15 months

Buddy,

I haven't written an update on you in a while, but that's not because there's a lack of updates you've made! You are such an engaged, lively, independent (or at least wanting to be) boy these days. Equal parts enjoyable and exhausting. :)

You have taken your own sweet time to start walking - as of today you're walking about 75% of the time and crawling the rest. Your latest achievement is turning fast in circles and then falling down, dizzy and laughing. Cracks us up.

Speaking of laughing, you love to do it. At yourself, at Mama, at Dada, at any friend of yours who does something even remotely funny. Your little sense of humor is fully developed, and actually has been for a while.

Dancing is your favorite part of every day. I have music on almost all of the time because you LOVE IT. Your moves have increased: you love waving your hand in the air, swaying, bopping your head, and bouncing up and down while standing up. You can't get enough of songs with a beat. Whenever you hear music start, you immediately look my way with pure excitement in your eyes. So stinking cute.

With four bottom teeth all the way in and your top two halfway there, your eating has [slightly] improved. You love to feed yourself but easily get bored after a few bites of each food selection. This presents a little bit of a problem as you are a crank when you're hungry (you get this from your mom). So I am still feeding you from a spoon to ensure that your tummy gets full at meals. Most dinnertimes, your dad has to distract/entertain you while I shovel food into your mouth.

You are understanding so much these days! While in Colorado for Thanksgiving, one of Jimpa's friends told you that he liked your shirt. As soon as he said it, you grabbed your shirt and looked down at it! I had NO idea that you knew that word! Others you recognize and can point out: belly button, nose, hair, shoes, socks, feet. When I tell you we're going to go take a bath, you crawl right into your bathroom and pull back the shower curtain. If I tell you that we're going to go play in the basement, you crawl right to the gate! You also love being asked to brush your hair, or even better, my hair! You also know how to "stand up" and "sit down." Your comprehension and responsiveness is sort of amazing to us.

Words you can speak: dawk-ee (doggie), uh oh, mama, bye. But you never, ever say them on command. It has to be your idea and your timing.

You love getting small toys out of boxes or baskets, "dusting" with feather dusters, taking books off bookshelves and pushing anything that rolls (cars, balls, etc.).

Still napping twice a day, around 10 and then again around 3. You're unpredictable in this arena, staying down anywhere from 30 minutes to 1.5 hrs. Since returning from Colorado a couple of weeks ago, you've been off your normal morning wakeup time and have been alerting us with a cry between 6:30-7 rather then 7:30-8. Hoping somehow we can retrain your body... that extra 30 minutes sure used to be nice...

We're kinda pondering dropping the bottle soon. You still take one first thing in the morning, before your afternoon nap and before bedtime. So far you have not responded well to milk in a sippy but at some point we're just going to have to tough it out. The bottle and the pacifier probably need to go... you're just so attached that it is not going to be easy on any of us.

weight: 20 lbs (3rd %, sweetie, you're making mommy a little nervous here)

height: 31 inches (43rd %)

size 4 shoes
size 4 diapers
12-18 mo. clothes

Every night, the very last thing I do before I get into bed is to sneak into your room, pull your blankie up over you and whisper a prayer of thanks for my boy. You are a precious gift, sweetheart. Now go gain some weight, but quit growing up.