Simon At 1.5 Years

This one is a character too.  All in a completely different way:

Love the hand on Brian's knee.

• He has lots of nicknames:  my little goof , a monkey and 'crazy noisy Simon' are just a few.
• Is so sensitive and ticklish.  His eyes continue to be the show that he is sensitive to whatever is happening.  Even laying him back in the bath the other night to wash his hair he closed his eyes and tensed up his shoulders in that 'this is weird' way.  He's always done this with textures - both ones he's touching and ones he's eating.  He regularly crawls (racing) around the house with his eyes closed.  When I'm dressing him and he has no shirt on he tickles himself and giggles.
• It feels like we have gone from no vocab to a crazy amount.  It hasn't really happened that way but I really feel like I understand everything he is saying right now.  And his words are unbelievable.  Picking up an orange toy and saying "orange".  Counting to 4.  Saying "Bian" (Brian).  So darn cute!  "Mummy read" (read me this book please).  "Up pease".  "Off" as he pulls off his bib.  The amount of TV shows he knows the name of is a BAD BAD sign.  I'm letting him watch WAY too much.  Brian once said "Disney" as a movie was starting.  Simon said it instantly just in the same loud crazy way his brother did!  
• He's walking!!  Finally.  As of 6th Jan.  Just this week he has been adding in longer walks.  Almost coming to the realisation that 'hey I'm supposed to keep going and not fall down so much'.  When he can't get up he laughs at himself.  It's so funny.  Stands up, falls down.  Stands up, falls down.  Laughs.  
• Still has one hell of a temper.  If throws a tantrum he throws toys and/or whatever is around him and then 'storms off' crawling at 100 mile an hour to the far end of the next room!  I've been giving 1 minute time outs.  He's been doing really well with sitting there and knowing that he's in trouble.  Mostly though it's been for biting.  So, so bad.  He gets overexcited and bites, but also for bad things. I've tried all kinds of things and right now the time out is what I'm doing.  I also make him apologise to myself and/or whoever he has bitten, usually Brian.  Brian has to accept his apology but does have the right to say 'I don't want to play with you right now because you have been biting me'.  
• LOVES water.  Spent the other day splashing in puddles at swimming.  Yes, puddles from water dripping off other people.  Eww!  He had a blast.  I've had to bring him home from several events now just in his nappy.  He's a real boy and I'm learning to let it be and loving that my washing machine can handle the Simon dirt on white printed shorts!  FYI - Dallas if you are reading he chased a spider the other day.  He now knows what it's called and says "pider".
• Copies EVERYTHING his brother does.  That's why when Brian is naughty I've got double trouble.  I've had to physically cover Simon's mouth at the grocery store because they were both so loud that they couldn't hear me trying to tell them to be quiet.  Wanna come shop with me?!  
• Both boys do play really well together.  They laugh and giggle and are kind and are loud, crazy and rough.  I tried some yoga yesterday - I had an extra level of difficulty - two boys jumping on me during each pose.  Simon actually really likes the 'yogo' section of Waybuloo.  He copies them and loves it, that's why I thought doing yoga with them might work.  I'll be trying a different tactic next time.  
• Food wise I think he's a sweet tooth.  He asks for "cake" every time I'm about to feed him.  He is so naughty, but some days he thinks a sandwich is cake.  I once had to offer him his sandwich about 6 times.  After our road trip in November his eating really went downhill.  Lots of sachet meals on the road meant that he was only used to mush.  I remembered having to cut Brian's sandwich into 36 little squares at Simon's age so I started doing that with him.  It worked.  He is now eating regular food again, although sometimes it does take a few offerings of it.  Generally though he is pretty good.  Offer, he rejects.  Wait a second, offer, he rejects.  Wait another second, offer and he accepts.  He's quite big on feeding himself and if he wont eat that will almost always work.  Yesterday we were practicing 'scoop'.  Which he said as he did it, right before he was done and mushed and swiped it all over the floor.  Thanks Simon!
• Both boys are becoming more independent.  Yesterday was only the second time I had taken Simon with me to get the face washers and put them in the bath.  I gave them to him, he stood up and walked all the way into the bathroom and threw them in.  I didn't say a thing.  No holding my hand, nothing.  Awesome!
• He loves cuddles and tickles and generally playing.  He's not so big on stories, not longish ones anyway.  A board book is all he can handle and sometimes not even all of one of those.  If he does want me to read him a book he picks it up and climbs into my lap to listen.  Who's the boss?  He loves his cars and wheels of any and every kind.  He loves to draw and says "pen" and the colours.  I'm quite surprised that he can say 'yellow'.  Love him!