16 Months- 4/30/13

 

 

Weight/Length- Based on what you measured at your 15 months checkup a couple weeks ago I'm going to say you are probably around 28 pounds and just over 31 inches.

Eating- Still a good eater but not eating as much as in the past, which is part of why the weight gain has slowed down. Fruit is still your favorite and we have yet to find a fruit you won't eat. You also still like all meat and some fish though some days you don't seem as interested. Veggies are your least favorite but you seem to still like corn, peas, avocados and asparagus.

Sleep- This has been better this month, some nights you may still wake up briefly once but just need me to tuck you back in and you're fine, most nights you sleep without any wakeups. Bedtime is still around 7:45pm and you wake up most days between 6:30-7am. You've also started waking up happier...meaning not waking up crying but rather just babbling away in your crib for a few minutes. You only nap once a day for 1 1/2 hours at daycare and usually for 2-3 hours on the weekends at home.

 

Clothes- 18 months and 24 months. Shoe size is 5 in most shoes but you have one pair of size 6 that fit. 
 

Diapers- Size 4 daytime and Size 5 overnight but you've been leaking through those lately so I've been cutting back on how much milk you get before bed.
 

Appearance- Your hair is still light and getting thick again, the curls in the back are starting to come back now that your hair is longer. Eyes are greenish/blue. 

Personality- You are still a very active, rambunctious little boy that loves to be outside and play with sticks and trucks. You are starting to show your daredevil side and giving mommy mini-heart attacks. Despite this you are still incredibly sweet and loving. You love to give hugs and will almost always give me one on command, same goes for kisses. You love to snuggle with daddy and grandma when she comes to visit. You are a funny kid and now you will do things to try and make us laugh (and typically succeed). You are pretty well behaved and listen most of the time but of course you do have tantrums when you don't get your way. Typically I will just stand there and let you have your "fit" and after a few seconds you are done and back to your happy self.

Likes-

-Playing outside with your buddy Zachary, specifically playing with his toys.

-The park and playing in the woods.

-Sitting in my lap while we read books or do flashcards or play with blocks.

-Playing out on the deck while daddy grilles.

- Drinking out of mommy's Gatorade bottle.

 

Milestones-

-Cut 4 more teeth for a total of 16!

-Officially moved to the toddler room at daycare and LOVE it!

-Totally weaned off of bottles, only use sippys or regular cups to drink.

-Figured out how to drink with a straw.

-Cut back on use of paci, limited to naps, bedtime and while out running errands. We've really cut down on using them during the day at home and not at all during daycare and you don't seem to mind much.

-Went to the "big kid" park.

-Will now walk (holding mommy's hand) out to the car and into daycare rather than be carried.

-Can identify most body features when asked including: ear (your favorite), hair (you will make the brushing motion), toes, belly button, nose and eyes.
-Can brush your own hair and mommy's hair.

-Will bring most items to me when asked and will also return the item to where you found it when asked.

-Can throw something away in the trashcan when asked.

-Will bring me your shoes and jacket if you want to go outside.

-Can help take your shirt and pants and socks off.

-You will now climb and sit in mommy and daddy's lap if we're on the floor.

-You can now climb on top of and stand up on the coffee table.

-You can now say - Mama, Dada, Uh-Oh (your favorite word), Ca-Ti (kitty), Doggie, Ear, Hi  

 

 

Good morning!

Ready for Summer!

Showing off his new trick of climbing on the coffee table.

Cool Dude.

Who has time to put on jammies when there are toys to play with?

Staring contest

Saturday morning scene.

Goof ball.

Still loves that little broom.

Future Frat Boy!!

He sat down when asked but wouldn't smile. Must pick your battles with toddlers.

Into the Woods

On Saturday the weather was pretty much perfect and since my son adores the outdoors we decided to spend as much time outside as possible. One of the benefits of having a toddler that loves the outdoors is that it forces me to get outside as well. A little Vitamin D is never a bad thing.

