The One with the Sixteen Month Update

Guess who's late to the party again?  At least this time I have an excuse.  School is back in session and every year I forget how tired I get at the beginning...  Also, I started this post last weekend, but am just getting around to finishing it now.

Liam Michael you are

SIXTEEN MONTHS OLD!

Summer vacation is officially over and Mama is back in school (and so are you...more on that in a bit!). 

What are your stats and what does the doctor say?

We are guessing you are right around 32 pounds now and I swear you grow out of clothes every day.  We go back to see Dr. G. in November.

What are you eating?

You are still an excellent eater most of the time.  You do go through phases of not loving certain foods that seemed to be your favorite just days before, but most days you eat very well.  You still love fruit of all kinds, macaroni, cheese, eggs, and hummus.  You are still drinking whole milk and are only drinking that with your meals.  You have water in between meals and are no longer drinking anything before bed.

When do you sleep and eat?

As the summer was winding down and Mama was getting ready to go back to work, we tried to keep you on a consistent schedule most days.  You are awake between 6:00 and 6:30 and you explore around the house for a bit while Mommy and Daddy get ready for work.  On the days you go to school, you eat breakfast around 6:45.  On the days you are home with Nana, you usually don't have anything until closer to 7:30 (you usually sleep a little later on those days as well).  At school, you have another "breakfast" around 9:00 and eat lunch at 11:30.  You take a nap at school (on a good day) from 12:30-2:30.  When you are home with Nana or on the weekends, you still sometimes need a morning nap.  If you take a morning nap, you will do another nap around 3:00.  We do dinner around 5:45 and you are asleep by 7:30 on most nights.

What size clothes and diapers are you wearing?

You are still in 18 month and 18-24 month clothes, but you are wearing 24 month pajamas and some 24 month summer clothes before it gets too chilly for them.  You are still in size 4 Pampers Cruisers during the day and size 5 Huggies Overnites with a liner at night.  You wear a size 6 shoe, but those are starting to get a little tight.

What are some things you love?

You are so into big trucks, buses, and anything that moves lately.  During our walks, you love to point out mail trucks, diggers, and dump trucks.  You are all boy!  You still love going outside to play and we are soaking up every last minute of nice weather.  You love looking at books and will bring them over to us to read with you.  You still love Max's water and food dishes and have managed to dump several bowls of water all over the place in recent days.  You still love walks in your stroller and going to the library to play with all the toys there.  You like to play with all the kitchen tools and will make noise with anything you can (including banging bowls and spoons on the glass slider doors!). You also love to roll around, jump and play on Mommy and Daddy's bed.

What are your favorite books and toys?

You would have us read Little Blue Truck Leads the Way to you over and over again!  You also love The Very Hungry Caterpillar, Tumble Bumble, and Moo, Baa, La La La.  Right now, your favorite toys are kitchen spoons and bowls, Nana's plastic cup, and Mommy's brushes.  You still love your lawn mower too!  Everything still goes in your mouth so there are a lot of things that are still off limits to you.

What are some things you don't love?

Diaper changes are a battle lately and you just don't like to sit still for that long.  You don't like being in your high chair for too long and will get mighty cranky if we don't clean you up fast enough.  You are getting frustrated with your inability to talk when we can't understand what you want and it has certainly been difficult for everyone.

What is your behavior like?

Despite your moments of true toddler-style split personality, you really are a great little boy.  You get so animated when you are excited and flash that amazing smile to anyone who is looking.  However, you are exerting your independence and making it known that you are here and want to make decisions.  We are working on setting limits, giving you consequences, and helping you to understand right and wrong as much as is possible at your age.  

What can you do?

This month, you learned how to "knock" on a door when you want to go in and Daddy taught you how to do a fist bump.  Nana taught you how to do Ring Around the Rosey and you think it's hysterical to fall down at the end.  You have also been using a spoon and fork with more accuracy (although it's still quite a mess with the spoon!).  You learned to climb on things this month and get so excited when you climb on top of the slide or your rocking chair and then "jump" into our arms.

All boy loves dirt, huh?

What are you saying?

Still no real words little man.  This is getting harder and harder for you and us, but we know it will happen when you are ready.  You have definitely starting being even more verbal since school started.

How many teeth do you have?

You officially have 16 teeth but we have a sneaking suspicion that those 2 year molars are going to make an appearance sooner rather than later.

What are some firsts from this month?

