Sickie

You came down with what we believe is the stomach flu yesterday, buddy. We're doing everything we can to keep you comfortable, but you're pretty pathetic. It breaks my heart to see you so sad and sick. Luckily, I leave you in the capable hands of Dr. Daddy while I'm at work.

The left is a picture from last week. The right is from tonight. The sad, sick eyes are the worst. I know you'll be back to yourself before too long, but I have to worry about you. You're my baby.

While the cat's away...

Daddy left this morning for an interview. So it is just us for a few days. It is the first time either of us has been away from you. Poor Daddy is missing you something fierce. Me, on the other hand, I'm trying to hold down the fort on my own. I'll never admit it, but you scare me. I need Daddy here for backup! However, I am enjoying trying recipes that make your Daddy nervous. Tonight, we're having Chicken Spaghetti Squash Pad Thai. Stop making that face.

This stay at home mom stuff is tough! Luckily, you're a lot of fun so it's worth it.

P, D, what!?

Last night at a fundraising dinner, Daddy and I were pointing to the letters burned into the table.  You love letters and words.  You grab my hand and point to each word or letter that you want me to read.

Imagine our surprise last night, when you started saying, "P" and "D" when we would point to the letters P and D.  I don't know if you knew what you were saying or made the association, but it was very exciting for Daddy and I.

You have the "e" ending letters down.  We hear lots of "B," "D," "V," "P," and "T."  Maybe we'll try flashcards again...promise not to eat them this time?

You'll be chattering about your day before we know it.

15 Months

Age:  15 Months

Everyone says how big you look in this picture...I think you look big in every picture.  Where did my baby go?!

Weight:  24 pounds, 12 ounces

Height: 31 inches

Favorite activity:  You are obsessed with your blocks.  You spend hours upon hours playing with them.  It is amazing to see how you've figured them out.  When we first put them out, you'd get a couple out and carry them around, but you didn't understand how they fit together.  Now, you're building towers, you're sorting the blocks by color, and you're rolling your cart all over.  You definitely love your blocks.

You are so silly...

Honorable mentions:  You love playing in different rooms of the house.  You've finally realized there is more to the house than just the living room and you're dying to check it ALL out.  Like I said earlier, we're slowly releasing you into the wilds of the house, but you're like a tiny tornado.  Destruction follows you wherever you go.

Least favorite activity:  Diaper changes again.  It's like you hate losing a single second of play time.  You try to turn over and play with the diaper rash ointments in the changing table basket.  The other night, in mid-hissy fit, you bonked yourself in the head with a box of diaper rash cream.  Didn't phase you a bit, but it made Daddy and I giggle.

Milestones:  Baby's First Snow Day!  Plus, you have had a language explosion.  You're learning new words/phrases every day.

You spent an afternoon figuring out what your magnetic letters would stick to in the kitchen.

New Activity:  You have started shaking your head randomly.  I don't believe you're saying no, I think you're just enjoying the way the room wobbles when you shake your head.

Yesterday, I came home from school and Daddy showed me this video.  Talk about striking fear in a Mama's heart.  Your daddy and I are in so much trouble now.  It looks like our days of putting things out of your reach are over.

Words:   "Yummy!"  One night, I made you a turkey and cheese quesadilla and gave you some guacamole to dip it in.  As you are inhaling your quesadilla, you started saying "yummy."  Yummy, yummy, yummy.  I'm glad you approve, son.

You also added "no" to your list of words.  During our fourth snow day (4th!!!), you had an odor so Daddy asked you (like we always do), "Robbie, do you need to change?"  Generally, you sign change and we go change your diaper.  Today, you clearly said, "No" and kept playing.  We asked you several more times and each time you would answer, "no" and continue playing.  Finally, Daddy asked you, "Robbie, do you love me more than Mama?"  To which you replied, "No."  Whew...maybe this no thing won't be so bad.  Ha.  Yeah, right.

Your current words:
1.  Mama
2.  baby
3.  Daddy
4.  kitty
5.  more
6.  please
7.  ball
8.  hi
9.  bye
10.  Mickey
11.  hello
12.  yummy
13.  no
14. piggy

In the last few days, it seems like your language has exploded.  I don't know if I'm just imagining it, but the night before last, I swear you said, "I want {screech}..."  Then tonight, I was home no more than fifteen minutes and I swear you said, "No way!" and "Awww, man."  It's so exciting to finally get an insight into what you're thinking!  (Even if it is no.)

Signs:  "Help"  You also signed "change" the other day right before we had to change you.  I'm tempted to get you a potty if you're making the connection between change and potty.  No pressure, of course, just in case.

You're working on "again."  However, I'd like to officially lodge a complaint.  "Help,"  "again," and "more" all look extremely similar as do "ball" and "more."  Seriously ASL, it's challenging to try and decipher what you're trying to tell me.

Ack!  Take it off!  Take it off!  Take it off!

Sleep:  The morning nap is dead.  Sigh.  You have been fighting both morning and afternoon naps since you were about 10 months old.  A week or so after you turned 14 months old, you just stopped taking your morning nap.  You'd go back and lay down and babble or you'd be quiet for about 10 minutes and then you'd babble.  On the upside, you are so exhausted by the time you get to your afternoon nap (not a second before 1pm) that we barely have to hand you your binky and you're out cold.  Generally, you sleep about 2 hours, but we have had three hour nap days.  I think those are my favorite days.  I wish you'd go to sleep around noon though.  That would give us 5 hours before you nap and, with a 2 hour nap, about 5 hours after your morning nap.

