15 Months Old

Hi dear baby boy,

I love you so much. You are just the most precious little thing that I am so blessed to see and hold every single day. It's been so sad this week because you have croup, and it just would not go away, even with the steroids that the doctor gave you to help your throat not be so swollen. We had to go get the steroids a second time and your hoarse voice is gone... but you still cough a little bit. I can tell it's better, but it's still hard to watch you be in so much pain and so tired and sick. I wish I could take it away, but all I can do is hold you and let you watch cartoon songs on youtube in my lap or lying on the bed all day.

Today you finally have some energy back, so I followed you wherever you wanted to go exploring outside today. I didn't even make you come inside until you wanted to. Every walk we take you gather rocks in your hands and carry them the whole time. When we get back to our little apartment, you bang the rocks on the metal railing and you love the sound it makes.

You just got your first tricycle. It's so cute and you love it! Your feet almost reach far enough to use it yourself.

We spend most of our days playing, reading, building legos, going for walks, playing at the playground, going to playgroup with friends, eating, and sleeping.

All about you at 15 months old:

• You are still 25 pounds and growing like a weed. You are so tall!
• Your a social butterfly - wherever we go you will walk up to groups of strangers and just look at them, sometimes you say hi to them.
• You love hugging other kids.
• You love kisses.
• When you're done eating in your highchair you throw any remaining food off. It's so frustrating and we can't get you to stop it! haha, but you find it funny and will throw things off pretty fast before we catch you.
• You love the spacebar (on the computer keyboard) and the mouse. You've learned that the spacebar will stop and start your videos.
• You love cell phones and get nervous when someone answers the calls you make.
• When we go somewhere new, you shoot off and start exploring everywhere you can go.
• We left you in nursery without us for 30 minutes and you didn't care we were gone (my calling is a nursery leader).
• In the mornings I have to be the one to get you. I try to sleep in, but if Daddy gets you then you cry and knock on my door until I come out. He can usually distract you for a little bit, but you need your momma cuddles first thing.
• You love falling into our soft bed.
• You make faces at yourself in the mirror. I even caught you looking at yourself while you fake cried to see what you look like. haha.
• You love to laugh. You fake laugh if all the adults around you are laughing.
• You love to dance. Your newest dance move is lifting your shoulders up and down.
• Your crib is right next to a dresser; when we leave you in there to sleep, you will open the top drawer and empty all of Daddy's garments out.
• You like looking under things like couches and cars, or if there's a hole you like to look in it and see what's there.
• You love water. Baths are the highlight of your day. If it rained, you like to play in the rain gutters (as water drips out of them). If I turn the water on in the sink you fuss to be lifted up so you can play in the water.
• You love cameras. I can hardly get you to perform though because you just want to watch yourself on video.

Night Night

At 15 months old: You just walked to your crib, said "night night," and tried to crawl in... or climb in. It was sooooo cute! I'm so glad you learned to say "night night" from a friend who just babysat you this weekend. You actually asked for a nap!! Finally!! Hopefully this means the end of fighting naptime. Not like you were that bad anyway...

How I Describe You

When I'm telling other people about you, this is what I usually comment on:

• You're in the 90th percentile for height, weight, and head size.
• You've been 25 pounds for 4 months now.
• You are very independent and wander off on your own. You throw fits when I make you come inside rather than let you wander all over outside.
• You love books. You get excited when you hear me say "book" and you run and get a book and I help you carry it over so that we can sit down (with you in my lap) and read it.
• You've got really curly hair. I'm sad I had to cut it, it just looked like a serious fro sometimes.
• You are teething like crazy. Your 4 first molars are swollen and huge... you're not sleeping well as a result. Dear teeth - please pop through already.
• You are a mini-dadda
• You are addicted to the computer. I can't sit down at it without you coming straight over to get in my lap. You'll be very focused on anything I'm working on. You like to pull my hands off the keyboard and mouse... not sure why. We can't even walk by our room or else you'll see the computer and fuss to come in and sit here.
• You love phones. Everything you pick up can be used as a phone. You have practically destroyed my phone... it is now off-limits.
• You love kisses. You give kisses all the time. You even say "mwah" when kissing. You kiss your little toy figurines, also.
• You love crackers, cheerios, and bananas. That's pretty much your whole diet.
• You love to play with kids. If there is a kid you follow them everywhere laughing and flapping your arms.
• You like to sit in laps.
• You love to say hi to everyone.
• You get out of being in trouble by smiling and saying "hi" or "uh-oh" right after you do something you're not supposed to.
• You think walking is super fun.
• I could drop you off in nursery today and you would not even notice I wasn't in there. However, I am in there (as it is my calling) and so are you, I've left you in there for 20 minutes and you didn't care. I hope it's the same when you are 18 months.
• You love attention. You hate when I do the dishes and you just stand at my legs and fuss for me to pick you up. You like to be held. You like to be played with, you don't seem to entertain yourself very long.
• You are a flirt and love to be acknowledged for every little thing you do. If you climb onto your train, you look up and smile waiting for someone to applaud you... this is how it is with almost everything you do. So sweet.

Sadly, that picture of you looks like a toddler. Where is my sweet tiny baby?

Mr. Attitude

You have developed quite the attitude lately.

Don't get me wrong. You are still one of the easiest going babies on the planet... or toddlers, I should say.

But, when you don't want something, you show me. Rather than your cute little lip-pucker and turning away of the head... now, you grab whatever I'm offering and throw it on the floor!

Last night I tried to give you Ibuprofen to help you feel better (teething majorly) and you grabbed the cup and tried to chuck it. Luckily, I held on and saved it from being dumped all over the carpet. You do this with crackers and other food during the day... I tend to give you the wrong thing all the time. haha.

I'm not sure why you like to show me just how much you don't want that item... I think sometimes that you just like to throw things. Please go back to being sweet and accepting everything from me. Maybe when your molars finally poke through you'll be less agitated. You poor thing. Your teeth are hurting you so bad right now.

Side note: You are SUCH A SHOWOFF!! Your cousin Baylie (16 years old) came over yesterday and you tried to show off the whole time she was here. When you clapped, you'd look at her and smile and wait for her to notice. You played all your games and showed her how to put the toy envelope in the toy mailbox. You ran around and giggled. It was sooooooo funny!

Legos

I am so glad that we got you legos for your birthday. You LOVE stacking them. You put the legos together and pull them apart and put them back together again. You are really good at it, my talented little child.

Nighttime Lovey

In everything I read, it says that you will naturally have a "lovey" that you just HAVE to have to fall asleep at night. For awhile this lovey was a little stuffed bear with a rattle attached to it. You would tuck in between your legs and fall asleep.

Well... it is official... your new "lovey" is a book. You have a few favorite books and you haven't seemed to mind which book you fall asleep with... but you just HAVE to have a book.

Tonight you put the book down in the crib, then you laid down, and you rested your head right on the book. I swear you would have slept on that thing if I hadn't pulled it to the side for you to look at instead of sleep on.

You are my little bookworm. Your favorite thing to do all day long is read books. You keep going and getting a new book, then you bring the book to me or daddy and turn around and sit in our lap for us to read it together. This activity probably takes place about 5 times a day for about 30 minutes each time. You are obsessed with books. I love it.

Standing Up Part 2

You stood up tonight about 10 times all by yourself! I caught you in your bedroom practicing, then you came out to the living room and you purposely fell so that you had to practice getting up. It was so cute!

Today we played in the sand at the park and then went over to a friends and you played in their little blow up pool and in the sprinkler... but you couldn't stand up when you fell, so you got quite muddy crawling around!