15 Months- Emily

Emily

You have graduated from walking to the beginning of a run.  You have dropped your toddling stance and now you walk around swinging your hands.  You have begun to run away from me.  I'm not so excited about this but you think it is pretty great.  You've even started hopping a little when you walk.  You and Sam have also started chasing each other.  You fell the other day onto the corner of a chair while chasing your brother around the ottoman.  Lately you are having more practice walking on uneven ground and you're doing a great job.  You have gotten over your uneasiness on sand and grass which is good since it is almost summertime.  You love to carry around things.  Lately it has been a toy boom box and the fridge magnet farm but you also like to carry around clothes and blankets and shoes.

 You eat pretty well but I'm starting to see more pickiness.. Usually you have your usual breakfast, lunch and dinner and then for sure an afternoon snack. Sometimes, depending on your nap, you have a morning snack too. You really seem to like: Goldfish, anything you can eat out of a pouch, tomatoes, refried and black beans and avocado. You aren't consistent in eating very much meat. I think you are ready for feeding yourself, but I'm not sure our floor is. You love your milk and water. You haven't had much juice, I think just apple juice...once, and you didn't seem to like it much more than your water. You had your last night time bottle on April 5th. As long as you get a little milk from a sippy cup before bed you are happy. You do love sweets. Thanks to Papa and Nana you've had lemon wafers and chocolate cake. You've also had ice cream. You often "yumm" when eating food. You are developing quite a sweet tooth.  You love ice cream and I shared a cupcake with you today.

You like to be outside but not nearly as much as your brother.  In the backyard you go up and down the stairs and play (eat, throw, sort, move, eat) the rocks.  You weren't really sure about the park when we first started going, but you are beginning to really enjoy it. You are happy to walk/crawl all over, go down slides, and ride on the swings. You are starting to play more with your baby dolls but you still LOVE books.  You are really trying to put on socks lately.  You try to put on your own socks and yesterday you were trying to put on mine.  You sometimes will put shoes on too.  You love the play phones and "talk" on them but you won't make a sound when I have you talk to Nana on the real phone.  You love to sit in chairs and you think they all rock. 

You don't say as many words as your brother but you use more signs.  You say:

• Dada
• boon = baloon
• ba = ball and baby
• woof = dog
• Mama = very rarely

You do signs for more, all done, food and help.  You blow kisses but you just hold your hand to your mouth and forget to blow them.   

 

You are noticing all the kids and babies lately.  Our neighbor has a baby that the grandma walks at least once a day.  The other day they were out across the street and you walked down the driveway waving at them.  You also wave at other kids we see out too.  You've started giving hugs as well.  You try to hug Sam but you normally end up pulling him down.  You have been hugging me when I ask and I just love it.  You have found a blanket.  It is green with monkeys on it.  You like to carry it around but you don't have to have it to sleep.  You sleep from 8-7ish and then usually take about an hour nap in the morning and normally a two hour nap in the afternoon. You need more sleep than Sam.  You have definitely become a little girl in the last couple of months (Complete with big girl tantrums).  You are independent and you don't like it when you don't get your way but you have become sweet and loving too.  I can't wait to spend the summer at home!

Picking flowers.

Playing with Maddy.

You often come and sit in my lap.  Most of the time it is because you want me to read a book with you.  Today it was so I would share my food.

 

15 Months

Where has the time gone?  I have started 13 and 14 month posts but by the time I get around to finishing them the next month is here.  I hope to do a 15, 16 and then every other month until you are two years old.  This IS my baby book so I want to make sure I have important things written down.  We shall see how that goes.

Sam
Sam you are really coming into your own this month. (Whatever that means...) Over Spring Break you seemed to make it your goal to walk on your own. Such a determined little boy. You spent your evenings pulling up on the kitchen table chair or the ottoman and walking as far as you could, falling, crawling to the nearest pull up spot and repeating. Because of your hard work you are a full fledged walker! You can walk from room to room and you even stood up in the middle of the floor Friday. I haven't seen it but Meg, the babysitter/nanny, did. You LOVE walking and usually have a big smile on your face. You very rarely crawl and you do so with incredible speed. You do a pretty good job of walking around on uneven ground. You lately can be found walking around the house with Little People in each hand. Speaking of hands... this month you tried coloring for the first time. You did a pretty good job holding onto the crayon and drawing. We need to work on the trying to eat the crayon problem. You also have been doing a lot of stacking lately. We finally got out the blocks that you got for Christmas and you like to stack them. You don't push them together hard enough to get them to stick together but you have time to figure that out.

