18 months, yes that's 1.5 years

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

Christmas 2008

This is my favorite picture of the holidays, so I'm putting it up at the top. It's probably because I haven't nagged and physically forced Dada to take pictures of just me and you together like I had to do with Sofia when she was little. I just don't have the strength anymore. So this is sadly, a rare shot of us together, but one that I will cherish. [It turns out you had a better appreciation for my plastic vegetable steamer than for your number one Christmas present, the knit monkey from Land of Nod.]

This year we made the trek up to Aunt Sandy's house in Eden on Christmas Eve. As we were getting dressed and ready to leave, I decided to give you a quick hair trim which turned into a full on hair cut (only your second one and the first by me). You wouldn't stop moving your head this way and that. It's a miracle you still have ears. I think it turned out quite cute.

Look how big you are! Last year, you were just a baby in a manger.

We packed all our snow gear in preparation for sledding. Once we arrived, it was pretty windy and cold but we couldn't pass up the opportunity so we bundled up and went out anyway. Here you are bundled up for sure. I thought I might be asking for it with this one figuring you'd be screaming your little head off in protest the second we got outside. Much to my surprise, the wonderment of snow was more than enough reward and you allowed us to mummy-fy you and even deposit you in the snow for a little bit while we sled down the hill. Daddy took you down one time and you never complained. I can't stress that enough because I myself was complaining about the frigid cold wind in my face and my toes and hands that I could not feel pretty much the whole time. How amazing it must be to experience things for the first time.


By the time we started opening presents, you were down for a nap. We had to put you to sleep in your stroller which is not something you really do much. Before going to bed, you enjoyed knocking down Aunt Sandy's nutcrackers and trolling around as if you were just one of the big kids. You got to open some presents later in the evening but it really wasn't half as interesting as being bundled up like a mummy in the cold weather, the snow, or just walking around Aunt Sandy's house moving all her trinkets around.


Everyone went to bed in their new home-sewn matching octopus pajamas and we woke up the next morning ready for more presents at home. Santa and I agreed to three presents per person consisting of 1) something cuddly , 2) something creative, and 3) something fun. You received the knit sock monkey, toddler animal coloring markers that make the sound of the animal when you snap the lid back on, and home-sewn fabric balls. I was happy to see, you showed more excitement for at least one of the presents than the excitement you had for bows and empty boxes. I hit it just right with the fabric balls. I wrapped them in paper so you could still see the shape of the balls and put them in a see through bag to spark your interest. This was probably the only present you wanted to open yourself and you loved them! Balls are pretty much the coolest things on the planet to you right now.


After our family Christmas morning, we went to Tia Marcela's house for brunch and more merriment. You received three mega blocks wagons, so naturally we decided to keep the biggest one. Sofia stuffed you into the wagon and ran off with you.

Another memorable gift, batman mask from Peter & Holly

By the time we got to Abuelo's house, you were ready for a nap so you missed most of the merriment over there. But that didn't stop Sofia and cousin Autumn from enjoying your present from los Abuelos, a rocking horse.


The best present of all this year was that you finally decided to start speaking. At Tia Marcela's house you suddenly turned into a jitterbug of chatter.

15 months

Today, you had your 15 month Well Baby Checkup. There was a ton of snow and we were ridiculously late to your appointment. You weren't all that well dressed for snow and the wintery chill. Daddy was supposed to meet us at the doctor's office so we could all get our flu shots, but as I was driving there, he called to tell me he wasn't coming. I had to park far from the front door of the doctor's office and get out in a foot of snow. [Thanks for not doing snow removal in the parking lot where obviously moms are having to get out and lug children with bags to the front door].

You and Sofia played in the children's' area while we waited. You took all the books off the shelf. By now it was close to your morning nap time and you were getting very gnarly having to wait again in the small exam room. Your checkup was completely normal. Dr. Arnold had no concerns over your weight and size despite mine. He asked if you ate much bread and, feeling almost guilty, I said no because most bread has soy. But now that I think of it, you do eat whole wheat pita bread. Really, I'm not trying to starve you. I had also been waiting for his stamp of approval to take you completely off the Nutramigen which he didn't give a second thought to. So your drink of choice is now solely the rice milk. I suggested to him that he refer me to a nutritionist to see if we could do better in fattening you up and he agreed. He also felt that you were in no way malnourished since you have grown taller (31" 50th percentile) despite the fact that weight-wise you've fallen back into the 3rd percentile (19 lbs. 8oz.) And I thought for sure by now you'd be at least 20 pounds.

