Daniel Update- 15 Months!

Daniel is 15 months old now! At his 15 month pediatrician visit today, he weighed 22 pounds, 14 ounces and was 31.5 inches tall. He had to get three "pokeys" which made him very, very sad, but I got a cute photo of him beforehand.

He growing out of his 12 month clothes and into the 18 month ones. He still takes two naps a day (usually) and he will typically sleep through the night from 6:30pm-6:30am (give or take 30 minutes). He has 8 teeth and has recently started cutting two new molars (I can feel the pokey part, but they haven't come in yet). He has a handful of words (that we can actually understand) and he shows an understanding of MANY things that we say to him. His words include: "all done", "bye bye", "mama", "cracker", "go car","up", "eat", "uh oh!", and I think I've heard him say "outside" a couple of times.

He surprised me the other day when I told Etta she needed to get a baby for the empty stroller she was pushing around in the play room and D ran over to where the babies are and brought one to me! He also runs to the hall gate when I tell him that it's time to "go car", or he'll run to the gate at the bottom of the stairs when I tell him we're going to go upstairs, or he'll run to the front door (or front window) when I tell him that Daddy is home, or he'll run to his high chair when I tell him it's time to eat. He doesn't really walk anymore, he moves quickly and with a purpose!

We recently introduced a fork at mealtimes. He's starting to get the hang of it. I managed to get a photo of the very first time he stabbed a piece of food! (Still can't manage to get video!)

He mostly likes to hold the fork with one hand while he shoves food in his mouth with the other. I've tried a spoon a couple of times, but it gets really messy really quickly! So, I've backed off the spoon a little. He's a pretty good eater. He'll eat *almost* anything you offer him. I did the "peanut butter test" at the pediatrician's office today (you know, the one where you shove a spoonful of peanut butter into your kid's mouth right before you go in for the 15 month appointment so that IF your kid is allergic, they will have the reaction in a place full of nurses and doctors and epi pens). He passed the test. lol. So, today he had his first PB&J at lunch! That Daniel ate it all gone! He cried when there wasn't any more. haha.

Daniel has *mostly* weaned from the bottle. He's really done with them, I think. We gave him a couple last week when he needed some comforting (but he hasn't had one all this week, so I think I'm going to go ahead and pack them up for the next three months until we need them for Alice).

He's generally happy and really sweet. He loves his glowworm. It was once Etta's, but she never really "took to" it (I believe it was a gift from Aunt Kimi?). He knows right where to push on the glowworm's belly for it's face to light up and the melody to play. I frequently replace the batteries in it because he wears them out! He likes to push it over and over before he goes to sleep and if he wakes in the middle of the night, he'll find it and push it a few times. I think he finds it comforting, I find it very cute!

He likes to stack two Duplo blocks together over and over and he's really good at putting the big plastic coins into the toy piggy bank. I've seen him correctly put a puzzle piece in a toddler puzzle, but he mostly likes to take all of the pieces out and toss them across the room. He can also manage the shape sorter for a few minutes before he loses patience with it.

He can be a little stinker too! Mostly, he does "annoying little brother" things. He is CONSTANTLY yanking Etta's glasses off of her face. Poor Etta doesn't get to wear her glasses half the time because of this. He also likes to pull her hair. I can't give Etta a snack unless D is either napping or trapped in his highchair because he will climb up her chair and grab whatever it is off the table. He wants her (straw) cup even though he has his own and he wants to snatch her iPad, which makes her mad. Changing his diaper has become an Olympic sporting event. He's super squirmy these days, which is super frustrating!

He likes to crawl up the stairs and he can climb into the leather chairs in the living room and he likes to slide down the slide in the playroom. He loves playing with/being silly with his big sister!

I caught him the other day after he completely emptied a practically brand new package of baby wipes. (video)

One more random video from back in December:

He has what I call "Stranger Danger". It can take him a while to warm up to new people/ places (though, he eagerly/flirts with most people in Publix/Target or in a restaurant from the safety of his spot in the shopping cart or high chair). The other day I ran out to the mailbox while Daniel was still in the house. It was cold out, so I had put my hoodie hood on my head. As I was walking back, I could see him peeking out of the window in the door. As I got closer to the door he LOST IT! I was a stranger with a hood on my head! I quickly took the hood off and ran in, but it took a minute to convince him that I was really his Momma. lol.

We love this sweet boy!

"uh!" = "up"

After Dinner

A cute video I took after dinner a couple weeks ago.

A Couple of Playdates

We had a couple of play dates this week!

Monday was MLK Day and since the kids would be out of school, Erin and I decided to have a little get together at our house. The kids got to play for a while and Erin and I got to visit and chat about our pregnancies (we're due the same week), and we tried to watch a little of the inauguration.