You've also started fighting bedtime.  We go through the entire routine:  Sesame Street, teeth brushing, jammies, fresh night-time diaper, story, talk about our day, then rock and sing.  You rarely let me rock you anymore.  Then I put you in your crib and you start your evening routine.  Stand up, throw both your binks out of the crib, chew on the side of the crib, babble, bang your bink on the wall, throw your glow worm and seahorse out, and finally screeching/crying.  Daddy and I have agreed we only go back if you're crying so sometimes it's quite an interesting evening.  You carry on for anywhere from 30 minutes to two and half hours one night.  I keep asking Daddy if we should push your bedtime back, but you're so exhausted by 7-8pm you need to go to sleep.  I just wish you knew that.

Eventually you give up, get quiet, and fall asleep...but it's a process.  I've started tiptoeing in to check on you before I go to bed.  

One night I went in to check on you and found your sleep sack clad feet sticking out of your crib.  It made me giggle all night.

I didn't used to do that because our wood floors creak and you wake up as soon as you hear them.  However, you're my baby and I want to check on you.  For the most part, you stay asleep, so thank you.

Best Moment:  You've started giving kisses.  Not the open mouth drooly kisses that you used to give, but actual kisses.  I don't know who enjoys these impromptu kiss (and hug) sessions, but I'm going to savor them now.  Before I know it, you'll be like your Daddy and tell me that I can't kiss/hug you in front of your friends.

Worst Moment:  The night you threw a temper tantrum and banged your head on the coffee table because we wouldn't let you touch the laptop while we Skyped with Grandma and Grandpa stunk.  You have your Mama's temper.  This cannot be a good thing.

Oh the baby bedhead...the cuteness is too much.

Eating:  Black beans, veggies, lots of veggies, pork - you can't get enough pork.  Pulled pork, pork chops, pork tenderloin, you love it all.  We also reintroduced bananas and, knock on wood, you seem to be tolerating them well.  No break outs!

Favorite Food:  You love pork.  You cannot stand most beef and chicken/turkey can be hit or miss. 

Chocolate covered strawberries, Mama?  More please!

Teeth: Your two first year bottom molars are in and the top first year molar on the right is in (or mostly in).  Your molars make you miserable and your nose run like a faucet.  After about two weeks of constantly wiping your nose, it stopped running.  That makes me think that tooth is finally through.  I'll wait until Daddy is around to flip you over so I can see the top of your mouth because heaven knows I'm not sticking my hand in there...you bite!  You're also getting another bottom tooth.  That brings us to a grand total of 13...or 14.

One night, Grandma (trying to be helpful) started trying to figure out how many you had left.  Hearing "13 or 14 to go!" is not helpful.  Luckily, you only have 20 baby teeth.  Hearing "six to go!" is much more calming.  :)

Little Things

Last week, I had four snow days.  That is unheard of for this area, buddy.  Four snow days means that we got to spend seven whole days together.  It was a 7 day weekend!  It was wonderful.  Yesterday, when I gave Daddy the banana ice cream to feed you for your snack, Daddy voiced his concerns that you were used to my "gourmet" meals and that would would not be pleased when it was just the two of you again.

Today was a long day, but I always enjoy getting to spend my evenings with you.  Tonight, the living room looked like a bomb went off.  You had a good time playing today.  After dinner, you needed a diaper change.  You are completely uninterested in diaper changes so often, I open the baby gate and let you walk (run) to your room.  You come willingly (until it's time to be changed) and you love it.

Once you had a fresh diaper, I closed the doors to the hallway and let you play.  I consider it part of our plan to slowly release you into the wild...er, house.  The living room is your main play area, but we are slowly letting you play in other rooms when we are there with you to run interference and eliminate potential hazards.  My goal is for you to be more "free range" by summertime.  Anyway... you had a ball playing in the hallway.  You played for a good 20 minutes.

It was basically a whole lot of this...

Homecoming

Today was homecoming.  That means a headache for Mama.  However, you seemed to enjoy this year's "favor."

Enjoy little man!

Independent

Every once and a while, you will cry in the middle of the night.  Generally, it isn't anything bad.  You just lost your bink.  So Daddy and I will crawl out of our nice warm bed, tiptoe into your room, and give you back your binky.

Tonight, you took it a step further.  You woke up and realized your bink had fallen out of your mouth.  You cried your "Guys, I need my binky back" cry so I got out of bed and tiptoed into your room to give it to you before you completely woke up and we had another 2 hour Super Bowl party like last night.  I patted your mattress and found a binky.  Before I could put it in your mouth, you shifted, pulled a binky from behind your head, and popped it in your mouth.

You rarely sleep on your back, so when I saw you soundly sleeping with your arms resting behind your head, I had to take a picture.  When you grow up, don't judge me for my night vision pictures of you sleeping.  You're adorable...I want to savor that while you'll let me.

Have you and Daddy been watching David Copperfield while I'm a work?  You'll be completely independent before we know it...hopefully sans binky.