15 & 16 Month Update

It's been awhile since my last update, and lots has happened! Summer is in full swing and Kaitlyn and I have been keeping Mommy busy!

Stats:

At my 15 month appointment I weighed 20 lbs, 5 oz and measured 30 inches. I'm definitely on the smaller side for my age, just like Kaitlyn was.

Development:

I've turned into such a climber. No matter where I am, I always have to be at the highest point possible, even if it just means standing on top of a book on the floor. I've even figured out how to push the toddler chairs around so I can use them as a step to get higher. If Mommy turns her back on me for one minute, she'll usually find me in the middle of climbing or standing on top of something. What she should really do is pull me off before I fall, but instead she takes pictures.

I haven't added many new words to my vocabulary, but it's obvious I know them when I hear them. I can understand and follow simple commands, such as: throw that in the trash, put the shoes in the closet, give Brady a treat, sit down, wash hands, brush teeth, go find your blanket, give Brady a kiss. However, I don't seem to understand (or I know to ignore) commands like "get off that," "come here," or "sit still!"

I'm also getting good with animal sounds. When prompted, I can make the sounds of a sheep, cow, dog, horse, cat, elephant, and duck.

Activities:
I LOVE playing outside, whether it's at a playground or in our backyard. At home, whenever Mommy asks if I want to go outside, I'll run to get my shoes, then run to the backyard door and wait for her to open it. My favorite things to do in the backyard are taking rides in the wagon, throwing around Brady's toys, trying to pick the strawberries, and playing with the water tables.

Kaitlyn had summer school for four weeks, and everyday after class we would hang out with a bunch of her classmates and their younger siblings at the school's playground. It was like a big play date everyday. I started recognizing all of her friends, their siblings, and their parents and would greet everyone with a wave and a "hi!" We all kinda miss that it's over now.

I've also been attending weekly classes at Junior Gym. I like running around playing with all the balls and equipment, and especially bubble time. But I have yet to get used to the parachute. I cry every time I'm placed on it.

Eating:

I've started to get pickier with food. Either I will eat everything I am given or I will just play with my food and drop it on the floor. It doesn't help that I've started trying to use my utensils, so even more food gets dropped on the floor in the process. Current favorites include scrambled eggs (everyday for breakfast), broccoli, rice with any kind of sauce or gravy, and fish. I almost never turn down snacks like Kix, goldfish crackers, rice crackers, and applesauce pouches. But I don't seem as interested in fruit as I used to be, and don't seem to care much for cheese or pizza (shocker!). 

I drink about a cup of milk at each sitting, but will only drink it out of those Take n' Toss straw cups since that's what Kaitlyn uses. There are so many leakproof straw cups that I could be using to drink more efficiently, but I refuse to use any of them since I only want what my sister has.

Teeth:

I have 8.5 teeth - four on top and four on the bottom, plus half of a molar that's starting to cut through. That should explain why I was so fussy/cranky a few weeks ago.

Sleep:
We've had our ups and downs with sleep but right now we're in a pretty good place. I go to bed around 7:30-8pm each night and wake up around 6-6:30am. There are still occasional night wakings, but not as often as before. I figured out that if I stand up and throw my blanket over the crib, someone will come in and rescue me. Lately that someone has been Daddy, since Mommy is weak and got into a habit of nursing me back to sleep. We've finally managed to eliminate almost all nighttime feedings except for the 5am feedings, which usually buy another hour or two of sleep.

We were trying to consolidate to one nap, but with Kaitlyn's summer school ending at 11:45am every day it was a little difficult. It was either let me take an early nap and wake me up in the middle of it to go pick Kaitlyn up, or try to keep me awake until we got home at 1pm. Now that summer school is over I usually start my nap about four hours from when I last woke up, so anywhere between 10-11am.

Disposition:
I'm a fun, happy boy that loves to climb, explore, and play outside. I absolutely adore my big sister and am always trying to play with the same things that she is playing. I don't seem to be very shy and am always waving and saying hi to people in public.

I've given Mommy and Daddy a preview of what my tantrums will look like. They usually happen when I see something I want to eat and it's not given to me, or when I'm holding onto something that Mommy has to pry out of my hands. I will shut my little eyes and roll around on the floor screaming and crying. I've also mastered the arms-straight-up, arching-back position when Mommy tries to pick me up. We can tell that once these tantrums become full-blown, they will be ugly.