19 months old

Now he is over a year and a half old, crazy! He is a rocking and rolling little guy now. He runs, he climbs he is nearly unstoppable or more like it he is there and do it before you ever reach him so you've missed the window of opportunity to stop him. Whatever it is has already been done. He is beginning to assert his independence by not wanting to get out of the bed in the morning until he is ready (not when you come to get him just a minute later) and by not wanting whatever it is that you want to give him but everything that you want him to stay away from (hello reverse psychology). He does not want you to do things for him he wants to do them himself. He is a fast learner and underneath it all wants to please so he stopped hitting after two times when he learned we would not tolerate hitting (now he pokes which is ok), he is also learning we won't let him scream so now when he is mad he makes one short burst of a scream to let us know something is wrong. Everyday he does something new and different. Today he showed the ladies at our playgroup that he likes animal crackers better than just plain bread by telling the mom with the bread "no" when she asked him if he wanted more and picking up the bag of animal crackers and handing them to the mom who brought them very nicely then pointing to his mouth. I had no idea he would or could have such an intricate interaction with someone especiallyy people he does not know that well. I underestimate him sometimes. As for the milestone he eats with a spoon and fork no problem and has just started to run. He throws a ball overhand pretty well as for underhand I do not think he has ever tried. He enjoys helping around the house and the yard just today I was shoveling some dirt to clear off an area near the house (we are going to even out the area to make a patio) and Chance was right behind me grabbing a handful of dirt and throwing it on the pile. He has started to understand when things are wrong and thinks they are funny. I have no idea how many words he understands but I do know that he understand most everything we say during the day. He points to pictures of objects when you say their name and has been doing that for some time now. I do not know about pee but he definitely knows about poo. Also, I think he could wash his hands (he sure wants to) if we had a stool that was tall enough for him to reach the water in the sink. Right now he can't reach it himself so I have to help him wash his hands.

Child's Age	Mastered Skills (most kids can do)	Emerging Skills (half of kids can do)	Advanced Skills (a few kids can do)
19 months	• Uses a spoon and fork • Runs • Throws a ball underhand • Enjoys helping around the house	• Understands as many as 200 words • Recognizes when something is wrong (e.g., calling a dog a cat)	• Washes and dries own hands with help • Points to picture or object when you call it by name • May know when she needs to pee