Nate is 18 months

I haven't posted for so long...and I am annoyed with myself for being so slack. But wow, having a walking, running, climbing, laughing, crying toddler, plus working 4 days a week... well, it really makes it hard to do anything else but collapse on the sofa in a heap at the end of every day. 

But here I am, finally, because I want to tell you all that Nate is now 18 months! 

What a great age this is, but also exhausting. 

18 months is a time of extreme emotions for Nate. In one moment he is crying so hard his face turns purple, then the next moment he is laughing hysterically and running up and down the hallway. He is exploring everything: the forbidden objects in the cupboard; the prickly bushes in the garden; the football pitch; the playground; everything is an item of wonder. 

18 months is a time of speech development. In the past 3 months Nate has gone from babbling nonsensically to saying proper words like "ball" and "bike" and short phrases like "he's in there" and "I don't' know". It is also a time of pushing boundaries and defying rules, shoving another child and then hugging her a moment later. 

18 months and Nate is the cusp of toddler-hood. He can't really be called a baby anymore, even though he is still my little baby. I look at him and in the same glimpse I see the baby he was and the school child he will become. 

These past few months have seen huge changes for Nate, but also for our whole family. We have moved into a new home. It is in a different neighborhood in our town and we hope to stay here for a very long time. It is an older house, so there is a lot of work to do, but we are excited to start making this place our own. 

Here are some photos from the last 3 months...