I had been planning to go visit my friend Suzy on Friday morning while the big kids were in school (since when are Etta and Owen the "big kids"?!?). Thursday night we got the automated phone call telling us that Etta wouldn't have school the next day because they would be running on a two-hour delay due to the expected icy road conditions. So, we got to have a play date with ALL of the kids on Friday morning up at Suzy's house. Hard to believe that in three months there will be six kids between the two of us (for that matter, there will be six kids between Erin and I too)!

Yeah, she crammed herself in a babydoll Pack 'n Play! LMAO!

(not my *favorite* picture of Etta, but I love that I got all the girls in one shot!)

We had a good time and the morning passed quickly. We had lunch together and then I loaded the kids up and we headed back home. Somehow, I managed to keep both kids awake on the drive home and all three of us got to nap that afternoon!

Etta Update- 4.5yrs

Etta has said and done SEVERAL *new* things lately and I wanted to be sure to document it!

New phrases!

"Here you go!"

"See you!"

"What are you doing?!?"

"You OK?" (to Daniel when he falls)

"Come on!"

"Be right back"

When we came out of Target the other evening, it was dark out (when we went in, it was still daylight). Etta exclaimed "NIGHT!" Until that moment, I had no idea that she even knew the concept of day and night! She has told me again a few times since then that it is "night!"

She recently (maybe six months ago?) got the concept of "hot" and uses it appropriately (most of the time. Sometimes she tells me that really cold water is "hot".).

She has been doing a great job with potty training lately! She still doesn't usually tell us when she needs to go (though *sometimes* she will say and/or sign "potty"), but she will usually hold it until we take her every hour and a half or so. I basically take her every time I feel like I need to go (which is fairly frequent since I'm pregnant). If she has an accident, she will say, "uh oh! WET!" She has even been pooping in the potty! She doesn't like to use the child potty seat, but instead prefers to balance on the regular toilet seat. Because of this, I usually squat in front of her and put my hand on her knees to help her balance. She says the words "potty" and "wipe" and "flush". Since, I usually sit on the potty after she does, she has started pointing at me as she finishes up and says, "your turn". Then, while I'm going, she will sometimes squat in front of me and put her hands on my knees. It's pretty cute!

The other night she scolded Whiskey because he was bothering her while she was laying on the floor watching her iPad. She jumped up and yelled "no" at him, saying his name (her version of it, which sounds a little like "Izkee") and pointing to the chair that we usually tell him to go lay in and saying "chair"... Wonder where she got that one... Hahaha.

She likes to watch America's Funniest Home Videos and gets mad when a commercial comes on. :D

She has branched out a *little* in her food choices. I'm pretty sure this is because Daniel will eat (almost) anything you put in front of him. She's watching him a little and has started eating some foods that she had been refusing (like eggs! yay!). She is still generally quite picky and some of her foods have to be presented in just the right way or she won't eat them (like, she won't eat a NutriGrain bar unless you cut it into bite-size pieces).

She's been watching Blues Clues more lately (she's always enjoyed it, but had a strong preference for The Fresh Beat Band). She sometimes talks to the show and shouts when she sees "a coo!". She also waves goodbye to "Joe" or "Steve" (usually "bye Joe") when the show ends. Since we gave her the Blues Clues Handy Dandy Notebook ("Oht-Boo") at Christmas, she's been walking around (with or without the notebook) talking about "coos". She even found one in our bathroom!! (In the show, the dog named Blue leaves a blue paw print as a clue on three items throughout the show and at the end of the show they try to figure out what the three clues meant)

She just seems more growny lately. She shows a greater understanding of what's going on around her. While she isn't *always* cooperative, she will help clean up her mess and put things where they go. She likes to help when I go get Daniel up from his naps. I tell her, "it's time for Daniel to get up" and she takes off for his room, opens his door, flips on his light, and climbs up his crib to tell him "hi!". Then, she waits for me to change his diaper, flips the light back off and we head back out the door!

She likes to follow our housekeeper around and "help" her with the cleaning. When she did this the other day, it reminded me of this old video of her from two years ago.

She also recognizes when we arrive somewhere familiar. When we got to my parents' house in Alabama, she exclaimed "Nana!" as Keith was parking the car. This was without ever seeing my mom. She just recognized their house as we pulled into our parking spot outside the carriage house. AND when we arrived at Keith's parents' house for our most recent visit a couple weeks ago, she said, "Grandmomma!".

She also looks bigger! Don't get me wrong, she's still mini, but she's a little taller! I think she had a growth spurt over the summer. She's wearing a 3T in pants now! Her shirts are either a 3T or 4T, depending on the fit (4T sleeves are always too long on her). For those of you who don't understand toddler sizing, the size *generally* corresponds with their age. So, an average three-year-old would wear a 3T and an average four-year-old would wear a 4T...

Well, that's about all I can think of for right now! I'm sure I'll think of something else to add as soon as I hit the "Publish" button...