Ayden's Favorite Things {19 month edition}

It's been a long time since I've written about Ayden's favorite things all in one place. I wrote a favorite things post when he was 1 month old, and another when he was 6 months old.  Now here is what he is loving at 19 months.

His #1 favorite thing to do is still READING!  Some current favorites are his potty book, his new Fall book called Barnyard Baby (it's a flap book about a farm so automatically a fave), From Head To Toe (he does all of the movements now), Hop On Pop (probably because he can say most of the words in it), and the list could go on and on. 

Something else that has been a favorite since day one, and still is, is water. He still loves baths, he loves swimming and he plays with water at any chance he gets. He'll splash in Maverick's water bowl or play in the tub faucet if we leave the bathroom door open. He seems drawn to water so we will see where that takes him. Maybe he'll want to be an Olympic diver or something. Haha. 

He likes to snuggle for a while when he wakes up. This could easily double as one of my favorite things too. I love it so much. He typically has a lot of energy so I relish the moments where he is awake but sits so still and quiet, snuggled into my neck.  

He still loves music. Anything and everything. He claps and dances whenever (and wherever) we hear a good beat. Just today he was dancing to the music in the shopping cart at Whole Foods. He still plays the keyboard that he got for Christmas everyday and still likes to DJ our dance parties with all the demos on the keyboard. We stopped by Lowe's today right when he woke up. As usual when he first wakes up, he wanted to be held but he's too heavy for me to carry him with one arm and push the cart with the other. We also have a very consistent rule that he rides in the cart when we are in a store.  He started to wail when I put him in so I leaned in and put his head on my chest and hummed Baby Mine. It worked like a charm and he was good to go after a few minutes. The right song at the right moment can really bring him peace. Baby Mine has been a great tool for when he is upset ever since he was a newborn. 

Ayden is still a die hard animal lover. Horses, Maverick and Polly, fish, birds, mice. Even spiders and crickets entertain him. He is very hesitant to touch anything that isn't furry but he did stroke a cockatiel with one finger, several times, at the pet store today. I carried him out of there practically kicking and screaming. I think he would have been happier had I dropped him off and left him to play for the day. When I told him to tell David what we did at the pet store today, he animatedly said, "TAT!" because he spent a good 10 minutes watching the kittens play saying, "Hi, Tat.  Hi, Tat." Over and over again.

Ayden loves to be outside. The farm has been a perfect match for him. He likes to dig in sand and dirt and collecting rocks.  He likes inspecting creepy crawlers and he loves when we all go out to play in the yard after dinner. And, of course, he loves feeding the horses at my parents' house "sass" (aka, grass).

He also LOVES to "help" us cook!  Really, he just stabs all of our produce and throws a lot of scraps on the floor.  This mama is not complaining, though, because 9 times out of 10, we are cooking in peace because he is involved and occupied.

There are obviously things that he does not like too but his likes far outweigh his dislikes. What's the fun in focusing on the negatives, anyway?? I could sit all day and talk about what a happy boy Ayden truly seems to be. I'll just say that it makes this Mommy's heart very happy to know that her little boy has so much to be happy about in his little life too. Afterall, isn't that what life is all about? 

It was fun to go back and read about his favorite things at these different stages of his life.  It's is also very interesting how some things have been constants from the beginning and how those favorite things manifest at the different stages of his development.  I suppose he's a boy who knows what he likes...

What does your toddler most enjoy these days?

~Sarah

Flashback: Here's what we were up to one year ago today: "The Next Step"

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