In the morning I took him for a long stroller walk and stopped at the nearby park on the way back. Kristian rode his bike up and met us there. Hunter decided he had had enough of the park and wanted to go explore the nearby woods (he's so much like his daddy). So he and Kristian took a little stroll to check things out.

 

When we got back he played outside with our neighbors son (they are quickly becoming BFF's)  before taking an almost 3 hour nap. Playing outside really wears him out! After his nap and lunchtime we decided to take him on a walk down to the water to watch the crew meet that was going on on the river.

 

Hunter loves walking down the path. He has to pick up every stick he sees and throw rocks and inspect everything. Again, just like his daddy.

He really has no idea how lucky he is to have THIS as his backyard.

 



 

When we got down to the water we watched all the crew teams go back and forth. This is pretty much a standard Saturday event now that it's warm. Some of the teams were right up close to the where we were watching, so close we could talk to them as they went by.

Kristian and some of our neighbor friends helped make a little make-shift fire pit down by the water and they will go down in the evenings and roast marshmallows and hang out (and drink beer). So there are a bunch of logs on the ground to use for seats. Hunter and I sat for a long time on the log just watching the water, while he held onto his stick of course.

 

 

I foresee many riverside chats in our future.

 

After we put Hunter to bed, Kristian and I lit a candle and grabbed some wine (me) and beer (him) and just sat out on our deck and relaxed. It was the perfect way to end the evening.

Big Kid Park

We have several "tot lots" in our neighborhood, one of them is a short walk from our house and it's the one we typically go to. There are a few swings and little wood structure that you can climb on and that has a slide. Hunter loves it. I love it because it's usually empty or not very crowded when we go.

There is however, another larger park about 2 miles away, right next to our pool. It has lots of swings, a sandbox, a couple slides and many wooden "forts" to climb in.

*source*

 

I took Hunter there once last fall before he could walk so we mainly just did the swings but I had been wanting to take him back now that he can walk and the weather is nice. So we went last Saturday which was a beautiful, warm, sunny day.

 

I was nervous at first because I knew it would be crowded with "big kids" and I worried about Hunter getting knocked down or hurt somehow. We did the swings first and Hunter was in heaven watching all the "big kids" run around. Finally he wanted down. At first he was hesitant to go anywhere, due in part to being overwhelmed and having the ground covered in small rocks and pebbles which made it tricky to walk.

 

I took his hand and led him over to the wood walkway which was easier for him and after a few minutes he was off and ready to explore. I played the roll of helicopter mom and was always right by his side, shielding him from the big kids who were running around like maniacs. 

Staring in awe at all the kids and all the stuff to climb.

Nervously peeking around the corner.

Finally brave enough to climb up one of the forts.

Looks like baby jail.

"This is awesome mom!"

 

We only stayed about 30 minutes and I think next time I will try to take him early in the day before it gets too crowded so it's not so overwhelming and scary (for me, not him). But he had a great time and as he gets older I know he will love going here.

SWW

Linking up again this week with Shannon for another So What Wednesday!

 

This week I'm saying So What if:

 

-I feel naked when I'm not wearing my engagement ring. One of the small stones on the side fell out and it's at the jewelers being replaced but I won't have it back for a week. I never take off my rings (unless I'm doing something where they could be damaged) so it feels weird not having it on my finger.

 

-Hunters transition to the toddler room this week has made me both proud and incredibly sad. Proud that he's adjusting so well and loving it and sad that it's just more proof he's no longer a baby.

 

-I'm not as excited as I should be about a trip to the Cayman Islands this summer (a post on that to come) because it means I will be away from Hunter for 5 days! I miss him during the 8 hours I'm at work, how the hell will I survive 5 whole days?!

 

-My coworkers and I took an extra long lunch on Friday so that we could stay in the conference room and watch all the coverage on the manhunt for the Boston bomber.

