Happy 18 months to me!

I'm a whole year and a half old! Can you believe it? It's amazing how much I've grown and changed in the last couple months, let alone the last 18 months. Now that I'm a full-fledged toddler, I have lots of ideas about what I like and how I want to do things. Here are a few things about me:

• I've perfected the toddler tantrum, with a few self-preservation modifications as necessary. My original tantrum was the classic "throw body on ground and scream" but I had to change it when I realized that it hurt my head to throw myself on the ground so often. So now I hunch up my shoulders so that Mama knows I'm not happy, then I stomp off to a softer place (usually Cowboy's rug) and throw myself on that.
  
• I've always been very independent and I continue to be self-sufficient. I'm happy to play by myself or wander off to explore on my own. I don't like to be held for too long because I'm a very busy boy and there are things for me to do.
  
• I stand up for myself when I need to (even against the mean 6-year old who slid into me on the slide), and there are very few things that frighten me. Except for flying fish beanbags. I do NOT like flying fish beanbags.
• Even though I am relatively fearless, I am still very cautious when I try something new. I like to watch and figure things out first, and I am careful about stepping onto a new surface or going up or down things like curbs or uneven pavement.
• I love to go down slides, although it's best when Mama or Daddy is at the bottom to catch me. That means that slides are usually a two-parent activity, because one person has to go to the top with me and the other person has to wait at the bottom to catch me.
  
• I love to climb. I climb on the furniture, I climb up the ladders to get to the slide at the playground, and I climb up the stairs to my room.
  
• I like sticks, and I especially like to carry a stick around and use it to scratch in the ground. I also like dead leaves, and sometimes I carry small rocks around.
• I mimic what I see Mama and Daddy doing. I brush my hair (or Mama's, when she lets me), I try to put on my shoes, I vacuum or sweep, I wipe up the table with the dish cloth, I wipe my face after I eat, I pet Cowboy or try to put his collar on him, I "talk" in the phone, I put on hats or sunglasses...
• I LOVE to close (slam) doors. I especially like to shut Mama and Daddy outside on the front porch. It makes me laugh. I open the door for them and then slam it shut before they have a chance to get inside. It's so much fun. And if I see an open door anywhere, I run over to close it.
• I take baths in the regular tub now, and I like to pull the plug and watch the water go down the drain. I also try to climb into the bathtub whenever I'm in the bathroom. I have a footstool to help me reach the sink to wash my hands, and I like to move that to the front of the sink (although I don't climb on it unless Mama or Daddy helps me). I flush the toilet whenever I can get to it, and I like to open the toilet cover and slam it shut, then clap my hands. Oh yeah, toilet paper is fun too.
• I'm very good at basketball. I can make baskets almost every time.
• In the kitchen, I go straight to the pantry and get the rice cooker top and steamer dish and use those to bang like cymbals.
• I still like to eat, although I'm getting a little pickier. However, I'll usually eat everything as long as Mama is patient feeding me. I like: hummus, baba ghanoush, dolma, spanikopita (I'm a fan of the Mediterranean diet), rice, some beans (not black or kidney), most fruit (not honeydew or cantaloupe), onigiri, ba-zhang, potato katsu, raisin toast with peanut butter (just a little), spinach, sweet potato, avocado, cottage cheese, plain yogurt, Grape Nuts cereal, Hiroki's quiche, wheat crackers, anything on Mama's plate. I don't like: most meat, cheddar cheese, cooked cheese, tomato sauce, broccoli, beets, cooked carrots, zucchini, anything with a funny (grainy, stringy, crumbly) texture.
• I like to share my food with Mama, although every third time I offer her a bite, I laugh and take it back so I can eat it myself. I also like to help myself from her plate. I'm quite good with my spoon and getting better with my fork, but sometimes I just hold my fork in my hand while I eat my food with the fingers of my other hand. I also switch back and forth between using my left and right hands.
• I copy the words I hear (my latest are "bucket", "shovel", "xie-xie", and "bat"), but I don't use them very often. My go-to word is "ba-ba?" which is my question and usually means I want someone to come help me, get me out of my crib or play with me. When I want something, I point to it or reach for it and grunt loudly, and I use my sign words when I'm hungry or thirsty. I do understand a lot though, and I will get something for you if you ask (blue Lego flower, Mickey Mouse, basketball, alphabet bus, etc.). I will also put my toys away if you ask me to help you clean up. Updated to add: Today I seem to have picked a word that I am saying more consistently: "Good". That might be my official first word.
  
• When I do something I'm proud of (make a basket, close the door, put away a toy) I will clap for myself.
• I have a fake laugh that I use to get a reaction from people. My real laugh takes my whole face to produce (eyes scrunch closed, mouth opens wide), but my fake laugh can be done with minimal effort and usually gets a decent reaction.
• I also have a fake cry.
• I still need lots of sleep and get bent out of sorts when my sleep schedule is messed up. I go to bed around 6:30 PM and wake up between 7 and 7:30 AM, and I go down for my nap around 11:30 AM. My nap can last anywhere from 90 minutes to 3 hours. It usually depends on whether Mama has somewhere to go -- I tend to sleep longer on the days when we have something planned.
• I like to tease Cowboy. I chase him around the house with the vacuum cleaner, or I take his bone away from him and taunt him with it. I climb on him and pull on his ears. I also show him my food before I eat it. He's very patient though and lets me do what I want.

Well, that was more than a "few" things about me. What can I say? I'm a multi-faceted boy. But right now I've got to go grab the vacuum cleaner from Daddy so I can chase Cowboy.