Happy Father's Day - a post by mom and for mom

There is a reason behind the contradictory title of this post.  This was Ash's first finger-painting experience which I enjoyed immensely, and the final product was part of a father's day present for his daddy.  During the process I took tons of pictures that I think capture his hesitant and exploratory nature.  Slow at first, and then enthusiastic once he's in the groove - this is how he approaches almost any new situation.  I think sometimes people think he's shy when he's really just absorbing new information.  This may be my favorite series of pictures I've ever taken, and it was too hard to choose just one.  For some of them, their precious value is in context with the others.  So if it sounds like it's up your alley, feel free to scroll down and watch Ash discover the joy of fingerpaint.

watch this little yellow blob remain untouched for many frames

 

 

more, please

mommy practice at accepting messy as part of the process

 

Ash - 16 mos - AKA better late than never

Mommy got smart and put me in the chair so I'd sit still w/Superbear

Size: I am wearing 12 mo pants, 12 & 18 mo shirts, and 18 mo pj's (to accommodate my GIANT nighttime diaper).  Mom hasn't measured me this month b/c we've had a busy week, but I'm definitely growing.

My first trip to the park as a toddler

Physical development:  I AM WALKING!  Not just walking, refusing help when it's offered.  Independence suits me. :)  I'm already getting pretty good at it, and mommy even lets me walk in the store sometimes if we're not in a hurry.  And I've been practicing my balance on the mulch at the playground too. 

Oh my goodness, I LOVED watching those mowers go!

Verbal development:  I am still talking up a storm.  I'm getting better and better at stringing words together and talk from the moment I awake till I'm asleep again.  I'm pretty good at following instructions, though sometimes I'd just rather do my own thing than pay attention.  

Mommy let me try pickles for the first time : kosher dills, bread & butter, and (my favorite) sweet gherkins

Other developments: I've got the outer ridge of my two top molars, and you can feel my bottom molars pushing.  I've had all the icky symptoms of teething in the past few weeks at different times.  I've had pain, fussiness, fever, diarrhea, etc... but those bottom ones still won't pop out!  Unfortunately b/c of the diarrhea, mom cut out all the dairy in my diet (as well as anything acidic for a while!), so I'm just starting back on yogurt again.  I also finished nursing this month.  May 9th was the last time I asked to nurse, and I haven't looked back.

Running a high teething fever (holding my burp cloth and my monster truck for comfort)

Routines: School ended this week, so mommy doesn't have to take the boys to school anymore, which means our last few days have been lax and we've got more time for fun and sleeping in.  Also, mommy & daddy have started going jogging after work some days; this means I get a stroller ride, which I LOVE!  I've also gotten to move up to the walkers room at church and love the toys in there!

At the park with my cousins; I don't know why Chellie won't smile for the camera

Special events: My Lola had to cancel her trip to visit, but instead my Aunt Christen & Uncle Jonathan and three cousins came to visit.  It was crazy and loud and fun.  Also my new cousin, baby Isaiah was born, and Nanoo flew out for a surprise visit so I got to see her unexpectedly.  And my visit with Jennifer & Morgan was awesome, and I'm still talking about how Morgan is a coffee addict.

Photo op with Nanoo before she left to fly back to FL

My favorites:  I love stroller rides, library story time, and small group where I get to see all my friends.  I'm still crazy about anything with wheels and love my Otis books as well as a new one we found at the library - Pete & Pillar.  I ask to read them almost every day.  I also enjoy the slides at the playground, especially the ones that are small enough not to feel scary.

Daddy's favorites: Daddy loves putting me to bed at night.  He sings me Jim Croce songs by request - Blues, Jim, and Brown - and it's a fun and special time for the two of us to bond.

Hugs for Scout

Mommy's favorites: Mommy is so excited that I'm finally over my "Lollipop" phase and is happy to sing me whatever song I'm into that day or minute.  I've also been enjoying the audiobook she's listening to in the van and will request it over music.

Playing with pots and pans while Mommy cooks

Upcoming: Nanoo and Pop-Pop are coming to visit sometime around the middle of June.  Of course I'll have to share them with Elijah & Isaiah, but they're here for three weeks, so I'll still get to see them lots. 

My shirt says "Major Cutie", and I know it!

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