Will, 18 months

"Baby Will" is 18 months in just a couple weeks. Where does the time go? In the months since he turned 1, he has developed an intense little personality. His baby nickname, "chill Will" no longer applies. The days are long, but I often feel this stage slipping through my fingers! I won't bore you with all the cuteness, but here are some Will highlights.

• Will's catch phrase is, "Let's go!" He chants the words over and over when he wakes up in the morning, finishes a meal, wants to be let out of his car seat, arrives home after being away, and when he is really excited at the prospect of doing something (usually playing with Jonny)

• Adores our dog, Scout. The feeling isn't at all mutual. Will has to know where Scout is at all times. "Dow! Dow!" The other day I was taking the kids upstairs and Scout started making a weird coughing noise. Afraid that she would vomit on the upstairs carpeting, I closed her into the kitchen while I took the boys up. Will was beside himself and kept imitating her coughing sounds and pointing downstairs with wide, worried eyes. He would not be consoled until I took him down to the kitchen to check on her. And when we have to drop her off at the groomers? He is distraught.

• No interest in screens or TV (trust me, I have tried all the shows) but is obsessed with carrying the iPad around. "Ah-pad, Ah-pad!" He doesn't do anything with it, just gives me a heart attack that he is going to chuck it down the stairs or something.

• Always, always, hungry. Our boy Will is a bottomless pit. He will down a peanut butter sandwich, crackers, cheese, and a banana, then be howling with starvation half an hour later. I'll be honest, it's exhausting. But he eats a variety of fruits and veggies, and I never have to worry about his growth, so I will count my blessings.

• Will throws cute tantrums and not-so-cute tantrums. The cute ones are when he gets frustrated about something and backs up slowly, maintaining eye contact with quick, deep breaths and the saddest little expression. Like all those mad/sad feelings are bubbling up inside and he just doesn't know how to handle them! He will look around for some way to show you how mad he is--usually a halfhearted shove of a chair or kick at a toy. The not-so-cute ones are just a sign that he is almost 2.

• Wakes me up every morning with a (usually) gleeful, "Mamamamamamamama!!!!"

Favorite outdoor activity: digging in the dirt and kicking around a "ball-ball!" (the ball obsession is real over here)

Favorite indoor activity: Playing trains with Jonny. He calls them "chee-chee's" which we assume was derived from "choo-choo."

Loves going to the zoo and seeing the giraffes, playing in the bus at the Children's Museum, and making delicious pizza in the play kitchen at the library.

Current obsessions: giraffes, buses, trucks, apples, ketchup, babies "bubbas," drinks of "wa-wer"

We love you Will!