 

-I forwarded an email to my boss that I received saying how much a vendor and a client enjoyed working with me and what a great job they thought I had done. Just a friendly reminder to him that I kick ass...you know in case he wants to give me a raise or something ;-)

 

-I have no idea what to get my mother and mother-in-law for Mother's Day. Since my birthday actually falls on Mother's Day this year I think I should be exempt from gift giving.

 

 



Next time

I don't think it's a secret that I would like to have another child. One day. Not anytime soon but One Day. Being a first time mom I really had no clue what I was doing. Yes I read pregnancy and baby books and stalked babycenter and mommy blogs and those things were all helpful but until you have that little bundle in your arms you really have no idea what to expect.

I think in the 15 1/2 months that we've been raising Hunter we've done pretty well at keeping him happy and healthy and not completely losing our minds in the process. It helps that, for the most part, he's been a fairly easy baby/toddler. We never had to deal with colic or reflux or food allergies or any other number of issues that parents encounter and I can only hope and pray that if we're blessed with another child in the future he or she will be just as easy-going if not moreso.

With all that said, knowing what I know now there are a few things I would like to use or do differently next go round.

1. My birth plan will include two items- deliver a healthy baby and make sure I'm conscious when the baby is born. Whether I end up with a VBAC or scheduled repeat c-section I just want to be awake when the next child is born. I don't think I would handle it very well if I'm knocked during the birth of another child.

2. Should I have another c-section, we will send the baby to the nursery overnight for at least a few hours (but have it brought back for nursing). We kept Hunter in our room that first night (before he went to the NICU) and I was so sick and in so much pain after the c-section it was impossible to take care of him and poor Kristian really had no idea what he was doing so it was hard.

3. Don't immediately start supplementing with formula unless absolutely necessary. With Hunter I breastfed and that's what he primairly got but from day 1 (because he was in the NICU) we supplemented with formula and I didn't put up a fight because I just wanted him healthy. I'm not opposed to using formula again but I would like to try to keep from using it as long as possible. Not because I think it's bad but because it's expensive.

4. In the early days/weeks only use sleepers that zip or the gowns. I learned quite fast that sleepers with a million snaps are a HUGE pain in the ass for all those middle of the night diaper changes when you're half asleep.

5. Skip the swaddle blankets and go straight for the HALO sleep sacks with the velco swaddles. I could never get the blankets tight enough and Hunter was always breaking free of them and then waking up, once we started using the sleep sacks he couldn't get out of them until he was around 5 months old.

6. Get a SWING! I don't know why we didn't get a swing early on with Hunter, when we finally did after a couple months he loved it and would nap in it so well. Next time I will probably forgo the bassinet (which Hunter hated) and let the baby sleep in a swing or the infant cradle part of the pak n play (which Hunter also liked). I don't know why but I felt like he NEEDED to sleep in the bassinet and really there are so many other options, the main goal is just to get them to sleep.

7. Baby-wear more. This was hard to do with Hunter for the first few weeks because he was always hooked up to his monitor that checked his breathing and it was too hard to put him in a wrap or carrier without disturbing his leeds. By the time he was off the monitor I was just used to carrying him around and the few times I tried to use the Moby or Baby Bjorn it just wasn't comfortable for me. I think next time I will splurge for an Ergo which I've heard good things about. Plus I will be chasing a toddler so I think baby wearing will be imperative.

8. On a similar note, I will try to really sit and just enjoy cuddling and holding the baby. I now know how quickly it really does fly by and how fast they grow and since the next one will probably be our last one I want to savor every last minute.

9. Take more than 6 weeks off for maternity leave. Now so much of this will depend on where I'm working and our financial situation but I really want to try to take 8-12 weeks off. Six weeks just goes by too fast and they are still just so small, I hated taking Hunter to daycare when he was so young.

10. Not be so afraid to take a newborn places. I was terrified of leaving the house with Hunter in the beginning and really when they are newborns and spend most of the day sleeping, that's the easiest time to actually take them places. Granted next time I will also have a toddler to deal with which will be the real challenge.

 

For those of you that plan to have more children what do you want to do different next time?