Actually, I have noticed you getting skinnier. You can still fit in 3-6 months pants because they finally fit you around the waist but they are too short. I've bought you some 12 month size pants which fit you pretty well length-wise but are not even close to touching your skin all the way around your waistline. They just sit there purely by the virtue of the stiffness of the fabric.

You couldn't get your flu shot because of your egg allergy, though Dr. Arnold insisted you still get the MMR which is also egg based. You got one shot in each leg and you let out a big cry. This time, you didn't calm down right away despite my best efforts. I had saved my best tactic as a method of last resort and it worked. I pulled out of my purse the rare and covetted food of the gods, a banana. You reached for it immediately but didn't completely stop crying until I had peeled it and relinquished it into your hands. Those magic bananas, what will I do without them when their magic wears off.

I also mentioned to Dr. Arnold that you're not much of a talker yet. It's not because I think it's a problem, but I don't want to let it slide either. Really, I wouldn't have even mentioned it if you'd at least call me "mama" sometimes. Frankly, I had to report to him that you still don't truly say any meaningful, recognizable words. You do repeat words, it's just that the sounds you make are very primitive and tone deaf-like. But I know you can hear me because you've finally started understanding the meaning of the word "No". Yes, you are finally starting to meet the expectations I had for you at 12 months, now.

Aside from hearing, you can also follow simple commands now, yes, just like a cute little puppy; things like: "bring it", "put it back", "put the food in your bowl". You also love the phone. You put it up to your neck and try to say "Hi" or "hello". The other day, you put the whole intercom up to your head and tried to use it as a phone. You also know that a brush is for brushing your hair even though I almost never use it on your hair. And, that hats go on your head and socks and shoes go on your feet. But, you don't pay much attention to me if I ask you to point to your nose, head, or toes, the usual toddler brain games. You do like to dance when you hear music, no body had to teach you, you just like to shake it.

Do you like my zebra rug, yeah I thought you would. Yes, I'm a modern guy. I don't shy away from a bold animal print and bright geometric patterns and I'm not afraid to cuddle with a few stuffies either.

Lately, you've been showing us more of your little personality. You are still mellow most times, not too hard to go to sleep on your own with the occasional crying bought here and there. You like to play on your own and you've started copying Sofia which I'm sure will get on her nerves soon enough. You laugh and giggle with her in the morning when she comes to play with you in your crib. Sometimes, I wish I could join in, but alas, I have to change your diaper which you are extremely difficult about. You have no interest in having your diaper changed these days. If it were up to you, you'd keep on the same one all day. I've ran out of interesting objects to distract you with while diapering. You just end up launching them all on the floor or behind your dresser which is such a treat for me.

Watching TV while standing on the rocking horse --probably not a good idea. Your reaction as you notice that I'm looking at you --oops, I better get down.

When you're doing something you know you probably shouldn't and you discover me looking at you doing it, you give me that mischievous little look. Then, you either act non-chalant and walk away admitting no guilt, or you give me the look and continue doing the evil doing but even faster to see how much of it you can get done before I stop you.

I reclaimed your mini baby blanket from Sofia and you love love love to cuddle it in your arms holding it up against your neck and face when we put you to bed. It's the cutest thing in the world. You usually sleep holding it in one arm and holding a stuffy in the other face down on the mattress with your legs curled under and butt in the air. [I couldn't resist this orange octopus from our trip to the Living Planet Aquarium to add to your special stuffy collection. You loved him right away, specially the bright shiny eyes].

