Will: 18 Months

Will turned 18 months old a week ago and of course, being the 3rd child, I forgot all about it.

So here's an update on my favorite little man!

Will's favorite thing to do is push this little car around our yard.

He loves to be outside and screams and arches his back when we bring him in.

The other day Ryan told me he didn't feel like taking him outside because he knew how bad it was going to be to try to bring him back inside. It's the truth. Coming back inside is painful for everyone.

18 Month Stats:

Wears size 5 diapers

Weighs 27.9lbs (72%)
Length 33.5 inches (82%)
Head Circumference 19.5 (90%)

Wears size 24 month clothes (and a few 2T) 

Shoe size 6

Loves his blankie

A great napper

Will sometimes has a hard time sleeping through the night

Will loves books and reads them on his own sometimes

His favorite characters are Thomas, Elmo and Mickey

Very physically active: runs, jumps with 2 feet off the ground, can run and kick a ball, throws a ball to play catch, wrestles and tackles his siblings, loves to practice running down a hill or jumping off a step, is occasionally caught standing on a table.

 McKenna rarely uses Will's name...she just calls him "little buddy." 

I hear her say "Come on little buddy" a million times a day.

Language Development: This is not his strong point, but no wonder (see above) he's too busy conquering the world! Will says very, very few words independently. Mainly we hear; dada, PopPop, Chrish, hut (up), hello, choo choo, this (he says that as he points to random things). He can say a few more words when we have him repeat after us; ball, bubu (bottle), mama (very rarely...I still don't think he has it), truck, go, yes, catch, cracker, and one time he said "nen-na" for McKenna. Oh how she wants him to say her name. She works on it everyday with him. Will is a noisy guy. He is always making sounds for his cars and trains as he drives them around. He says lots of animal sounds too.

The finger update: A big shout out to Jesus for this one!!! His finger is basically healed at this point. As much as it's going to anyway. His finger nail looks messed up (sort of like it would look if you just smashed it in a door). The nail is still slowly growing, so I'm hoping at some point it's going to look a little more normal once the damaged part of the nail completely grows out. Overall, his finger looks completely normal. If you glanced at it you would never guess the trauma that finger has been through. If you put both of his pinkies next to each other you can tell a difference. His "boo boo finger" is shorter than his other pinkie and it's skinnier and is pointier and not as rounded as his normal finger. But there is basically a centimeter of finger there right now that was completely missing. A whole centimeter of his finger has literally grown back. I had three different doctors tell me that's what could happen and quite honestly I didn't really believe it. Our bodies are most certainly fearfully and wonderfully made!!! And Will is going to have a great story to tell of God's faithfulness as he grows up.

The negative part of this that we're still dealing with is the psychological trauma of the whole event. Will cannot stand any situation where you're restraining him. He absolutely panics and cries so hard he almost throws up. He really needs a haircut, so I took him to my friends salon a week ago and he was such a mess she couldn't even finish the haircut. His 18 month well visit was a nightmare. He started screaming the minute we walked in the exam room and they hadn't even touched him yet. He is simply afraid of a lot of situations now. Yesterday we were playing outside and he fell down and scraped up his knee and there was blood running down his leg. I went inside and got him a bandaid and when I said "let's put a bandaid on your boo boo" he freaked out and started telling me "no" while he was pointing to his finger. He associates bandaids and boo boo's with finger.

Hopefully all of this will just resolve itself with a little bit of time. I'm praying that the memory of all of it will fade, but it's tough because people ask about his finger and want to see his finger so it's like we're constantly reminding him about it when I make him show his finger to people. I really love showing off his little miracle finger (so if you're one of the many people who have asked to see it...don't feel bad for a second) but we're probably going to have to be a little more sensitive about it.

Dear Will,
You are so precious to me. You have the most delightful personality. You just go with the flow and keep smiling through all the drama your brother and sister create. I love getting you out of bed in the mornings because you are always so happy and ready for the day. You laugh and squeal and run all over this house. You might only be 18 months old but already I can see a little boy full of compassion for others. You are the first one there patting and hugging your sister when she cries. Whenever Christian gets in trouble you go to him and stick by his side even if that means sitting in time out with him. You cannot even imagine how full you make our hearts. I thank Jesus every day for creating you and giving you to our family. Your tiny little finger might be one of the most expensive fingers on earth, but you my sweet boy are priceless!!!!
Love,
Mommy

Psalm 92:4
"Oh Lord, I sing for joy at the work of your hands!"