This month, you went to the zoo for the first time with Mommy and Daddy.  You really enjoyed watching the elephants and giraffes.  You had a playdate with all three of your girlfriends and were very sweet to the babies.  The biggest thing this month was that you started school two days a week.  You also played at the beach with some friends and actually enjoyed it!

How is school going?
You started school during the last week in August.  We did a trial run before Mommy actually went back to school and you did one short day and one longer day that week.  Now that Mommy is back in school full time, you are going on Thursday and Friday from 7:45-3:45.  So far, you have been doing well and seem to enjoy going there (Mommy on the other hand cries about it regularly).  You love to play outside and have even gone to the playground on a little "field trip."  You have painted and played in sensory bins.  Your eating and napping have been going well while you are at school on most days.  Just this week (which is technically part of your 17 month post), you have started to get more clingy and cry when I leave you there in the morning. It completely breaks my heart to see you sad and upset, but you have recovered and done well for the rest of the day (I obviously called to check in on you!).

Your first piece of artwork from school.

What are we looking forward to in the next month?

This month, we will do some fall activities (apple picking, playing with leaves) and spend a weekend in Connecticut to celebrate some special birthdays.  We will also celebrate Daddy's birthday toward the end of the month.  You will also get your first haircut...Mommy isn't thrilled about this, but the hair is in your eyes and driving you crazy!  We are also going to soak up the nice weather with lots of outside time.

This month has certainly been a lot of fun, Mr. Man.  We are looking forward to seeing how you change and grow in the coming weeks.

The One with the Fifteen Month Update

Yes, I'm way late on this.  No excuse other than raising a human.

Liam Michael you are

FIFTEEN MONTHS OLD!

Summer vacation has been tons of fun around here and Mama is loving all the time she gets to spend with you.

What are your stats and what does the doctor say?

We visited Dr. G. earlier this week and you weighed in at 31 pounds, 1 ounce.  You are 32 inches tall.  You are above average in both height and weight, but your giant head size has started to level off! Dr. G. was happy with everything that's been going on with you and said you seem like a great kid (Mommy and Daddy agreed!).  Mommy talked to him a little about your speech (or lack thereof) and he didn't seem concerned at this point.  We are going to wait it out for a bit and see how things go in the next few months.  

What are you eating?

Eating continues to be one of your favorite things to do (see your stats above!).  You haven't tried anything new this month, but still enjoy all your staples - fruit, macaroni, chicken, yogurt, and cheese.  You are using a spoon and fork with a little more independence, although it does make meals even messier!  You are still drinking whole milk, but everything is now in a straw cup...no more bottles in this house!  You haven't been too interested in much milk before bed, so we are thinking it won't be long before you are going to bed without any. 

We bribe you with apples at the grocery store to keep you from causing a ruckus!

 And then there was that day you ate a whole tomato.  Weirdo!

When do you sleep and eat?

Things have changed a little with your sleep this month, mostly to try to get you ready for daycare (more on that later).  You are awake most mornings by 6:30, although when Daddy was on vacation you were sleeping until at least 7:00.  Once your diaper is changed, you get your cup of milk and roam the house while Daddy gets ready for work and Mommy gets organized for the day.  We usually do breakfast around 7:30.  If we are out and about in the morning (errands, swim class, etc.), you don't take a morning nap.  Lunch is a little earlier on those days because you are ready to go down for a nap by 12:30ish.  On a good day, you sleep for about two hours.  If you do take a morning nap, you nap later in the afternoon and those naps tend to be an hour to an hour and a half each.  Dinner is around 5:30 and you are still asleep by 7:30 most nights.

What size clothes and diapers are you wearing?

You are still in 18 month and 18-24 month clothes, but you are wearing 24 month pajamas and a few summer outfits in that size too.  You are still in size 4 Pampers Cruisers during the day and size 5 Huggies Overnites with a liner at night.

What are some things you love?

You are still a huge fan of being outside.  You will stand at the slider and bang until we put your shoes on and take you out (and you get mighty mad when you can't go outside).  You love going in your swing that Daddy finally put up.  You love pushing your Fisher Price Puppy Walker around and have learned to back it up when you crash it into something.  You are taking more of an interest in cars and trucks and have played with your big Legos more this month.  You still love walks in your stroller and wagon and Mommy even got brave enough to take Max with us on our wagon walks (it's a hot mess but you both enjoy it!).  You like to snuggle with your giant stuffed bear and will tackle it on the floor.  You love looking at pictures and videos of yourself and have been "playing" with your reflection in the mirror.  You also love anything with a straw and Mommy and Daddy can't leave their drinks around unless they want them to get swiped!  You are a huge fan of lawn mowers and big construction vehicles.