You still eat really well. Usually you have your usual breakfast, lunch and dinner and then for sure an afternoon snack. Sometimes, depending on your nap, you have a morning snack too. You really seem to like: green beans (the other night we finished a can between the two of us and I didn't get that many), Goldfish, anything you can eat out of a pouch, tomatoes, and avacado. You aren't consistent in eating very much meat. Sometimes you'll eat something like salmon just great and the next time it will all end up on the floor. I think you are ready for feeding yourself, but I'm not sure our floor is. You think it is great to feed the dog and you try to make sure she gets a full meal when you eat. You do a lot better when she is outside. You love your milk. You haven't had much juice, I think just apple juice...once, and you seemed to like that. You had your last night time bottle on April 5th. As long as you get a little milk from a sippy cup before bed you are happy. You do love sweets. Thanks to Papa and Nana you've had lemon wafers and chocolate cake. You've also had ice cream. You often "yumm" when eating food. After we went swimming with Papa and Nana's church on April 1st I shared a donut with you. It had been a while since you had sweets, probably not since your birthday. As soon as I put it in your mouth you let out an enthusiast, "Yum!" Of course I had to share anouther bite. So cute.

You LOVE to be outside. Since most of March was balmy you were able to play a lot outside. You race for the door as soon as it opens and we have to get it closed before you slip outside. Usually it makes you mad and you throw a little bit of a fit if we don't let you out. Once you get outside you just seem to be happy being out there. In the backyard you go up and down the stairs, play (eat, throw, sort, move, eat) the rocks, and throw dirt. You don't like to come either. Sometimes you trick us and act like you are coming in but then turn back around once you reach the door. You really like the park too. You are happy to walk/crawl all over, go down slides, and ride on the swings. Lately you have been loving your Little People farm, your Little Tikes Cozy Coupe, your dog, books and cars. We have been to Bounce! and a birthday party at Little Monkey Bizness where you got to play on some "big" kid toys. You loved it all.

You have become a little chatter box lately. You do a great job of imitating what we say. I would say you know the following words:
Mama
Dada
Mo = more
Ma or sometimes Mada = Maddy
boon = baloon
hi
woof
honk (when you squeeze your nose)
sometimes you say something that sounds like thank you
You occasionally do signs for more, and if you feel like it you wave bye but you'd rather use words than signs.

You are still loving, cuddly and sweet. You love your stuffed animals and will snuggle with them and say, "Aww." You have two lovies that you are starting to carry around, but you don't HAVE to have them when you go to bed. You sleep from 8-7ish and then usually take about an hour nap in the morning and normally a two hour nap in the afternoon. You have grown so much in the past three months. It is amazing what a big boy you are becoming. You are definately all boy. You love to play in the dirt and sand. I can't wait for summer time!

15 Months- Pictures

Words coming soon...

Miscellany Monday

1. I love breaks from work.  It gives our family the opportunity to reconnect.  During the school year I feel like we sometimes are moving at a million miles  minute.  The breaks give us time to sit around and enjoy each other.
2. You know what is great to sit around and enjoy?  An almost 15 month old dying from laughing hysterically at... pretty much nothing.  At our best guess our dog is just hilarious.  Sometimes it just takes Maddy walking by to throw Sam into a fit of laughter.  So funny.
3. So I read The Hunger Games  and now I'm in the middle of Catching Fire.  I was reluctant to start reading the first one.  I had heard the premise from my practicum student. (It is funny to call him a student because he is about my age and has a 3 month old.  But none the less he is still a students learning how to teach.)  Then I decided I would read it so I know what my students and everyone else is talking about.  I read the first chapter and I couldn't read anymore.  It took me about 2 weeks before I picked it up again.  Once I started reading it was a quick read.  I have to admit I skipped lots of parts though.  Once I finished reading I had/have a hard time understanding why you'd want to watch all the events in a movie.  The idea is horrifying and many events are gruesome.  I'm not sure why I'm still read the series but I guess I just want to know what happens at the end.  The middle is just depressing.
4. More on The Hunger Games .. if the kids in my class were my own I would not let them go see the movie, or read the book. 
5. Yesterday we went swimming.  I LOVE LOVE seeing Sam and Emily enjoy the water.  They sported big smiles and babbles almost the whole time we were there.  So happy that even strangers commented on how much they seemed to like the water.  (Emily didn't love going under or the big kids walking by and "kicking" big splashes in her face.  Sam could care less, he loved the whole thing.)  I got Sam to float on his back almost entirely on his own.  I had to hold his head but the one time I let go he started to sink a little bit but didn't get too worried.  Someone had a giant beach ball and all he wanted to do was chase that ball.  

6.  We also tried coloring yesterday.  I had bought these markers for little kids and they ended up in mouths and all over faces, but not really on the paper.  So I finally just gave them the crayons.  Sam seemed to enjoy picking up the Crayons and attempting to color the paper.  Emily really wanted nothing to do with it.  She was ready for a nap.  

We were also "talking" to Aunt Amanda while coloring.

Luckily the crayon marks rubbed right off the table.

Don't worry all that is on this shirt is not from coloring.  It started the day with orange spaghetti sauce.



7.  Yesterday I weighed myself and was surprised to see a number I haven't seen in almost 2 years.  Today I tried on a pair of pants in a smaller size, and they fit much better than the size I'm currently wearing.  So what's this amazing diet I'm doing?  Well it is called twin toddlers.  It is nearly impossible to eat everything I want to.  They are either like little puppies begging next to my chair and I have to share or they are in need of my attention and I eat whatever I can as fast as I can.  There also isn't any snacking going on, unless I'm snacking on their food.  Who says having kids makes you gain weight?