Happy half birthday, Rhett Micah Dixon

My precious baby boy, Rhett Micah Dixon, just turned 18 months old. For the 1st year of his life we called him Mr. Serious becase he didn't smile much or cry either. He would just furrow his brow and study you or what ever was going on. But now he is the class clown, especially at the dinner table. He is always "playing jokes" and trying to make us laugh. His check-up confirmed that he is tall and skinny.
Weight - 23.2 lbs. (15%)
Height -  33 in.      (70%)
Head -   47 cm     (30%)

About Rhett a.ka. The Silent Destroyer or Buggy (short for June Bug):

• Signs 32 words, but only says 4 words verbally (kind of). He learned sign language in the Sign and Sing Kindermusik class we go to on Tuesdays in Coppell.
• Plays "Where is it." He hides something behind his back or under, behind, or in something then he shakes his finger to sign "Where." Then we try to look for it and he finds it and shows it to us all excited and proud of himself. 

• 

  Kellyn did not wrap him up in toilet paper.
  We found him like this.

  If he doesn't like something or is finished with something he will throw it in the trash can, bowls, spoons, cups... He will also throw our trash away, which is so kind and helpful.
• Gets upset when he can't find his big sister or if she closes her bedroom door.  
• Thinks his big sister is hilarious and laughs at her far more than his parents. 
• He takes 1 nap a day for about 3 hours, but wakes up cranky. We try to give him space for about 30 minutes after nap and just sit quietly in the living room before getting a snack or moving on to a new activity. 
• He still has not had his first hair cut, but getting closer.
• He has been struggeling with separation anxiety which is new for me as my 1st born never went through it. But Rhett cannot be left in the gym nursery or with sitters during life group meetings. We make him go to church and he does pretty well with the other babies around, but about 10 minutes before church lets out he is hysterically crying.
• Points out his and everyone elses mouth, nose, eyes, and ears.
• Plays the harmonica, which is the funniest thing ever to watch because he squats down and dances like Blues Brother while playing it.
• Plays the drum and dances along to any song.

Things Rhett likes:

• Cooking with big sister's toy pots and pans and pretend food. But also with my big pans. We have to take cooking utensils with us in the car, to restaurants or to Kellyn's gymnastics class to keep him entertained.
• Loves cheese!
• Loves "reading" & listening to books!
• Loves to run and scream outside. Both kids now scream on walks. I pull them in the wagon while walking the dog and they will scream then laugh, scream then laugh... You can hear us coming down the street for sure. Joggers always laugh as the pass us.
• To pray. Randomly throughout the day he will fold his hands under his chin and look at you to tell you he wants to pray. We pray about 10 times a day (about 3 of those times are at the dinner table).
• Switching the light switch on and off.
• Using a fork or a spoon even on a sandwich.
• Sitting on everything, books, water bottles, doll houses...as if to test to see if the item can hold his weight.
• Cars and tools that make sound or have buttons
• The Ball Popper and kicking balls. 
• Climbing on top of things like tables.
• Cleaning, washing, and/or wiping off his hands.
• His Aggie cap.
• Kissing our dog, Miss Lily.

Personality

Being a parent coach and all I, of course, assessed my child’s personality. At this point in time I have declared him to be Interpersonal/ Affective/ Cognitive (exactly like his father and similar to his Uncle Jacob although Uncle Jacob would be Affective 1st and Interpersonal 2nd).

He is so kind and tender hearted. We must go easy on him because his sensitive little spirit can’t take it. He cries when big sister cries or if he thinks he has hurt her or when he gets in trouble. As a perfectionist, he’ll criticize himself enough without a parent’s help. He is a people pleaser. He will not like loud noises, bright lights, over stimulation (i.e. scary movies or rock concerts). He is fun loving, enjoys life, and will have lots of friends.

Interpersonal children, like my baby boy, need appreciation and trust. They are the happy-go-lucky kind of kid with an easy going, laid back personality. They are usually not that organized or in a hurry. He will need step by step directions and instructions. Since men are visual he will probably do better if I show him a picture of what I want him to go get or do. These children listen well, but because he has a male brain he will forget what I told him to do if it is not important to him or exciting. He will only be able to remember about 2 steps in a process at a time.

He is likely to be highly perceptive and intuitive. He will feel things deeply. Sometimes shy, they like to feel included in the family. They value secure relationships and stable environments and don’t fare well with transitions unless prepared beforehand. These children feel disharmony deeply and might internalize it. Friendly conversations and clear communications that don’t threaten or punish are advised. Rhett will mostly need to feel through things before making decisions and crave acknowledgement for his creativity. He will want to be the center of attention, but might be too shy to say it and won’t want to upset anyone. These Affective kids learn by doing.

As far as potty training goes I can tell he will be an Internalizer (Cognitive/ Interpersonal) so we won’t rush him.