Baby Nelson: 18 Months!

Matthew is learning more and more every month! It seems like it hasn't been that long since I updated this last month but there is such a difference in his personality! He loves to laugh, even if it is fake sometimes, and smiles almost all of the time. He is such an easy-going boy. There are some days that he can be a little crabby but it is very rare and usually because of teeth. He has his top two cupsids now and the bottom two are coming in, 14 teeth total. After these, all we have left are 4 more molars and we are done teething. It hasn't really ever been an issue.
He still loves to eat but he is more picky about it. His favorites are chicken nuggets, string cheese, cookies and almost any kind of fruit. At least it is kind of balanced. I still try to offer him different foods but I hate wasting food and making him 5 different dinners before he gets what he wants is exhausting. The doctor said he could have peanuts and I have tried to give him peanut butter and jelly sandwiches with no success. He just looks at it and gives it back to me.
We had his 18 month check-up and the doctor was amazed! His height is jumping from one curve to the next and the doctor is very curious to see how much he will have grown at his 2 year appointment. He said we will get a better idea at that time but the doctor thinks he will be tall.. The doctor was also impressed how well-behaved he was. Matthew was sitting next to me on a bench and let the doctor look in his ears, eyes, nose and feel his throat without moving. The only problem we had was looking in the mouth, he gagged a bit and fussed. The doctor tested his reflexes and let Matthew play with the reflex hammer. Matthew started mimicking him and hitting his knee. The doctor had given him a wooden stick to keep him occupied which turned into Matthew checking the inside of my mouth. Cute, right? He is so smart and wants to do what everyone else is doing. He thinks he is such a big boy.
We went to Florida with the whole family (Mom, Dad, Richard, Joe, Teresa and Ryan) again and it was so much fun. We went to Anna Maria Island and one of the locals called it "Florida's best kept secret". Dad had done a lot of research and found an amazing house. Each of us had our own master suites with bathrooms and the boys had their own rooms. There were decks and balconies and even our own in-ground pool with a hot tub. We all had so much fun. We would wake up and eat breakfast followed by a short walk to the beach. We would play in the sand and the ocean until it was time for lunch and naps. The boys had a blast together and we had fun watching them. We are very fortunate and I hope we have the opportunity to do that again next year!