Proudly holding a cracked piece of cement from our patio like a freshly discovered gem. [Side note -squats must be so much easier when your legs are only twelve inches high]
Over the past three months, you have been running around like a, well like a little speed walker. Your legs run and your arms fly back and forth but straight by your sides. It's pretty cute and fairly amusing. You have also been learning by watching. You like to try to jump on two feet and even try to jump off of things that are a mere two inches or so off the ground. Apparently this is a monumental feat for a toddler your age, because you usually can't really do it. But you love to run, "jump" and act all excited and goofy. Thanks Sofia for your contribution.
I'm also very happy to report that for all intents and purposes, you now speak. Your repertoire of words is not extensive by any means but it is at least meaningful. You can say:
up! or upah --I consider this your first word
oh oh
bah! (ball)
mom!
dad!
no
uh uh
bye bye
poop
all done
-- more words by 18 months --
caca
baba (bottle)
Hi!
juice
shoe
this
cup
cracky (cracker)
boon (balloon)
jump
belly butt (belly button)
wee!! (when swinging or riding ont he rocking horse)
wee wee (for, well you know)
You also repeat many words but you're not yet saying them on your own. Usually you tend to repeat the first sound of a word. The other day, I realized the loud bird squeal I was hearing was you trying to call for your little friend Ethan, "Eeeeeh! Eeeeeeeeeh!" You don't yet say Sofia's name or any other sound to represent her which surprises me. Sofia's first word was "Dudu" for our dog "Dudi" and I figured yours would be "-fia". Sometimes, you point at things and start saying something about them to me, but it's sounds like a deaf person trying to speak German so I can only try to imagine what the excited thoughts are about in your head.
You have also learned to point at some basic body parts: nose, mouth, hair, and belly button which is your favorite of course. And you recently learned ears which you like to point out by pulling on other people. You know that your socks and shoes go on your feet and you still enjoy taking them off as soon as I put you in your car seat and chucking them randomly in the car so that it takes me a long time to locate them every time we go to the store or somewhere where we have to get out. I can't leave out that you've discovered another infamous appendage but I'm comforted for now that you still think your belly button is way cooler. I know that will change later but I try to block those thoughts from my mind.
Apparently, riding backward -much more exciting than riding forwards
Recently, you have learned to put things away like blocks and shoes that go in the closet, but you do it only for the initial praise. And although you have finally stopped throwing things off your high chair, you still make a ginormous mess every time you eat. I'm lucky if I don't have to change your whole outfit. You can also go up and down the stairs. You even managed to do a summersault out the window in the plastic playset a couple of times. One thing I don't think I've mentioned before is how much you love to dance. Or maybe I have, I don't know. But often, when we first get in the car to set out about our daily errands and the radio first comes on, if it's something with a good beat, you start shaking it in your car seat. It's pretty darn cute. If you hear something good on TV you'll do it too.
Another neat thing is your recognition of people close to you. When your cousin comes over which is about once a week, and you see her come through the front door, you get all excited and start doing a little celebration dance.
"Would you like me to comb your hair with this here branch, good sir?
I was about to report on your last Well Baby check up and how much you haven't grown and I discovered something somewhat comical --this whole time I was thinking you were already 18 months and you're not! For some reason, the pediatrician's office scheduled your appointment a bit early, so you won't really be 18 months until March 18th, but close enough.
You were fairly good at the appointment until the nurse came in to measure you. As soon as she approached you with the tape measure you started crying and didn't want to cooperate. When Dr. Arnold came in and examined you, however, you didn't complain at all. You were only scheduled for one shot this time, so I dressed you fully minus the pants and gave you a sucker right away. Again, as soon as the nurses had me lay you down, you started crying. Apparently, you still remembered your last visit and the shots and you know it was the nurses that did this horribleness to you and not the doctor. Although you cried gratuitously for just a minute, you were much more interested in the sucker this time which I'm thankful you relinquished to me before getting in the car.
On another note, they thought you shrunk since your last appointment at which they measured you at 31" long; this time they measured you at 30". Dr Arnold saw the obvious discrepancy and re-measured you at 31" which put you back on the >25th percentile curve you've been on for the past few months. Clearly, you were not 31" at 15 months. Other than this, the visit was uneventful as I no longer feel the need to bring up any concerns about your non-growing or speaking. So now, we're good to go until September.
"I wish it was Spring already"
What else, let's see -favorite activities: jumping, jumping and more jumping. You love jumping, yes I realize I already mentioned it but the jumping is just ridiculous, like all the time. And the accompanying, I'm so cool, look on your face is great too. I've taken you and Sofia to the McDonalds play land a couple of times recently and the last time, you played on your own the whole time only stopping to see me for grazings of food. Spring is just around the corner and I can't wait to see you really enjoy playing outside now that you can walk and hopefully climb (with assistance). We're biting the bullet (a big one at that) and getting a full size play set this year so hopefully you'll learn to climb the steps and go down the slide by yourself. If our play set research is any indication, I know you'll love it. Just one try on an infant swing and you couldn't stop yelling "eeeeee" (instead of weeeee).
--
How much you haven't grown:
Length: 31" >25th percentile
Weight: 20 lbs. 6oz. >3rd percentile (~0)
Head Circ.: 47.5cm >25th percentile
