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!

Ash - 14 Months

Reading Otis to Superbear

Size: Mommy just went through my drawers and put away all the old 6-9mo pants I was still wearing b/c they're all high-waters on me.  Some of the 12 mo pants fit, and some of them are too long so we have to roll them up.  I'm still only 17.5-18 lbs (depending on how recently I've eaten when you weigh me), and have grown another quarter of an inch.

Looking out the window with my buddy Dexter

Physical development: I'm still not quite walking yet, but I LOVE to walk holding fingers; I walk all around the house with help and even go to the mailbox every couple of days.  I've gotten sturdy enough to hold just one hand, but my parents are still trying to coax me to try independent steps for myself.  My fine motor skills are improving; I'm now able to put the stacking rings on by myself.

Evidence of my stacking ring skills

Verbal development: This is where most of my energy is spent.  Mommy estimates that my vocabulary has tripled in the last couple of months, but doesn't have the time or energy to try to make a list of all my words.  And in case you're wondering, even though she likes to be called momma, I only call her mom or mommy (for some reason "mommy" makes me giggle). I'm putting the ends on words ("booK" instead of "boo-") and attempting multi-syllabic words too (one of my favorites to do are the dog names).  I've already started stringing together two word sentences ("spoon hold please"), know most of the basic colors and common animal sounds (current fav: hee haw), and have been practicing please and thank you for requests.  I've even counted "one, two" and love my foam alphabet toys in the bath b/c I'm starting to pick up some of the letters' and numbers' names.  I've started to parrot things my parents say, and will repeat words I recognize as I listen in on conversations.

Asking for "milk"

Other developments:  I've started tolerating more acidic foods, so I'm really enjoying eating strawberries and oranges and spaghetti!  Also, mommy is finally able to eat dairy without it affecting me so much, so this week we're going to try out yogurt again and see if my stomach does better with it now.  Regardless of how my stomach does, I LOVE yogurt!

SPAGHETTI!

Routines: Mommy stopped nursing me to sleep at night and naps, so now I get a chance to nurse (to which I say no-thanks half the time) and brush teeth with mom.  Then is a game we call baby burrito where I get rolled on the floor in my blanket so I'm all wrapped up.  Next we read a couple books and sing a few songs, and I go to bed awake.  I've gotten pretty good at putting myself to sleep and only cry when something is wrong.  I've also switched from two daytime naps to just one long nap.  I go down after lunch and stay asleep for 2.5-3.5 hrs.  At night I sleep for about 12 hours, and from what I've researched I'll need this much nightly sleep for years to come.

I love reading books

Special events:  The past month has been a fun one with lots of play dates.  Mommy & daddy also joined a new small group, so I get to play with a bunch of kids every Friday night and I love it!  I've also been hanging out in the nursery during church, which can be fun as long as I'm not too tired.

My friend, Nathan, brought his truck over and let me play with it

My favorites:  Otis! Every night I ask daddy to read me Otis before bed; it's about a tractor and a calf that become friends.  Of course, I love anything with wheels - trucks, cars, trains, tractors, airplanes.  I still love reading books all the time.  I enjoy when mommy brings a toy into the living room that I haven't seen in a while.  And I especially love taking baths.

Bath time!

Daddy's favorites:  Daddy enjoys our new night-time routine where he gets to read to me and rock and sing to me before bed.  He used to just put my pj's and night-diaper on, and that wasn't very fun.  He's enjoying the daily bonding time where I calmly give him my undivided attention and it's just the two of us.

Bed time books with daddy

Mommy's favorites:  Mommy loves getting to spend her days with me and talk about everything we encounter.  She's really enjoying my ability to communicate.  And she's getting a kick out of using her new camera to capture my cuteness.

A day-to-day moment playing with my car and my music table

Upcoming:  My parents are hiring a babysitter to watch me this weekend, which will be the first time they've paid someone to watch me - although I'll be sleeping the whole time.  Usually they just go out when family is around to watch me, or they swap time with our friend Kari.  Also we have some friends coming to visit in April for a weekend, so that should be fun.  Otherwise it's just life as usual - story time, errands, play dates, small group, church.

