on my lap and cuddle, which I'm sure is tough for him being a busy one-year-old. I'm enjoying every minute of it.
  
  

I know I've joked about Braden being our little accident, but I am really happy that Heavenly Father knows me better than I know myself and that He blessed us with this busy little boy. He's a perfect fit for our family, and I can't imagine life without him.