Ash - 15 months

Starting to look like a big boy

Size: At my appointment on Monday, I weighed in at 18.6 lbs and measured 31" long.  This put me in the 1st% for weight and the 47th% for height.  The doctor was very impressed with the significant leap in my weight (I was only 16.8 lbs @ my 12 mo check-up), and mom's very happy considering I just had a stomach bug a couple weeks ago and hardly ate for two days.  I'm wearing exclusively 12 mo pants and pj's (though w/my bulky night-diaper pj's are starting to get snug).  Momma just got a couple boxes of clothes from a friend of Aunt Lindsey's in 18 & 24 mo sizes, so she pulled out a few of the Gerber and Carter's brand onesies b/c they run skinny and 18mo fits pretty well.

These shark galoshes were in the box of clothes we got; aren't they CUTE!?

Physical development: I'm still not quite walking, but momma's convinced it's just a mental block at this point.  Just yesterday I let go of her hand for 4-5 steps to get to the chair daddy was sitting in b/c she wasn't going fast enough for me, and I was pushing my walker around with only one hand.  I can turn it and change momentum, so I've got my balance; it's just a matter of deciding I'm ready to go on my own.  I've also been working on my fine motor skills lately.  Between my stacking blocks train and playing with puzzles, I've been getting in a lot of practice.

Still obsessed with lights, and practicing with my walker

Verbal development: I've pretty much hit a 2 yr old level with my verbal skills.  I'm regularly putting together 2-3 word phrases, and I love trying out new words I hear people say.  I've been listening to audiobooks and radio theater in the car and love parroting the words in those too.  I know my colors (sometimes I confuse green/yellow or pink/purple, but I'm only 15 mos old; give me a break! ;-D) and am learning my shapes by working on my shape puzzle or shape ball (the Tupperware toy) with mommy.  I still read like a maniac and love coming home from the library with a new batch of books to read over and over.

Read to me, read to me

Other developments: I've been eating yogurt every day or two for a couple weeks without any noticeable side effects, so momma's ready to start giving me cheese and even whole milk soon.

Yogurt face

I LOVE yogurt!

Routines: Momma got a new job, so our schedule has gotten a lot stricter the past few weeks.  We take three boys to/from school each day, so now we have to live by the clock.  Momma wakes me up at 6:30am for my morning nursing session (the only one I still regularly take), then we get dressed and eat a quick breakfast so we can leave just after 8am to pick up the boys.  We drop them off at school, then we have a couple hours to play or run errands before lunch at 11am so I can nap a couple hours before momma wakes me at 2:45 to go pick the boys up from school.  I eat a small snack in the car while we wait for middle school to get out.  We get back home after 4pm and (if the weather's nice) walk to the mailbox to get the mail, then daddy's home and momma starts cooking dinner.  We eat together, and then I play or bathe, and we start the bedtime routine around 6:30pm.  Since I'm stuck in the car seat for at least 2 hrs a day, momma's been trying to make sure I get some good active time before lunch and before dinner.

Fun at the park - I really like playing with "mulck"

Special events: The weather has been back and forth, but the days when it's been nice, momma tries to take me to the park or go for a jog in the stroller.  Our neighbor had his back yard and half his front yard xeriscaped a couple weeks ago, and I LOVED watching the loader scooping and dumping rocks.  I could watch them for an hour without getting bored.  Momma even let me stand on the windowsill behind the couch and watch them work.  It was so much fun!

LOADER!!

We've also been hanging out at Uncle Mark & Aunt Melissa's a lot lately b/c they're going to be moving soon, and daddy and mommy have been helping them pack boxes.  Arianna and I just play and snack and try to stay out of the way while the adults work.

My favorites: We found two more Otis books at the library : Otis & the Tornado and Otis & the Puppy.  I love both of these and usually ask for one of them for bedtime/naptime.  I also ask momma to sing "Lollipop" at least a couple times a day, and am happy as long as she's singing or reading or quoting books to me.  I'm still crazy about anything with wheels - trucks, cars, airplanes, bikes, strollers, etc.

Clothes pin fun (or not)

Upcoming: The most exciting thing happening this month is that Aunt Lindsey will be having her baby sometime in the next week or so, and we're all very eager to meet Isaiah!  This weekend mommy's friends (Jennifer & Morgan) are coming to visit for a couple days.  Then the first week in May, Lola is coming to visit for a week.  Daddy is taking the week off and we're planning a photo shoot, a trip to the zoo, and a Mother's Day celebration while she's here.  I'll probably get to stay with Lola while momma and daddy go to a movie, too!  She's going to love reading and playing with me, and I'm going to love having an extra adult to pay attention to me all week!