What are your favorite books and toys?

You are still loving books and will pick out ones for us to read together every night.  At the moment, you love Good Dog, Carl, Goodnight Moon, Sheep in a Jeep, and Can You Find Colors?.  You love your Bubble Mower and Cozy Coupe.  You also love anything you can't have - the pill bottles, the sugar bowl, the glass dishes.  You love playing with the phones and remotes.

What are some things you don't love?

You, like every other toddler in the world, do not like it when things don't go your way or you can't have something you want.  You are a pretty happy boy, but you can definitely get angry when life isn't going the way you want it to.  Hence, the next category...

What is your behavior like?

Living with a toddler is kinda like living with Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde.  One minute, life is fabulous and wonderful and the next, there is a full blown meltdown for no apparent reason.  You are certainly in the throes of toddler-dom, my friend.  You have taken to minor tantrums and will definitely cry and kick if you are upset.  You are also a hitter and attempt to bite.  A lot of this has to do with inability to verbally communicate what you want.  You try to tell us something with pointing or noises, we don't understand, you get frustrated and then do a split onto the floor while you scream.  You are usually able to be redirected pretty easily ("Liam, let's go find Max."  "Liam let's go play with the bowls and spoons.") and are still a sweet and happy kid for the most part.

Letting you dig into the makeup or tear up magazines in the only way Mommy gets a chance to pee during the day!

What can you do?

This month, you learned to blow kisses (well half blow kisses - you put your hand up to your mouth).  You also can now do the signs for open and timer (we made this one up to show when you wanted the oven timer on).  You have half of the sign for thank you as well.  You are learning about "nice boy hands" - for you this means gently scratching someone.  Let Mommy explain this one...several weeks ago when you were hitting Max, we showed you how to scratch his back and "do nice" to him.  Now, anytime we tell you to use "nice boy hands" to us, you "scratch" us like you would do to Max!  It's better than hitting!  You have also learned to stick your finger up your nose and you think it's pretty funny when you do it.  You put your hands up in the air when someone asks you a question you don't know the answer to as if you are saying "I don't know."

What are you saying?

You still don't have any words and as mentioned above, the doctor isn't concerned yet.  Mommy and Daddy aren't either, but it helps to hear it from the doctor too.  Your receptive vocabulary is awesome and you understand so much of what we say.  We are encouraging you to say something anytime you want something, instead of only pointing and making noises.  So, when Mommy tells you to say "phone" and you come out with an eight syllable "word", at least you are realizing you need to say something!  

How many teeth do you have?

You officially have 16 teeth and will go to the dentist for the first time in October.

What is Mommy and Daddy's Parents of the Year moment this month?

This one is all Mommy.  You were playing in Mommy and Daddy's bedroom with Mommy one afternoon.  With Mommy standing right there, you tripped over your own feet and your mouth hit the side rail of the bed.  You instantly started screaming and all Mommy saw was blood.  You had managed to hit just under your lip against the bed and there was a pretty big cut.  It didn't take you too long to settle down, but the bleeding would not stop.  We were very close to taking you to the hospital to see if you needed stitches.  The bleeding finally stopped after what felt like hours and you were completely fine by that evening.  Mommy is still recovering!

Yes, that is blood all over the towel and a swollen and cut lip as a result of the fall.

What are some firsts from this month?

This month has been a busy one for firsts.  You went swimming in the pond for the first time with Daddy.  You also started swim classes at the YMCA.  You were not pleased for the first 10 minutes or so of the first class (the water was a little chilly), but now you absolutely love it.  You splash and kick and don't want to leave when class is over.   You went blueberry picking at the farm.  You took your first ride on an airplane to North Carolina.  You did very well, although being confined on Mommy's lap got old real fast.  You went to your first wedding while we were down there, but you were home in bed before the real fun started.  You also helped Daddy mow the lawn and rode on a turtle's back.

"You mean you want me to jump into that big bathtub?"

It was very Blueberries for Sal - you ate way more than went into your bucket!

 Cutest little wedding guest ever.

Benjamin Franklin - the 60 year old, 350 pound turtle on the side of the road in North Carolina...only in the South.

What are we looking forward to in the next month?

While Mommy is most definitely not looking forward to this, you start "school" at the end of the month.  You are going to be there two days a week when Mommy goes back to work and Nana will watch you the other three days.  We will be going to visit your "girlfriends" in CT for a playdate.  We are also planning to take you to your first baseball game.

While you can certainly be a handful at times, you are so very fun and full of personality and we love you so much!