18 months old

Holden turned 18 months old today. To celebrate, we went to the doctor for his well visit. Ha! Turns out it wasn't much of a celebration--poor guy got 3 shots. One in both arms and one in his leg. After the nurse gave him his last shot, he turned to her and said, "bye bye." I was thinking the same thing. I can't explain to you how painful it is to watch your baby be in pain, especially when they look up at you with those tear-filled eyes. On the way home, I heard him say, "ouch" and when I looked back to see what was wrong, I noticed that he had ripped off one of his band aids. I can't even do that and I'm an adult. I always wait until it's completely submerged in water.

At 18 months Holden weighs 22 lbs., 11 oz., and is 33 in. long. What a big boy he is! And to top it off, he can say any thing in the world, which totally blows me away! Every day he surprises me with something new he can do and say.

He's going to be such a wonderful big brother. He either calls the baby "baby" or "brother." He likes to pat and kiss my tummy and has even been known to share paci with the baby. I just can't wait to see them together!

I can't say enough what a sweet blessing Holden is. He has the most tender heart and such a playful spirit. I absolutely love spending my days with him!

This week has been a little hard on him since Tim's been gone. You can tell he really misses his Daddy. Thank goodness we only have a few more days without him. As much as I've enjoyed all the girly movies and brownies to myself, I hate to say it, but I'm looking forward to watching "Ice Road Truckers" and "Deadliest Catch" with Tim again. Holden keeps running back to our bedroom saying "Da-eee," like he's looking for him. It makes me sad. Last night after we read his night time Bible story, I said, "Let's pray" (which is what Tim always says) and Holden held out his hands, just like Tim does when we pray. It was precious.

Here's to another wonderful, ever-changing month of toddlerhood!