The baby is 18 months

Grant turned 18 months last week, and it seems as though he knows it. He's looking more grown up and acting more like a little person than a baby. He was a "picture of health" according to the doctor at his well-baby check, and then he promptly came down with a cold the next day--such a toddler thing to do.  He doesn't say many intelligible words yet. I made a list so that I could tell the doctor, in good conscience, that he's progressing. He says 15 words right now and acquired two of them in the last couple weeks. He STILL hasn't said the word "no!" I'm loving the abundance of "yes" and the absence of "no." Wonder when that will end? Sometime soon, I would think.

His climbing skills are pretty good for a little guy his age. He climbs on everything.  Today he climbed on a chair and locked me out of the house. Yes, he really did.  Christine pulled up to drop Joel off after kindergarten, so I went out to the driveway to talk to her. When I tried to come back in, the door was locked. Grant's little face was smiling at me through the glass in the door. He had dragged a dining room chair over, climbed up, and turned the deadbolt. I rang the doorbell in hopes that Aubrey or Joel would come to my rescue (Joel had already gone inside), but nobody came. Turns out Aubrey was enjoying seeing Mommy locked out (and was hiding--naughty little thing), and Joel was otherwise engaged (in the restroom).  I stood there a few seconds, laughing at my predicament (Christine was laughing, too, as she hadn't quite driven off yet) and wondering how in the world I was going to get Grant to unlock the door when I remembered we have a keypad on the garage. Silly me! Crisis averted.  I think it might be time to get a chain lock up high on the front door, though. Turns out he can unlock it just as easily as he can lock it. Don't want to lose my baby toddler!