Waving "bye bye" in my shopping cart car at the grocery store

Ash - 13 mos

Another month has flown by and now I am 13 months old.  Momma weighed me at night after dinner and I weighed a whopping 18.2 lbs, which puts me back on the charts at 1%.  Haha.  I've grown about another quarter of an inch, but she wasn't very precise in her measurements with that.  I'm definitely a busy little boy, though, as you can see from the pictures of me NOT sitting still for pictures with Superbear :)

On my birthday I was sick and actually went to the doctor to see if I had an ear infection.  I didn't, thankfully; I just like to play with my ears when I'm tired or not feeling well.  But you can see from this picture of me trying my first cupcake that I was miserable that day.  We ended up postponing my party till about a week and a half after my actual birthday so that I could be healthy and enjoy it all.

 

It was a great party with almost all my friends in attendance, lots of new books and toys, and yummy snacks and cake.  We had carrot cake for my birthday and I enjoyed it, but nothing can top berries - my favorite!

I've been trying lots of new things this month.  I've been learning how to eat with my own fork and spoon.  I'm a long way from a pro, but it's fun to try and I do actually get most of the food to my mouth eventually.  Of course, I still help out with my fingers some too.  I also have started getting bigger pieces of food, and even a whole pear once.  After I ate it all, including the core, momma stopped letting me have them whole.  My digestive system has also developed to handle more acidic foods, so I've gotten to have "oranges" (cuties) and strawberries and even some tomato sauce on my noodles.  I still can't handle dairy quite yet, but I LOVED yogurt and can't wait to go back to eating it again when I can digest it well.

I've been a busy little boy, crawling all over everything and up & down the stairs.  I've been practicing walking with my walker or holding onto momma's hands.  We walk to get the mail some days, which is a big walk for me.  Down the steep driveway, up the hill to the box, and then back down the hill and up the driveway back home.  I still can't walk independently and don't do very well with only one hand to hold, but I'm practicing every day so pretty soon you won't even remember me before I could walk.

Osh Kosh B'Gosh is hilarious!

I had my first snow experience this month.  Momma bundled me up in a jacket AND a snow suit to go out in the cold.  It took longer to get dressed and ready than the amount of time we spent out in the snow.  It was so cold it hurt my hands, and I started to cry to go back in and get warm.  But that white stuff sure is fascinating if only it wasn't so cold to hold.

And I went to the dentist for the first time, too.  There's a blurry picture of me playing on the ball-chairs in the waiting room.  I LOVE balls and have never had a chair my size to sit in, so it was a blast.  I did a good job sitting still for the dentist too, and showed him my teeth.  I have 7 in now, with #8 pushing right at the surface.  I've also got some molars pushing against the gums, but nowhere near breaking through yet.  I enjoy our daily routine of brushing teeth and hope to continue having easy checkups for years to come.

I mentioned I haven't started walking yet, but that's because I am SO busy learning words.  My doctor was so impressed with my verbal skills @ my 12 mo appt, she told momma to make a list of all the words I had just to see how many and have record of what they are.  Momma spent a day jotting down all the words she could think of that I say and passed 100 words in no time.  At 12 mos I was supposed to have at least THREE.  Three words!?  I have more words than that in the first 5 minutes I'm awake!  My favorite thing to do is still reading books, and usually entertain myself while momma's cooking breakfast by reading library books on my own.  We read books at every nap and bedtime, plus most afternoons/evenings too, and we go to the library every week.  I even started going to toddler story time (I'm too old for baby story time even though I'm not walking yet).  Momma's also teaching me signs for a lot of words and I love learning those too.  Here's a picture of me talking about the flash on momma's new camera : "light" with the sign to go with it.

Momma was playing with her new camera and the settings on it, so the color is a little off in these pictures, but she thought you might enjoy them anyway.  This is a picture of me getting to eat some chocolate graham crackers - my first chocolate experience.

Books with daddy before bedtime

Well, that's about it.  I'd better let you go b/c I've got things to explore and books to read.  I'll check back in next month! :)

Ash - ONE YEAR OLD!