You are such a mama's papa's boy. What I mean to say is, I know you'll be such a mama's boy when you get older, but right now you're a total daddy's boy. You whine, cry and scream to make him pick you up and hold you. It's ridiculous, because he does it and then he can't put you down. Suddenly, he becomes completely handicapped by the fact that he must hold you in his arms for hours and can't set you down as you start screaming the second your feet touch the floor. Sometimes, you'll throw a fit, curving your body back onto the floor so only your head and heels touch the floor. You know, you may be able to manipulate your Daddy that way but that poop doesn't fly with me. So we may have to get you a helmet. Adding to the list of bad behaviors, you continue throwing your food on the floor when it no longer interests you to eat it, followed by your bowl, and the dumping of all the liquids of your sippy cup on your tray. This little trick doesn't seem to be tapering off much so I think we're going to have to up the stakes on this one and implement some more severe consequences to give my stern looks a little bit of substance that you'll remember. Not even Sofia pulled this kind of stuff and she was a quick learner if she tried. Maybe I've been too soft on you, yeah, that's it.

But at the end of the day, we still love you, you are so cuddly and cute it's disgusting.

--
How much you haven't grown:
Length: 31" 50th percentile
Weight: 19 lbs. 8oz. <3rd percentile
Head Circ.: 46.5cm >25th percentile

Thanksgiving '08

- Looking sharp in that scholarly vest and tie -

- A boy and his guns -
[Just for the record, we are anti-toy guns in our house. So, when Marcelo picked up these puppies at Omi & Grandpa's house, he was quite intrigued].

Independent

I tried handing you a million and one things to capture your attention so you wouldn't crawl away from me while I was trying to take these pictures. That trick has obviously run it's course and is now highly ineffective. You managed to find the rock you're holding in your right hand all by yourself though, which allowed me this quick shot. The next morning, I found the rock in your crib.

Now that you can walk, oh yeah, did I mention you can walk now. Yes, yes, you started walking about two weeks after your first birthday. First, two steps, then within a few days, five steps in a row, and within two weeks you were walking all over the place. We even video taped your first few steps which is not something we do often. I have to charge up the video camera every time it occurs to me to capture something on video. It's like the dark ages. [Must remember to upload short video].

But anyway, you can walk and you are now Mr. Independent. Unfortunately this important milestone has brought along some nasty new personality developments: screaming, throwing yourself backwards in defiant demonstrations, crying, and more screaming. It's as though along with the ability to walk you were given some kind of revelation that you can and should demand whatever your whim desires. You have in fact, also figured out all the food possibilities in your menu and you are no longer delighted to try new the same foods and instead demand (soy, milk, and nut-free) crackers, which I should mention are not easy to find and damn expensive. I tested your resolve and you went on a three meal strike on veggies, fruits, and other delicious, sugarless, soy-less, milk-less, butter-less, foods until you got your damn crackers.

The other day at Costco, you showed some of your darker colors as you whined through the whole store. When I went to put Sofia back into the child seat next to you in the cart, you were outraged and screamed bloody murder followed by a violent and enraged shove of her shoulder. I was rather shocked. After all, I thought you were the sweet one. I usually have to reprimand Sofia when I hear you screaming and this time I kind of stood there like I didn't know what to do. When we went to leave, it took me several minutes to strap you into the car seat (oh yeah, you graduated to the big boy front facing car seat -I think you weigh enough, at least your head probably does). You were determined to not go in there using the backward back bend maneuver and I was afraid if I forced you in there, I would have child protective services called on me. But alas, I finally had to show you who was boss and strap you down. Maybe it was the food strike. I don't know. Luckily we haven't had any repeat incidents but I stopped going to the store for a while because of that.

You still don't say any real, comprehensible, or meaningful words. Not even "Mama". What's up with that? You do make a lot of noises and repetitive sounds. In fact sometimes you say "a mama ma ma ma ..." which I've decided means that you want something but not necessarily or even usually me. Sometimes it's just, "mimi mi mi ...", which I had to convince Sofia that you are not calling Ms. Mimi, her preschool director. I guess you're not going to be as good a talker as Sofia was but you certainly walk much better than her and you are such a "pretty boy". Ladies always stop me when I'm out shopping with you while Sofia is at preschool and comment on what a "pretty boy" you are and how much you look like me. I don't know why they say that since there's no other point of reference, although it is of course very true. I take it as a compliment of course but hopefully they stop saying that as you get older.

Halloween '08

You were such a good little chicken for Halloween. I wasn't sure how you would tolerate being put into tights and a feather suit, but you were great. You were quite the hit at Sofia's preschool. And, you even carried around your own basket when we went trick-or-treating. You got to sit in the forward facing car seat for the first time, and your eyes were all aglow with wonderment.

Fall '08