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.

Snooooooooooooow!

Last night it snowed!  We had so much fun playing in the snow today.  Hopefully, we'll get to go back out tomorrow before it all melts.

Um...Mama?  What is this stuff?

Ok...it's a little cold.

Hey, Dad, where did the backyard go?

Hmm...my feet don't seem to move in this stuff.

Going...going...

Gone!  Oof!

Cutest snow-covered bum ever!

Mama, stop taking pictures and help me figure this stuff out!

Since it was pretty cold for a little guy (and you kept shaking your gloves off), we only stayed outside about 10 minutes.  When we came in and warmed up, I sent Daddy back outside to get some snow.  He brought in a tub of snow for us to play with.  It took a while for you to warm up to it...but once you did, oh brother did you love it!

Ack!  It's touching me!

Ok...I will touch it with my cup, but that's it!

Mama!  Save me from the cold stuff!

Oh, hi Kitty.  I will pet you since you're sitting by the gate so nicely.

Maybe this stuff isn't so bad afterall.

Wait, Dad said I could eat this stuff?!

Yum!  This stuff is delicious!

Once your hands started getting cold and red, Daddy grabbed the tub and took it to the kitchen while you were distracted.  It was hysterical when you came back to the blanket to continue playing with your snow tub and it was gone.  You spun around in a circle several times trying to figure out where it went.  Then you gave me this look:

Mother.  Where did my snow go?  It was here a minute ago!

Snow Day!

Today Mama had a snow day!  Hooray!  Right now, you don't understand what snow days are, but someday, buddy, you are going to be just as excited as I am about a snow day.

Of course, I woke up an hour earlier than I have to on work days and you slept an hour later than normal.  I got a lot done while you and Daddy were sleeping though.   Finally, around 8:30 I heard you chattering over the baby monitor.

Your bedhead this morning was adorable.

While you drank some milk and ate your strawberries and kiwi, I made you appleasauce pancakes.

...which you loved.

We had a wonderful chat while you ate breakfast and I made pancakes.  You ate two pancakes.  So you must have really liked them.

"Yes, Mama...you can kiss me, if I get another pancake."

After you finished breakfast, you played in your kitchen helper while I did the breakfast dishes.  You nose is running like a faucet because you are getting some molars.

I love this thing, Mama!  What else can I play with?

Then we went to the living room to play.  Daddy woke up and came out to play, too!

This is mostly what I see when you're playing.  You are constantly on the move!

You tried to escape...

"I know you and Daddy step on this thing and the gate opens...why isn't it working for me!?"

You read your books.

Then, you had your morning tired spell.  You've decided you don't need your morning nap anymore, but you get to a point when you want to cuddle and watch an episode of Sid or Mickey.  Once you've had your one episode, you are up and on the move again!

Watching Mickey together

After your rest period, we baked cookies!  I'm tempted to make this our snow day tradition, but there's all the cookies that would produce if we live anywhere but where we live now.

You did an excellent job mixing with your beater.

"Okay, Mama...now you mix it all together."

"Hang on...I think I should taste that dough to make sure it's ok."

Once the cookies we baking, you helped me vacuum the living room.

"Hey Mom, you missed a spot over here."

By then, it was time for lunch!

We had cucumbers and chicken and crackers.  It was all your favorite c's!

After your (3 hour!) nap, we played some more.

You pushed your wagon around the living room.

At some point, your socks disappeared.

"No Mama, I don't know where my socks are..."

We tried on hats so that we were prepared for the Snowpocolypse that was headed our way.

No, no Mama...this is YOUR hat.  Mine is green.

Finally, it was dinner.  We had Grandma's pepper steak.  You are still unimpressed with beef, but you loved the veggies, mushrooms, and quinoa.

"You're taking my picture...that means I'm eating something that will potentially cause me to make a face.  I'm on to you, Mother."

Yum!  Quinoa!

Finally, we snuggled up in Daddy's chair and watched our daily episode of Sesame Street.  It was a rerun, but you didn't seem to mind.  

Look up high / In the sky / It's a school! / It can fly!

And tomorrow, we get to do it all again!  I hope you enjoyed your first snow day, Little One.  Tomorrow we will play in the snow.  I can't wait to see your reaction to it!