Today is my birthday!  One year ago today @ 3:16pm MST I entered the world healthy and alert.  I weighed 7.5 lbs and was 19" tall.  Today I weigh 17 lbs and am 27.5" (2.5") tall.  I'm a little guy, but with my cloth diapers I'm filling out most of my smaller 12 mo clothes pretty well.  Unfortunately, I'm sick on my birthday, so this was the closest momma could get to a smile out of me this morning, even with a book to read and Superbear to play with.

Wow, was this a busy month!  We flew to visit grandparents for Christmas and New Years, and I had LOTS of firsts this month.  I didn't fuss much on the airplanes, but I did hear momma say to daddy "it's like trying to hold a tornado," whatever that means.  Here are some pictures of a couple of my firsts:

My first french fry at Dwarf House CFA & my first shrimp (yummy!)

 

My great-grandpa and great-grandma were staying at Lola & Paw-paw's, so I got to meet them.  Here's a picture of daddy (not smiling for the picture), Lola, and my great's at the table on Christmas dinner.  I loved playing with grand-grandpa and even learned how to say pa-pa (between grandpa, paw-paw, and pop-pop, I got lots of practice).

I didn't really get the point of opening gifts for Cmas.  I liked playing with the ribbons and bows, but daddy had to help me rip the paper to get my presents open.  I loved the books Lola got me, and made her read Hand, Hand, Fingers, Thumb to me about a million times.  Nobody does it like Lola!

The day after Christmas we spent the whole day in the car to take my great-grandparents back to their home in Mississippi, and then drove another 30 min to spend the night with my OTHER great-grandparents.  It was great to meet Nanny & Pop, but we only stayed there for the night and then we got back in the car and drove back to Lola & Paw-paw's.  It was exhausting to be in the car for so long, but we survived it and were glad to get to see everyone.

Me and Paw-paw napping on the road trip

When we got back to Georgia after our trip to MS, Nanoo and Pop-pop picked us up and took us to North Carolina to spend a week at the timeshare.  While we were there, momma took me to the pool and I swam for the first time.  I wasn't afraid of the water, but wasn't quite sure what I thought about the whole experience.  There were so many kids swimming & playing and so much noise, plus I got pretty cold after a few minutes, so then I just sat with Nanoo by the hot tub and dipped my feet in to get warm (until we got asked to stop by the management - boo!).

   

I also got to see my great-aunt Laura again b/c she came to spend a couple nights at the timeshare with us.  We had so much fun feeding bread and nuts (and other oddities) to the squirrels and birds on the deck outside the sliding glass door.  Momma didn't get her camera ready in time to get a picture of me and "Fatty Short-tail" - the bravest of the squirrels who would come right up and eat food out of your hand.  It was a fun experience since squirrels will never get close to my back door b/c I've got two yappy dogs to chase them away.  Anyway, after a week of being at the timeshare, we drove back to the airport and flew the rest of the way home.  Here's a picture of me taking a nap on momma's pillow on the flight home.

Developmentally I've been busy too.  I have been busy honing my furniture-cruising skills, and have learned how to crawl up the stairs AND back down safely.  Momma or daddy still always go with me to make sure I don't fall, but I'm already a pro.  I've also started to figure out language, waved bye-bye (night-night) for the first time on New Year's Eve, started using baby-signs for things, and am in the middle of a vocabulary explosion.  Here are some cute pictures of me just for fun:

I woke up still sleepy from a nap & mom couldn't resist the pathetic cuteness

playing with my phone, and enjoying blackberries & my new sippy cup

I've also put aside my clock obsession for a couple new ones.  For a few weeks I was crazy about balls.  All the Christmas ornaments on trees were "balls" and I've picked up a few new balls to add to my collection too.  I also LOVE airplanes and notify mom every time I hear one fly by our house (which is multiple times a day since we live near an AF base and an airport).  And I'm starting to love cars and trucks.  I do the "signs" for car and airplane (excitedly, so they're a little spastic) every day.  Here is a picture of me looking out the window b/c I just read about an airport fire truck and that made me think of airplanes:

Well, I'd better get going.  I've got to get some rest so I can shake this cold before my big party on Saturday.  Plus I've got plans for some fun this evening, including a mini-party with mom & dad and a cupcake with my name on it. (banana cake with peanut butter frosting, oooh!)  I'll try to make sure momma takes lots of pictures of my party so you can see all the fun.  Until next time!