noah: 15 months

hi.

This weekend, Noah will officially be 15 months old. I know it is trite, but it seems like just yesterday we were celebrating the 3 month, end of "4th trimester", mark. Since the big first birthday it has been kind of nice to just sit back and let the months pass without counting or checking off milestones. Most of the time, when someone asks me how old he is, I have to really think about the date and correct answer...a far cry from the days of knowing exactly "2 months and 23 days".

So, what is our little goose up to?

Growing like a weed. He is busting through his jammies!

Moving. The kid goes pretty much non stop from the moment he wakes up until he crashes back out in his crib. He is insanely active and is constantly pushing his limits physically (which is how he ends up in rose bushes...ouch). All he really wants is to be about 3-years-old so he can play with all the big kids. He is constantly trying to join in their games or mimic their actions whenever we spot them. Lucky for us, we aren't rushing into that!

Closet fun in St. Louis. He loves my dad's closet. We lined it with pillows and it was pretty much like a padded room for running, jumping, and flopping.

Eating. I would like to give Scott and I a giant congratulations on this one. Sure, my kid eats veggie sticks, white flour pasta, Velveeta shells and cheese, and other typical kid food. BUT, we have also achieved our goal of sitting together as a family for meals and having Noah actually eat what we eat. This is usually his second dinner of the night, but as we start to set the table he walks over and demands to get in his seat to join us and gobble up an extra helping of calories for his growing little bod. Our most proud moment was when he ate Chicken Tikka Masala with us. Any thoughts on when it is appropriate to introduce him to sushi (nom nom nom)? A few side notes about food:

• Ice. Noah is obsessed. I imagine it has a lot to do with his molars coming in, but a cup of ice will keep him occupied for 30+ minutes. Of course, I get to go puddle hunting around the house when he finishes, but whatever makes him happy.
• Squeezy Food. This is what we can the Plum Baby Food Pouches. Noah was obsessed and our wallets were hurting. I am pretty sure he would have consumed 10 daily if we let him (confession: might have happened once or twice). So, we made the decision to scale waaaaaaaay back in this department. We aren't writing them completely off. They are great for a fussy toddler while out and about and for the occasional serving of veggies. But it needs to stop there. I also ordered some Little Green Pouches to start filling myself instead of buying them at $1.50 each.

Velveeta. Is it even really cheese?! Also, I want to know where he got those eyelashes!!!

Teeth. Still teething (does it ever end?). He has seven in front and two molars jamming their way in. He is obsessed with toothbrushes so at least they are all clean!

He is putting those chompers to good use...black bean cakes were a HUGE hit. (Apparently the guacamole I made to accompany them can also be used as hair gel if you are interested in recreating the above "do")

Sleep. Noah is starting the process of dropping his morning nap. Some days he needs it, and some days he cruises right through until 1pm without it. Only problem, when he skips the morning nap, he definitely doesn't nap long enough in the afternoon and we usually have a rough wake up. I'm sure he'll get the hang of it though. Bedtime is anywhere between 7:30 and 8:30 depending on naps and mood. Morning wake up anywhere from 6:30 to 7:30.

Four items critical to sleep: sound machine, paci, sack, and bear.

Talking. Zero. Ok, that isn't really fair. But to a stranger, he has zero words. He babbles mama and dada, yesssssssss, ga ga ga (go go go?), bye bye, etc... He is really trying to imitate speech sounds and is great with inflections, he just doesn't quite have the rest pulled together yet. Maybe one day when he stops running at warp speed around the house he'll have time to focus on talking. 

Quick break from jumping to jam in a PBJ.

Playing. Standard one year old stuff. Running, picking up rocks, moving toys from one place to another, banging, throwing, kicking (balls), pushing his push toys, and generally playing with anything that is not a kid appointed toy.

Outside. It is all he really wants. As soon as I say we need shoes to go out, he finds them and freaks out so we can GO!

Activities. Currently we are enrolled in gymnastics and music class. Gymnastics is a slam dunk. 50 minutes of pure energy expending and glee for my boy. Music is great, and we love the CDs to quell melt downs in the car, but we are going to opt out of class the next session. We have about 5 dance parties at home daily so I think we are offering a great musical education on our own (Rihanna and Psy are the same as Music Together, right?!). Plus, it is time to give swimming a try!

We will be continuing gymnastics next session!

Me. Noah has definitely entered into a Mommy attachment phase. We had a rough night in Colorado after me being gone skiing for a few days in a row where all he wanted to do was sleep ON me. He crashed out on my chest and when I laid him down next to me (mind you, at about 2am), he wiggled back up so his head could rest ON my head. It was really sweet and heartbreaking all at once. Now that we are home, he still seems pretty mindful of my presence at all times and is becoming quite the snuggler. He will come over and sit in my lap or just crash into me for some love. Wouldn't trade those moments for anything!

Our days.

Does that cover it? Anything else you want to know about my 15 month old that I might have left out? Doubt it ;-).