A day in the life of two brothers...: 14 months old!

Parker is 14 months old! He is such a joy and gives the biggest smiles!

How can I ever say "no" to this smile--crooked-teeth and gap-toothed grin and all!?

It seems we've been really busy lately, which is good in some ways, but it also makes time go by a little too quickly and it makes it hard for me to catch up with things like this. But I cannot let another day pass without documenting where Parker is this month.

At 14 months, Parker:

Is cruising like a champ, but not quite ready to walk. He stood on his own today for a good 15-20 seconds and has maybe taken a half a step one or two times, but for the most part he is just not quite ready to take any leaps. It's not going to be much longer though.
Eats pretty well, but isn't a great veggie eater or a milk drinker. This is much to the chagrin of his daddy, who loves those two categories most of all. He does enjoy milk-foods, like cheese and yogurt, but will not drink milk much at all. As for veggies...he likes various soft beans (black beans, limas, etc) and sweet potato fries. Not a fan of peas, carrots, green beans, squash, zucchini, etc.
Has a language all of his own, but definitely has "words" for certain things. I can usually distinguish his words for ball, snack, dog, daddy (dada...not that hard to hear!), balloon, car and "night-night."
Is generally a great sleeper...at home. At home he now goes down super easily for naps and bedtime with absolutely no (knock on wood) protest at all. He used to do well away from home, but lately he cries a good bit and sometimes won't nap at all. And he has decided he is not a fan of the church nursery, even though he always went without so much as a fuss before. Oh well. He's done pretty well in church, but I do hope he will return to the nursery at some point! Thank goodness for the family-friendly service!
Still naps twice a day most days, but I'm trying to get him to drop his morning nap. If he skips the morning nap, I can usually put him down around 1 and he'll sleep until at least 4.
Loves to get into things! He loves to pull things out of the pantry (especially taking all of the ziploc bags out of their boxes). He loves to crawl into tight spaces (beneath tables, behind chairs). Today he learned how to get himself up into a chair at our child table. He doesn't know how to get himself down though, so I eventually had to take the chairs and hide them so I didn't have to sit there while I needed to make dinner!
Fusses and whines sometimes like it is his job...a job he does with great dedication. Dinnertime is very tricky around here (especially when I'm on my own) because if I put a lot of food in front of him, he puts it all in his mouth at once. So I have to put small amounts a bit at a time, but if I don't replenish at a speed that satisfies him, he whines and yells at this pitch that makes me want to invest in ear plugs. I'm usually trying to get Thomas' food together, so I'm back and forth amidst the screams and whines and it is not fun. :) But I love him. I do, however, wish he'd drop this not-so-endearing habit.
Wakes up smiling. This is something I find funny about the differences between my two sons. Thomas is extremely hard to rouse from his naptime slumber. I practically have to pull him out of bed some days and pour cold water on his face. Parker, on the other hand, will sit straight up with a (albeit slightly dazed) smile on his face the moment he hears me come in the room. He can be sleeping one second and sitting up smiling the next...it's funny.
Is starting to love books! He didn't have an instant love of books like his big brother (mostly my fault for not reading more when he was a newborn), but lately he really is starting to love them. He gets excited when he sees certain books and frequently hands me a book to read to him. His current favorites are Woof's Bedtime, Goodnight Moon, Windows to Color and I can't remember the name of it, but something about "That's not my puppy!" The books do have to be short and sweet though to keep his attention!
Loves balls and balloons. He will chase balls around the house laughing the whole way. He can spot balloons miles away (well, maybe not really miles...), and lets me know whenever he sees them that he wants them right now!
Is like Pavlov's dog when he hears me put something in his Snack Trap snack cup. It's so funny. His carseat faces to the rear, so he cannot see me. But he'll hear me pull out a bag and he'll give a little excited giggle and then when put them in the cup, he starts kicking and whining until the cup is in his hand.
Still has seven teeth (three on the bottom and four on the top). Not sure where that fourth one is on the bottom (Thomas' always came in twos), but surely it will show up soon!
Wears mostly 18 months clothing and size 4 diapers. I feel like he has really grown a good bit in the past month or so, but who knows.
Is only independent when it comes to eating...he wants to feed himself. But playing by himself is another story. He does not like for me to leave him in a room by himself, if even for a moment. Sometimes I can sneak out and he will be okay, but the second he notices, he lets me know he is not happy.
Is really an easy baby, all things considered. He is such a joyous, happy baby. He loves his mommy and daddy and brother dearly and we love him right back.

I went a little crazy taking pictures today...and then I had a really hard time narrowing them down. It's my blog though...and I'm posting a lot of pictures. :) I feel like these really show his personality.

People frequently comment about his hair...how it's pretty curly (especially if he's hot) and how it's getting much lighter! I did have to give his "bangs" a little trim though because there were a few strands hanging in his eyes.