17 Months Old

Caleb is 17 months old today. He has definitely entered the "Mr. Independent" phase of being a toddler. He wants to do everything by himself. Over the last several weeks, he has starting using forks and spoons to feed himself. He absolutely refuses to be fed by me or anyone else. This means that he has been making quite a mess feeding himself stuff like yogurt, spaghetti, soup, and oatmeal. He continues to be a good eater and usually eats whatever Jon and I are having for dinner.
Caleb and Jon have a game that they love to play with a pair of Jon's old sunglasses. We turn on the music and whoever is wearing the sunglasses has to dance. First Jon wears them and does a dance. Then he puts them on Caleb, and he dances. This boy absolutely loves to dance! He dances anytime that he hears any type of music or beat. At bedtime, we will ask him to pick out another book to read, and he will start dancing around the room instead. I think he gets this trait from his father!
Another one of Caleb's latest obsessions is shoes. He is constantly bringing me a pair of his shoes and asking me to put them on him. He has spent quite a few nights walking around the house in his diaper and crocs only. His clothes usually come off in layers throughout the day because of all of his self-feeding.
Many fun personality traits have become apparent as Caleb is becoming more and more independent. However, Jon and I are learning how to deal with tantrums. Caleb is currently in a phase in which he just starts screaming when he doesn't get what he wants. He has quite a loud scream, and I am trying to make a careful effort to not just let him have his way and reinforce this bad behavior. But, it is a really loud scream! We are working on it! Each day brings both delightful and frustrating moments!