17 Months!

Our sweet snuggle-bug is 17 months old!  He is such a blessing and is growing up so fast!

~Gavin has cut his top two canine teeth!
~He is on the move!  He can walk, nearly a run, very fast!
~Speaking of on the move, he loves to play chase!  He thinks it is hysterical when someone chases him.
~As of his 17 month "birthday", Gavin is officially weaned.  He was only nursing for a few minutes before bedtime and Mommy suspected he wasn't getting much.  We altered our bedtime routine a bit to have less transitions in and out of his room and with and without Mommy--making the routine more similar to his nap time routine.  We also started giving him a sippy cup with a small amount of water in bed.  He's done great!  We read a book or two, sing a few songs with the lights out, he gives  Mommy a kiss (or two!) and hug, and into bed he goes!
~Gavin likes to dance!  His dance moves include bobbing his head and squatting.
~Gavin loves "helping!"  His self-appointed jobs:
~~~Closing doors, drawers and cabinets doors
~~~Bringing Mommy her chapstick from her nightstand.  No one else can take it, it has to be Mommy.
~~~Putting his shoes away at the babysitter's house
~~~Assuring that Mommy always has her slippers.  This includes helping her put them on...sometimes taking them off to put them back on.  He also brings them to her after she already has shoes on to leave the house.  Sometimes he'll try to put them on his own feet.
~~~Pushing the garage door button
~~~Turning on the CD player in his bedroom
 ~~~Putting clothes in the dryer
~~~Letting Mommy and Daddy know when the microwave/oven buzzers go off or our phones ring.  He'll drop what he's doing to approach and point to the noise maker.
~~~Supervising vacuuming, including the floor vacuum and the dust buster
~~~Informing Mommy and Daddy where to return objects.  For example, he'll go to the coat closet when we're finished with the vacuum, point to the appropriate cabinet when we're done with the dust buster, and go to the food cabinet when we're done with a box of food, etc. that we store in the cabinet.
~~~Throw away trash.  He's getting better about not throwing away objects that aren't trash!
~~~Picking up toys.
~We've recently introduced utensils at mealtimes and Gavin loves it! He's quite proficient! He attempts to eat just about anything with his spoon and fork.  He also wants his plate on his tray--no more getting a few bites of food on his tray at a time!  If he's not able to get his food fast enough, he'll sign for "more" and will accept help.  A not-so-desirable eating habit: He'll sometimes tongue food out his mouth after putting too much in his mouth or seeing something else he would rather eat.  Overall, he's a good eater!  Despite his small size, he eats a lot!
~When he's frustrated or not getting his way, sometimes Gavin will repeatedly stomp his feet and fuss for a few seconds. This is cute--for now. We're very cautious to not give in when he does this!
~Gavin's receptive language continues to flourish and we're (im)patiently waiting for his expressive language to take off.  He'll sometimes repeat things we say, but sometimes is a stinker and doesn't.  While we're well aware we shouldn't compare kids--Brennan was much more talkative at this age!  We're planning to talk to his pediatrician at his 18 month well check about his expressive language.  He "baby talks" a lot and has many sounds.  He also frequently says "dis" and "dat" when pointing to things.  Demonstrating his manners, he says "welcome" ("el-come") after we thank him for bringing us things.
~He continues to use his sign language frequently.  When he really wants something, he might sign "please" with both hands simultaneously!
~Gavin loves to copy his big brother!  One of our favorites is when Brennan runs around the family room saying "ahhh!", followed by a jump and a fall to the ground.  Gavin then runs while saying "ahhh!" and intentionally falls to the ground. 
~He loves giving his stuffed animals hugs! He's such a lover!