SWW

Linking up again this week with Shannon for another So What Wednesday!

 

This week I'm saying So What if:

 

-As much as I love Old Navy I'm very disappointed that two pairs of shoes I bought for Hunter were basically ruined after 1-3 times of being worn. He came home yesterday and literally had a hole in the bottom of a pair of shoes he's only wore a couple times. Guess I need to splurge for sturdier shoes for him.

 

-The nice weather is making it hard to focus at work, I just want to get home and play outside with my son, not be stuck inside all day long.

 

-On that same note, I've been wishing lately that I could be a stay at home mom. I've always missed Hunter during the day but now he's at a really fun age and learning so much that it's harder and harder to miss all that he's doing during the day.

 

-I really did almost cry on Monday when I got the form saying they were going to transition Hunter from the older infants room to the toddler room next week (he has to be 16 months for the toddler room). How is he old enough for that already??

 

-I'm a bit OCD about having things done at a certain time everyday and when I get thrown off schedule I get annoyed.

 

-Every year I buy that damn Jergens Daily Tanning lotion in the hopes of getting some color for spring and every year I stop using it after a few days because I can't stand the smell. Even the newer version still stinks to me.

 

-I've been having baby fever lately. Probably because two years ago this week I found out I was pregnant so I'm feeling sentimental. Not sentimental enough to actually have another one right now though.

 

-Last night I let my kid play with daddy's old beer bong for a good 10 minutes (while taking pictures of course). It kept him entertained. Mother of the year award right here!

Weekend- Paying Repsect and Family Time

This past weekend was a mixed bag of emotions. As I mentioned last week, I had to drive about 3 1/2 hours up to PA and back on Saturday for my best friends mom's memorial service. I was on the road by 7am and didn't get back until 6:30pm. It was a long and emotional day but I'm very glad I went and could support my friend who is having a tough time now that she's lost her best friend. Her parents were married for 42 years and hearing about their love during the service was really inspiring. I can only hope and pray that my marriage can stand the test of time in the same way.

Because I was going to be gone all day and because Kristian isn't used to having to watch Hunter for 12 hours by himself my mom offered to come down and help out. She came down Friday night and left after I got home Saturday night. Hunter really loves spending time with his grandma and showing her his new tricks. Watching them together is one of my favorite things.

Since I only got to spend about an hour with Hunter on Saturday before he went to bed I really wanted to make Sunday a family day. We got up and the three of us headed to Panera for breakfast. Hunter was very well behaved and quite enjoyed his quiche.

 

After breakfast we did a little grocery shopping. Am I the only one who ends up spending way more when I take my husband shopping with me? Never fails.

 

Hunter decided that he was going to start climbing all the living room furniture this weekend, including the coffee table which he would climb on top of and then crawl around on. Because that's you know, safe.

 

He also started climbing up and over the side of the massage chair but I didn't get any photos of that. My little monkey boy.

 

Since the weather was pretty perfect I took him on a long walk and then for some playtime at the park. He got to test out the new sunglasses we bought him at the grocery store (one of the MANY impulse buys I credit my husband with). He surprisingly didn't seemed bothered by them.

 

When we got back we had some more playtime. Whenever I'm sitting on the floor nowadays Hunter likes to come over and plop in my lap with a book or toy and just sit there. I basically love it.

Our good friend Bryan came over with his two kids to grille out for dinner. Even though his kids are 9 and 7 they love to play with Hunters toys. It's good to know that these toys will still be entertaining even when he's older. This is what my living room looked like (and it wasn't all because of Hunter). But it was fun having them over and Hunter just loves playing with "big kids".

 



 

After a fairly emotional Saturday and having to go to a memorial service hearing the news yesterday on the attack on Boston brought on a lot of emotion. I hate that my son is having to grow up in a world where we now fear simple things like going to a movie theater or going to school or even running a marathon. I just want to lock him up and never let him out of my sight. It's not fair and my heart hurts for all those affected.